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Night Train
Looking to take a vacation before settling in for to his PHD studies and hoping to swindle a little traveling money from his father, Chen Munian made up a story about killing someone and needing to flee. But now that lie has taken on a life of its own and everyone—the university, the police, the sprawling campus community—is convinced he’s murderer.
Munian is barely holding on: his wages are meager, he lives with a group of chaotic roommates, he drinks too much with his crazy artist neighbor who is obsessed with Van Gogh, and his bumbling attempts to woo the beautiful Qin Ke always end in heartache. His life keeps spiraling out of his control, and he can’t help but wonder if he was destined to be a murderer all along.
Xu Zechen’s Night Train, in Jeremy Tiang’s brash translation, follows characters who live on the precipice, where the foolish mistakes of young men can have devastating consequences.
Munian is barely holding on: his wages are meager, he lives with a group of chaotic roommates, he drinks too much with his crazy artist neighbor who is obsessed with Van Gogh, and his bumbling attempts to woo the beautiful Qin Ke always end in heartache. His life keeps spiraling out of his control, and he can’t help but wonder if he was destined to be a murderer all along.
Xu Zechen’s Night Train, in Jeremy Tiang’s brash translation, follows characters who live on the precipice, where the foolish mistakes of young men can have devastating consequences.
290 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2007
About the author
Xu Zechen
43 books22 followersXu Zechen (Chinese: simplified, 徐则臣; traditional, 徐則臣) was born in Northern China in 1978 and studied Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University. He is considered to be a leading member of China’s post-70’s generation of writers: his best-known works include the novels Jerusalem, The Deep Imperial City and Running Through Beijing, as well as a children’s book, Fairy Tale of the Green Clouds Valley. Jerusalem was awarded the Laoshe Literature Prize, the Feng Mu Prize for Literature, the Chinese Literature Media Award, the Annual Novelist Award, the Dream of Red Mansion Award in Hong Kong, the Jury Award, and the Tencent Academy Literature Award, and has sold 200,000 copies. The Imperial City was named Top Ten Chinese Novels of 2017 by Hong Kong Asia Weekly and “Top Ten Good Chinese Books of 2017” by Taiwan’s Mirror Weekly. In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Mao Dun literary prize for his most recent novel, Northwards. He is currently deputy editor in chief of China’s most important literary magazine, People’s Literature.
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July 12, 2026“So what, we’re just arranging plants, it’s not like we’re gambling or robbing a bank.”
The most interesting bit for me was (pretty much anything to do with) the gardener, Mr. Xu. I didn’t care, or rather wasn’t able to feel/think much for the rest of the characters. The protagonist was probably the one I ‘enjoyed’ least of all. To be fair the whole bunch of lads were sort of ‘dull’ and in their own ways sort of uninteresting (quite ‘predictable’, unexciting, mostly an unpleasant lot). Probably won’t have a RTC later, but glad to have read this anyway. Just sort of conflicted about it all—but what’s certain is my admiration for Jeremy Tiang’s brilliant translations/writing/work as per usual (not surprising at all, frankly).
‘A Brief History of Train—a yellowing sheet of paper he finds between two pages, a Physics Department timetable from 1982—He taught a course on something called “Kinetics.” Ah, that’s why Mr. Xu knew so much about trains, and in such penetrating detail. No wonder so many Physics professors came to pay their respects. But why did he leave the Physics Department to become a gardener? Why didn’t he ever mention he used to be an academic? Munian rifles through Mr. Xu’s books for answers, hoping to find a note or bookmark, some other revealing piece of paper, but there is nothing. He gives up, his mind a hopeless porridge of thoughts. He sits at his desk to smoke a cigarette then goes for a pre-bed piss.’
In any case, the character/the gardener strangely (but not in a terrible way, probably more so on the contrary) reminds me of the story of the 'citrus' trees and gardener(s) in Labatut's When We Cease to Understand the World .
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is my third book by Xu Zechen, all published by Two Lines Press. I admire him more with each book.
Xu's Running Through Beijing and Beijing Sprawl featured unskilled young men from other places trying to survive in Beijing. They hold precarious jobs, live crammed into shared quarters, and are generally aimless in a no-win situation. But Night Train's protagonist is equally hapless despite having almost earned a college degree in his home town, and having a variety of support from family, mentors, and friends. Munian stands aloof from all of it as he works as a gardener, readies himself for graduate work in Chinese literature, and yearns to ask a childhood friend to become a lover.
