The Chinese-language original of the novel known in English as Dream of Ding Village. It tells of a poor Henan village devastated by AIDS after a blood-selling scheme, partly narrated by a child who has died. Families, officials and profiteers respond to the crisis in ways that range from tender to cynical. Mixing realism with dark irony, it is based on a real public health disaster and is valued for its moral force and compassion.