ABSTRACT
Border Town is Shen Congwen’s most distinctive novel. His contemporary, the critic Li Jianwu (Liu Xiwei), once praised Border Town as “an idyllic masterpiece. Everything is in harmony. Light and shadow are in proper proportions, and so is how to live, and in what conditions; this renders the artistry of this work of art nearly invisible. All is in accord with nature, and yet we understand that behind this force of nature lies hidden the endeavor of an artist.” 1 Shen originally intended to write an Account of Ten Cities with the Yuan River valley as background; instead, he created Border Town, a solo piece.
