Heart Sutra
Heart Sutra by Yan Lianke is a literary work published by Penguin Random House on July 10, 2025, featuring 416 pages in English. This novel follows Yahui, a young Buddhist navigating her university life in a diverse environment filled with various faiths, including Daoism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam. As she engages in creating intricate religious papercuts and participates in spirited tug-of-war competitions among the different beliefs, Yahui grapples with the allure of secular life and the ascetic path she is meant to follow.
Readers will find a rich exploration of cultural heritage and contemporary religious themes as Yahui’s journey unfolds. The narrative delves into her internal struggles and the complexities of faith, especially when she encounters Mingzheng, a Daoist student, sparking a romance that intertwines with her spiritual quest. This edition is beautifully illustrated with original papercuts, enhancing the thematic depth of the story and providing a unique visual experience alongside the text.
Official synopsis Publisher
Prizewinning Yan Lianke returns with a campus novel like no other following a young Buddhist as she journeys through worldly temptation
Yahui is a young Buddhist at university. But this is no ordinary university. It is populated by every faith in China: Buddhists, Daoists, Catholics, Protestants and Muslims who jostle alongside one another in the corridors of learning, and whose deities are never far from the classroom.
Her days are measured out making elaborate religious papercuts, taking part in highly charged tug-of-war competitions between the faiths and trying to resist the daily temptation to return to secular life and abandon the ascetic ideals that are her calling. Everything seems to dangle by a thread. But when she meets a Daoist student called Mingzheng, an inexorable romance of mythic proportions takes hold of her.
** Beautiful edition illustrated throughout with beautiful original papercuts **
‘One of China’s greatest living authors’ Guardian
‘His talent cannot be ignored’ New York Times
‘China’s foremost literary satirist’ Financial Times
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