I liked the thought-provoking parable towards the end of the story and the detailed analysis of the court system, otherwise the book was a bit too dry for my liking and the protagonist was somewhat annoying in his ruminations. Maybe it's the way it was written that didn't appear to me.

A literary masterpiece in many ways, especially in regards to author's ability to describe the fields, the sorghum and the natural environment of north eastern China. It's also a very graphic and violent account of the past, exaggerated deliberately but not over the top. Overall, I enjoyed it, I felt like I was watching a movie when I was reading it, very intense.