I'm a translator from the Chinese. Yan Lianke has had a couple of different translators, and his writing reads completely differently in different cases. I would recommend trying Cindy Carter's Dream of Ding Village -- I think she did an excellent job, and that's also one of his best books.

Grove Press publishes a novella collection of his called The Years, Months, Days. Those are also excellent examples of his work, and while I'm less enthusiastic about the translator, I know the story Marrow is pretty good, because I edited it :) Seriously, that's just a damn good story in general. Those novellas are I think more accessible to a general readership, because they're very specific, and very vivid. Even if you're unfamiliar with the place and time, the story will more than carry you along.

I think his other published novels, like Four Books and Explosion Chronicles, are not as good. They also require a little more background knowledge.