But there are complications. There is the holdover reputation of having (not) killed a man and fleeing the town before returning to confess his innocence. There is a Kafka-esque, unexplained eternal wait for the final release of his diploma. There are his own restlessness, wanderlust, fear, and shame. And once again there are the roommates. Xu must have had some really piece-of-work roommates to have peopled his novels with such a wild bunch of roommates.
But mostly there is the ever-present past. Just as one discovers that, no matter what the surface story, at bottom most European novels are about World War II, so it seems that most Chinese novels are in the end about the Cultural Revolution. In Night Train, the final act of a 1960s encounter of city intellectuals exiled to the country plays out alongside Munian's final reckoning with his more recent turmoil. Night trains provide three key escape routes in this novel, in moments of crisis.
Recommended.
Xu's Running Through Beijing and Beijing Sprawl featured unskilled young men from other places trying to survive in Beijing. They hold precarious jobs, live crammed into shared quarters, and are generally aimless in a no-win situation. But Night Train's protagonist is equally hapless despite having almost earned a college degree in his home town, and having a variety of support from family, mentors, and friends. Munian stands aloof from all of it as he works as a gardener, readies himself for graduate work in Chinese literature, and yearns to ask a childhood friend to become a lover.
But there are complications. There is the holdover reputation of having (not) killed a man and fleeing the town before returning to confess his innocence. There is a Kafka-esque, unexplained eternal wait for the final release of his diploma. There are his own restlessness, wanderlust, fear, and shame. And once again there are the roommates. Xu must have had some really piece-of-work roommates to have peopled his novels with such a wild bunch of roommates.
But mostly there is the ever-present past. Just as one discovers that, no matter what the surface story, at bottom most European novels are about World War II, so it seems that most Chinese novels are in the end about the Cultural Revolution. In Night Train, the final act of a 1960s encounter of city intellectuals exiled to the country plays out alongside Munian's final reckoning with his more recent turmoil. Night trains provide three key escape routes in this novel, in moments of crisis.
Recommended.
August 29, 2026
A fake murder, indentured servitude, real deaths, prostitutes, educational misconduct, and still this book ended up so boring. It focused on all the wrong things and dragged on forever.
August 5, 2026
⭐️ 3.6
Fast-paced, entertaining and exciting read. Second half made me feel like Xu’s fictional world was exploding, which kept me hooked a while. Great writing that I can only assume has been wonderfully translated by Jeremy Tiang.
That said, I agree with some of the reviews I saw on WeRead about the depiction of women leaning towards negative and cliché stereotypes. Something to personally think about and reflect upon the next few days.
Still, an interesting and riveting book 🚂 🌠🏃.
Fast-paced, entertaining and exciting read. Second half made me feel like Xu’s fictional world was exploding, which kept me hooked a while. Great writing that I can only assume has been wonderfully translated by Jeremy Tiang.
That said, I agree with some of the reviews I saw on WeRead about the depiction of women leaning towards negative and cliché stereotypes. Something to personally think about and reflect upon the next few days.
Still, an interesting and riveting book 🚂 🌠🏃.
August 27, 2026
26 year old student Chen Munian concocts a lie about committing a murder in order to get money from his father so as he can travel away from his home town, but the fabrication soon spirals out of control.
This isn’t what I thought it was going to be, but Zechen does describe Munian’s community very well, with its quirky residents.
This isn’t what I thought it was going to be, but Zechen does describe Munian’s community very well, with its quirky residents.
June 29, 2026
wacky characters, fast paced, and a fun read! idk how to feel about ending
May 21, 2026
恭喜这本卖出海外版权，我是在美国新书刷到回来读的中文版，第一波坐火车离开是非常惊喜的设定。后半本精彩程度不如前半本，或者说第二次火车回来感觉就有点力不从心了。接下来要去补课获奖的那本啦。3.8⭐
June 26, 2026
Nueva lectura de los libros elegibles para los International Booker Prize 2027, que nos traslada a China tras la Revolución Cultural.
