Set against the backdrop of Sanshi Village in Jingning County, Zhejiang Province, this book opens with a vivid depiction of extreme poverty in the countryside: "Fire baskets serve as cotton-padded coats, firewood as lamp wicks, chili peppers as oil, and sweet potato shreds are eaten year-round. Food is scarce, and nights are often restless." This local folk song is a true reflection of the hardships faced by Sanshi Village. Deep in these impoverished mountains, the tides of history brought new changes to the village: they accepted immigrants from the Xin'an River region. Due to the construction of a hydroelectric power station, 300,000 people from Chun'an left their homeland, and one group migrated to Sanshi Village. This forced people of different cultures and ethnicities to live together in one village, making even daily communication extremely difficult. The novel unfolds its plot amidst the multiple contradictions of "poverty, hunger, and disease" and "culture, language, and ethnicity."
本书以浙江畲乡景宁三石村为背景，开篇便描绘出一幅极度贫困的乡村图景——“火笼当棉袄，火蔑当灯草，辣椒当油炒，番薯丝吃到老。食不足三餐，夜不稳一宿”，这段当地民谣正是三石村艰难岁月的真实写照。在这片极端困苦的大山深处，历史的洪流又给村子带来了新的变数：他们接纳了来自新安江的异地移民。由于水电站建设，30万淳安人离开了故土，其中一支就这样迁入了三石村，这让不同文化和不同民族的人们同处一村，连日常沟通都变得异常困难。小说正是在“贫穷、饥饿、疾病”与“文化、语言、民族”的多重矛盾中展开故事情节。
本书以浙江畲乡景宁三石村为背景，开篇便描绘出一幅极度贫困的乡村图景——“火笼当棉袄，火蔑当灯草，辣椒当油炒，番薯丝吃到老。食不足三餐，夜不稳一宿”，这段当地民谣正是三石村艰难岁月的真实写照。在这片极端困苦的大山深处，历史的洪流又给村子带来了新的变数：他们接纳了来自新安江的异地移民。由于水电站建设，30万淳安人离开了故土，其中一支就这样迁入了三石村，这让不同文化和不同民族的人们同处一村，连日常沟通都变得异常困难。小说正是在“贫穷、饥饿、疾病”与“文化、语言、民族”的多重矛盾中展开故事情节。
