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The Cook, the Crook, and the Real Estate Tycoon: A Novel of Contemporary China
The Cook, the Crook, and the Real Estate Tycoon, by prize-winning Chinese novelist Liu Zhenyun is a novel of Beijing that paints a microcosm of contemporary China, dealing with classes at the two the super rich and the migrant workers who make them rich through deceit and corruption.
The protagonist, Liu Yuejin, is a work site cook and small-time thief whose bag is stolen. In searching for it he stumbles upon another bag, which contains a flash disk that chronicles high-level corruption, and sets off a convoluted chase. There are no heroes in this scathing, complex, and highly readable critique of the dark side of China’s predatory capitalism, corruption, and the plight of the underclasses. A movie adaptation and TV series appeared in 2008 in China.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
The protagonist, Liu Yuejin, is a work site cook and small-time thief whose bag is stolen. In searching for it he stumbles upon another bag, which contains a flash disk that chronicles high-level corruption, and sets off a convoluted chase. There are no heroes in this scathing, complex, and highly readable critique of the dark side of China’s predatory capitalism, corruption, and the plight of the underclasses. A movie adaptation and TV series appeared in 2008 in China.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2007
14 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Liu Zhenyun
41 books67 followersChinese profile: 刘震云
Liu Zhenyun (born [May], 1958), born in Yanjin, Henan Province, China, is a Chinese writer.
In 1973 Liu Zhenyun joined the PLA and spent five years in the Gobi desert. In 1978, he took the gaokao and got the highest score in Henan Province admitted into the prestigious Peking University. After graduating from university, he became a journalist at the Daily Farmers.
(from Wikipedia)
Liu Zhenyun (born [May], 1958), born in Yanjin, Henan Province, China, is a Chinese writer.
In 1973 Liu Zhenyun joined the PLA and spent five years in the Gobi desert. In 1978, he took the gaokao and got the highest score in Henan Province admitted into the prestigious Peking University. After graduating from university, he became a journalist at the Daily Farmers.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 9, 2016
Reading this book is like watching a Coen brothers movie-"Burn After Reading" or "Fargo". Set in contemporary China, it's about the complications that result from a mundane act of theft. The characters belong to a broad spectrum of socioeconomic groups, but they're all struggling and hustling. It took me a while to sort everyone out, but once I did I settled back and enjoyed the ride.
February 22, 2016
oggetti scambiati e gente smarrita
Liu Yuejin è un fesso pasticcione che si fa rubare un marsupio con tutti i suoi beni terreni, poca cosa in verità, e passa un paio di giorni d'inferno per cercare di recuperare il tutto...storia volutamente ingarbugliata, ma a chi ha l'abitudine ai nomi cinesi non sembrerà poi tanto difficile da seguire, che si fa ricordare per la miniera di informazioni circa i modi di dire cinesi e il pensiero finto furbetto del popolino che per cavarsela deve sempre e comunque fregare il prossimo...
Liu Yuejin è un fesso pasticcione che si fa rubare un marsupio con tutti i suoi beni terreni, poca cosa in verità, e passa un paio di giorni d'inferno per cercare di recuperare il tutto...storia volutamente ingarbugliata, ma a chi ha l'abitudine ai nomi cinesi non sembrerà poi tanto difficile da seguire, che si fa ricordare per la miniera di informazioni circa i modi di dire cinesi e il pensiero finto furbetto del popolino che per cavarsela deve sempre e comunque fregare il prossimo...
July 17, 2019
První, co mě na knize praštilo do očí, je její název, který si nevyhnutelně spojíte s Greenawayovým filmem Kuchař, zloděj, jeho žena a její milenec. Druhá věc jsou různá nářečí, hantýrka a argot, které postavy používají podle místa svého původu i své profese - ten román je vážně výborně přeložený a ta jazyková stránka mě moc bavila.
Liou Jüe-ťin je takový obyčejný jouda, který do Pekingu přibyl před šesti lety, živí se jako kuchař na stavbě a svůj nejcennější majetek nosí na těle v ledvince. Jeho prostřednictvím se seznamujeme s osudy řady dalších lidí, kteří se všelijak protloukají životem, tu dluží, tu někdo dluží jim, tu něco ošulí a trochu si našetří, tu padnou do nečekaných výdajů, ale pořád to ještě jde, mají svůj život, své malé sny, své naděje. A pak kuchaře okradou, čímž začíná neuvěřitelný kolotoč, který nás zavede mezi kriminální živly i mezi zkorumpované podnikatele, zběsilá jízda plná omylů, lží, vydírání a únosů a ve které postupně končí všechna sranda. Je to taková realistická fraška s důrazem na jedince, kterých je tam požehnaně, odehrávat by se svým způsobem mohla prakticky kdekoli, ale my máme to štěstí, že má autor k dispozici barvitá specifika všelijakých enkláv, které si v Pekingu vytvářejí přišedší ze všech možných koutů Číny, což je nesmírně zajímavé. Mě osobně na spletité frašky, ve kterých se postupně vyjevují skryté motivy pod vrstvou dalších motivů a všichni se za nečím honí, příliš neužije, ale ke konci mě už skutečně mrazilo. Když jde o krk, všechny skrupule jdou stranou a mně těch zapletených človíčků bylo strašně líto. Konec je pak jak rána kladivem mezi oči. I tak mi to stálo za to, zvláštní kniha, na kterou si asi často vzpomenu, protože Liou Čen-jün prostě umí a i když se neshodnu s tím, co se děje, stejně mě do své sítě lapil a své protagonisty vykreslil tak živě, že je z hlavy jen tak nevypudím.
