Winner of an English PEN award,Strange Beasts of Chinais an uncanny and playful novel that blurs the line between human and beast from one of most exciting voices in contemporary Chinese literature
In the fictional Chinese city of Yongan, an amateur cryptozoologist is commissioned to uncover the stories of its fabled beasts. These creatures live alongside humans in near-inconspicuousnesssave their greenish skin, serrated earlobes, and strange birthmarks.

Aided by her elusive former professor and his enigmatic assistant, our narrator sets off to document each beast, and is slowly drawn deeper into a mystery that threatens her very sense of self.

Part detective story, part metaphysical enquiry,Strange Beasts of Chinaengages existential questions of identity, humanity, love and morality with whimsy and stylistic verve.