Wei Renmin Fuwu

为人民服务 (lit. "Serve the People")

By Yan Lianke.

Translated into English as Serve the People, by Julia Lovell.

First published in the literary magazine 花城, which was briefly closed down because of it; now available only as a traditional-character edition from Hong Kong. Essentially, the big stink arose from the book's tarnishing of the military's image: the main character has an affair with an army official's wife. That wouldn't be so horrible if it weren't for the notorious Chapter Seven, in which the lovers smash idols of Mao and destroy symbols of the revolution in order to revive their waning sexual desire. You've got to admire Yan Lianke's guts (but perhaps suspect the 花城 editors' brains).