The First Time in Life
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Summary
Birth, school, growing up, joining the army, starting work, marriage, moving to the city, buying a home, growing old together, retirement, elder care, farewell...
Countless "firsts" string together the atlas of our lives.
Here are the Chinese people's outlook on life and their philosophy of survival.
A tribute to every Chinese person who is tough and optimistic at heart.
Newly added: heartfelt reflections from 11 celebrity narrators:
Tu Songyan, Wang Yaoching, Qin Bo, Han Tongsheng, Lang Yueting, Xin Baiqing, Wang Renjun, Kou Zhenhai, Janine Chang, Xu Wenguang, Ayanga.
They are narrators, observers, and firsthand witnesses.
Every expression is restrained yet focused; every emotion is sincere and moving.
Editor's review
The editor believes the book's value lies in its delicate balance between the public nature of its "samples" and the private nature of its "experience." What it records is not the legend of a particular person but the life milestones shared by countless ordinary Chinese. This universality forms a powerful basis for emotional resonance, letting every reader see themselves or those around them in its pages. At the same time, the in-depth exploration of each stage goes beyond mere warm narrative to touch on real issues such as education, healthcare, housing, and elder care, giving it the nonfiction depth of social observation. The prose is plain and restrained yet carries enormous emotional tension—especially suited to helping us reexamine, in this fast-paced age, the "firsts" that shaped us and understand the epic quality of ordinary life. It is a gentle guide to "how to live" and a collective portrait of the national psyche amid changing times.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in observing and reflecting on life's journey and social issues
- Those who enjoy documentary-style works such as *Renjian Shi* and *Life Is Fruity* and prefer literary nonfiction
- Young people at or about to enter a major life stage depicted in the book (e.g., graduation, work, starting a family)
- Readers hoping to bridge generational understanding with parents or children
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking strong plot冲突, dramatic stories, or purely literary aesthetics
- Pragmatic readers expecting concrete methods or life guidance
Reading tips
- You need not read in table-of-contents order; start with the chapter that moves you most or best matches your current life stage.
- As you read, reflect on your own "firsts" or share and discuss them with family and friends for a deeper experience.
- This is a book for intermittent, immersive reading—focus on one or two themes at a time and give yourself space to digest the emotions and ideas.
About the publisher
Baihuazhou Literature and Art Publishing House is a professional literature and art publisher. Judging from the books in the database, its publishing focus is on foreign literature, world classics, prose and miscellaneous writings, and classic works, while also covering literary appreciation and cultural reading. Representative titles include The Painter of Modern Life, Jane Eyre, Six Chapters of a Floating Life, The Moon and Sixpence, Selected Prose of Ji Xianlin, A Sportsman's Sketches, and Collected Prose of Famous Masters, involving Chinese and foreign authors such as Charles Baudelaire, Charlotte Brontë, Shen Fu, and W. Somerset Maugham, as well as translators including Guo Hong'an, Chen Jinhui, Jing Xing, and Jiao Haili. Overall, the press emphasizes the introduction of classic texts and the compilation of prose works, presenting a publishing profile centered on literary reading and cultural accumulation. As public information is limited, other aspects are not elaborated here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序
- 第一篇章 出生
- 第二篇章 上学
- 第三篇章 长大
- 第四篇章 当兵
- 第五篇章 上班
- 第六篇章 结婚
- 第七篇章 进城
- 第八篇章 买房
- 第九篇章 相守
- 第十篇章 退休
- 第十一篇章 养老
- 第十二篇章 告别
- 后记 愿我们都是生活里的“真心英雄”
- 总导演手记 棕熊与鸬鹚
- 人生第一次 主创人员名单
FAQ
Is this book exactly the same as the documentary?
Is the style more emotional and tear-jerking, or rational and analytical?
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About the author
The production team of "The First Time in Life" is a collective authorship credit for a documentary television program, carrying out content collection and writing around the documentary of the same name. The program takes ordinary people's life milestones as its thread, recording real moments from life stages such as birth, schooling, work, and starting a family, and presenting individuals' choices and emotions at important moments through plain visual language. As a production team, its writing direction leans toward documentary literature, emphasizing real people and on-site details to convey life experience rather than fictional narrative. The only work by this team currently held in the library is "The First Time in Life," commonly classified as documentary literature, which shows that its content is compiled from program material and combines the qualities of visual record and written reading. Public information is limited, and the team's specific composition and division of labor are not clearly documented, but based on the existing work, its value lies in turning the camera on everyday life, allowing readers to find resonance and reference in others' first experiences.
