Once Upon a Time in Northeastern China

Triads and Turbulence: Once Upon a Time in Northeastern China is an epic tale of conflict, royalties, and love set against the backdrop of an industrial wasteland populated by gangsters and outlaws in Northeastern China. This highly acclaimed novel is a tetralogy inspired by true events, from bloody gangster conflicts to industrial city outcasts, amid Communist China’s rapid development following Deng Xiao Ping’s economic reforms in the 1980s. It is also a story of marginalized individuals entangled in the changing fabrics of the society they live in. The creator of China’s gangland pulp fiction, author Kong Ergou, grew up in such an environment.

This critically acclaimed novel began its life as a web-based novel in 2007 and very quickly gathered millions of followers. It was adapted into two movies and an online TV series, as well as a theatrical play. The author’s rise to fame as a master storyteller coincided with the advance of the Internet and China’s increasingly liberal policies for its literature publication.