Leaving China does not necessarily mean leaving behind the habits of thought formed there. Inspired by The Truman Show, Fang Tianliang explores five questions about freedom of expression, childhood political oaths, historical responsibility, the distinction between China and the Chinese Communist Party, and the courage to think independently.

Why do Chinese people still remember their ancestors? From ancient myths and family genealogies to ancestral rituals, Spring Festival, and Qingming, this book explores how ancestral memory has endured for thousands of years—and how it may help explain the remarkable continuity of Chinese civilization.