Liu Xinwu 
Bell Drum Tower 

This book describes the life of Beijing citizens in the early 1980s. With the wedding of Xue’s family as the main clue, the novel tells the story of a nine- family courtyard resident in Beijing in 12 hours. The novel makes a longitudinal historical review of many people and events, reflecting the experience, fate, mentality of nearly 40 characters and their respective puzzles in their daily life, thus drawing a crisscross ecological landscape of Beijing civil society life. Numerous characters and plots, rich human geography and folk customs of the city are refreshing.