Based on interviews with hundreds of survivors, Xu presents the historic Nanjing massacre tragedy in the form of documentary literature. The book records the atrocities committed by the Japanese aggressors between December 1937 and January 1938. Xu describes the arson, plunder and massacre of civilians. The book contains a large number of rare historical photographs, and testimony of witnesses to document the sufferings of the Chinese nation. The objective is to unfold this phase of Chinese history to readers around the world and inspire everyone to face up to history.

The story centers on an intellectual youth who lives on the north border of Inner Mongolia among wolves and nomadic people. With the invasion of modernity and exploitation of nature, the fine balance between humans and wolves is disrupted. The book is an elegy for nomadic civilization and grassland ecology. It has been reprinted more than 150 times on the Chinese mainland since it was first published in 2004, and remained in the top 10 bestsellers' list for six years in a row. The film adapted from the book was a big hit in China recently.