The Warm Lamp

Name: The Warm Lamp
ISBN: 9787550056572

刘景明Baihuazhou Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaMar 2026

3.0

Word count: 177K words
Chapters: 72
ISBN: 9787550056572

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Summary

Warm Lantern is a collection of literary reportage. Set in villages in southeastern Xinfeng County, on the border of Jiangxi and Guangdong, and using the Hakka custom of "warm lantern" as its thread, the author tells the story of the mountain village's profound transformation. The book is divided into five sections: "Lights in Every Home," "The Sun Rises Over the Mountains," "In the Village and Beyond," "Song as Matchmaker," and "Chronicling the Years in Words." In "Lights in Every Home," the "warm lantern" custom is woven into the family narrative centered on Village Party Secretary Qiusheng, unraveling the villagers' emotional knots arising from differences in outlook, the coexistence of warmth and coldness in human affairs, and the karmic ends of lives marked by misfortune, thus reflecting the trajectory of change in a Hakka village. "The Sun Rises Over the Mountains" depicts the coming-of-age of Niu Chunhe, a horticultural farm employee, in the 1980s, portraying the aspirations and striving spirit of a generation of young people and clarifying the relationship between change and constancy in history and memory. "In the Village and Beyond" tells how returning entrepreneur Long Shangbin discards outmoded, conservative thinking, leads his enterprise out of difficulty toward development and innovation, and demonstrates his contribution to society. "Song as Matchmaker" reviews history and confronts reality, focusing on how a representative regional cultural feature is inherited and innovated. "Chronicling the Years in Words," centered on "cultural revitalization," selects factual records of literary and cultural life that echo the theme of "warm lantern."

Editor's review

Set in the villages of southeastern Xinfeng County along the Jiangxi-Guangdong border, *Warm Lantern* takes the Hakka "warm lantern" custom as its narrative thread and, within the framework of documentary literature, leaves a warm record of mountain-village transformation. The five sections each have their own focus: "Myriad Household Lights" uses the family story of village Party secretary Qiusheng to depict the warmth and coldness of human relations and the course of fate under differences in outlook; "Sun Rises Over the Mountain" focuses on nursery employee Niu Chunhe's coming of age in the 1980s, presenting a generation's pursuits and struggles; "In and Beyond the Village" tells of returning entrepreneur Long Shangbin casting off outdated ideas and leading his enterprise out of difficulty; "Song as Matchmaker" examines the inheritance and innovation of regional culture; and "Chronicling the Years in Writing" turns to a concrete record of cultural revitalization. The book's strength lies not in grand slogans but in carrying historical change through specific people and events; the threads of custom, family, entrepreneurship, and culture echo one another, giving the reading both a rural flavor and a sense of lived reality. It suits readers willing to read slowly and interested in rural themes and nonfiction writing, who in a quiet setting can follow the author's brush into the villages of the Jiangxi-Guangdong border and feel the emotional weight behind the "warm lantern" custom.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Hakka culture and rural folk customs
Readers who enjoy documentary literature and nonfiction writing
Readers concerned with rural transformation and the fate of grassroots figures
Readers hoping to understand cultural revitalization through concrete stories

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plotting and fast-paced fiction
Readers with little interest in rural themes and documentary writing

Reading tips

Begin with the "Myriad Household Lights" section to grasp the main line of the "warm lantern" custom and the family narrative.
When reading "Sun Rises Over the Mountain" and "In and Beyond the Village," note the characters' eras to understand the context of their choices.
Pause briefly after each section to sort out relationships and event threads before moving on.
When reading "Song as Matchmaker" and "Chronicling the Years in Writing," reflect on them in light of your own knowledge of local culture.

About the publisher

Baihuazhou Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1990

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.

版权信息
第一章：万家灯火
一、暖灯堂
二、光彩照人
三、大屋的“名人屋”
四、善心兰
五、远方来信
六、手艺人
七、土法熬桐油
八、打破惯例
九、不丢祖宗言
十、信丰“三宝”
十一、编织绿意
十二、天然林
十三、报告会
十四、“全家福”仪式
十五、一对“网红”
十六、福利厂的福音
十七、采茶小戏圆心愿
第二章：日头出山
一、听讲座
二、田间劳动
三、天转凉了
四、赴圩进城
五、喝喜酒，摘柑子
六、另一层意思
七、“冬眠”不觉晓
八、纸上交往
九、印象
十、快乐晚会
十一、菜地里
十二、雨过天晴的日子
十三、播音室里的对话
十四、“今日表现”之外
十五、音箱一事
十六、进入夏令时
十七、农忙假，忆赠言
十八、提水偶感
十九、迎风冒雨
二十、文代会及其他
二十一、新闻培训班
二十二、一门隐形亲
第三章：村里乡外
一、创业之光
二、“金三轮”守则
三、冰雪中的考验
四、做专销商
五、“马虎”搭档
六、车行雨夜
七、舞台车下乡
八、诚信合作
九、“益生态”实证
十、栏舍卫生
十一、公寓闹元宵
十二、上庐山记
十三、登上川岛记
十四、进融水苗寨记
第四章：歌为媒
一、唱响村歌
二、水东水，七里路
三、“马祖”世家
四、多彩文乡诗国
五、橙乡笔会
六、香香里格满山村
七、踏遍九连山未远
第五章：以文记流年
一、一座山的回响
二、在深圳上鲁院
三、留存一些“流水账”
四、记录人生的另一种文本
五、在北京再上鲁院
高山仰止意未尽（代后记）

FAQ

What role does the "warm lantern" play in the book?

The "warm lantern" is a Hakka custom and also the book's structural thread. It is woven primarily into the family narrative of village Party secretary Qiusheng in the "Myriad Household Lights" section, linking villagers' differences in outlook, the warmth and coldness of worldly affairs, and their ultimate fates, while reflecting the trajectory of change in a Hakka village; the other sections echo this theme from different angles.

Is this book a novel or documentary literature?

According to the source material, *Warm Lantern* is a collection of documentary literature. Its characters and stories unfold against the backdrop of villages in southeastern Xinfeng County along the Jiangxi-Guangdong border, with a focus on recording the profound transformation of mountain villages rather than fictional invention. It can be read as a work of nonfiction.

How are the five sections connected?

The five sections approach mountain-village transformation from the angles of custom and family, youth and growth, returning-home entrepreneurship, regional culture, and cultural revitalization. The "warm lantern" runs through them as a thread, allowing different people and events to illuminate one another thematically and form a relatively complete rural narrative.

Can readers without rural experience still get into it?

Yes. The book moves through specific people and events, and the depiction of customs serves the story rather than relying on readers' prior rural experience. It is advisable to start with the character relationships; when encountering unfamiliar folk customs, there is no need to pause—first grasp the plot and historical background, then return to savor the details.

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About the author

刘景明 Author

Liu Jingming is an author about whom limited public information is available. At present, it is known only that one work of literary reportage by this author, Warm Lamp, is included on this site. Based on the available information, the author writes in the field of literary reportage, focusing on real-life subjects and paying attention to observing and recording specific people and events. The title Warm Lamp carries a gentle and plain connotation, echoing the common orientation of literary reportage toward everyday life and human concern. Because verifiable background materials such as biography, profession, and writing experience are lacking, it is not possible to further introduce the author's education, writing career, or critical reception. Readers who wish to learn about this author may begin with Warm Lamp and, through the work itself, appreciate the author's narrative perspective and writing style. If more public information becomes available later, it can be supplemented accordingly.