This deft translation of a classic Chinese novel tells the story of a man, now an itinerant healer, who wanders through the towns and countryside of North China in the last years of the Manchu dynasty. His travels prove to be a vehicle for a serious examination of the social, economic, cultural, religious, and political problems of a great nation. [i]The Travels of Lao Ts'an[/i] marks a turning point in Chinese fiction, as it is a traditional work, yet it reflects the first signs of Western influence.