Property of the People
Translator: James Trapp
Book • 2022
Zhou Meisen's Property of the People is a labyrinthine novel that examines commercial and political corruption within a state-owned conglomerate in a North China town.
The story follows the downfall of a powerful executive and the effects on his subordinates, tracing intricate networks of guanxi and moral compromise.
Originally successful in China, it spawned television and film adaptations and forms part of a series including In the Name of the People.
The novel blends detailed institutional description with character-driven narrative to illuminate how personal relationships and official positions intertwine in contemporary Chinese commerce and governance.
James Trapp's English translation aims to render the book's complex cast, tonal rhythm, and culturally specific references accessible to an English-speaking readership.
The story follows the downfall of a powerful executive and the effects on his subordinates, tracing intricate networks of guanxi and moral compromise.
Originally successful in China, it spawned television and film adaptations and forms part of a series including In the Name of the People.
The novel blends detailed institutional description with character-driven narrative to illuminate how personal relationships and official positions intertwine in contemporary Chinese commerce and governance.
James Trapp's English translation aims to render the book's complex cast, tonal rhythm, and culturally specific references accessible to an English-speaking readership.
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Miranda Melcher
James Trapp
Zhou Meisen, "Property of the People" (Sinoist, 2025)