Liou Jüe-ťin je takový obyčejný jouda, který do Pekingu přibyl před šesti lety, živí se jako kuchař na stavbě a svůj nejcennější majetek nosí na těle v ledvince. Jeho prostřednictvím se seznamujeme s osudy řady dalších lidí, kteří se všelijak protloukají životem, tu dluží, tu někdo dluží jim, tu něco ošulí a trochu si našetří, tu padnou do nečekaných výdajů, ale pořád to ještě jde, mají svůj život, své malé sny, své naděje. A pak kuchaře okradou, čímž začíná neuvěřitelný kolotoč, který nás zavede mezi kriminální živly i mezi zkorumpované podnikatele, zběsilá jízda plná omylů, lží, vydírání a únosů a ve které postupně končí všechna sranda. Je to taková realistická fraška s důrazem na jedince, kterých je tam požehnaně, odehrávat by se svým způsobem mohla prakticky kdekoli, ale my máme to štěstí, že má autor k dispozici barvitá specifika všelijakých enkláv, které si v Pekingu vytvářejí přišedší ze všech možných koutů Číny, což je nesmírně zajímavé. Mě osobně na spletité frašky, ve kterých se postupně vyjevují skryté motivy pod vrstvou dalších motivů a všichni se za nečím honí, příliš neužije, ale ke konci mě už skutečně mrazilo. Když jde o krk, všechny skrupule jdou stranou a mně těch zapletených človíčků bylo strašně líto. Konec je pak jak rána kladivem mezi oči. I tak mi to stálo za to, zvláštní kniha, na kterou si asi často vzpomenu, protože Liou Čen-jün prostě umí a i když se neshodnu s tím, co se děje, stejně mě do své sítě lapil a své protagonisty vykreslil tak živě, že je z hlavy jen tak nevypudím.
April 24, 2020
Liou Čen-jün je zdá se mi takový čínský Paasilinna, jen na to potřebuje víc stránek. Není to špatné, taková docela zábavná krimi-groteska ze současné Číny. Co jsem těžce překonával, byl pokus překladatelky použít různá česká/moravská/slezská nářečí namísto čínských nářečí použitých v originálu. Palec nahoru za odvahu, ale mě ti chlopci a robky v pekingských ulicích neskutečně lezli na nervy.
April 8, 2023
Fun, fast-paced and gripping plot
This was a wonderful fast read and also really funny in ways that I don't think were intended, or obvious. For example, the protagonist, Liu Yuejin is an incompetent blundering cook at a construction site, but he turns out to be surprisingly talented at evading not just one, but three converging authorities trying to find him. Similarly, a man who believes he's no longer being chased finds himself still locked in a chase.
I also really liked how the story delves into thievery as a concept. On one hand, there's billionaires manipulated as chess pieces by the government, based on who has and who collects kompromat. On the other hand, there's petty thieves, robbers and gang wars carried out across the vast metropolitan landscape of Beijing and its expanding urban sweep. All these characters seem motivated by different things, but ultimately all of their motivation boils down to possessing money. The cast of characters is large, and the style of the novel allows each character to reveal a surprising element of their backstory as this unfolds. These personal shades of their fears, hopes and insecurities also colors why they are chasing the things they need, and how some character flaws don't really change with growth. I know that most haute literature tried to sneer at plot-heavy works, and instead focuses on characterization. But this work exists in pace and style entirely because of the messiness of each of the characters involved. At some point, I was remembering them via their occupations because their names (the Lao name, for example) was shared by many characters in the story.
I also found this story very familiar in the ways of how urbanization and corruption rackets operate simultaneously. Rural India and Rural China don't feel that different in terms of how a metropolis chews up their people and resources with the promise of a better lifestyle. I definitely enjoyed reading this both as a palate cleanser and also to get back to reading consistently again. Would love to read more from this author.
