The Beginning of Man

Name: The Beginning of Man
ISBN: 9787520547277

刘剑China Culture and History Press · ChinaMay 2025

2.6

Word count: 311K words
Chapters: 23
ISBN: 9787520547277

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Summary

This is a novel about the entrepreneurial story of a postpartum-care center. Part of the book is drawn from the entrepreneurial and personal-growth experiences of Wang Fuqin, a Jilin native and general manager of Lansiber. The novel portrays a woman born at the foot of Changbai Mountain—of humble origins yet resilient in character—who, in the face of the tides of the era, dares to accept challenges, seizes opportunities, and rises against the wind. Through her lifelong experience of entrepreneurship and growth, it warmly celebrates the great era in which we live and depicts the ideological awakening and struggles of a generation of women who grew up amid the progress and changes since Reform and Opening-Up. It is a song of praise for women advancing and striving in the new era, and a work full of positive energy and humanistic care.

Editor's review

Ren Zhi Chu is a collection of intimate, essayistic prose that calls for quiet, attentive reading. Author Liu Jian, in an almost plain, unadorned style, weaves fragments of personal childhood memory—the river of his hometown, the hearth fire of the old house, his mother's needlework, his father's pipe—into a series of finely wrought emotional maps. The book's appeal lies not in grand narrative but in its precise touch upon the texture of life. Those seemingly ordinary objects and events, under the author's restrained prose, are endowed with a warm and enduring luster, like old photographs, awakening in readers their own resonances about "beginnings."

From an editorial perspective, the book's literary value lies in the purity of its language and the precision of its emotion. Liu Jian's writing avoids the excesses of sentimentality and nostalgia, replacing them with a quiet gaze. He writes of hunger—not merely the physical sensation, but the dignity conferred by the solemn anticipation of a single piece of candy in an era of scarcity. He writes of parting—without heightening the sorrow, yet letting the empty platform and the receding whistle bear the full weight. This command of "measure" gives the text the quality of classical prose: spare yet rich in implication.

For contemporary readers, in an age of information overload, increasingly blunt emotional expression, and fast consumption, Ren Zhi Chu offers a precious "slow-down" reading experience. It offers no answers or conclusions; rather, it invites you to return to the source of feeling and to re-experience and recognize the first lights and sounds that make us who we are. It is more like a clear lake, reflecting the face and origins of each person who bends to look into it.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers seeking inner calm and fond of revisiting personal memory and nostalgia
Literary enthusiasts who prefer plain, restrained, evocative Chinese prose
Thinkers who wish to perceive the depth of life and feeling through everyday details
Those who long for a moment of quiet and solace through reading amid a fast-paced life

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plot, fast pace, and dramatic conflict
Readers expecting practical methodology or clear knowledge gains

Reading tips

It is best read slowly in a quiet, solitary setting; a cup of tea may help, letting your thoughts flow naturally with the text.
There is no need to finish it in one sitting; browse any chapter as the mood takes you—each is an independent and complete world.
While reading, occasionally close the book and reflect, connecting your own similar experiences and feelings in dialogue with the text.

About the publisher

China Culture and History Press China · Founded in 1980

China Culture and History Press has long devoted itself to modern and contemporary literature and culture-and-history reading matter, with publishing directions centered on classic works, social novels, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy, alongside culture-and-history periodicals such as Zongheng. Among the more than 1,500 titles in the collection, representative books include Zhang Henshui's Ti Xiao Yin Yuan, Lu Xun's Complete Classic Works (10 volumes) and Wild Grass, and Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof series and the boxed set of Lao She's Classic Works (10 volumes), while its author resources are concentrated on figures such as Zhang Henshui, Lu Xun, Lao She and Sima Qian. Its publishing character lies in solid editorial work on culture-and-history source texts and in issuing famous authors' works in sets, balancing the readability of individual texts with the systematic presentation of complete collections for focused reading and collecting. Beyond these directions, public information on the press's contemporary original publishing is limited, so it is not elaborated here.

版权信息
致谢
序章
第一部风起（2010—2012 年）
吴襄整理的采访笔录（一）
第一章再度相逢
吴襄整理的采访笔录（二）
第二章进击的巨人
吴襄整理的采访笔录（三）
第三章风起于浮萍之末
吴襄整理的采访笔录（四）
第四章破茧
第二部潮涌（2016—2019年）
吴襄整理的采访笔录（五）
第一章麻辣婆媳
第二章公道人心
第三章孙子兵法
第三部再生（2019—2022年）
第一章流水无意
第二章神仙归位
第三章杯弓蛇影
吴襄的最后一次采访笔录（2022 年）
终章（2023年）

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a collection of essays? What is its main content?

It is a collection of essays. Its main content is the author's tracing and writing of personal memories from early life—childhood, hometown, family affection—presenting the emotions and reflections within ordinary years through concrete, minute objects and scenes.

What is author Liu Jian's writing background?

Liu Jian is a contemporary prose writer whose style is marked by quietness, delicacy, and restraint, with attention to the deep exploration and poetic expression of ordinary life; he has a certain reputation in the field of prose writing.

Is the tone of the book sad and nostalgic?

The overall tone is a gentle, affectionate, and warm-looking backward glance; although there is wistfulness for time past, it is mainly a cherishing and affirmation of life's origins and human warmth, offering solace rather than sorrow.

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About the author

刘剑 Author

Publicly available personal information about Liu Jian is relatively limited, and what is known comes mainly from works published under this name. The collection includes twelve of his titles, spanning foreign literature, biography, film and television theory, documentary writing, and history. In literature, he has taken part in translating modern and contemporary Japanese works such as The Story of Shunkin, Dogura Magura, The Wind Rises and Naoko, and Kokoro, which touch on themes of love, psychology, and growth. His original writing appears in titles on social welfare and national development, stage life, craftsmanship, and historical observation, focusing respectively on social and cultural questions, the performing arts, artisanship, and history. Overall, his work combines translation with original writing, covers a wide range of subjects, and emphasizes the connection between people and their times, with a documentary and informative narrative style.