An academic says his research sheds light on the link between contemporary Chinese society and the country's agrarian past. Sun Ye reports.

Critic and researcher of Chinese contemporary literature Zhang Ning, says he has found the deep driving force behind his countrymen's mentality. He has released his findings in an updated work that documents the life of a peasant. Twilight of the Land published by the China Renmin University Press, looks at the behavior, ceremonies and lifestyles of laborers in the field.

It also expounds on Zhang's understanding of his 1.3 billion compatriots, be they urbanites or rural people.