This was a wonderful fast read and also really funny in ways that I don't think were intended, or obvious. For example, the protagonist, Liu Yuejin is an incompetent blundering cook at a construction site, but he turns out to be surprisingly talented at evading not just one, but three converging authorities trying to find him. Similarly, a man who believes he's no longer being chased finds himself still locked in a chase.
I also really liked how the story delves into thievery as a concept. On one hand, there's billionaires manipulated as chess pieces by the government, based on who has and who collects kompromat. On the other hand, there's petty thieves, robbers and gang wars carried out across the vast metropolitan landscape of Beijing and its expanding urban sweep. All these characters seem motivated by different things, but ultimately all of their motivation boils down to possessing money. The cast of characters is large, and the style of the novel allows each character to reveal a surprising element of their backstory as this unfolds. These personal shades of their fears, hopes and insecurities also colors why they are chasing the things they need, and how some character flaws don't really change with growth. I know that most haute literature tried to sneer at plot-heavy works, and instead focuses on characterization. But this work exists in pace and style entirely because of the messiness of each of the characters involved. At some point, I was remembering them via their occupations because their names (the Lao name, for example) was shared by many characters in the story.
I also found this story very familiar in the ways of how urbanization and corruption rackets operate simultaneously. Rural India and Rural China don't feel that different in terms of how a metropolis chews up their people and resources with the promise of a better lifestyle. I definitely enjoyed reading this both as a palate cleanser and also to get back to reading consistently again. Would love to read more from this author.
June 19, 2015
Dark-ish humor with interesting characters. Weaves unrelated stories together which reminded me of the way Seinfeld did that.
October 17, 2019
Todo por un bolso y una usb
July 19, 2025
This was fun and well-paced, with good local flavor from beijing and its environs. Audiobook is read very ably (and quickly) by Ewan Chung. (i do have one quibble with the reading. the voice he uses for Xing - the private eye guy - is so slow and weird as to be distracting.)
I found it handy to write down the names of a few characters, to help keep them straight. Some main ones:
Liu Yuejin. The cook.
Ren Baoliang. Foreman.
Han Shengli. A little thief.
Yang Zhi. A little thief.
Brother Cao. A big thief.
Yan Ge. The real estate tycoon.
Director Zha (maybe Jia). A party official.
Lin (maybe Ling). Zha’s assistant.
Mao Manli. Hair salon owner.
Bai and Wen. Drivers.
Some of the names of characters are very good. My language skills are limited, but:
- Liu Yuejin would have been born around 1958. “Yuejin” is “leap forward.” His parents would have named him out of enthusiasm for the great leap forward (which started that year amid great hopes and ended in obscene and massive tragedy). Giving a character that name brings that whole history quietly into the background of the novel; i think it’s very well done.
- Niu Decao is a minor character. The name sounds like “Cow obtains grass” - also very good.
The quality of the prose in English is very good; the translation has style. This is a big deal - so much Chinese literature in translation lacks style. (I’m trying now to get through some stories by Mo Yan - nobel prizewinner! - and they’re very hard to get through - good stories but awful prose, no style. And the translator is the same, or one of the two translators is the same. The Mo Yan book is translated by Howard Goldblatt; this one is translated by Goldblatt and his wife, Sylvia Li-chun Lin. Is it Lin’s contribution that makes this book read so much better? Is Liu Zhenyun just a better stylist than Mo Yan - which comes through in the translations?)
Here’s a bit of gorgeous prose from this book (punctuation etc. are guesses; i listened to audiobook only):
“Among the horses Yan kept was a Dutch mare called stephanie, a gentle and highly intelligent animal that was his favorite. if he said fast, she galloped. if he said slow, she loped.
he spoke and she reacted. the understanding between man and horse reminded Yan of times in bed with certain women. Horses and women of that caliber were rare, in his view.
he had been drinking before coming out with friends to ride around the farm on the day of the dragon boat festival three years earlier. some fighter planes from a nearby airbase were circling the air above them, and no one paid them any attention. until one went into a steep dive and buzzed the farm, trailing red smoke and flattening the grass. the riders were shocked. but stephanie was the only horse that spooked - and by the smoke, not by the airplane itself. …”
I found it handy to write down the names of a few characters, to help keep them straight. Some main ones:
Liu Yuejin. The cook.
Ren Baoliang. Foreman.
Han Shengli. A little thief.
Yang Zhi. A little thief.
Brother Cao. A big thief.
Yan Ge. The real estate tycoon.
Director Zha (maybe Jia). A party official.
Lin (maybe Ling). Zha’s assistant.
Mao Manli. Hair salon owner.
Bai and Wen. Drivers.
