Abstract: Li Peifu's novel Learning to Smile is a masterpiece in the history of contemporary Chinese literature, and its failure to win an award has affected its own canonization. Learning to Smile is good at selecting exquisite and expressive plot scenes to present the complex meaning of life, and is good at refining imagery to enrich the narrative, showing superb narrative art. It is an important and profound work that should not be ignored in the "realism shock wave" novel writing trend in the mid-20th century. The neglect of Learning to Smile is also related to the lack of attention from critics in Henan.