Este libro cuenta la historia de Munian, un joven que está a punto de acabar su carrera universitaria, cuando un incidente cambia su vida. Munian es un fan de los trenes y soñaba con viajar en tren, por ello decide inventarse que ha matado a una persona, y pedir así dinero a sus padres para escapar, y viajar en tren. Cuando lo hace, al poco es detenido viajando en el tren, ya que sus padres acaban denunciándolo por miedo a la policía y a las represalias policiales si no denuncian lo que hizo su hijo. Una vez detenido, niega lo ocurrido y explica que fue una falacia para poder viajar. Y aunque no hay pruebas de que cometiera un delito: no encuentran cadáver, le va a costar licenciarse, ya que siempre le va a perseguir la pregunta de si ha matado a alguien.
Munian es un hombre cerebral, a pesar de lo que pueda parecer el inicio de la novela, inteligente, y que no suele emocionarse. El desarrollo a lo largo de la historia le va a llevar a enamorarse, y a dejarse llevar por sus emociones, justo en el peor momento. Además, Munian es un hombre de letras, aficionado a la lectura y a los trenes. A través de su historia, se hace un pequeño recorrido a la literatura china, y hay una mención a varios libros que transcurren en un tren.
Xu Zechen también deja entrever aspectos de la vida universitaria china. Un aspecto llamativo es la historia de Quin Ke, una joven con la que se va a relacionar Munian, que acaba de ser víctima de un engaño por parte de su novio. En su caso, el aborto que sufre la deja en mal lugar delante de sus compañeros, y sobre todo en mal lugar en su carrera universitaria, y sirve para mostrar un poco el rol de la mujer en la sociedad china.
Me ha gustado el paralelismo entre el inicio y el final del libro: en ambos casos el protagonista tiene que huir, pero en el inicio es él quien quiere marcharse, para descubrir mundo, y al final, él sabe que debe marcharse, se ve obligado, pero no quiere.
Me ha gustado el viaje literario y en cierta forma filosófico-moral, que plantea en algunos momentos la historia. El momento en que se reflexiona sobre la muerte, y sobre perder a los seres queridos, que puede llevarle a no querer seguir viviendo al perder al ser querido.
Lo que menos me ha gustado es que en determinados momentos la historia tarda en avanzar, ya que el centro no es la acción, sino el viaje emocional de Munian, quien tiene que aprender a sentir, enamorarse y, forjar lazos emocionales con las personas.
Una novela entretenida, que se lee de forma ágil, y que ayuda a conocer un poco más de la historia y literatura china.
Este libro cuenta la historia de Munian, un joven que está a punto de acabar su carrera universitaria, cuando un incidente cambia su vida. Munian es un fan de los trenes y soñaba con viajar en tren, por ello decide inventarse que ha matado a una persona, y pedir así dinero a sus padres para escapar, y viajar en tren. Cuando lo hace, al poco es detenido viajando en el tren, ya que sus padres acaban denunciándolo por miedo a la policía y a las represalias policiales si no denuncian lo que hizo su hijo. Una vez detenido, niega lo ocurrido y explica que fue una falacia para poder viajar. Y aunque no hay pruebas de que cometiera un delito: no encuentran cadáver, le va a costar licenciarse, ya que siempre le va a perseguir la pregunta de si ha matado a alguien.
Munian es un hombre cerebral, a pesar de lo que pueda parecer el inicio de la novela, inteligente, y que no suele emocionarse. El desarrollo a lo largo de la historia le va a llevar a enamorarse, y a dejarse llevar por sus emociones, justo en el peor momento. Además, Munian es un hombre de letras, aficionado a la lectura y a los trenes. A través de su historia, se hace un pequeño recorrido a la literatura china, y hay una mención a varios libros que transcurren en un tren.
Xu Zechen también deja entrever aspectos de la vida universitaria china. Un aspecto llamativo es la historia de Quin Ke, una joven con la que se va a relacionar Munian, que acaba de ser víctima de un engaño por parte de su novio. En su caso, el aborto que sufre la deja en mal lugar delante de sus compañeros, y sobre todo en mal lugar en su carrera universitaria, y sirve para mostrar un poco el rol de la mujer en la sociedad china.
