Listening for Leaks

Name: Listening for Leaks
ISBN: 9787570235087

Liu XinglongYangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaSep 2024

4.1

Word count: 370K words
Chapters: 31
ISBN: 9787570235087

Report an error Find this book

Summary

"While the complete set of nine ding and eight gui became a cultural symbol of the Western and Eastern Zhou periods, it is the incomplete set of nine ding and seven gui that truly epitomizes the political culture of the era." How to unravel the pre-Qin cultural mystery hidden within the "nine ding and seven gui" thus became a historical mission that the members of the Chu Studies Institute had to accomplish. Around this topic, experts and scholars from a provincial Chu Studies research institute, amateur archaeologists, leak-listening workers, tomb robbers, and other parties all take the stage, each displaying their own skills in an attempt to uncover this age-old mystery. As the mystery is gradually solved, a deeply etched past romance and the legendary, mysterious origins of several present-day figures unfold before the reader's eyes. The true and complex faces of history and the present, of worldly affairs and human nature, are revealed one by one.

Editor's review

Listening for Leaks is Liu Xinglong's latest novel after The Sky Walker. Taking as its entry point the unique profession of "leak listener"—maintenance workers for urban underground water supply networks—the novel delves into the neglected corners and people beneath the prosperous surface of the modern city. In the novel, the protagonist relies on a pair of ears that can "hear" underground pipe leaks, walking the city streets late at night. This unique way of working is itself a superb literary metaphor—it symbolizes an effort to listen to the subtle sounds deep within the era and capture the true pulse of life. Liu Xinglong's brushwork is, as always, steady and solid, deftly stitching together the professional dignity of a small figure and the grand narrative of the city, demonstrating his sustained and profound humanistic care for grassroots laborers. The work is not only a poetic presentation of an obscure profession but also a profound reflection on the "deafness" of modern society—that is, indifference to real problems and grassroots voices. Reading Listening for Leaks, readers will follow the author's tone into the city's "underground" and "late night" to listen to the truths and warmth masked by noise, and experience a more substantial and real texture of life quite different from the everyday surface.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in contemporary serious literature, especially realistic fiction
Readers who hope to understand grassroots urban life and the pulse of the times through the lens of a unique profession
Literary enthusiasts who appreciate Liu Xinglong's steady, solid narrative style rich in humanistic care
People who reflect on social issues and are willing to explore deeply through literary reading

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking fast pacing, strong plots, and the pleasure of web-fiction-style gratification
Those uninterested in realistic themes and a quieter literary style focused on detailed description

Reading tips

Read in a relatively quiet environment to better immerse yourself in the "listening" atmosphere the novel creates.
Pay attention to the depictions of urban space, sound imagery, and professional ethics; these are key to understanding the novel's deeper meaning.
After reading, consider: in our own lives, what voices need to be "heard" but are often ignored?

About the publisher

Yangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1955

Founded in Wuhan in 1955, Yangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House is a literary publisher under Hubei Changjiang Publishing and Media Group. Public information is limited, so the following focuses on the publishing directions reflected in the books in our database. The press publishes modern and contemporary Chinese literature, classical literary studies, translated foreign literature and educational works. Its catalog includes Chen Yinke's Studies on the Origins of Sui and Tang Institutions and On Tang Political History and The Unofficial Biography of Liu Rushi, Lao She's Camel Xiangzi and Four Generations Under One Roof, and Selected Essays of Lu Xun, as well as translations such as Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country and educational writings by Sukhomlinsky. Its publishing character lies in balancing literary classics with scholarly works, with attention to textual editing and the accumulation of major authors' works; its author resources span leading modern writers, historians and foreign authors.

版权信息
壹
贰
叁
肆
伍
陆
柒
捌
玖
拾
拾壹
拾贰
拾叁
拾肆
拾伍
拾陆
拾柒
拾捌
拾玖
贰拾
贰壹
贰贰
贰叁
贰肆
贰伍
贰陆
贰柒
贰捌
贰玖
叁拾

FAQ

What is the main story of Listening for Leaks?

The novel centers on "leak listeners" in the urban water supply system, telling how they identify underground pipe leaks by sound late at night. Through this profession as a window, it presents the living conditions and professional dignity of ordinary laborers and their complex, hidden connections with the city as a whole.

What are the author Liu Xinglong's background and style?

Liu Xinglong is an important contemporary Chinese writer and a Mao Dun Literature Prize winner. Works such as The Sky Walker and Feng Huang Qin are known for their deep realistic brushwork and profound humanistic care. He excels at uncovering profound social and human themes from ordinary people and professions, with a steady, plain, and powerful style.

What are the book's literary value and social significance?

Its literary value lies in constructing the narrative around the unique image of "listening for leaks," expanding the subject matter and perspective of contemporary literature. Its social significance lies in shining a spotlight on little-known ordinary professions and laborers, awakening attention to the "people" behind "infrastructure," and reflecting on the "auditory numbness" brought by modernity.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Liu Xinglong Author · Chinese · 1956

Liu Xinglong, born in 1956 in Huangzhou, Hubei, with ancestral roots in Tuanfeng, is a contemporary Chinese realist writer. In his early years he worked as a water conservancy construction worker and a valve factory laborer, and in 1984 he published his first work, Black Butterfly, Black Butterfly... His writing is rooted in real life, often drawing on rural society and the lives of ordinary people, with plain yet warm prose. His representative works include Fengqin, The Skywalker, and Saint Heaven's Gate; The Skywalker won the 8th Mao Dun Literature Prize, and Carrying Tea to Beijing won the Lu Xun Literature Prize. The library holds 14 of his works, including The Skywalker, Selected Works of Liu Xinglong, Life Is Labor and Benevolence, Drunk in the Autumn Wind, If the Days Ahead Are Long, and Listening for Leaks, commonly categorized as social fiction and classic works. He has served as chairman of the Hubei Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles and has long focused on the fate and dignity of ordinary people.