Ice and Flame in the Capital's Dust

Ice and Flame in the Capital's Dust

Yan Bing, a graceful young woman from Hebei, leaves her hometown at eighteen and heads to Beijing to enlist, filled with youthful fervor. Two years of military life temper her and strip away her youthful softness, forging self-discipline, resilience, and integrity. She dedicates her ardent youth to military service. After leaving the army, she puts down roots in Beijing's grassroots tax system, starting as a frontline tax officer and embarking on a decades-long path of commitment.

Following Yan Bing's life, the novel spans more than thirty years, from the 1990s to the present, linking her military service, grassroots tax collection, tax reform, and the changing face of Beijing. It realistically depicts the many sides of frontline tax work: visiting taxpayers, explaining policies, auditing accounts, making difficult choices in personal relationships, and upholding integrity. It records the everyday struggles of grassroots tax workers amid major tax reforms such as the Golden Tax System upgrades and the transition from business tax to value-added tax.

From a young recruit to a diligent tax officer, and then to a composed and conscientious deputy tax office director, Yan Bing brings a woman's sensitivity and resolve to bear as she resists temptation, holds the line, and devotes herself to her work in an ordinary post. The novel portrays a generation's youth, commitment, and growth, reflecting the shifting rhythms of everyday life in the capital and the vicissitudes of a career in the public System. It tells the searing story of an ordinary striver who puts down roots in Beijing, lives up to the times, and remains true to her original purpose.