Me ha gustado el paralelismo entre el inicio y el final del libro: en ambos casos el protagonista tiene que huir, pero en el inicio es él quien quiere marcharse, para descubrir mundo, y al final, él sabe que debe marcharse, se ve obligado, pero no quiere.
Me ha gustado el viaje literario y en cierta forma filosófico-moral, que plantea en algunos momentos la historia. El momento en que se reflexiona sobre la muerte, y sobre perder a los seres queridos, que puede llevarle a no querer seguir viviendo al perder al ser querido.
Lo que menos me ha gustado es que en determinados momentos la historia tarda en avanzar, ya que el centro no es la acción, sino el viaje emocional de Munian, quien tiene que aprender a sentir, enamorarse y, forjar lazos emocionales con las personas.
Una novela entretenida, que se lee de forma ágil, y que ayuda a conocer un poco más de la historia y literatura china.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3.5 stars rounded up.
A novel with a ton of heart. Its plot wanders as much as its protagonist wants to, but I enjoyed the episodic nature of the book. Munian is sympathetic, capricious, and frustrating in equal measure; his obsession with trains, and night trains in particular, was the most compelling part for me, and while I wish we'd seen him on the road more often, I think his need to keep returning was an important aspect of his character.
Night Train won me over with its tenderness, its proclivity for exploration despite its mostly static location, and the deep relationships it develops. Ultimately, however, the ending derailed (no pun intended) the book for me -- in the interest of establishing parallelism, tying up loose ends, and driving towards its open-ended conclusion, it undermined much of the character work it had done previously and felt (maybe based on the very premise of the book itself) uninspired and unsatisfying.
Still, a pleasant ride overall.
(As a side note, an interesting portrait of the difference in precarity between China and the US -- after a life-altering mistake, Munian still has secure housing and a job! This can maybe be attributed to something we learn later in the book, but I was still struck by it.)
A novel with a ton of heart. Its plot wanders as much as its protagonist wants to, but I enjoyed the episodic nature of the book. Munian is sympathetic, capricious, and frustrating in equal measure; his obsession with trains, and night trains in particular, was the most compelling part for me, and while I wish we'd seen him on the road more often, I think his need to keep returning was an important aspect of his character.
Night Train won me over with its tenderness, its proclivity for exploration despite its mostly static location, and the deep relationships it develops. Ultimately, however, the ending derailed (no pun intended) the book for me -- in the interest of establishing parallelism, tying up loose ends, and driving towards its open-ended conclusion, it undermined much of the character work it had done previously and felt (maybe based on the very premise of the book itself) uninspired and unsatisfying.
Still, a pleasant ride overall.
(As a side note, an interesting portrait of the difference in precarity between China and the US -- after a life-altering mistake, Munian still has secure housing and a job! This can maybe be attributed to something we learn later in the book, but I was still struck by it.)
September 3, 2026
Chen Munian is desperate for a break. He's worked hard to get his bachelor's degree and all he wants is to get on a train and see somewhere new before he embarks on his PhD journey.
His dad once agreed to a small amount of money for this trip, but when he goes back on his word, Munian comes up with a story that spins out of control. Years later, he is still struggling with the aftermath of his lie; he's living with roommates, drinking too much and causing problems wherever he goes.
This story was quite bonkers. Parts of it were weird, while other parts were funny, depressing, or plain. It's very well translated, as expected of Jeremy, and paced well. I enjoyed how normal the relationships were - people argued and let each other down, but they often had dinner together and helped each other through tough times.
The only thing is, I would have liked the ending to have been fleshed out more. I felt as though it ended very suddenly.
It's definitely worth a read, especially if you're interested in the everyday lives(ish) of Chinese people. I can also imagine that the original, untranslated story is great too. I’d definitely like to get a copy.
Extra info: Xu Zechen is a highly regarded Chinese author, especially of the post-70s writers. His works have won numerous awards and he currently works as deputy editor in chief of People’s Literature, China’s most notable literary magazine.
His dad once agreed to a small amount of money for this trip, but when he goes back on his word, Munian comes up with a story that spins out of control. Years later, he is still struggling with the aftermath of his lie; he's living with roommates, drinking too much and causing problems wherever he goes.
