My Old Companion

Name: My Old Companion
ISBN: 9787541174131

贺享雍Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaSep 2026

3.5

Word count: 121K words
Chapters: 9
ISBN: 9787541174131

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Summary

This autobiographical work was written after the author suffered a stroke. Drawing on the real events of his half-century shared with his wife, it recalls how they met and came to know each other, the mutual support they gave one another, and the care provided by his wife and children after his illness. The book is at once a portrait of personal life, a presentation of rural scenery and local culture, and a witness to and record of more than half a century of historical change in rural eastern Sichuan.

Editor's review

This book's weight comes from the occasion of its writing: the author began it after a stroke, using the real events of his half-century shared with his wife as its thread, looking back on the years of meeting, coming to know each other, and mutual support, and also recording the care given by his wife and children after his illness. The portrait of personal life is interwoven with the presentation of rural scenery and local culture, so that the memory of a marriage also becomes a witness to more than half a century of historical change in rural eastern Sichuan. The intimacy of the title echoes the gravity of the content, and reading it offers both the warmth of domestic life and the weight of the years. It suits readers willing to slow down and find deep feeling in an ordinary partnership, and those interested in the history of rural life and in nonfiction writing. There is no need to read for plot momentum; it is better suited to quiet reading that savors the feeling within details.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of documentary literature on marriage, family, and later life
Those who enjoy plain, deeply felt nonfiction that excels in everyday detail
Readers interested in the historical changes and local culture of rural eastern Sichuan
Readers who want to feel lasting devotion through an ordinary couple's story

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong conflict and dramatic plotting
Those unwilling to read about elder care, illness, and family
Readers hoping for a systematic rural history or sociological study

Reading tips

Read the thread from meeting and coming to know each other through care after illness as a whole, to feel the emotional shifts across the span of time.
Slow down at passages about the wife's and children's care, and notice the feeling within everyday details.
Suitable for reading with elders or discussing afterward, comparing the family memories in the book with one's own family experience.
It need not be read in one sitting; read in stages by life phase, leaving room for feeling to settle.

About the publisher

Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1984

Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House is a professional literary and art publishing institution. It mainly publishes books on contemporary and modern literature, foreign literature, poetry and prose, music and art, and literary theory. Judging from the books in the database, the house places considerable emphasis on classic works and foreign literature. Representative titles include Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. Its translator resources include Deng Jiawan, Shi Zhongge, Du Yunci, and Zhu Shenghao. Common categories include social fiction, classic works, foreign literature, world classics, literary appreciation, and classical poetry, reflecting a publishing profile that balances Chinese and foreign literary classics with literary appreciation.

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FAQ

Under what circumstances was this book written?

This autobiographical work was written after the author suffered a stroke. His condition after the illness led him to look back on the real experience of half a lifetime shared with his wife, and also to record the care his wife and children gave him during his illness; the book thus contains both memory and present-lived feeling.

What does the title “Laoban'er” (Old Companion) refer to?

It refers to the wife with whom the author shared half a lifetime. The whole book follows the real events of their meeting, coming to know each other, and mutual support, writing of the everyday and the devotion of married life, and also of the care given by his wife and children after his illness; the title itself carries a homely intimacy.

Does the book deal only with family life?

It is not limited to family life. While portraying personal life, the work also presents rural scenery and local culture, and over a span of more than half a century bears witness to historical change in rural eastern Sichuan; family memory and rural background are interwoven.

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About the author

贺享雍 Author

He Xiangyong is a Chinese writer known for fiction rooted in rural life. Public information about him is limited, and details of his biography have not been systematically disclosed. Judging from the seven works held in the library, his writing consistently centers on village society and grassroots life. The Rural Chronicles series records village change in a local-gazetteer style; The Small-Town Judge turns to grassroots justice and civil disputes; The Old Companion focuses on family ethics and the emotional situation of the elderly; and My Rural Homeland: The Growth of a Writer looks back in autobiographical form on his ties to the countryside. The titles of the Era Trilogy—Swallows in Flight, Warm Flowers in the Village, and Children of the Land—suggest an attempt to portray rural reality at different stages in a long-form structure. His works are generally classified as social fiction and biography, written in plain language with characters close to real life, and are of some value for understanding the transformation of rural Chinese society.