Shajian Village, located in Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province, about 10 kilometers north of Shuozhou City, is a medium-sized village with more than 700 people. Most of the villagers make a living by farming and working in nearby coal mines, and it is a well-known wealthy village in the area.

The rhythm of life for the villagers of Shajian Village follows the farming seasons and the shifts at the mines. In such a closed North China village where the villagers are all related to one another by kinship, interpersonal relationships are extremely tight, and a family’s life is almost completely exposed to the scrutiny of an acquaintance society, with almost no personal privacy to speak of.

Liu Zhanjin, a 34-year-old villager at the time, lived in this environment where there was almost no space for personal privacy. Liu Zhanjin was withdrawn and introverted by nature, almost never taking the initiative to communicate with others, and was a typical marginal figure in the village.

In his early years, Liu Zhanjin married his wife through the traditional rural matchmaking method. The two had no emotional foundation before marriage, and conflicts soon emerged after marriage.

Liu Zhanjin’s wife maintained ambiguous relationships with multiple men … Read More