Dragging the Idol/拖神

Through the multiple perspectives of humans, gods, and ghosts, the novel explores the spiritual homeland of the Teochew people and even the ultimate spiritual aspiration of the Chinese nation.凭借人神鬼的多重视角，探索潮汕人的灵魂家园乃至中华民族的精神皈依。This is an artistic long scroll that presents the modern historical changes and spiritual evolution of the Chaoshan Plain. Spanning more than sixty years against the backdrop of the two Opium Wars, the work, through the multiple perspectives of humans, gods, and ghosts, explores the spiritual homeland of the Teochew people and even the ultimate spiritual aspiration of the Chinese nation. The novel takes the rise and fall of Zhangshu Port as its main thread, focusing on the fate and legend of the Teochew merchants and merchant gangs, represented by the protagonist Chen Heshou. During his flight, the protagonist abducts his 'cousin,' peddles 'ghost-fire lanterns,' and works as a traveling medicine peddler. He experiences the difficult journey of the three ethnic groups-the Tanka (boat-dwelling people), the She people, and the Chaozhou people-moving from conflict to integration. Building giant boats, encountering storms, boarding flower boats (pleasure boats), going down to Nanyang (Southeast Asia), rescuing pirates, founding a shipping company, engaging in a battle with the gods, suffering from the squeeze of fellow merchants, and seeing port authority change hands... The Taiping Heavenly Movement surges like wind and clouds, the Opium War breaks out once more, Shantou opens as a treaty port, steamships monopolize the dumping of foreign goods, fathers and sons turn against each other and brothers break away, national and family hatreds intertwine with old debts of gratitude and resentment. The older generation of Teochew merchants quietly fades away, while a new generation of Teochew merchants lives by the sea-tides rise in the southeast, and dragons roam the world.这是一轴呈现潮汕平原近代历史变迁、人们精神嬗变的艺术长卷。作品以两次鸦片战争为主要背景，跨度六十多年，凭借人神鬼的多重视角，探索潮汕人的灵魂家园乃至中华民族的精神皈依。小说以樟树埠的崛起与没落为主线，着力描写主人公陈鹤寿为代表的潮汕商人、商帮的命运与传奇。主人公逃亡途中拐走'表妹'，贩卖'鬼火灯笼'，当过走乡药郎，经历了疍民、畲族和潮州人三个族群由冲突走向融合的艰难历程。造巨舟、遇风潮、上花艇、下南洋、救海贼、创船行、与神一战，同行倾轧，埠权易手......太平天国运动风起云涌，鸦片战争再度爆发，汕头开埠，火轮垄断洋货倾销，父子反目兄弟突围，国仇家恨恩怨缠绵，老一代潮商悄然沉落，新一代潮商向海而生，潮起东南，龙行天下。