Status Updates From The Vintage Book of Contemp...

Will just short review stories I liked for later final review:

Han the Forger by Deng You-mei

Big Chan by Wang Ceng-qi

Both 3.75/5.

Story of redemption and reconciliation for the first, second is story secrets and greed taken to the grave (literally)

9/11/25

Fables by Wang Meng: 3.9/5

Interesting insight to (perhaps) cultural values here, I enjoyed “I am one of you” the most :D (it’s been almost a week I am foggy brained rn)

The General and the Small Town by Chen Xi-shu: 3/5

Story of outsider coming to country town and aiming impact then tragedy hits but his memory will be remembered bla blah. Not bad. Endearing little story. But mostly meh.

9/6/25, lack space, just small reviews

Cherry, Su Tong: 4/5

sad and sudden, nothing much to say, I only have ~30 characters to work with

Young Muo, Su Tong: 3/5

Shih Feng interesting character, would like to see longer Su Tong Work, short stories aren’t bad

The Window, Mo Shen: 2/5

overdramatic patriotic propaganda story, like a patriotic story one would read about the founding fathers as a kid in the U.S.

Between Themselves Wang An-yi

4.5

Reminded of Bartleby the Scrivener:
“To a sensitive being, pity is not seldom pain. And when at last it is perceived that such pity cannot lead to…succor, common sense bids the soul rid of it. What I saw…persuaded me that the scrivener was the victim of innate and incurable disorder…his body did not pain him; it was his soul that suffered, and his soul I could not reach”

9/1/25:

“Life in a Small Courtyard” by Wang An-yi

4.5/5

This story was very sweet ☝🏻🥹

“I couldn't refrain from laughing. They still loved each other. They were only short of money.”

Stories completed so far (8/31):

Beijing opera (David Su Li-qun): 2.75/5

Mid. Author/Editor self inserts his own story. Quite boring. Interesting notes on Chinese culture, but plain.

Hong Taitai (Chang Nai-Shan): 3/5

Meh. Same as above, forgettable. Again same notes to take on culture.

Fate (Shi Tie-sheng): 5/5

Absolutely adored this, reminds me of Dazai, especially his fairy tale collection and self-portraits

Didn't expect to love this short story collection, omg??? Story of #1 is titled Beijing Opera in which a blue eyes Westerner fights for her love for Chinese opera. #2 is about a girl who over the years saw the decline of socialite Hong Taitai #3 Fate: story of a man with a bright future ahead destroyed by the one second that snapped his spine.