The following version of this short story was used to create the guide: Qian, Jianan. "To the Dogs." Granta, 2019.

Jianan Qian's short story "To the Dogs" is written from 15-year-old main character Zhao's first-person point of view. The story is set in China in the midst of the cultural revolution, and details one young boy's separation from his family and re-education in desperate circumstances.

In the summer of 1972, Zhao prepared to leave his hometown of Shanghai for the rural town of X. Because the government had deemed his class unacceptable, he was being sent to X so that peasants could reform him. The night before his departure, Zhao's father gave him his lucky designer shirt. He told Zhao that when he was young, he wore the shirt whenever he needed to feel strong. The next morning, Zhao wore the shirt on the train station platform. He and his father both knew they might never see each other again, but were careful not to cry. Before Zhao boarded the train, his father told him that in order to survive he would have to learn the importance of forgetting.

Three days later, Zhao arrived at the station in X town. He had no idea where to go, but was afraid to ask directions. He followed a group of boys, hoping they might lead him to the appropriate destination. In town, the boys encountered a group of naked, middle-aged women. Zhao could not hide his shock. One of the boys, Chen, mocked and ridiculed Zhao for being an outsider.

Zhao soon learned that Chen would be in charge of reforming him. The locals assured him that Chen was actually kind, and that Zhao would learn to rely on his strange ideas and advice.

Over the course of the following weeks, Zhao realized how hard life in X was. He worked long hours at a magnet factory. The food supplies were limited, and he learned that he would have to consume dead flies to keep his strength. The more these obstacles presented themselves, the more ready Zhao became to alter his behavior accordingly. He started speaking like the other boys. He leered at women. He went around shirtless. He defecated outside, sure to call the dogs to eat his excrement afterwards.

The same dog always responded to Zhao's call: a small dog called Little White. Zhao grew attached to the animal, believing that Little White understood him.

Then, in November, when dog mating season began, Little White disappeared. Chen said that Little White had fallen in love with his first mate, and was now useless.

By the end of November, it had grown cold and the people were starving. On the last night of the month, Chen said it was now time to perform the beauty trap ritual. They trapped a charming female dog named White Beauty in the local temple. Then the boys waited with clubs for the fattest male dog to arrive and mate with White Beauty. Little White proved himself the bravest. While he and White Beauty were copulating, the boys jumped out of hiding, and beat Little White to death.

They skinned, butchered, roasted, and ate him. Zhao realized he must partake in the ritual if he hoped to survive. He found that he was forgetting his old life, and even the dog's death.