Introduction to the novel "Broken Glass of Rowland Heights"
This book adopts a first-person documentary style and tells the story of an unemployed and destitute middle-aged homeless man living in a tent at the foot of Puente Mountain and the struggling life of a Chinese-inhabited area in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles. The protagonist usually uses the parking lots of 99 Dahua and Diamond Plaza in Rowland Heights' two core business districts as the main activity areas. Due to the pressure of survival, his partner, Lao Lei, a Latino refugee, makes a living by smashing car windows and stealing supplies. There is a sharp divide between rich and poor in the entire area. Supermarkets and restaurants are noisy with fireworks. A few steps away is a dilapidated camp for homeless people. As major business districts continue to install surveillance cameras, the living space continues to shrink. My partner suggested taking Highway 60 to Diamond Bar and high-end single-family residential areas in Walnut City to look for opportunities. The protagonist wanders between the bustling business district and the quiet villa area all year round, witnessing the completely different life styles of the Chinese class, and is deeply tortured by his conscience every time he succeeds. He witnessed with his own eyes the collapse and helplessness of the owner of a stolen car. While he was subject to the embarrassment of survival reality at the bottom, he also hated the sin caused by theft. He was repeatedly torn between survival of food and clothing and inner morality. In the end, he needed to make a choice, whether to sink into the shadow of Los Angeles or break out of the gray quagmire of survival and find a new way out.
