One Man's Decision to Become a Tree: Beijing-London Quartet

This fictive work consists of four novellas. The Reincarnation of Dreamer () is a story that took place in China, in which the identities of Xiaomeng and "me" gradually merge into one. It is a humorous allegory of the conflict between tradition and modernity. Who Knows () contains the author's reflection of Chinese traditions after she left China and gained sufficient imaginative distance. Desire's Wings () presents the seduction of foreignness and its conflict, convergence, and integration with the author's native Chinese culture. In One Man's Decision to Become a Tree (), the final destination is the thorough solitude within the human heart, from which no one can escape. Every novella is relatively independent, and their structures as well as linguistic styles are radically different. The characters' voices interweave into a symphonic narrative. The language is rich and multifaceted. All fictions, however, are deeply rooted in reality. As a result, the multiple layers of language constructs the Baroque architecture of this book.