Summary: Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge

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Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge is an extraordinary work of speculative fiction that blends the surreal with the profound, creating a narrative that feels both familiar and strange at the same time. Originally written in Chinese and later translated into English, this novel takes readers into a world filled with mythical creatures known as "beasts," who live among humans in a city reminiscent of contemporary China. These creatures are not just mythical beings; they represent deeply complex emotions, relationships, and societal issues, making the novel a unique exploration of identity, belonging, and human nature.

Set in a city where strange beasts live side by side with humans, the novel’s central character is a former zoologist turned novelist, who takes on the role of documenting these beasts. Her journey through the city, uncovering the mysteries of these creatures, serves as the backbone of the narrative. Each chapter of the book focuses on a different species of beast, with the narrator’s investigations into their existence revealing more about her own life and the broader human condition. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the major themes, characters, and narrative structure of Strange Beasts of China, exploring what makes it such a compelling and thought-provoking read.

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A World of Beasts and Humans

One of the most intriguing aspects of Strange Beasts of China is the world that Yan Ge has created. The city, though unnamed, feels like a version of modern China but with the addition of mythical beasts that live among the human population. These beasts are not monstrous or terrifying creatures, but beings with their own societies, rules, and emotions. They range from the delicate and beautiful to the grotesque and unsettling, but they all serve as metaphors for different aspects of human life.

The city itself is depicted as both familiar and surreal. While it has the trappings of a contemporary urban environment—bars, cafes, and bustling streets—it also possesses an air of the fantastical. The beasts and humans live together, but their relationships are fraught with tension, misunderstanding, and at times, exploitation. This setting creates a space where Yan Ge can explore not only the dynamics between different species but also the ways in which humans interact with those who are considered "other."

The world-building in Strange Beasts of China is rich and detailed, with each type of beast serving as a lens through which Yan Ge examines various human experiences. The city’s bureaucratic institutions, such as the Zoological Institute, play a key role in the narrative, showcasing how society seeks to categorize, control, and study the beasts in much the same way that humans try to dominate the natural world. The city becomes a reflection of our own world, where marginalization, identity, and the quest for knowledge intersect in complex and often troubling ways.

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Creatures of Metaphor and Mystery

At the heart of Strange Beasts of China are the beasts themselves. Each chapter of the novel is structured around the protagonist’s investigation into a particular type of beast, with the narrator acting as both scientist and storyteller. These beasts are not just fantastical creatures but deeply symbolic figures that represent various facets of human life and emotion.

For example, there are the Sorrowful Beasts, who are born from human tears and must live in constant sadness. These creatures serve as a metaphor for grief and depression, exploring how sorrow can shape and define a person’s existence. The Joyous Beasts, on the other hand, represent happiness and contentment, but their existence is just as precarious as their sorrowful counterparts. Through these creatures, Yan Ge delves into the impermanence of emotion and the difficulty of maintaining happiness in an unpredictable world.

Other beasts, such as the Heartsick Beasts, whose hearts are literally outside their bodies, explore themes of vulnerability and love. These creatures must protect their exposed hearts, making them a powerful symbol for the fragility of human relationships and the emotional risk inherent in loving others. The Lonely Beasts, who live in isolation and can only communicate through dreams, represent the longing for connection that many individuals experience, despite being surrounded by others in a crowded city.

Each beast is a reflection of human struggles, desires, and fears, with their existence serving as a way for Yan Ge to explore themes of alienation, belonging, and the human condition. The beasts are not simply "others" in the traditional sense; they are mirrors of ourselves, forcing readers to confront the ways in which we marginalize and categorize those who are different, and how we grapple with our own emotions.

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A Journey of Self-Discovery

The protagonist of Strange Beasts of China is a former zoologist who has become a novelist, writing stories about the beasts that inhabit the city. Her role as both a scientist and storyteller reflects the novel’s blending of fact and fiction, the real and the surreal. As she investigates the lives of the beasts, she is also on a journey of self-discovery, grappling with her own identity and place in the world.

Throughout the novel, the protagonist’s relationship with the beasts becomes increasingly personal. Her investigations into their lives often reveal hidden truths about her own past, and the lines between her life and the lives of the beasts begin to blur. As she uncovers the mysteries of the beasts, she is forced to confront her own emotions, memories, and sense of belonging.

The narrator’s shifting role—from detached observer to emotionally involved participant—mirrors the novel’s exploration of the boundaries between humans and beasts, fact and fiction, reality and imagination. As she learns more about the beasts, she also learns more about herself, and her journey becomes one of reconciliation with her past and the world around her.

In many ways, the protagonist’s journey is a metaphor for the human experience: the search for meaning, the desire for connection, and the struggle to understand oneself in a world that often feels chaotic and indifferent. Yan Ge’s portrayal of this character is deeply introspective, offering readers a window into the complexities of identity and the ways in which our relationships with others shape our understanding of ourselves.

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Themes of Identity and Belonging

One of the central themes of Strange Beasts of China is the idea of identity and belonging. The beasts, with their varied forms and lives, are constantly grappling with questions of who they are and where they fit in the world. Some beasts try to assimilate into human society, while others reject it entirely. This tension between assimilation and isolation mirrors the human struggle to find one’s place in the world, especially in a society that often seeks to define and categorize individuals based on rigid criteria.

For the protagonist, her journey with the beasts becomes a way of exploring her own sense of identity. As someone who exists on the margins of society—neither fully part of the human world nor fully aligned with the beasts—she embodies the novel’s exploration of liminality and the challenges of existing in between worlds. Her relationship with the beasts allows her to question societal norms, the nature of humanity, and what it means to truly belong.

Yan Ge’s exploration of identity is not limited to the individual, however. The novel also delves into broader societal issues, such as the ways in which institutions seek to control and define both humans and beasts. The Zoological Institute, for example, represents the desire to classify and categorize the beasts, much like society seeks to impose labels and identities on individuals. This desire for control, however, often leads to misunderstanding, exploitation, and alienation.

In Strange Beasts of China, identity is fluid and constantly shifting. The beasts, like the humans, are constantly evolving, adapting to their environment, and grappling with their place in the world. This fluidity challenges the idea of fixed identities and invites readers to question the boundaries between the human and the beastly, the self and the other.

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Conclusion

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge is a beautifully crafted novel that combines elements of fantasy, mythology, and literary fiction to create a story that is as thought-provoking as it is surreal. Through the lens of the beasts, Yan Ge explores themes of identity, belonging, emotion, and the human condition, offering readers a glimpse into a world that is both strange and deeply familiar.

The novel’s exploration of the relationship between humans and beasts serves as a powerful metaphor for the ways in which we navigate our own emotions, relationships, and place in the world. With its rich world-building, complex characters, and deeply symbolic creatures, Strange Beasts of China is a must-read for anyone interested in speculative fiction that challenges the boundaries of reality and imagination.

Yan Ge’s writing, with its blend of the fantastical and the philosophical, invites readers to reflect on the nature of humanity, the limits of knowledge, and the complexities of identity. Strange Beasts of China is not just a story about mythical creatures; it is a meditation on what it means to be human in a world that is constantly changing, filled with both wonder and uncertainty.