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Here's a short list of books recommended by some of China's leading literary critics.
Qin Opera, Jia Pingwa, 2005
This book won the 2008 Mao Dun Literary Prize and is a lament of the weakening ties between farmers and land in a period of huge social transformation.
A Sentence is Worth Thousands, Liu Zhenyun, 2009
Following the successful TV and film adaptations of his novels, Liu returns to the literary scene by exploring the loneliness of ordinary Chinese.
Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, Mo Yan, 2006
A man dies and is reborn as animals to observe 50 years of change in his hometown and in the Chinese countryside.
The Joy of Living, Yan Lianke, 2003
Adopting an unconventional structure and narrative style, Yan tells the story of how a village profits from its treatment of revolutionary heritage - trying to buy Lenin's remains to attract tourists.
Other recommendations include:
Benhua Village, Tie Ning, 2006
Wolf Totem, Jiang Rong, 2004
Frog, Mo Yan, 2009
Sandalwood Punishment, Mo Yan, 2001
No Monument, Wang Shiyue, 2009
Wild Gourd, Zong Pu
Wrath, Bei Cun, 2004
The Woman who Ruins the Rituals, Lu Yue, 2009
Wandering in Leisure, Li Shijiang, 2005
The Movement of Getting Warm, Sheng Keyi, 2006
The Trend, Chen Xiwo, 2010