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Shaanxi Shows the Write Stuff 20 | Monday, August 5, 2019 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Shaanxi shows the write stuff The 29th National Book Expo held in China’s northwest, highlighted local literary legends, national history and the sciences, Mei Jia reports in Xi’an. he undoubted star of the 29th National Book Expo, which was held in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, from TJuly 27 to Tuesday, was writer Jia Pingwa. He drew a big crowd of fans, with his name being called out wherever he turned during the four­day event. Visitors are drawn to the goldfish kept in an open wooden barrel The Shaanxi native says, with a at the Palace Museum. PHOTOS BY JIANG DONG / CHINA DAILY local accent, that he is working on a new novel with urban settings and themes. “Most of my stories are about vil­ lages or villagers around the Qin­ Goldfish set to make ling Mountains, or the differences in thought between generations of Chinese people throughout a cen­ a splash at Forbidden tury … I’ve been living in the city for decades. It’s time to look at city life,” the 67­year­old author said at a City century later readers’ meeting organized by the Writers Publishing House at the book expo. By WANG KAIHAO into an annual routine for major “I insist that a writer stays con­ [email protected] goldfish ponds around Beijing to nected (with society), while still send the best fish from their newly­ enjoying some solitude and keep­ During the Qing Dynasty (1644­ cultivated breeds to the imperial ing a certain distance from the hus­ 1911), several royal concubines garden in the Forbidden City. tle and bustle,” he said at another resided at the Palace of Prolonging During its peak, there were 279 event, where he was presented with Happiness, or Yanxi Gong, in the varieties of goldfish kept at the For­ an “honorary writer” award by the Visitors look through new books at the National Book Expo in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, on July 27. The eastern wing of the inner court of bidden City. People’s Literature Publishing four­day event attracted 412,000 visitors. WU KUANHONG / FOR CHINA DAILY Beijing’s Forbidden City — or Pal­ The artifacts in the exhibition House. ace Museum, as it’s known today. hall will help usher visitors back to With his native village and his Seemingly cursed, the palace that golden age. As well as the fish mother being his constant inspira­ was swallowed up by fire several tanks used by the emperors, an tion, Jia says he burst into tears times over the course of history. In array of porcelain ware, silk items, upon a recitation of excerpts from 1909, Empress Dowager Longyu snuff bottles and numerous other an article about his mother on the decided to construct a Western­ exhibits bearing goldfish motifs first day of the expo. style aquarium or “hall of water” demonstrate the influence of the With a total 150 writers in attend­ to finally make a break with desti­ goldfish aesthetic on the daily lives ance, the book expo attracted ny. But two years later, before the of people in the royal court. 412,000 visitors to more than 500 building — the Lingzhao Veranda A water container with four red­ events. Enthusiastic readers pur­ — could be completed, the Qing glazed fish from the reign of Kangxi chased 512,000 books, totaling 21.9 reign came to an end, with monar­ (1662­1722) is just one of the high­ million yuan ($3.17 million). chy itself ending in China. lights at the exhibition showcasing “The expo has the largest exhibi­ Although the former royals con­ the elegance of the era. tion area and the largest number of tinued to live in the Forbidden exhibitors in the history of national City after the republican revolu­ book expos,” says Cheng Ningbo, tion until 1924, construction of director of the provincial Press and the Lingzhao Veranda never Publication Bureau. resumed. Cheng also says one highlight Perhaps it didn’t matter. A new was the special area inside the way was devised to realize the main hall that presented 159 titles former royals’ dream of viewing as publishers’ summaries and pre­ fish there. They used large barrels sentations of the country’s achieve­ to raise goldfish in, which they A Qing Dynasty famille­rose ments over the past 70 years. called the “wooden sea”. basin with goldfish motif. A century later, and this “wood­ Xi’an paves the way en sea” has made a welcome return And an exquisite lacquered sta­ Focusing on the theme of the Silk to the Yanxi Gong. tionary case from the reign of Dao­ Road, the expo set up a booth to For the monthlong exhibition guang (1821­50) inlaid with showcase books from 34 countries Leisurely Bliss: Goldfish­Themed goldfish