OLD WELL <i> by Zheng Yi translated by David Kwan (China Books: $8.95) </i>

Zheng Yi’s uncompromising novel is a fascinating portrait of rural life in contemporary China, where ancient traditions--including the worship of ancestral gods--coexist with modern technology and bureaucracy.

Although he is educated and industrious, Sun Wangquan leads a bleak existence, scarcely different from that of his peasant ancestors, who dug wells for their tiny village in the arid Taihang mountains in Shanxi province. The search for a reliable source of water becomes a search for meaning as Wangquan finds himself torn between the traditional values represented by his loveless arranged marriage and his passion for a restless, free-spirited modern girl.

Despite the international reputation of his novels and his screenplay for the film of “Old Well,” Zheng Yi was arrested in July, 1989, and reportedly remains in custody.