I am greatly moved by the author's observations of many Chinese things and the well-developed characters. He is apparently rooted in the town and the people deeply. It makes a little harder though for those who know very little about China to understand some of the things. There are some minor things the author might have missed. Such as the reaction of Old Zhu's widow (Da Shan's mother), when she heard that Da Shan's son will live with them, is a little off. Overall, a must read if you want to know China.