Befor the middle of the 20th century, Beijing’s early-fifteenth-century layout was still untouched by modernity or war.

What does the author mean by “the rest of the journey can feel like a tedious lesson in the ills of modernity. It sucks.” ? (Para. 2)

What does the ash valley symbolize in the novel? A: The opposition between the rich and the poor B: The opposition between the old money and the new money C: The degeneration of society and humanity D: The opposition between tradition and modernity