A Novel by Sun Wei

The Good Old Days with Democracy, Science and Law is a very Shanghai-nese book title. Back in the 30s and 40s of last century, when the New Culture Movement first introduced two western ideologies: democracy and science into Shanghai, they were called Mr De and Mr Sai by the locals respectively, and later Mr Lao for law. It is also a very Shanghai-nese story, vividly depicting a life in Shanghai since the 80s of the 20th century till now. The book tells of the struggles of an urban modern-day woman – how she ventured out for self-determination only to find that at the end of the day true redemption lay in herself.

“De-Sai-Lao” was not only a significant Chen prophecy about Deng Xia, which brought her both joys and pains in her life, but also the key to her dreamland.

Deng Xia was a successful anchorwoman with the local TV station. In order to get what she wanted, she got on swimmingly with all kinds of clique struggles and was unscrupulous in her efforts. She manipulated her boss and lover, Zhuang Yong, who collaborated with her on every step of their promotions till he was finally assigned as director of the Entertainment channels and she the operations manager for several programs, including the “De-Sai-Lao Dream Dance.”

However, every night Deng Xia fell into the same odd nightmare over and over again. In her dreams, she became Summer, a middle school student who was abandoned by the only one family member she could turn to in this world and didn’t have a thing to her name. To make a living, Summer worked at the bar of the De-Sai-Lao Dancing Hall every day after school. She spent most of her spare time with Rose, Xiang and Jack, who were her good friends ever since childhood. The four of them helped each other and went through a lot of difficult, but really good, times together. The De-Sai-Lao had kept all the memories of their youth and secrets of their love, until one day an unknown arsonist set fire to everything.

Gradually, Deng Xia came to realize that it wasn’t just a dream at all. Summer was kind of real. She’d been always staying in her body and would sneak out when she was asleep or absent-minded. She usurped her body and tempered with her rational thinking. She also caused her worries about her lost memories from time to time. Fearing that her split personality be exposed, Deng was reluctant to accept Zhuang Yong’s love. For years, she allowed herself to keep being tortured with loneliness.

As the “De-Sai-Lao Dream Dance” gained in popularity, Zhuang was suspended for involvement in a bribery scandal. At that moment, those once worked with Summer in Deng's dreams at the De-Sai-Lao Dancing Hall decades ago mysteriously materialized one after another in front of Deng Xia. They helped reveal the secrets of the past.

This novel is concerned with the growth, living conditions and mental states of the generation born in the 1970’s China, as well as the historical social changes over the past decades. It may be read as Bildungsroman of a Shanghai woman between her ages of 16 to 35, set against the background of Shanghai between 1987 and 2006. It was an era that witnessed the city’s ever-changing landscape, historical social changes and the booming of the TV production companies. The novel leads us through a story about love and trust, time and fate, as it reveals the inner life and the untold secrets of a successful anchorwoman.