Lee grew up in the tumultuous 60s and 70s China. As a young boy growing up in political chaos and economic poverty, Lee experienced physical suffering and emotional disturbance; yet in this barren and poverty striken land, there were happiness and a glimpse of paradise, as well as compassion and love. Exotic yet universal in the narration and description of events and characters, the novel is a showcase of the songs of innocence and experience revisited by a Chinese boy.

Lee grew up in the tumultuous 60s and 70s China. As a young boy growing up in political chaos and economic poverty, Lee experienced physical suffering and emotional disturbance; yet in this barren and poverty striken land, there were happiness and a glimpse of paradise, as well as compassion and love. Exotic yet universal in the narration and description of events and characters, the novel is a showcase of the songs of innocence and experience revisited by a Chinese boy.