The Land of Big Numbers is the debut short story collection by the Wall Street Journal correspondent Te-Ping Chen. Consisting of ten non-related stories of similar length, each of which paints a slightly different picture of the contemporary Chinese experience. Some of them are told from the viewpoint of inhabitants of some of the country's drab mid-sized cities, while others are expats who have run away their motherland and never want to return back to it. Yet, all of them share something in common - a desire to succeed in climbing the social ladder, something that she shows is almost impossible and if it happens, it is at a very steep cost.

Through her sharp observation skills and equally elegant and discerning prose, Chen manages to point out, magnify, and to a degree, explain many of the desires and ailments that befall contemporary Chinese society. On the one hand, there is the universal for consumer society desire for individual success, which is always equated with the desertion and denial of one's beginnings, be they a rural upbringing or poor civil servant parents, and the amassing of wealth and consumer goods. On the other, the belief in the goodness of the Party that is shared by the elderly and young characters, though different reasons. The most successful stories of the collection such as the opening "Lulu" and the closing "Gubeikou Spirit" criticize precisely this this unquestioning belief in the ruling party.

I'm unable to rate this book because the file provide does not open despite various tries and downloads. I'll definitely check out a copy at some point because I'm still very interested in reading this one!

This collection of short stories made me realize how few glimpses of modern China the Western world gets in its mainstream literature - most of the big name Chinese authors either write historical books or ones centered around Chinese-American characters, which is great, but it leaves a gap for those of us who wish to read these books. I'm hoping Land of Big Numbers will change that. Every story is completely different than the next, but together they weave a blanket of all the different things it means for the characters to live in modern day China. Chen's style is deceptively easy to read, because there's so many layers of metaphor and allegory if one only peels back the layers of her writing. She's able to grasp both the tiny and the huge meanings behind what it means to be Chinese. My favorite stories were 'Lulu', 'Flying Machine', and 'Gubeikou Spirit' - the versatility and themes of each really spoke to me. I'm hopeful that Chen will someday try her hand at writing a novel.

The cover is absolutely beautiful and the premise of the book intrigued me. The stories are set in several locations, primarily the USA and China, and do a great job of depicting the nuances of life from a familial and political perspective.

Land of Big Numbers, a fine collection by Te-Ping Chen, puts faces on the faceless multitudes of today's Republic of China. Each entry highlights life experiences that illustrate both the points of sameness as well as difference of populations in China and in America. In several we meet citizens who while never having left the country's borders, have barely left rural villages for the cities, but many bring to life immigrants and the effects of cultural differences on their lives, not always to the good. Whether its a young husband, a college professor, carrying a huge burden of unassuageable guilt, or a prison inmate who mistakenly hitched his aspirations to the wrong person. There is a lovely metaphoric study about the effects of capitalization, and a metaphysical shot of magic realism. But my favorites were the realistic studies of ordinary people leading ordinary lives and the window they opened on the enigma that is today's China.

Each story is an insight into a life that is being lived; a life that is subject to the hopes, failures, and absurdities of modernization in China and it's diaspora. These tales give us an inner monologue or a big picture view exemplifying the tedium, whimsy, or dreariness of living each day, complete with emotions that may or may not but under the protagonist's control. A sobering read that is well paced and just the right length. I am looking forward to suggesting this title to my patrons who enjoy short story collections and am hopeful at what future projects will bear from Te-Ping Chen.

Not a single story I didn't love. Every piece uniquely layered, colorful, and provoking—each a painting of diverse Chinese realities (or in some cases, madness). From social to political to borderline magical, this collection captures the strength, restrictions, and progress of contemporary China's people. A complex, but universal, lens of humanity and emotional connection.

It is pretty rare to read a collection of short stories and rate them all between 4 and 5 stars. But Te-Ping Chen manages to create a wonderful series of short stories about Chinese individuals and their culture. Which I happen to find so interesting especially since I’ve spent the last two years teaching Chinese children English. It was further insight into a world that I had insight but not the delicate details. Even without that connection, I would have found this debut impressive all the same.

I think the first short story was very strategically picked. It was the perfect decision. The first story touches on the social media aspect and government, which is something that I think interest us all. As an American, I am used to speaking freely about the leaders of the country. And as we all know, it doesn’t quite work like that in China. The story is absolutely engaging and will capture most readers. And I have to say the rest of these stories did nothing but entertain me while answering certain curiosities.

Overall, I would highly encourage readers with any interest to give it a shot. I am not a big short story collection reader. More often times than not, I find my self thinking the series was pretty average with a few winners. But I was delighted to find out that wasn’t the case here. I’d encourage any reading interest in knowing more about China’s culture to give it a shot. I think they’ll end up enjoying themselves. I certainly did.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for the read.

5 stars! I always have a hard time picking up short stories, but then when it's a collection like this, I wonder why I don't do it more. Land of Big Numbers has stories in different styles, and even through magical realism, illustrating the challenges of living in the overpowering state of China. They are stories of hope and people beaten down by their society. Each story was fascinating and engaging and made me want more. This is a book everyone should read.

Land of Big Numbers by Te-Ping Chen is a collection of short stories that are told by or about Chinese people. Although, most of the stories do take place in China there are an odd couple that are set outside of China with Chinese characters. The stories do not seem to be interconnected and for the most part can be read as individual stories. They are beautifully written with compelling characters and beautiful imagery. The majority of the stories are bound in reality although a couple dabbling into magical realism.

The stories are short enough to be read in one sitting which makes them much more enjoyable because it becomes almost like reading a snippet of someone’s life. And that’s what these stories feel like, a glimpse into a life we know little about and we are given this one tiny window to look in before it is shut again. To expect these to be traditional stories with a plot and conclusion is to be disappointed. But, the stories are satisfying in what they do offer a snippet into fantastically ordinary people and the decisions they make that veer them off the course that had been set for them.

More than anything, these stories read like they should be an English class assignment. With enough beautifully written prose and sufficient questions of what ifs to make an interesting class discussion. What if the twins in the first story hadn’t been twins. If they had been born as individual births would they have made the same decisions and ended in the same places? If the old man had been accepted into the communist party early on would he still have the same desire to make things out of discarded pieces of people's lives?

This is the kind of book I revisit when I need something quick and beautiful to read because no matter how incomplete some of these stories feel there is no denying that they are beautiful.

An e-ARC of this book was provided free of charge by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

A collection of stories featuring the different cultures and regional beliefs of China. Each story shows us the daily life of Chinese citizens from a different angle. In the end you'll see that their lives are not so different from anyone else's.

What a unique book. Each chapter focuses on a different story: told from the perspectives of many different kinds of people and located across varied settings, some in China but some abroad as well. Each short story has a bit of a psychological aspect to it, reading almost like a black mirror episode would. This was so different than anything I typically pick up and I really enjoyed the experience. Some stories resonated more with me than others, but overall I found aspects of all of them fascinating. If one doesn’t resonate with you they’re short enough that it’s over quickly and on to the next one. Some favorites were new fruit, beautiful country, and gubeikou spirit. Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I like to throw a short story collection into the mix now and then. They are great to pick up when you have a moment and read a single story and don't need to worry about remembering anything if you don't pick it back up for another couple of days.

Land of Big Numbers is a debut short story collection by Te-Ping Chen set in China or featuring Chinese immigrants living abroad. The stories are all about everyday people and how the culmination of Chinese culture, government and traditions have all impacted life for contemporary Chinese people. We see people looking to better their lives when limited paths are available to them. Many of the stories were realistic, taut with emotion. Others had a twist of magical realism or the absurd.

