Liu Xinwu 
Bell and Drum Tower 

Although the novel only intercepts the daily life of nine households in a quadrangle under the Bell and Drum Tower in Beijing from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on December 12, 1982, it runs through the changes experienced by 30 to 40 characters in decades, writes about the historical accumulation of ancient Beijing and the realistic changes in the 1980s, and makes us hear the footsteps of the era of reforming. Everyone here has his own history, which constitutes the picture of the ecological community of civil society in Beijing. Xue Yongquan used to be a Lama with low social status. Now he stands up and wants to prepare a wedding ceremony for his youngest son. However, he is always in the embarrassment of wanting to show off and being short of money. His daughter-in-law, Pan Xiuya, comes from a poor family. She is a saleswoman. She is vain and pinches pennies. She would "rather buy an uneconomic but famous-brand product than an economic product of a less known and inferior brand" when preparing dowries. Her "Radar" watch disappears at the wedding banquet, causing a disturbance. Everyone suspects that it was Lu Baosang, the descendant of the "beggar gang", who steals the watch. In fact, it is stolen by the hooligan, Yao Xiangdong. Lu Xichun, a kind cook, is just annoyed by Lu Baosang. Lu Baosang uncovered that Lu Xichun”s father used to work in a brothel. However, Lu Xichun puts in a good word for Lu Baosang when he leaves. Guo Xing”er is a rural girl whose family becomes a specialized production household and has made some money. She comes to the city to complete the engagement set by her parents. Unexpectedly, the young man, Xun Lei, has had a girlfriend. Xing”er is very generous and wants to buy a watch for Xiuya. There is also a boring warm-hearted person, Zhan Liying, at the wedding banquet. She was wrongly classified as a "rightist" and suffered many unfair treatment. However, she easily gets surprised and frightened that few people sympathize with her. The actress, Tantai Zhu, is unable to escort the bride back to the wedding because of the suddenly arrived guests. Zhan Liying wants to escort the bride back to the wedding by herself. There are also other residents who did not attend the wedding in the courtyard, such as Han Yitan who is an editor devoted to his duty, Mr. Gou who is an upright and self-respecting shoemaker, Hai Xibin who is content with ordinary work and "doesn”t seek better jobs", Director Zhang Qilin who is a "big cadre" in the courtyard, and his daughter trapped in unrequited love, Zhang Xiuzao. There are not only many contradictions between history and reality, tradition and innovation, but also the endurance and willpower of people at lower class in difficulties, their cohesion to take care of and support each other in daily life, and their vitality of developing slowly in various difficulties.