Hidden Passage

Name: Hidden Passage
ISBN: 9787802403604

3.2

Word count: 182K words
Chapters: 101
ISBN: 9787802403604

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Summary

About the author: Xu Dahui was born in September 1956 in Shuangliao, Jilin. He is a member of the China Writers Association. His published works include the short story collections The Bandits Shed No Tears and The Decline of the Wolf Clan; the essay and reportage collection Drifting Years; the long-form documentary literature Snowstorm Homeland; the long novels in the Human Nature at the Edge series: Undercover, Fleeing, The Rival, The Lie of Life, Black Heart, Covering the Truth, Woman Code, The Butterfly of Sin, The Flower of Evil, Red Apricot in the Rain, Extreme Desire, Misfire, Life-and-Death Connection, Control, Muzzle, Undercover in the Underworld, and Gambling Den; and the long novels in the Northeast Customs and Folkways series: Snow Wolf, Wolf Smoke, Desperate, Betrayal, The Last Opium Pipe, The Beggars' Quarters, The Hidden Passage, The Northeast Bandit Woman, Paper Bayonet, Trouble, and Ghost Cry Ridge. He has also written television scripts including Rehabilitating Men, The Tian Professor's Twenty-Eight Relatives (filmed in 2007), Manchurian Past, and The Dice Coffin.

Editor's review

Secret Passage is a realist novel by Xu Dahui that blends northeastern regional flavor with suspense. A writer long devoted to the literature of the black soil of the Northeast, Xu Dahui continues in this work his deep insight into and delicate portrayal of the social fabric of a particular historical period. The novel is not a simple crime story; its core appeal lies in constructing a complex social network linked by the "secret passage"—both a physical underground tunnel and a hidden path of human nature and desire. Interweaving multiple threads, the author binds individual fates tightly to the tide of the times, showing ordinary people's struggles, choices and perseverance under special circumstances.

In literary terms, the narrative is solid and steady, with pronounced characteristics of rural realism. Xu Dahui excels at creating characters with an earthy feel; his dialogue is vivid and his details rich, and his use of northeastern dialect and life scenes in particular adds a strong sense of authenticity and regional distinctiveness. The plot does not pursue extreme suspense or thrills but unfolds layer by layer through solid character motivation and rigorous social logic, ultimately pointing to a calm examination of the abyss of human nature.

For contemporary readers, the value of Secret Passage lies in the window it offers onto a particular cross-section of history. It transcends the framework of genre fiction, attempting to explore how conscience, desire and the instinct for survival contend at the edge of order and chaos. The metaphorical writing of the "secret passage" gives the book a universality of reflection that transcends its specific era. Reading it is more like a journey of social pathology, requiring a degree of patience and critical thinking.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in northeastern regional literature and rural realist narrative
Fans of social novels who like seeing the background of a great era refracted through specific characters' fates
Readers who prefer solid, steady writing that emphasizes character development and social logic over pure plot thrills
Readers who want to understand the social landscape and ordinary people's living conditions in a particular historical period

Not a good fit for

Readers of purely entertaining suspense fiction who want fast pacing, strong reversals and sensory thrills
Readers completely unfamiliar with northeastern dialect and the specific historical background who are unwilling to invest the effort to understand it

Reading tips

Pay attention to the multiple symbolic meanings of the core image of the "secret passage"
Consider the real-world logic and historical limitations behind the characters' actions in light of the social environment depicted
Note how the author uses everyday dialogue and detailed description to shape characters and evoke regional atmosphere

About the publisher

Popular Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1991

Popular Literature and Art Publishing House is a publisher positioned around popular reading, and publicly available information about it is limited. Its publishing focuses mainly on foreign literature and world classics. Among the more than seventy books in the collection are Chinese translations of classics such as Les Misérables, War and Peace, Gone with the Wind and Andersen's Fairy Tales, as well as inspirational and personal-growth titles, suggesting that the press balances the popularization of literary classics with reading development for young people. In terms of authors, foreign masters including Hugo, Tolstoy, Mitchell, Andersen and Dickens form the core of its translated works, while authors such as Xie Zhiqiang and Cui Haili enrich its domestic writing section. Overall, the press serves general readers with accessible editions, building a publishing profile centered on world literary classics and supplemented by growth and inspirational themes.

版权信息
第一章清野部落
一
二
三
四
第二章大院内线
一
二
三
四
第三章苍蝇炮楼
一
二
三
四
第四章落草七爷
一
二
三
四
第五章潜回部落
一
二
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四
第六章私家暗道
一
二
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四
第七章青涩故事
一
二
三
四
第八章运粮计划
一
二
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四
第九章突然变故
一
二
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四
第十章老鼠出荷
一
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第十一章进山猫冬
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四
第十二章离奇失踪
一
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三
四
第十三章封村前夕
一
二
三
四
第十四章雾中狙击
一
二
三
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第十五章旋风泄密
一
二
三
四
第十六章黑白女人
一
二
三
四
第十七章箭在弦上
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四
第十八章智取人圈
一
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四
第十九章疯狂报复
一
二
三
四
第二十章密令绝杀
一
二
三
四

FAQ

What is the book's Douban rating?

According to searches, popularity and rating information for this book in major book communities is currently relatively limited; it is a work of some literary value but low general recognition.

What kind of writer is Xu Dahui?

Xu Dahui is a Chinese writer whose work is mostly rooted in the black soil of the Northeast; he is known for realist fiction with strong local color, often focusing on the fates of ordinary people amid historical change.

Is this a pure suspense novel?

Not entirely. Although it contains suspense elements and case threads, it leans more toward social fiction, focusing on analyzing the social structure and the complexities of human nature of a particular era through events, with strong literary quality and realistic concern.

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About the author

Xu Dahui Author · Chinese · 1956

Xu Dahui, who also writes under the pen names Yanweizi and Zhengyan, was born in September 1956 in Shuangliao, Jilin. He is a member of the China Writers Association and holds a second-level literary creation professional title. He graduated from the Jilin Writers Advanced Study College in 1987 and has served as deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine Guandong Writers and as vice chairman and secretary-general of the Siping Writers Association. He began publishing in 1976 and has written 42 novels, including Undercover, Fleeing, The Rival and Snow Wolf, several of which have been adapted for television. His work spans otherworld fantasy, social fiction, mystery and suspense, and documentary literature. Representative titles include Risking Life, Snow Wolf, Huazi House, Control, Betrayal, Gunpoint, The Last Opium Pipe and Wolf Smoke, with 22 titles held in the collection. His writing tends toward tight plotting and sharp conflict, often moving between suspense and social reality.