Dream of Ding Village By Yan Lianke

Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke is a seminal work of contemporary Chinese literature, notable for its unflinching portrayal of a tragic blood-selling scandal in Henan province. Officially censored in China and the subject of intense legal battles, this novel emerged from Yan Lianke’s extensive three-year undercover research alongside a Beijing anthropologist. Through profound narrative and rich characterization, the novel exposes the devastating human cost of unregulated blood trade, capturing the social and political dynamics behind an HIV/AIDS epidemic that wiped out entire communities without accountability. It centers on a family torn apart as one son climbs the Party ranks by exploiting the crisis while another succumbs to infection and death. Dream of Ding Village stands as a powerful critique of China’s rapid economic development, revealing the sacrifices and injustices endured by marginalized rural populations in the country's relentless pursuit of progress.