DAILY | EDITION Friday, July 23, 2021 | 15 LIFE Writer sheds light on lives of urban women Novel’s relatable characters paint realistic picture of city life, Fang Aiqing reports.

henever a young, roots in her lack of unconditional female author releases love during childhood, and she just A band performs at the Strawberry Music Festival, held at an a modern metropoli- wants her sister to get a proper edu- ecologically restored former mine in Fuxin, Liaoning province, tan fiction, it is often cation, find a good job and leave on Saturday. cai xiangxin / xinhua categorizedW as a work of “feminine their parents behind just as she did. literature” and readers will nearly On the contrary, her best friend always speculate on whether or not Ling Qing is easygoing and unre- the plot is derived from the writer’s strained, navigating a promising Festival attendees dig own experiences. career and enjoying herself in a It’s a puzzle for women of words relationship, but not bound to get as to why people describe them as married. She comes from a loving music at former mine “female writers” while, without home, in which her parents have thinking, simply refer to their male kept many memories and favorite counterparts as just “writers”. items from her childhood in their SHENYANG — Thousands of mining dating to 1898. After the And reacting to the rise of female basement. music fans descended on Fuxin founding of the People’s Republic consciousness and autonomy, the It doesn’t take long for one to real- in Northeast China’s Liaoning of China, it served as one of the media is often keen to paint young ize that the pair — best friends since province on Saturday for a music country’s main sources of coal for female writers as some sort of fad- their college days — have reached a festival in an ecologically industrial use. dish social phenomenon. fork in the road. While Ling pursues restored open-cast mine. Later, environmental pollu- However, Ji Xiaoyi, who operates more freedom, Huang tries her best It was the Strawberry Music tion and resource depletion saw under the pen name of Liao Jing, to preserve what she has accumulat- Festival’s first visit to Fuxin the mine closed. In 2001, Fuxin stands for the uniqueness and inde- ed through her hard work and since it was first launched in was listed as China’s first pendence of individual female writ- effort, already feeling too exhausted 2009. It was also a fine opportu- resource-exhausted city to ers and calls for a wider vision and to achieve more. nity to show off the versatility of undergo transformation as part more subtle observation toward Despite some questionable work- the former coal mine, which of a pilot program. young city dwellers from various ing practices, Ling leads a life many once provided jobs to the local The local government had been social backgrounds. modern city women wish they could population. seeking new ways to rejuvenate Her latest novel, Wan Hun (A have but don’t have access to, The festival attracted an audi- the old mines. In 2018, Zhongke Late Marriage), is the story of a whereas many readers might find it ence of nearly 20,000 people, Shenglian, a Beijing-based envi- woman, Huang Wansi, in her early difficult to understand Huang’s per- with tickets sold out ahead of ronmental technology company, 30s, who has achieved nothing sonality and sensitivity at all. time, according to Modern Sky, a formulated a plan regarding the major working as a midlevel human The comparison also exists in music company sponsoring the mine’s renovation at the govern- resource worker in Beijing and has reality, Ji says, adding that the final two-day event. ment’s request and proposed the just tied the knot with a man that’s question the novel poses is whether “I have never seen so many peo- racetrack project. suitable in every aspect, so that soci- it is wiser to keep trying to shine a ple swarming my hometown The environment around Fu­- ety perceives it as a “good marriage”. light into people’s darker side and before,” says Zhang Hao, a xin has improved and the motor Huang, coming from a rural fami- uncover truths that one might not 34-year-old restaurateur who sports industry is thriving too, ly that relies on her for financial want to face, or to just turn a blind booked a booth near the entrance with various tournaments having support, but is as emotionally dis- eye to maintain a peaceful life. to sell inflatable sofas, straw hats attracted over 300,000 spectators tant as it is physically, struggles to Or, rather, it’s about whether to and drinks. in total. achieve a consistent sense of securi- persist in trying to find a solution to The abandoned industrial site In April, the Ministry of Ecolo- ty in both work and intimacy. a problem that can’t be fixed imme- provided a spacious location for gy and Environment approved 36 Huang’s story is not dramatically an affluent family would fall in love diately, or working around it and the music event. After years of eco- pilot projects nationwide for eco- beyond a normal life. As the novel with, and marry, a woman like her letting it be. logical restoration, the open-cast logical protection-oriented devel- progresses, readers get to know — a rural migrant who is embar- One reader comments on Chinese mine, measuring more than eight opment, with Fuxin’s mine Huang’s background and personali- rassed about her family and origins. review site Douban: “The author soccer fields, was turned into a renovation included. ty to the extent that they are able to The lack of self-confidence and depicts the tiny life details and ordi- racetrack for top-level motor Attending the music festival predict her reaction to any possible paranoia drive her to secretly check nary, but shady, thoughts so vividly. sports events, and it will soon host with her husband and her 5-year- major event that might crop up later Yang’s phone, fearing that he’s hav- Still, I was constantly moved by the a military-themed carnival. old child, a local woman sur- in her life. ing an affair despite his unwavering not-bright-enough real life.” Wu Qiuqiu, a 32-year-old music named Li says she was “very Xi Shan, editor of the book, says support over the years, such as help- Ji, a former journalist, chose to enthusiast who attends music delighted” with the mine’s trans- the author has been “gently and sin- ing her to tackle her teenage sister’s raise her son full time not long after festivals all over the country, says formation into a location for pop- cerely” observing and feeling the accidental pregnancy, supporting he was born. For around seven he was impressed by the venue. ular events. lives of people in the city where she her when she is abruptly laid off and