20 | Monday, June 3, 2019 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Literature fest sparks rural reboot
An event set up by film director Jia Zhangke featuring leading proponents of a school of writing from Shanxi aims to place the province on China’s literary map, Fang Aiqing and Sun Ruisheng report.
iajiazhuang village in Fen urban and rural life. yang, Shanxi province, sits Architectural experts who have around 600 kilometers gained a handson understanding southwest of Beijing. of the pros and cons of rural recon JOnce known for its collective struction through their work were economy that helped draw its popu also invited to hold a dialogue with lation out of poverty, it has now the writers, which resonated so gained another label thanks to film strongly with the villagers that director Jia Zhangke, who was born some of them surrounded the in downtown Fenyang in 1970, just a speakers afterward hoping to short distance from the village. expand their discussions. Jia has devoted much of his time He Wei, assistant professor at the to regenerating the area’s cultural school of architecture at the Cen legacy, not only through movies, but tral Academy of Fine Arts in Bei also through literature. jing, who has been leading several To do that, Jia set up the first Lyu projects in the countryside, thinks liang Literature Festival, which was a major problem is the conflicting held from May 9 to 16. demands between the elite class of Nobel laureate Mo Yan and a doz city dwellers, who tend to seek spir en winners of the prestigious Luxun itual comfort in village life, and the and Maodun literature prizes, villagers themselves who naturally including Ge Fei, A Lai and Su Tong, want to improve their quality of together with a group of renowned life. However, many of the rural tra Shanxi writers and poets gathered ditions have been lost during the that week to discuss literary depic process. tions of the countryside. “Once they leave the countryside, The village has a literary tradition it’s hard for people to come back which dates back to the mid20th and settle, both in person and spiri century, when a new Chinese mod tually,” he says. ern literary genre shanyaodan, a One aim of the literature festival nickname for a potato that’s popu is to improve the cultural appeal of lar in North China, emerged. the countryside so as to attract peo Authors who follow the shanya ple back, Jia says. The organizers odan school of writing such as Zhao are also working to promote com Shuli, Ma Feng and Xi Rong were all munication between the authors living in the Shanxi countryside, and the villagers, and encourage where their work centered around more reading activities. rural life there. Nobel laureate Mo Yan (center) and film director Jia Zhangke (right) arrive at the Fenyang Middle School, Jia’s alma mater, to attend a Rural resident Ren Chunhua, 63, Many of Ma’s works in particular seminar on Mo’s recent works during the first Lyuliang Literature Festival in Fenyang, Shanxi province. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY who now works as a narrator at a were written in Jiajiazhuang, where local history gallery, was listening he witnessed the changes to the vil to Ge Fei’s lecture in her gallery lage brought about by the agricul “It’s important we have both of neighboring the festival venue and tural cooperatives during the 1950s the visions. One is the vision to look wanted to buy his work and got the after moving to work in Fenyang. into the future amid urban life, and writer’s signature. She thought So by holding lectures, conduct the other is to look back on rural Ma’s work inspired by village life in ing dialogues and screening movies history — it’s our past,” he says, add the 1950s was wellwritten and related to the countryside and con ing that this contradiction — resist accurately reflected the reality tributed by guest authors, the ing urbanization while at the same there. region’s local literary legacy can time embracing progress — has Literature aficionado Cao Liang both be reexamined and extended. driven the emergence of modern drove for two hours from Taigu Many modern and contemporary thought and discourse, which has county to attend the lectures. Hav works of Chinese literature touch become the internal motivation for ing collected all of Su’s books and on common rural issues — child change in art, literature and philos being familiar with many of the hood upbringing, family inherit ophy. guest authors’ works, he is current ance and people’s experience of Ethnic Tibetan writer A Lai, ly writing his own novel. being stuck on the bottom rung of famous for his novel Settling Dust, Villagers took turns to attend the society — that have been rooted in It’s important we which was also published under festival, a move which Ren believes Chinese farming culture for thou the title Red Poppies, says many of will invigorate the local cultural sands of years. have both of the the writers today still depict rural environment and raise Jiajiazhu China’s urbanization has been visions. One is the life as they imagine it, rather than Winners of Ma Feng Literature Prize and Lyuliang Literature Prize ang’s profile. rapidly progressing to the extent observing and reflecting on it by hold an academic dialogue during the first Lyuliang Literature The festival was held in an open that rural life has become some vision to look into honestly facing the challenges Festival. square at a cultural zone redevel thing unfamiliar to the majority of the future amid posed by globalization. oped from