A Record of No Regrets

Name: A Record of No Regrets
ISBN: 9787521225273

刘兆林Writers Publishing House · ChinaApr 2026

3.5

Word count: 287K words
Chapters: 15
ISBN: 9787521225273

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Summary

Bu Hui Lu (Record of No Regret) won the Cao Xueqin Prize for Full-Length Novels. Centered on intellectuals, this novel tells the story of a group of writers. Written in the first person as a fictionalized autobiography, it depicts the protagonist Liu Zhi at the age of "forty, free from doubt," whose unexpected career change takes him from military writer to leader of a local writers' association, tracing the twists and turns of this unusual experience and his complex inner journey. Bold, truthful, austere yet finely observed, the work lays bare this intellectual's electrocardiogram-like inner monologue amid a personal turning point and social transformation, weaving the tangled conflicts of self and work with equally complicated family tensions. Vividly individualized characters make this a novel capable of drawing wide reader attention.

Editor's review

Bu Huilu (Record of No Regret) is written in first-person autobiographical style, tracing writer Liu Zhi's winding course after an unexpected career transfer at the age of forty: from military writer to a leadership post in a local writers' association. Its readability comes from what might be called an "EKG of the soul": personal aspirations grating against the work environment, family conflicts and professional transition intertwining, coolly yet finely rendering an intellectual's hesitations and self-possession amid social transformation. The characters are vividly drawn; the writers in the ensemble each have distinct faces and never lapse into abstractions. When reading, one might set each of Liu Zhi's choices against his inner monologues to feel the weight of "no regret"—not a slogan, but self-confirmation after living through contradiction. Suited to readers interested in intellectual themes and narratives of life's turning points.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy novels about intellectuals and ensembles of writers
Readers undergoing career transitions and reflecting on life choices
Readers who prefer first-person autobiography and finely drawn psychological portraiture
Literary readers attentive to individual spiritual change during social transformation

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong suspense or dense plot conflict
Readers who dislike long inner monologues and autobiographical narration
Readers with little interest in writers' associations and literary circles

Reading tips

Treat Liu Zhi's career transfer as the dividing line and compare his state of mind before and after.
As you read the inner monologues, note how he justifies his choices, then judge what "no regret" means.
Read the family-conflict passages alongside to see how work and private life pull on each other.
After each chapter, review the character relationships to avoid confusing the ensemble of writers.

About the publisher

Writers Publishing House China · Founded in 1953

Writers Publishing House is a Chinese publisher focused mainly on literary publishing. Its output covers classical literature, foreign literature, folk literature and Eastern philosophy, with some extension into popular reading such as social fiction and parenting books. Its catalogue contains more than 900 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber and its edited editions, Shakespeare's Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and foreign literary classics such as The Brothers Karamazov and Lost Illusions. In terms of authors, it includes classical writers such as Cao Xueqin and Gao E, foreign masters such as William Shakespeare, Dostoevsky and Balzac, and translations by translators such as Zhu Shenghao, Geng Jizhi and Fu Lei. Overall, its publishing profile balances Chinese and foreign literary classics, emphasizes quality translations, and serves both academic and general readers; publicly available information on its specific publishing plans is limited.

版权信息
序知识分子、作家和体制
引子暖雪浴
第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
第五章
第六章
第七章
第八章
第九章
跋
刘兆林论——诠释他创作心理的特质与作品艺术的成就
机关文化和文化机关各色人等——长篇小说《不悔录》创作谈

FAQ

How should the title "Bu Huilu" be understood?

The title points to the protagonist Liu Zhi's self-confirmation after a turning point in life. An unexpected career transfer takes him from military writer to a leadership post in a local writers' association; after complex conflicts he still chooses no regret, and readers can trace how this attitude forms through his inner monologues.

Is this novel the author's autobiography?

The work uses first-person autobiographical narration, and the protagonist Liu Zhi's experiences and narrative voice carry autobiographical coloring; but the materials only state that this is a novel written in that mode, and it should not be read directly as the author's own factual autobiography.

Is the book mainly about life in writers' circles?

The subject centers on a group of writers; the main line is Liu Zhi's experience from military writer to local writers' association leader, interwoven with complex family conflicts. It portrays both a writers' ensemble and an intellectual's inner monologue amid social transformation.

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About the author

刘兆林 Author

Liu Zhaolin is a contemporary Chinese writer. Publicly available information is limited, and his life experience and personal details cannot currently be verified; this introduction can therefore only be based on the works held in the collection. Three of his works are currently included: The Gunshots of the Suolun Valley, The Lively Town of the Snow Country, and A Record of No Regret. Judging by subject matter and classification, his writing mainly falls into two categories, war and military fiction and social fiction, attending both to military life and remote border landscapes and to social reality and human circumstances. His works are often set against northern scenery, with plain and vivid writing that establishes a personal narrative style between military themes and social realism. Although the available material is insufficient to sketch his full body of work, these three books broadly show his orientation toward observing reality and staying close to everyday life, offering readers an initial sense of his creative profile.