This abridged version of the first volume of Ba Jins famous trilogy, adhering closely to the original novel, details the conflicts leading to the decline of the venerable Gao family. Over three generations, young activists rebel against a corrupt and feudal society complete with all the growing pains such a revolution ushering in a modern China entails. Suitable for intermediate students of Chinese with a 2,000 word vocabulary, this is a great aid in reading the original novels. New words and notes are explained in English, and each text comes with MP3 to assist in listening comprehension.