Set between 1853 and 1900, the novel begins with the encounter of two 16-year-old boys in Shanghai and ends before the invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance. The friendship between these two young men, from Qing Dynasty China and Japan, of different nationalities, gradually becomes complex as they choose to serve different masters and make differing value choices. Facing the impact of Western powers and the arrival of modern civilization, both Qing Dynasty China and Japan chose different paths: one clung to its old ways, the other embraced innovation. They tested each other, and under the weight of the times and their nations, individual destinies rose and fell. The author attempts to narrate his reflections on the fate of late Qing Dynasty China, based on historical figures and events combined with fictional characters. The novel constructs its narrative context using real people, events, and physical spaces, placing the fictional characters within it, and using these characters to...
小说选取1853-1900年为时间背景，始于两位16岁少年在上海的相遇，结束于八国联军侵华之前，清朝和日本两个国籍不同的年轻人从友情的建立，到各为其主的不同价值选择，逐渐变得复杂。在清朝和日本同时面对西方列强的冲击，面对现代文明的来袭，两个国家选择了不同的道路，一个固守旧地，一个拥抱革新，二者之间同时相互试探，在时代和国家之下，个人的命运亦随之沉浮。小说的作者试图基于历史人物、事件，结合创造的人物，叙述自身对晚清命运的思考。小说用真实的人物、事件、物理空间，搭建出了叙述语境，将创作出来的人物放在其中，借人
小说选取1853-1900年为时间背景，始于两位16岁少年在上海的相遇，结束于八国联军侵华之前，清朝和日本两个国籍不同的年轻人从友情的建立，到各为其主的不同价值选择，逐渐变得复杂。在清朝和日本同时面对西方列强的冲击，面对现代文明的来袭，两个国家选择了不同的道路，一个固守旧地，一个拥抱革新，二者之间同时相互试探，在时代和国家之下，个人的命运亦随之沉浮。小说的作者试图基于历史人物、事件，结合创造的人物，叙述自身对晚清命运的思考。小说用真实的人物、事件、物理空间，搭建出了叙述语境，将创作出来的人物放在其中，借人
