Scooping the Moon from the Sea
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Summary
Editor's review
In literary terms, the book does not pursue bizarre plots for their own sake but focuses on shaping character and portraying inner life. Its figures are vividly drawn; their joys and sorrows, choices and perplexities bear the clear stamp of their era yet transcend specific time and place, touching on universal questions of human nature—the conflicts among family, responsibility, dreams, and reality. This deep exploration of the spiritual world of ordinary people gives the novel a reflective significance beyond the story itself.
For contemporary readers, *Haidilao Yue* is both a journey of nostalgia and a mirror for examining the present. The characters' stubborn pursuit of a good life in an era of material scarcity forms a subtle contrast with the spiritual predicaments of today's age of abundance, prompting readers to reconsider the definitions of "happiness" and "success." The narrative is steady in pace and solid in emotional groundwork; though it lacks dramatic storms, it seeps into the heart like a gentle stream and is suited to quiet, attentive reading.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in social change and the history of ordinary people's lives during the reform and opening-up period
- Literary lovers who enjoy delicate portrayals of family relationships and the subtleties of human nature
- Readers seeking emotional resonance and reflections on life in a plain-spoken story
- Readers who wish to understand literary renderings of era memory beyond nonfiction history
Not a good fit for
- Entertainment-oriented readers seeking fast pacing, strong plots, and frequent twists
- Readers with no interest at all in social themes of a particular historical period
Reading tips
- It is best to enter the reading in a relatively calm mood and follow the author's pace as the characters' fates unfold slowly
- Pay attention to the descriptions of everyday objects; they are often subtle carriers of era and emotion
- After reading, talk with family members or elders—it may prompt conversations about family memories
About the publisher
Haitian Publishing House publishes in such areas as world history, biography, foreign literature, cultural theory and essays, with a sideline in art documentation. Representative titles held in the collection include Tim Weiner's Legacy of Ashes and The CIA: A History of Sixty Years, Wang Chaozhu's Meritorious Officials and Criminals: The Tragedy of Pan Hannian, a Chinese translation of Marcel Proust's Seventy-Five Pages, the gongbi and comprehensive volumes of The Complete Works of Zou Chuan'an, and A Brief History of the Academy: A Thousand-Year Song. Among the translators and authors associated with these works are Du Mo, Lin Tiangui, Wei Zonglei, Du Qinggang and Cheng Jing. Overall, the press has built up a body of work in historical reportage, biography and the translation of foreign literature, alongside traditional culture and art titles; as public information is limited, this profile is based only on the books held in the collection.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 一 拈到“海底捞”时响炮了
- 二 打起锣鼓闹起台
- 三 扫盲结果
- 四 手气顺时搏自摸
- 五 一朵棉花两边吹
- 六 积小和，等转运
- 七 麻将鬼啊麻将鬼
- 八 一副烂牌翻起打
- 九 叫和大过天
- 十 打牌怕生手
- 十一 弃和的背后有好难
- 十二 东边日头西边出
- 十三 海底捞月的魅惑
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About the author
Xiao Jianguo was born in 1952 in Jiahe, Chenzhou, Hunan. A member of the China Writers Association, he is a writer and publisher. He studied at Xiangtan University, the Lu Xun Literature Academy, and Peking University. He has served as vice chairman of the Hunan Writers Association, president of Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House, president of Huacheng Publishing House, and editor-in-chief of the magazine Huacheng. He began publishing in 1972. His works include the novels Zuo Piezi Qiu Wang, Zhong Wang, Nanxing Wang, Xue Ao, and Haidi Laoyue, as well as several collections of essays, and he has received awards including the first Zhuang Chongwen Literature Award. His works are catalogued under classic works, law, and social fiction, and beyond fiction and essays he has also written on legal subjects, such as a selected collection of papers on electronic litigation rules, showing a range that spans literature and social reality and combines creative writing with publishing practice.
