Often overlooked in favor of the more explicitly political of his contemporaries (most notably, Lu Xun), Shen Congwen's work is richly textured, complex, and lyrical. Shen is a writer who brings the China of his past and present alive without the overburdening and unreal pressure of trying to save it. Nostalgia breathes through his pastoral countryside scenes, and his urban landscapes reveal a fractured, paradoxical consciousness--both unsure and hopeful. In many ways Shen plays the anthropologist to Lu Xun's politically ultra-conscious social engineer. And in this sense he seems more real to a modern reader. He approaches his subjects with less judgment, and with much less baggage. While others try to give life to Chinese society through social change and self-criticism, Shen is more invested in the life that is already there. Certainly he expresses his opinions about many aspects of Chinese culture throughout his stories, but he avoids the beat-you-over-the-head approach. In many cases, it's difficult to really assess what he thinks, which makes exploring his work a more challenging, and satisfying, adventure.

The translations in this edition are smoothly rendered and very readable, although the edition suffers, I think, from its diverse group of contributors. Without a single translator it is difficult to achieve a continuity of style and substance. But all in all this collection is a tremendous addition to the English-accessible literature of modern China. Shen is brilliant and poetic, but in a subtle, understated way. The entire collection is infused with a cocktail of profound nostalgia for the past, hope for the future, and, most of all, the beauty and innocence of the living present.