The Han River Flows East is a contemporary realist novel spanning several decades and following an ensemble of characters in Hanzhong, Shaanxi.
The story begins amid the pain of the layoffs of the 1990s and centers on Chen Jianguo, an electrician, and his strong-willed wife, Zhou Meilan, a textile worker. When their iron rice bowls are smashed, he refuses to bow his head, clinging to his dignity as he guards an abandoned factory, while she pushes a tricycle through the streets to sell mianpi. Their daughter, Chen Ming, is born at the start of the new millennium. She grows up under her parents’ strictness and quiet love, longing to escape through education yet still bound by deep ties to her hometown.
With the Han River as its timeline, the novel spans more than twenty years and traces in fine detail the fortunes of an ordinary family amid sweeping changes. It moves from communal life in crowded apartment blocks to the struggles of individuals in a market economy, from the desire to leave home to the responsibility of returning. It is not only a story of the parents’ resilient struggle to survive as fate bears down on them, but also of the next generation, who understand their parents’ wounds and choose to give back to their hometown through education.
This is a heartfelt elegy and a song of praise for the ordinary people living along the Han River. It is about how dignity can be reborn in hardship, the silent yet powerful love between two generations, and how a family, even an entire region, can find its own direction through tumultuous times. The river flows east, and the years pass, but the resilience of life along its banks endures.
Dear readers:
Hello.
At this point, the story of "The Han River Flows East" can come to an end.
Since September 8, 1997, we have gone through one hundred and fifty-one years together. From Chen Ming's childhood, to middle school, to college, to work, to marriage, to having children, to watching the children grow up, to three generations living under the same roof in 2053 - more than fifty years of time are condensed in these chapters.
This is not a splashy story. There are no shocking reversals, no bizarre plots. It is just an ordinary life of an ordinary girl - starting from the Han River, walking through confusion and despair, struggling and growing up, and finally returning to the Han River to grow old together with her family and friends.
But maybe that's what's most impressive about it.
Because we all might be Chen Ming. We all felt confused at some point, we all wanted to leave, we all thought of our hometown in the distance, we all longed to come back, we were both deeply loved by some people, and we all loved some people deeply.
At the end of this story, I want to stay here - by the Han River, in a home with warm lights, and on the road where generations continue to walk.
The river still flows eastward. The story continues. It's just that our narration can stop here.
Thank you for accompanying them all the way here.
If one day you pass by Hanzhong and the Han River and see those lavender flowers, maybe you will think of Chen Ming, her friends, and this story about the Han River flowing eastward.
At that time, their story was still going on.
Goodbye, Chen Ming.
Goodbye, Han River.
Goodbye, everyone who grew up by the river.
Thanks for everything, see you soon.
Farewell to birds
2026.02.25
Dear readers: Hello. At this point, the story of "The Han River Flows East" can come to an end. Since September 8, 1997, we have gone through one hundred and fifty-one years together. From Chen Ming's childhood, to middle school, to college, to work, to marriage, to having children, to watching the children grow up, to three generations living under the same roof in 2053 - more than fifty years of time are condensed in these chapters. This is not a splashy story. There are no shocking reversals, no bizarre plots. It is just an ordinary life of an ordinary girl - starting from the Han River, walking through confusion and despair, struggling and growing up, and finally returning to the Han River to grow old together with her family and friends. But maybe that's what's most impressive about it. Because we all might be Chen Ming. We all felt confused at some point, we all wanted to leave, we all thought of our hometown in the distance, we all longed to come back, we were both deeply loved by some people, and we all loved some people deeply. At the end of this story, I want to stay here - by the Han River, in a home with warm lights, and on the road where generations continue to walk. The river still flows eastward. The story continues. It's just that our narration can stop here. Thank you for accompanying them all the way here. If one day you pass by Hanzhong and the Han River and see those lavender flowers, maybe you will think of Chen Ming, her friends, and this story about the Han River flowing eastward. At that time, their story was still going on. Goodbye, Chen Ming. Goodbye, Han River. Goodbye, everyone who grew up by the river. Thanks for everything, see you soon. Farewell to birds 2026.02.25