Dream of Ding Village

translated by Cindy Carter

The life and death of an entire community is told by a dead boy. His story reveals the moral vacuum at the heart of Communist-capitalist China.

During a blood-contamination scandal in Henan province, villagers sell their blood, their coffins, and then arrange marriages for their own dead family members in the afterlife.

Dream of Ding Village will make you laugh out loud just as you are gasping in horror. Yan Lianke is a genius storyteller of the moving and absurd antics of people forced to live under an inhuman regime.

‘I come from the bottom of society. All my relatives live in Henan, one of the poorest areas of China. When I think of people’s situation there, it is impossible not to feel angry and emotional. Anger and passion are the soul of my work.’ Yan Lianke

Listen to Yan’s interview on Radio National’s The Book Show.

Read reviews from the Age, Australian and Guardian.

Til Death Do Us Part is the film adaptation of Dream of Ding Village from acclaimed director, Changwei Gu and starring Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Aaron Kwok.

Praise for Dream of Ding Village:

The defining work of his career; not just an elegantly crafted piece of literature but a devastating critique of China’s runaway development.

Jonathan Watts, Guardian

A sorrowful but captivating novel about the price of progress in modern China. The book, which was censored in that country, builds to an act of violence that resonates with the impact of Greek tragedy or Shakespearean drama.

Kirkus Reviews

A brilliant and harrowing novel.

Publisher's Weekly