years, she spent her fragmented “The surrounding cliffs “These emerging events are was born and still resides, sharing letting her move in with him after time between housework, reading enhanced the echo effect, and lighting up the future of my her thoughts in her work in order to she is evicted by her landlord. and writing, first online and then as we’ve had some good vibes,” he hometown,” she says. create a dialogue with contempo- Still, she questions his motives, a published author. says. rary readers. even asking whether he married her It’s the first time she has tried a Fuxin has a long history of coal XINHUA Xi Shan has noticed that many just because his mother is severely Top: Writer Ji Xiaoyi, full-length novel. The challenge recent books centering around met- ill. whose pen name is Liao comes from creating realistic char- ropolitan, or urban, themes have An interesting thing about the Jing, has just published a acters, which later actually becomes delved more deeply into issues such novel is all of the readers’ knowl- new novel that delves a highlight, as the author accurately as women’s lives, an anxiety toward edge about Yang comes from into the feelings of young zooms in on something that readers children’s education and the grow- Huang’s perspective and her specu- city dwellers. vaguely feel, but cannot clearly ing generation gap. lation, which reflect the real differ- Above: The cover of the define. The stories in these books are set entiation in the way people of novel Wan Hun (A Late “The power of words lies in things in different cities, but show similari- different genders think. It has Marriage). photos provided unspoken,” the author says. “The ties in their meticulous description become a frequent topic on social to way Huang deals with her desire to of their characters’ inner thoughts. media, especially at a time when communicate and understand is They offer profound insights into young people are finding it harder like a fishbone stuck in the throat.” intimacy and acutely capture the to build relationships. She says of the appealing time moral ambiguity of real life, she The author didn’t want to present before the desk: “I wrote about the says. a main female character that would character because there was some- In Ji’s novel, with no obvious be widely beloved by readers, but an thing I couldn’t figure out about her, shortcomings that Huang can iden- adult whose cowardice and irreso- and it was through writing that I tify in her new husband, Yang Hao, lution in work and life may be found gradually got to know her.” she begins to doubt why a socially in any one of us. well-adjusted man with a consider- Huang’s controlling nature Contact the writer at A panoramic view of the recent Strawberry Music Festival in able income, a good education and toward her younger sister has its [email protected] Fuxin. cai xiangxin / xinhua Online Chinese literature plots a story of success with foreign fans

CHONGQING — With the rapid comment section on Jiong Jiong You types of Chinese online novel have which was inspired by the English development of China’s online liter- Yao’s novel is full of users urging new found a footing in foreign markets, version of Jiong Jiong You Yao’s novel. ature landscape, Chinese online nov- content, highlighting the novel’s as the channels for international “China’s online literature has els have created a huge fan base popularity. communication have become more changed from merely spreading nov- overseas. In 2016, she wrote a romantic novel, diversified. Urban romance novels, els to exporting a deep-seated crea- Zhou Yan, known for her pen which has since received more than 4 for example, describe the lives of tion system,” says He Hong, deputy name Jiong Jiong You Yao, 32, is one million clicks, and its intellectual Chinese city dwellers, and they are director of the online literature cen- of the most popular online writers in property right was licensed to a Viet- increasingly popular in Southeast ter at the China Writers Association. the urban romance genre. Her nov- namese cultural enterprise for film Asia, including the novels of Jiong Statistics show that the Webnovel els have attracted many loyal foreign and television adaptation in 2018. Jiong You Yao. portal has attracted about 110,000 fans. “I usually include content with She says readers used to prefer overseas online writers, who have “My novels have been translated Chinese characteristics in my writ- stories about domineering male created more than 200,000 novels. into foreign languages, such as ing, such as Suzhou embroidery and characters and Cinderella-like pro- Many TV series that have been English, Indonesian, Filipino and kung fu, and I find foreign readers tagonists, but now the theme has adapted from Chinese online novels Spanish, and foreign readers get to are quite interested in these Chinese shifted to feature more independent have enjoyed popularity overseas, learn about China through such elements,” she says. “I think Chinese female characters and a glimpse into including the hit TV series The Jour- online literature,” she says. online literature is popular not only the everyday challenges faced by ney of Flower, Nirvana in Fire and Her success comes on the heels of because of its mysterious oriental such women. . China’s booming online literary elements, but also because the “I think it’s because of a rising self- “It’s a great opportunity for writ- market overseas. humanity in the stories transcends awareness among women in Asia, ers now that Chinese online novels By 2020, more than 10,000 online boundaries.” and I have incorporated that change can be enjoyed in different countries literary works had entered overseas Fantasy and kung fu novels were into my creation,” she adds. and even adapted into films and TV markets and attracted over 100 mil- once the driving force behind the China’s online literature has also series,” Jiong Jiong You Yao says. lion foreign readers, according to the clamor among foreign readers. Such encouraged many foreign readers to “We should strive to tell good Chi- 2020 Blue Book of China’s online lit- stories were based on Chinese start writing. A 25-year-old Filipino nese stories and help people learn erature released by the China Writ- mythology and traditional culture, A poster for the TV series Nirvana in Fire, adapted from an online author, who goes by the online han- more about Chinese culture.” ers Association. and they had a wide appeal. novel, featuring its protagonist Mei Changsu, played by actor . dle Kazzenlx, wrote the fantasy On the website Webnovel, the In recent years, however, more provided to china daily romance novel Hellbound With You, XINHUA