Some of the names of characters are very good. My language skills are limited, but:
- Liu Yuejin would have been born around 1958. “Yuejin” is “leap forward.” His parents would have named him out of enthusiasm for the great leap forward (which started that year amid great hopes and ended in obscene and massive tragedy). Giving a character that name brings that whole history quietly into the background of the novel; i think it’s very well done.
- Niu Decao is a minor character. The name sounds like “Cow obtains grass” - also very good.
The quality of the prose in English is very good; the translation has style. This is a big deal - so much Chinese literature in translation lacks style. (I’m trying now to get through some stories by Mo Yan - nobel prizewinner! - and they’re very hard to get through - good stories but awful prose, no style. And the translator is the same, or one of the two translators is the same. The Mo Yan book is translated by Howard Goldblatt; this one is translated by Goldblatt and his wife, Sylvia Li-chun Lin. Is it Lin’s contribution that makes this book read so much better? Is Liu Zhenyun just a better stylist than Mo Yan - which comes through in the translations?)
Here’s a bit of gorgeous prose from this book (punctuation etc. are guesses; i listened to audiobook only):
“Among the horses Yan kept was a Dutch mare called stephanie, a gentle and highly intelligent animal that was his favorite. if he said fast, she galloped. if he said slow, she loped.
he spoke and she reacted. the understanding between man and horse reminded Yan of times in bed with certain women. Horses and women of that caliber were rare, in his view.
he had been drinking before coming out with friends to ride around the farm on the day of the dragon boat festival three years earlier. some fighter planes from a nearby airbase were circling the air above them, and no one paid them any attention. until one went into a steep dive and buzzed the farm, trailing red smoke and flattening the grass. the riders were shocked. but stephanie was the only horse that spooked - and by the smoke, not by the airplane itself. …”
May 2, 2021
This is a crime thriller set in Beijing which features business moguls and migrant workers from around China. I found all of the cultural details really interesting, lots of little sayings and regional stereotypes I didn't know anything about.
The start was a little slow as characters were introduced but once things started happening this book went wild with misunderstandings and double-crosses and secret identities. It felt almost like a Cohen brothers movie. The characters were mostly heinous but that's fine since that's not why you read this kind of thriller anyway (though the extended subplot about one guy’s erectile dysfunction was a bit much).
The ending was disappointing though. It felt like the plot built and built and then the book just kind of abruptly ended.
The start was a little slow as characters were introduced but once things started happening this book went wild with misunderstandings and double-crosses and secret identities. It felt almost like a Cohen brothers movie. The characters were mostly heinous but that's fine since that's not why you read this kind of thriller anyway (though the extended subplot about one guy’s erectile dysfunction was a bit much).
The ending was disappointing though. It felt like the plot built and built and then the book just kind of abruptly ended.
January 15, 2019
Hài hước và lạ. Nhưng đôi khi hơi rối, mạch truyện đều đều từ đầu đến cuối khiến nhiều lúc phải tự hỏi: Bao giờ mới hết đây?
July 21, 2019
sách hay
September 11, 2019
Hay, hài hước, sâu sắc nhưng hơi dài, lòng vòng. Đọc mãi mới hết.
January 7, 2022
Might be a bit confusing at first due to the number of characters, but if you like Fargo this book might be for you.
April 10, 2022
It was a great story but the writings were a little bit hard to understand.
Read
March 31, 2023Did not finish.
December 25, 2023
A quirky, incredibly well plotted mystery set in present day Beijing. For the setting alone it is worth reading.
Recommended
Recommended
August 8, 2024
A story of gaining small but losing big
January 5, 2025
回京的飞机上读完了《我叫刘跃进》，典型的刘震云式描述，小人物的摸爬滚打的日常生活。
有机会看看电影，但据说不好太好看，不如小说精彩。
有机会看看电影，但据说不好太好看，不如小说精彩。
January 19, 2016
Cinematic portrayal of life in modern Beijing where desperate migrants arrive trying to improve their lots and face hard work and sometimes grimy reality. The plot interweaves stories from the background of each character, diving into the past, their relationships, hopes, fears and failures.
The pace is fast and the story mostly hilarious. The rich and corrupt end up mixed with the poor and the ruthless. The translation is great, weaving in Chinese proverbs that add to the necessary sense of conflict between old China and today's free for all.
The pace is fast and the story mostly hilarious. The rich and corrupt end up mixed with the poor and the ruthless. The translation is great, weaving in Chinese proverbs that add to the necessary sense of conflict between old China and today's free for all.
Read
June 6, 2018底层小人物陷入不断的麻烦中，各路冲突聚集在一起。揭示了不同阶级人的烦恼。
July 31, 2019
Málo uvěřitelná souhra náhod kolem jedné flešky umožňuje autorovi propojit nuzné, lupiče, zloděje, podvodníky, stavaře i magnáty do jednoho chumlu. Prostě moderní Čína z jiného úhlu.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews