•The book is a satirical novel written by Qian Zhongshu, a Chinese literary scholar and writer, known for his wit and erudition. The book is also widely considered as one of the masterpieces of Chinese literature in the 20th century.
• It follows the misadventures of the protagonist Fang Hung-chien, one of the intellectuals in the 1930s and reflects the life of the middle-class Chinese society at that time.
• The German translation was completed by Monika Motsch. She was a great German scholar studying Chinese literature and culture. She was also close to Qian's family. This version has won the Best Translation Award at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
• The book targets German majors, teachers, and those who are interested in literature translation.