represents people’s hopes involved in the Belt and Road Initi­ Artifacts from the Palace Museum for prosperity. It was made by Lu ative. Collection, which opened on Tues­ Kuisheng, a renowned craftsman An international forum on book­ Chinese author Jia Pingwa attends a signing event at the book expo. ZHANG JIE / FOR CHINA DAILY day, about 200 goldfish in 42 spe­ from Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. stores was also titled Silk Road, cies from around China will be put Even shoes were designed in the during which, a report was released on display. shape of goldfish, and fish tails that shows China, India, Germany, to purchase books for them. others get the chance to read, 10 And 34 cultural relics have been were also skillfully incorporated Spain and France are the top five Many new releases for children “reading figures of the year” were selected from the former royal col­ into belts for clothing. countries that have the largest and teenagers focused on classical announced. lection to display the Qing emper­ “Using the goldfish as medium, number of bookstores, among I insist that a writer culture and the sciences. Among them is Guo Hengxun, ors’ fondness for this auspicious these artisans managed to show­ some countries that traded along stays connected (with A chief scientist of China’s moon known as the “diary king” of Yang­ tradition in Chinese culture. case their extraordinary skills and the ancient Silk Road. probe project, Ouyang Ziyuan, pre­ cheng town in Shanxi province. The “Goldfish bear the Chinese peo­ wisdom,” Da says. Former United Nations official, society), while still sented the Chinese Children’s Ency­ 76­year­old retiree has been writing ple’s great expectations for a good The ongoing exhibition is the Michael Worbs, as well as Russian enjoying some clopedia of Space, a set of four diaries nonstop for 61 years. life,” says Da Weijia, curator of the second attempt by the Palace Bookvoed’s founder, Denis Koto, solitude and keeping volumes — which he took the lead “I used 300 brushes and 150 pens exhibition and deputy director of Museum to combine living crea­ and Turkish Kirmizi Kedi book­ in compiling — addressing the vast­ in those years,” Guo says, adding the department of objects and dec­ tures with related cultural relics in store group’s CEO, Murat Bahadir, a certain distance ness of the universe, China’s space that his diary is up to 30 million orative arts at the museum. “And in the same exhibition. In 2017, a attended the forum and shared from the hustle and exploration and views on the solar words in 1,100 volumes. literati circles, goldfish also repre­ “miniature zoo” was temporarily their views on the running of physi­ system. Reading is Guo’s biggest hobby, sent the pursuit of elegance and the set up in the museum for an exhibi­ cal bookstores in the face of the bustle.” Following hot on the heels of the as well as an opportunity for self­ need for private leisure time away tion on sika deer. growing trend toward e­books. Jia Pingwa, writer inscription of the Archaeological improvement. from annoyances.” The latest exhibition also serves Chinese author Jia also addressed Ruins of Liangzhu City in However, to Xiang Minzhi, from The Chinese word for goldfish, to realize a dream which did not translations of his books. In recent Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on the mountains of Luxi township, jinyu, may remind people of the come true for the Qing rulers. In years, there has been a growth in the known for White Deer Plain, and Lu the UNESCO World Heritage list, Hunan province, books offer him — common saying jin yu man tang March, the Palace Museum translation of Jia’s body of work, Yao, known for Life, also hailed Zhejiang Children’s Publishing and others — the chance of a better (“the hall is full of gold and jade”), received a 100­million yuan ($14.44 which since the 1990s, has contin­ from Shaanxi — further evidence of House launched an illustrated life. which signifies abundant wealth million) donation from Ng Teng ued to grow with a new novel being the province’s strong tradition of book, 5,000 Years of Liangzhu King­ Xiang lost the use of his legs after and offspring. Goldfish were first Fong Charitable Foundation in released every two or three years. raising and nurturing writers and dom, which was coauthored by Liu birth and dropped out of school in domesticated from wild crucian Hong Kong to renovate the Yanxi Besides his frequent use of artists. Their books were also high­ Bin, a member of the team working fifth grade. The occasional reading carp during the Southern Song Gong and complete the construc­ Shaanxi dialect in his novels, he lighted at the expo.
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