The Corpse Walker by Liao Yiwu is one of the bets books i;ve read on China. Its adapted from his Chinese book titled something like Interviews with People from the Bottom Rungs of Society, and is an incredibly candid honest and cutting version of exactly what it says, interviews with people who have seen it all from the bottom. He is from Sichuan and most of the interviews are with people in and around Chengdu/Sichuan are. Liao himself is now in exile based on his honest portrayal of certain issues throughout his career. one of the most informative unpretentious books ive read on China