My two favorite stories in the collection were <i>New Fruit</i> and <i>Gubeikou Spirit</i>. <i>New Fruit</i> is about a new fruit that comes to market and it tastes sweet and is the most delicious thing ever. It puts everyone in a good mood and there is a high demand for it. When it goes out of season, people long for it. When the season comes around again, the prices are jacked up and people eagerly pay the higher price, just to taste it again. But, this season, the fruit isn't quite as sweet and it makes everyone who eats it melancholy. <i>Gubeikou Spirit</i> is a take on the absurdity of bureaucracy. A group of commuters get stuck in a subway station for months because the train broke down, other trains won't stop at the station, and the entry ticket system doesn't let people leave via the same station they entered. Train employees bring them food and TVs through the employee entrance but won't let the commuters out since the door is labeled "Staff Only". I loved it. It reminded my of [book:The Trial|17690] or [book:All the Names|2528], two of my favorites in the trope.

Beautiful writing and stories. I´ve read it more than once and I am really mesmerized by the strength of this debut collection of stories!

"Land Of Big Numbers" by Te-ping Chen is an excellent collection of ten short stories set in contemporary China and it's diaspora. Showcasing the various aspects of Chinese culture, their daily life problems and crisis ,involvement of government and role of capitalism. This debut collection is remarkable more because of the author being a journalist and her experience of which are just the cherry on the top.



This collection is captivating as much as it is entertaining, and it'll go beyond your expectations in case of fulfilling it or disappointing you. Each story has a world of it's own, starting with a student activist who dares to stand up for the rights of her people to ending with a group of travellers forced to stay in a railway station for months without a solid reason. These stories are thought provoking and will not leave you for days or maybe weeks even with all their flaws. Although there are only ten short stories in this collection, it took me almost twelve to thirteen days to finish the book because after completing one story in the mornings, I was unable to get back to the other one for the rest of the day, sometimes the next day too. I liked the way it made me decipher their meanings and purpose after hitting my bed at nights, still not landing at any.




There was a slight touch of magical realism and for me that made this book better. Out of these ten stories in the collection , my favourites are Lulu, Hotline Girl, Flying Machine and Gubeikou Spirit. The plots of these stories were sublime and the characters were very much making me conscious of the realities around myself . I can talk about the plot a bit more but that will be giving away too much of the book so keeping it short and for you to discover yourself.



What I disliked in Land of Big Numbers was the abrupt ending of the stories, most of the times it was justified but sometimes it frustrated me. After being immersed in the slow building of the plot and the characters, I wasn't ready for the type of closure I got, that left me frustrated and irritated at the end. There was so much potential that it could have been great to work on those a little more. Absurdity of some situations were there too in a few stories but the best thing was that those didn't take away the essence of the whole book.


Overall, it's recommended if you're interested in short stories in general and reading about China in particular. This book provides a great insight in their social, political and economical life. ⁣

“He’d seen the village transform itself over a lifetime, just as he, too, was going to transform himself with an invention the likes of which his neighbors had never seen.” Te-Ping Chen, Land of Big Numbers, Stories

Review: This collection, Land of Big Numbers by Te-Ping Chen was fantastic. It tells several unrelated stories of several Chinese people or is set in China. The styles and themes as widely as one might expect from such an expansive topic and I’d imagine most people would find at least a few of these stories entertaining. My two favorites were “New Fruit” and “Gubeiko Spirit”. I’m a big fan of anything with magical realism and I was pleasantly surprised by the stories that integrated a dash of the unreal. As a bonus: I learned a lot about contemporary Chinese culture (I’m embarrassed to know so little).

Recommended for: Any adult or older teenager, this collection is very readable and thought provoking. Could make a great choice for a book club.

Categories: Short Stories, Magical Realism, Realistic Fiction

Content Warnings: Incarceration, Death, Violence, Suicide

My starred review for Booklist is here: https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Land-of-Big-Numbers-/pid=9738576

The review was also cross-posted to Smithsonian BookDragon: http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/land-of-big-numbers-by-te-ping-chen-in-booklist/

Editor's note: This review appears on mountaintimes.com on Feb. 4

Hede: Whole greater than sum of parts: Te-Ping Chen's debut fiction, 'Land of the Big Numbers'


What can a collection of short stories portraying the diversity of China’s people say to America? Much, if those stories are from the pen of Te-Ping Chen.

It’s not that the 10 stories in Te-Ping Chen’s fiction debut, “Land of the Big Numbers” (Mariner), are not fiercely China-centric. As we would expect from the author — a Wall Street Journal staffer and Chinese-American who worked the China beat in Beijing — Te-Ping Chen writes with insight, illustrating the country's social strata with a deft, human touch. In this gripping and compelling collection, there is “Lulu,” first published in the New Yorker, exploring the fates of twin siblings — a brilliant student turned dissident and her brother, a professional gamer. A satirical story, “Hotline,” about young women employed at a government center who are tasked with managing citizen satisfaction. A brilliant and touching story, “Flying Machine,” about an elderly farmer aspiring to be a member of the Chinese Communist Party, who builds an airplane but doesn’t know how to fly. And the title story, in which a man is drawn into China’s tumultuous stock exchange with life and death consequences.

There are others, including the most haunting of the book, “Gubeikou Spirit." In this story, a group of people sit trapped for months on a subway platform when their train fails to arrive. In a governmental Catch-22, they are unable to leave without official permission, but as the group has all of its needs publicly sated, more than a few individuals begin to wonder if they are not better off living out their lives this way.

Te-Ping Chen has said that many of her stories are taken from contemporary headlines and the firsthand observations she covered for the Journal, but these deep gazes into contemporary Chinese society are transformative and resonate globally.

This is true even for Americans, who have been accused of looking at the world through a myopic lens. Given the normal cycle of book production — and that stories such as “Lulu” were published long before the United States' contentious election cycle — it is unlikely that the author was able to uniquely manufacture a ready-made conversation for the U.S. today. But here it is.

In sparse, lingering prose — “a great wasteland of sorrow was opening up in him, unfolding dozens of tiny shacks, terrible squatters setting up residence, banging their miniature liquor bottles against his chest, a hundred feet trampling his organs” — Te-Ping Chen crafts a masterstroke of contemporary literature, both timely and prescient.

The result is a touchstone of Chinese history perfectly positioned in the present.

This collection was one of my most anticipated reads – it’s a short story collection and it focuses on modern day China, and what predominantly caught my interest with this from the blurb: “depicts the diverse and legion Chinese people, their history, their government, and how all of that has tumbled—messily, violently, but still beautifully—into the present.“. Sadly, I did not find that the book delivered on that promise, nor did I feel like it delivered much of anything for me personally.

The collection opens with Lulu, and it very much sets the tone of the collection, not only in me not disliking it, but more generally in what the collection as a whole is trying to do. Lulu read like a 2000s YA dystopian to me, and not a particularly good one at that. I found that this story, like the rest of them, tried really hard to make some sort of political statement, or to critically explore the political and social system of China. However, it did so very superficially, without any nuance and it glaringly felt like it was written by an outsider. I know this will probably invite some discourse in my comments, but I have to note that there is something particularly Western in the portrayal of China in here. And what I mean about that is that it did not feel authentic at all. I feel like something that is incredibly complex was diluted. I think there’s a lot to be criticized there, I just do not think that this book does so in a very successful way. I find cultural and political criticism very valuable and important, but for me personally this just failed to give any sort of complexity and nuance to the topics it tackles.

My second big grievance with this one is that these stories did not know what they were. On one hand, the author tries to deliver a sort of bigger societal critique, which I have already discussed, but then on the other, it tries to deliver on character relationships in particular and I think it gets lost between the two and ends up not delivering on either end. The stories were really unfocused and all over the place in their execution. The endings were particularly frustrating for me, because I kept waiting for a story to do what it clearly was trying to do, but then the stories would just end. I do not mind an open or messy ending at all, but I really mind when I cannot see what the point of a narrative is. I just do not see the point of a lot of these stories or what they were trying to say or do.

I will say that the stories that had some magical realism component were in my opinion more successful. My favorite story in the collection was New Fruit, which is about this miraculous fruit that evokes very positive feelings in people, only for it to hit a bad season and start having an opposite effect. But even with that story I felt like there was so much potential that was sadly never used to its fullest.

This is a very assured short story collection, though they're overall a bit bleak for my taste. I found the opening story incredibly moving, and all of them are very engagingly written.