18 | Thursday, December 24, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE Investing in this treasure A plot out of this world needs work, dedication Young writer uses science fiction to create works that stretch the imagination and take the reader on a journey into the unexpected, reports. Treasure collectors like myself delight Xue Mengchen in discovering something new that glis- tens, glimmers or glows. Rare is the moment, however, when we realize that an item long in our possession is of value beyond estimation. he world changed dramatical- and imagination. Pandemic, war, strug- Yet that is what occurred on Dec 17 ly in 2020. “People see all gle for power and position, prejudice when an international authority declared kinds of news, however, there and discrimination, love and duty. Jiang a certain something that is cherished is always a sense of estrange- made up a parallel world set in Eastern worldwide to be of supreme value. Tment that our imagination cannot Europe of the 1920s — her favorite part This treasure isn’t one we can put in a catch up with the reality itself, ” says of the world because of its sense of mel- pouch, box or case that we keep near, writer Jiang Fangzhou. Observing and ancholy. “I don’t want it to be too close though it is nonetheless held quite close, thinking about people and life amid the to our daily life, so that I made it as being carried in the heart. pandemic, she says she wants to do vague as possible, and I read a lot in Nor can its full value be as readily something different with her litera- order to speculate logically.” Jiang assessed as that of silver ture. explains. and gold, rubies, opals and Jiang, 31, recently published her lat- By going through books on physics pearls. est outing Promenade With the Only and astronomy, Jiang found that the This intangible treasure, One Who Knows Why Stars Shine, astrologers face the world with a per- which was internationally which consists of four novelettes: Put a ception of time and space different from recognized as such this Giant Egg by the Sea, Rebuild Time in others, like the stargazers mentioned in month, is China’s perenni- Venice, A Stranger Came to the Border, the book who always jump out of the JAMES ally intriguing and highly and Jiang’s favorite one with the same world they live in to observe from a HEALY beneficial taijiquan, the name as the book. higher and broader perspective. Second health, meditation and The title of the book came from an Jiang’s abundant literary accumula- Thoughts martial art known more anecdote. A scientist went for a walk tion is also reflected in her new outing. widely as tai chi. with his girlfriend. The girl admired the Shakespeare, Borges and Homer, all UNESCO, the United Nations agency beauty of the night sky. Trying to these great writers were not only what that acknowledges the world’s great trea- impress her, the scientist said in reply: she admires, but also part of her writ- sures, has declared that tai chi is among “You are walking with the only man in ing. “I don’t think classic works are the planet’s priceless intangible heritages, the world who knows why stars shine.” something that exist only in the text or and I couldn’t agree more. Another writer Li Xiaoxiao says of in the past. For me, it is not me going to Author Jiang Fangzhou (below) recently pub- My own experience since 1985 with tai the book, “We can tell that Jiang them, but that they come to me on their lished her new book Promenade With the chi, whose origins are traced to the 1600s Fangzhou must be a science-fiction own initiative, and become part of your Only One Who Knows Why Stars Shine that but whose roots go back further still, took fan”. Romantic, with a taste of science works.” aims to encourage people to walk out of soli- me through a cross-cultural door in 2011. fiction, this book dem- However, the writer is tude after the pandemic. That is when, by being initiated as a disci- onstrates Jiang’s curios- always eager to create PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ple, or indoor student, of grandmaster ity and exploration of something “refreshing Chen Zhenglei in a formal, traditional architecture, physics and challenging”. ceremony, I became an inheritor of this and astronomy in her I hope they can Many readers on treasured art. Master Chen is a direct writing. review platform Douban descendant of Chen Wangting, the histor- Jiang worked with inspire and indicate their affection ically recognized creator of tai chi, which architects in research- encourage for Jiang, while some today comprises the five major styles of ing the book and this think the structures are Chen, Yang, Wu, Wu Hao and Sun. gave her a sense of struc- people to still not good enough, or Though becoming a disciple has put on ture, order. “I found it a eliminate the she has put too much in my shoulders the big responsibility lot of fun working with her novels. shared by each and every tai chi heir, my architects,” Jiang says. alienation “I struggled to try a master is an inheritor in a much, much Nowadays, people caused by the new type of writing. It’s bigger way, through both his birthright are exposed to litera- difficult, but it gives me a and his lifelong dedication to, and stead- ture mostly through virus.” lot of freedom to create. fast practice of, the art. films, TV or online dra- Author Jiang Most of my readers con- Master Chen was born in 1949, the mas. The writer doesn’t Fangzhou sider it sci-fi, but it’s actu- same year the People’s Republic of China like TV dramas much, ally called speculative was founded, and began learning tai chi though. She wants to do fiction.” at the age of 8 from his uncle, the something fun to let the “Speculative fiction renowned Chen Zhaopei. reader touch literature more engag- first envisions a past, and then take it as It was my master and three others — ingly. “The whole process went very a parallel world with our actual world, his cousin Chen Xiaowang as well as well. I write the story, and the archi- but with different directions of develop- Wang Xian and Zhu Tiancai — who were tects create their plan at the same time. ment. For example, you can write on tasked with reviving and spreading Chen It’s funny to talk about my writing what the world would be like if Germa- style tai chi, which was practiced at that schedule and the placing, say of fire- ny won World War II in speculative fic- time only in Chenjiagou (also known as fighting devices in the same WeChat tion. It’s just like you step into a Chen village). The hard work of these group.” different timeline.” Jiang adds. four in globally promoting Chen-style tai Jiang was inspired through her work Writer Ban Yu finds Jiang’s specula- chi, the original style that had long been with architects. She says that literature tive fiction very touching. “The most eclipsed by the popularity of the style is the art of time, while architecture is impressive thing about the book is that derived from it, Yang tai chi, led to the the art of space, and during this process instead of writing the stories of our age masters being known as “the four tigers of creation, she found out that her imag- aimlessly, we’d better go to the broad of Chen village”. ination had become richer and more future or seek gaps in history.” Though it is now as popular as the spacious. Following her dream to be a “free Yang style, if not more so, Chen tai chi, Architect Qin Sizhi, also Jiang’s writer” like Margaret Atwood, author of the original style — distinguished by, friend from senior high school, believes The Handmaid’s Tale, Jiang also plans among other things, its constant coiling that by combining architecture and lit- to create a long speculative fiction, or try and pronounced martial flavor — actually erature, a miracle can be made through other types of writing in the future. She floundered and nearly vanished just which the real world is connected to the said that she had become more hard before the four tigers took up training. literary creation full of infinite possibil- working since the pandemic, and would Their dedication to the clan’s signature ities. like to live a regular life. heritage kept the multigenerational chain The story Promenade With the Only “Atwood is a writer without burden. of this intangible treasure intact. They set One Who Knows Why Stars Shine will I want to be as dynamic and creative as the standard for all who follow in their be turned into a cultural space in Hubei her when I’m at her age. Besides, I giant footsteps. province next spring called 42 with the hope she can stay healthy so that I can So how do today’s inheritors, as links theme of galaxy. They named it accord- meet her in person one day.” Jiang between the past and future, keep the ing to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Gal- says, laughing. flame of tai chi burning ever brighter? axy: “The answer to life, the universe Born in Hubei province in 1989, Jiang Speaking as a longtime collector of trea- and everything is 42.” Coincidently, 42 is had her first book Open the Skylight sures ranging from gemstones and gold to also the first two numbers of Hubei ID, published at the age of 9 and then shot carved olive cores and rare blue amber, I where Jiang was born.