a local cement plant, a the population, which is very differ “We should be aware that many former symbol of its economic ent from what it was like just three urban life, and of the problems facing Chinese with this has been to make a return about his hometown. boom. And the locals are working decades ago, according to Ge Fei, the other is to farmers and villagers today are uni to his hometown, a village in Gao Unlike Mo’s former novels, together to turn the venue into a author and a Chinese literature pro versal,” he says. mi, Shandong province, both in Peking University professor Chen cultural landmark that will eventu fessor at Tsinghua University in Bei look back on While many people doubt wheth reality and spiritually. Xiaoming notes that his new works ally include a cinema, a creative jing. rural history — it’s er Mo could top the success of win Mo didn’t publish any new work are more reserved, realistic stylisti writing residence and a cultural He was delivering a speech on the ning the Nobel Prize in Literature in the five years following the cally and employ more simple lan center named after Jia. first day of the festival, interpreting our past.” in 2012, Zhang Qinghua, professor award, when in 2017 he released guage. Literary critic Li Jingze is what it means to us when rural soci Ge Fei, writer at Beijing Normal University, several short stories, poems and impressed that Mo has remained Contact the writers at eties fade away. believes that Mo’s way of dealing theater works, mainly reminiscing acutely sensitive to the realities of [email protected] Bollywood actor says content is key for Chinese film success in India
MUMBAI — Indian film actor black comedy crime thriller, telling every day. The way he used to touch Ayushmann Khurana said Chinese a story of a piano player who acci the piano, mark his center and then movies would also do well in his dentally becomes embroiled in the play … Acting is all about observa country, while more and more Indi murder of a former film actor. tion,” he says. an movies are tasting success in Chi At the Screen Awards ceremony, Born in 1984, Khurana, who made na. the film won in four categories, his film debut in 2012, has become “You just have to have good con including best director and best an established, awardwinning Bol tent. India is full of Chinese goods, screenplay. It also won five Filmfare lywood player. most of India’s imports come from Awards, including best film (critics) Khurana adds that a good movie China, Chinese mobile phones, its and a best actor (critics) win for should resonate with the people. cars are doing well in India, so mov Khurana. “The mark of good film is that it ies will also do well,” he says. The success of Andhadhun has should create value and bring about Khurana’s latest film Andhad firmed his belief that the film goes change in an entertaining way. The hun, one of the highestgrossing beyond the barriers of borders, cul underlying part is the entertain Indian films of all time, produced on ture and language. ment. So I think it is important to A poster of Indian film Andhadhun, starring actor Ayushmann Khurana (right) and actress Tabu. The a budget of $4.6 million, has “I have realized that content will carry your message through enter film was warmly received in China. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY grossed $64 million at worldwide always rule in China,” he explains. tainment.“ box offices, including $48 million in “Some concepts will appeal to any Khurana believes that his upcom China. culture or any region.” ing two films, one based on a gay love easy to try something new in Bolly what is life without risk.” He says he also appreciates the Speaking about the response of Referring to preparations for his story and another centering around wood. Following the great success of the support of the Chinese audience. Chinese market to Andhadhun, role as a blind pianist, Khurana says going bald, will resonate with the “It is always difficult. You hardly film Andhadhun, Khurana is keen to “I just want to thank them for lik Khurana says “it was quite a sur he had spent almost three months audiences both in India and China. get good scripts. It is always a risk to visit China for his forthcoming films. ing and loving Andhadhun. That prise”. studying for it. “I always like to do unique films. take a subject which is a taboo and He notes that he would like to visit kind of reception was unbelievable. “That kind of number was unbe “I went to a blind school and I had Masala films may go out of fashion which people are slightly uncom the Chinese mainland, such as Bei It is beyond our expectations and it lievable, I had no idea that we will a teacher who was partially blind. He one day, but content will never go fortable talking about. So, it is very jing and other places. also makes us believe that we must get this kind of reception in China, it taught me how to walk, how to use out of fashion, so you have to stick difficult to make a rounded script “Chinese are similar to Indians, as stick to our ground and only do con was overwhelming for sure,” he the cane, how to be careful of the with content and uniqueness. That that is more palatable for people and they are rooted to their culture and tentdriven films.” says. objects around me. Then I met a is key in every film,” he says. makes it more accessible for the tradition at the same time,” Khurana Andhadhun is a 2018 Indian blind pianist. I used to watch him However, he says it has never been audience. It is not easy for sure, but says. XINHUA