Ming, born in a bleak outpost of Sichuan province, finds an unexpected
glimpse of the world beyond when she meets a talking monkey with golden
eyes and supernatural abilities--the immortal Monkey King, with whom
Ming's destiny is inextricably intertwined. Determined to become a
writer, Ming finds her way to New York, but to make ends meet she goes
to work for a crime ring and returns to China on the lam. Hope arrives
in the form of her American friend Zoe. Together, they travel to the
village of Ming's birth, where the clouds writhe like phantoms and the
rain never stops, where Ming and Zoe join forces with a certain
down-and-out immortal who has an ambitious plan to save the world from
capitalism run amok. When a nation of tycoons and financiers suddenly
and inexplicably decide that the key to happiness lies in sharing one's
wealth and pursuing a contemplative life, nobody suspects the newly
formed tech company run by Ming, Zoe, and William Sun. Hyper-capitalist
China rapidly becomes a paradise for artists, thinkers, and lovers--a
rollicking playground where the air is clean and the strangest words you
can hear are, "I can't afford it!" But it's a short-lived Xanadu once
human nature begins to intervene. In Ms. Ming's Guide to Civilization,
as in life and politics, every action provokes an equal and opposite
reaction.