This story was quite bonkers. Parts of it were weird, while other parts were funny, depressing, or plain. It's very well translated, as expected of Jeremy, and paced well. I enjoyed how normal the relationships were - people argued and let each other down, but they often had dinner together and helped each other through tough times.
The only thing is, I would have liked the ending to have been fleshed out more. I felt as though it ended very suddenly.
It's definitely worth a read, especially if you're interested in the everyday lives(ish) of Chinese people. I can also imagine that the original, untranslated story is great too. I’d definitely like to get a copy.
Extra info: Xu Zechen is a highly regarded Chinese author, especially of the post-70s writers. His works have won numerous awards and he currently works as deputy editor in chief of People’s Literature, China’s most notable literary magazine.
August 10, 2026
This book was really uneven for me. The beginning and middle were just so odd and strange, and Murian was honestly aggravating to read about. He was annoying, frustrating, and made so many choices that had me wondering what he was even doing.
But then the ending became really captivating. Suddenly, I actually cared about what was happening, and the tension felt much stronger than it had earlier. I just wish that level of intensity had been built up from the beginning instead of appearing so late, because the ending showed me what the book could have been the whole time.
Overall, I liked parts of it, but I spent too much of the book feeling disconnected and irritated before it finally pulled me in.
But then the ending became really captivating. Suddenly, I actually cared about what was happening, and the tension felt much stronger than it had earlier. I just wish that level of intensity had been built up from the beginning instead of appearing so late, because the ending showed me what the book could have been the whole time.
Overall, I liked parts of it, but I spent too much of the book feeling disconnected and irritated before it finally pulled me in.
July 27, 2026
Xu Zechen’s novel Night Train, translated by Jeremy Tiang, is a rich, propulsive Dostoyevskian story of small town Chinese life, the labyrinthine politics of higher education and the expectations and histories that flow together to lead us to our breaking points. Vital, weary characters linger in the shadows of regret, shackled to the past of the Cultural Revolution and the life-altering choices they made and had made for them. The book sings with a universal longing for freedom and weightlessness, embodied by a train cutting through the dark to new and unknowable horizons. One of my favorites of the year.
June 30, 2026
something anyone can relate to that is going to grad school.. wanting to travel before starting school. For chen his desire gets the best of him and leads him on a different type of journey one that is exciting for the reader
July 24, 2026
Night Train by Xu Zechen, translated by Jeremy Tiang, was a delight. It's a stylistically beautiful novel, elegant in its simplicity.
What i've especially loved about the recent Chinese novels i've read is their honesty and warm-heartedness. Those two qualities make them deeply enjoyable, even when they explore difficult subject matter.
The characters in Night Train are richly developed and wonderfully complex. They feel like real, breathing, feeling people. I've seen some reviewers criticize the ending, but although i found it shattering, i thought it was beautifully executed. It adds another tragic layer to Munian's character, linking the beginning and the end in a way that feels almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
What i've especially loved about the recent Chinese novels i've read is their honesty and warm-heartedness. Those two qualities make them deeply enjoyable, even when they explore difficult subject matter.
The characters in Night Train are richly developed and wonderfully complex. They feel like real, breathing, feeling people. I've seen some reviewers criticize the ending, but although i found it shattering, i thought it was beautifully executed. It adds another tragic layer to Munian's character, linking the beginning and the end in a way that feels almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
May 23, 2026
SO EXCELLENT 🤩 I would love to have the audiobook version… in Chinese… due to my illiteracy lol
June 6, 2026
Awesome! This book was gifted to me and i’m so glad it was. The book moves along nicely with succinct chapters and unfolding plot. Loved the train ride descriptions.
August 9, 2026
This was a weird one, but so refreshing. Fast paced, oddball characters and at times very introspective.
August 12, 2026
2.5-3*
August 16, 2026
that was actually crazy wtf
enjoyed the style of humor here too
enjoyed the style of humor here too
August 24, 2026
Saving my thoughts for book club, but I didn’t like it. Seems like the writer is somewhat lauded. Maybe his other books are better.
August 24, 2026
Great book loved the characters. Ending felt a bit forced and rushed but overall a wonderful book. It’s fun reading book translated from a different language.
September 25, 2026
Took away a star because the beginning is a bit slow, but once it gets going this writing is quite energized.
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