Rare Things

Name: Rare Things
ISBN: 9787807740247

陈再见Feb 2025

3.9

Word count: 112K words
Chapters: 52
ISBN: 9787807740247

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Summary

Rare Things is a novella collection by Chen Zaijian, a young writer born in the 1980s. It includes "The Fish Chaser at the Typhoon Fair," "Rare Things," and "The Shy Bystander." All three stories feature the same protagonist, Dai Qingtao, a middle-school Chinese teacher. He lives in a bustling city yet carries the baggage of a county town from which he fled in bitterness. His social circle seems stable and carefree, but his emotional world teeters on the edge, fragile and exposed. The stories reveal the spiritual condition of Shenzhen's new migrants—adrift, rootless—and capture their real cowardice, longing, bewilderment, and struggle.

Editor's review

Rare Things is a collection of three novellas by Chen Zaijian, each featuring the same protagonist. The writing is restrained and understated. The main character, Dai Qingtao, is a middle school Chinese teacher living in the metropolis of Shenzhen, yet he carries the mental baggage of having left his county town in a state of resentment. The stark contrast between his outward stability and the fragility of his emotional world runs throughout. The three pieces approach his daily life from different angles: teaching, dealing with people and matters from his past, and being a shy observer in the crowd. Together they sketch the spiritual outline of a new migrant who is rootless and adrift. The author neither dramatizes hardship nor offers cheap reconciliation; instead, he renders cowardice, longing, bewilderment, and struggle in a way that feels real and palpable. This is a book suited to slow reading in quiet hours, especially for readers who resonate with the experience of urban migration and the psychological gap between county towns and big cities. The collection is moderate in length; the three novellas can be read independently or in sequence to appreciate the progression of the character's state of mind.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the spiritual predicament of new migrants in Shenzhen
Literary readers who enjoy novellas and restrained storytelling
Readers with experience of migrating from a county town to a city who seek resonance
Educators such as middle school teachers who may compare their own situation with the protagonist's
Chinese literature students researching post-80s young writers

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong plot and fast pacing
Readers who prefer happy endings and emotional comfort
Readers with limited patience for psychological description and everyday detail

Reading tips

Read the three novellas in order and pay attention to changes in Dai Qingtao's state across the pieces
While reading each piece, note passages related to the protagonist's past in the county town for easy comparison
Consider reading in three sittings, leaving intervals between pieces so emotions can settle before entering the next one
Reading alongside background on Shenzhen's urban development can help illuminate the real-world sources of the character's rootlessness

版权信息
《深圳文典》
珍稀之物
总序
风台赶鱼人
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
珍稀之物
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
旁观害羞者
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
后记

FAQ

Are the three novellas independent stories or connected?

Each stands on its own, but all feature the same protagonist, middle school Chinese teacher Dai Qingtao, sharing the same background and emotional state. Reading them in sequence gives a fuller picture of his fragility and struggle in urban life, though reading them separately does not hinder understanding.

What does the title "Rare Things" refer to?

The available materials do not explicitly explain the meaning of the title. From the text, it reads more like an ironic hint: in the character's seemingly stable yet precarious life, what is truly scarce may be emotional support and a sense of belonging. Readers are encouraged to form their own understanding after finishing the book.

Will readers without experience of living in Shenzhen feel alienated?

No. The core of the novel is the psychological gap and emotional predicament that follow the protagonist's departure from his county town, an experience with universal resonance. Shenzhen is only the backdrop; even readers unfamiliar with the city can enter the character's inner world.

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About the author

陈再见 Author

Chen Zaijian is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available. The library currently holds two of his works: Rare Things and the five-volume "Sharp Forces" Collection of Contemporary Chinese Writers' Fiction. His writing is commonly classified under social fiction and classic works, and his themes tend to focus on real-life situations and the fates of ordinary people, showing a strong sense of social observation. Since details such as his biography, nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name remain unclear, no speculation is offered here; the description is based only on the visible features of his works. On the evidence available, Chen Zaijian's fiction carries an attentive observation of everyday life and society, with language and structure serving character and theme, and it represents a reality-oriented strand in contemporary Chinese fiction. Readers seeking a fuller understanding may turn to the two works mentioned above.