What is China? What does it mean to be Chinese? In the Land of Big Numbers these questions are presented and answered in a very unique way. Meshing magical realism and brilliantly well done depictions of real life China together, Te-Ping Chen does a fantastic job of drawing the reader into each of her short stories. Each of these stories took a view on China through the eyes of Chen's various characters and examined their complicated relationships to their country. From intense passion for the Chinese Communist Party and desire to work for the government, to rebellious citizens eager to expose corruption within the boarders of their homeland, others still chose to remove themselves completely from China and Chen shows how the culture you come from continues to influence you throughout life. I personally really liked the stories Lulu, New Fruit, On the Street Where you Live, Land of Big Numbers and Gubeikou Spirit. This book was written in a way that shows the complexity of China and the Chinese people- the social commentary was clever and well done. After personally living in China, this book really struck a tone with me and I would recommend to anyone that wants to really experience something different!