Story by Shen Yang, illustrated by Chen Huifang, translated by Nicky Harman

Travel back in time to the countryside of northern China and meet little Yang Yang. To her, every day is a new adventure, and the farmland is an endless playground full of joy, where animals are always invited, and the water runs and laughs.

Together with her friends, Yang Yang leaps from haystack to haystack, game to game, and season to season. Join her as she dashes light-footed through the fields, prepares yummy jujube cakes with her granny, chases fireflies in the moonlight, and turns huge lotus leaves into makeshift umbrellas. Yang Yang’s tiny village contains a whole world of fun all year long!

Golden Childhood narrates Shen Yang’s fondest childhood memories of the Chinese countryside and brings them to life through the vibrant hand-drawn paintings of Jinshan Folk Painting artist Chen Huifang. Through its lyrical writing and enchanting imagery, this book celebrates the simple pleasures in life, the joys of playing freely outdoors and enjoying nature, and is sprinkled with interesting bits about Chinese culture and old ways of living.

It is both a lovely illustrated book for children and an exquisite art book of Chinese traditional painting. A real treat for both little ones and grown-ups.

About the Author

Born on the 1st of January, 1986 in Shandong China, Shen Yang is the author of More Than One Child, where she recounts her turbulent upbringing as an excess- born child during the One Child Policy era. Amidst a difficult childhood away from her parents, playing outside with her village companions was one of her greatest joys.

With More Than One Child serving as a farewell to both her childhood and an era, Shen Yang’s debut illustration book, Golden Childhood, is a vibrant celebration of her fondest memories in the idyllic countryside.

About the Illustrator

Born in 1970 in Shanghai, Chen Huifang studied painting with her father, Chen Fulin, who pioneered folk painting in Jinshan.

During her 30-year-long career as a professional artist, she crafted over 400 works, many of which have been awarded in national art exhibitions and featured in the Chinese media.

Huifang also showcased her work in several countries, holding individual painting exhibitions and cultural exchanges. Besides painting, she teaches art classes both oline and online, passing on the folk painting tradition to younger generations.

About the Translator

Nicky Harman lives in the United Kingdom and is a full-time translator of Chinese literary works. She has won several awards, including the 2020 Special Book Award, China, the 2015 Mao Tai Cup People’s Literature Chinese- English translation prize, and the 2013 China International Translation Contest, Chinese-to-English section. When not translating, she promotes contemporary Chinese fiction through teaching, blogs, talks, and her work on paper-republic.org.

ISBN: 978-1-913891-42-8
Publication date: 31 October, 2023
Format: Hardcover 216mm x 216mm
Pages: 48 pp, with 24 illustrations