Des Feux dans la plaine

China, 1997. A series of murders plunges the city of Fentun into mourning. The crimes mysteriously stop without the authorities having been able to find the perpetrator. Eight years later, a young police officer, close to one of the victims, decides to re-open the investigation. - 'The novel tells the story of people belonging to two different generations, who have lived through three decisive stages in Chinese contemporary history : the first is the Cultural Revolution, the second is the time known as 'Reform and Opening Up', with its wave of prosperity for part of the population, its impact, and increasing inequalities… The third is the post-Opening era, when the generation of the main characters Li Fei and Zhuang Shu become adults. Belonging to the same generation as myself, it is their point of view that can best express my experiences in creative terms. Rather than look at how the times swept the previous generation along and left them crushed, I am interested in observing and weighing up the choices my generation has faced and is still facing.' Zhang Ji