Digging Up Time

Name: Digging Up Time
ISBN: 9787229171179

苏先生Chongqing Publishing House · ChinaSep 2026

3.2

Word count: 101K words
Chapters: 33
ISBN: 9787229171179

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Summary

Six years ago, I suddenly found myself a tangled mess, surrounded by lies, vanity, disorder, and countless impulses, wound tighter and tighter. I had to escape—to escape from within myself a brand-new "me."

So I began to sort through past memories: a family bond, a journey, a childhood incident, a torrential rainstorm, a chance encounter, a kind of loneliness... The seeds of those memories began to take root and sprout, gradually growing from tangled branches into the little grove that is now this book.

If the light is right, the temperature is right, and the smell happens to be right too, we will always find a piece of old time, a span of days long forgotten.

Editor's review

Digging for Time is a collection of essays that grows inward. The author, Mr. Su, begins with the distress of "finding himself a tangled mess" and turns the impulse to escape into the act of sorting through memories: family bonds, journeys, childhood, heavy rain, chance encounters, loneliness—these seemingly trivial fragments are salvaged one by one and finally grow into "a little grove." The book's value lies not in providing answers but in demonstrating a way of self-sorting—writing down the confusion and letting memory take root on its own. The prose is restrained yet warm, suited to slow reading in quiet hours: read a few pieces, then pause and think about your own old times. For readers accustomed to rushing through a fast-paced life yet vaguely feeling inner disorder, this book is like a gentle reminder: sorting through the past is also a way of starting anew.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy familiar essays and prefer slow-paced reading
People who feel internally chaotic and want to use writing to sort out their emotions
Middle-aged readers who resonate with memories of childhood and family bonds
Readers who need short pieces for fragmented time and seek quiet

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong plot and fast-paced stories
Readers who prefer high information density and systematic argumentation
Readers impatient with lyrical prose

Reading tips

Read two or three pieces a day; after closing the book, recall an old incident of your own.
Keep a pen handy and write down your own memory keywords where something moves you.
Read before bed or on weekend mornings, avoiding the noise of rush-hour commuting.
After finishing, reread after some time and notice how earlier and later memories echo each other.

About the publisher

Chongqing Publishing House China · Founded in 1950

Chongqing Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for its titles in the humanities, social sciences, literature and arts, with about 940 books in its catalogue. Its publishing areas cover world history, science fiction, foreign literature, architecture and philosophy. Representative titles include Xiang Da's A History of Communications Between China and the West, Liang Sicheng's Rules of Qing-Style Construction, Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem II: The Dark Forest and III: Death's End, Ann Rand's The Fountainhead (25th Anniversary Edition), and Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series. Its authors include Xiang Da, Liu Cixin, Liang Sicheng and Ann Rand. The press has developed distinctive strengths in historical source editing, the introduction and creation of science fiction, the translation of foreign literature, and architecture and philosophy titles, balancing scholarly value with general readership. As public information is limited, this profile outlines its publishing directions based only on the books in the catalogue.

版权信息
一棵树顶住的房子
独居的三伯
姑姑月兔
爷爷的咳嗽
共享书屋
两个复读生
一个兵
杨存女
挖光阴
一水洗百净
这风尘仆仆的跪倒
摸奖
父亲的信
一个人静静地黑
一个村庄的身世
回家吧，回家了
走远
麦子，麦子
跑肚
献天爷
上粮
人间棉花糖
打春
捏瓦呜
自行车上的梦
新课本
偷“背”字
扫毛衣
笼火
送婚书
耍故事
后记我要写出内心的恐惧和与之抗衡的力量之源

FAQ

Is this book a novel or essays?

From the introduction, it is composed of linked memory fragments and is essayistic writing rather than a novel with a coherent plot. There is no need to chase a plot while reading; it is better to savor each piece individually and feel the author's process of sorting through memories.

Can someone without a writing habit get into it?

Yes. The book writes about everyday experiences such as family bonds, childhood, and chance encounters, so the barrier is low. Readers do not need to be writers; they only need to follow the text and recall their own experiences. If they are willing to pick up a pen and record, the rewards will be more obvious.

Is it suitable to read in one sitting?

Not really. This kind of writing is meant to be savored; reading continuously and quickly tends to leave only a vague impression. Reading in sessions and leaving some blank space after a few pieces better suits the book's temperament and makes it easier to connect the memories in the book with your own experience.

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About the author

苏先生 Author

Su Xiansheng is a Chinese writer known for his essays and miscellaneous prose. Public information about him is limited: his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly recorded. Two of his works are currently held in the collection, "One Person's Pastoral Song of All Things" and "Digging for Time," both classified as essays and miscellaneous prose, which suggests that his writing centers on personal experience and everyday observation, with a tone poised between lyricism and narration. Judging from the imagery in the titles, he attends to the connections between people and nature, the passage of time, and the details of daily life, drawing feeling from ordinary things in plain yet poetic language. Because the author has disclosed little about himself, his full body of work is difficult to outline, and readers come to know his writing mainly through these two books. For essay readers who favor quiet introspection and attention to the texture of life, Su Xiansheng's work offers a composed perspective on the world of things and thus holds a place within the category of essays and miscellaneous prose.