Acknowledgments -- Contents -- 1 Introduction: Corruption, Realism, and the Return of the Political Novel -- 2 The Trendsetter: Lu Tianming�s Heaven Above -- 3 The Banned Blockbuster: Chen Fang�s Heaven�s Wrath -- 4 Climax: The Alarum and Standard-Bearer� Zhang Ping�s Choice -- 5 Anticorruption by Indirection: Wang Yuewen�s National Portrait -- 6 Dirt Plus Soap Equals Pay Dirt: Liu Ping�s Dossier on Smuggling -- 7 Chinese Realism, Popular Culture, and the Critics -- 8 Conclusion: The Chinese Discourse of Corruption� and Its Limits -- Notes