The Linjiang Sisters

The Linjiang Sisters is a deeply moving realist novel about the brief yet radiant life of Chen Xiaoyu, a girl from the countryside. Set in rural China from 1988 to 2002, the story opens with the marriage of Chen Liang and Wang Jumei, portraying the simplicity and warmth of farm life. Their eldest daughter, Xiaoyu, was sensible from an early age. At just six, she helped her father sell vegetables and looked after her younger siblings. She was admitted to the county's No. 1 High School with the third-highest score in the entire county. Yet on August 1, 2002, twelve-year-old Xiaoyu jumped into the Xiaoqing River without hesitation to save two children who had fallen into the water while she was on her way home. She gave them the hope of life, but was swallowed by the river herself. With delicate prose, the novel depicts Xiaoyu's kindness, filial devotion, and courage, revealing the greatness that can shine from an ordinary life. Ten years later, Xiaoyu was posthumously recognized as a martyr. A bridge was built over the river where she had saved the children and named "Xiaoyu Bridge," while the primary school she attended was renamed "Xiaoyu Primary School." Her spirit flows forever through people's hearts like the waters of a great river.