{"id":152186,"date":"2022-10-24T07:00:08","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T23:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/?p=152186"},"modified":"2024-11-20T19:34:32","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T11:34:32","slug":"books-by-chinese-authors-reading-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/books-by-chinese-authors-reading-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading time: These modern books by Chinese authors will make you want to shed a few tears"},"content":{"rendered":"

While we love to get out and about on the weekend, go camping<\/a>,\u00a0or attend different creative workshops<\/a>, we also love to stay in and read our favourite graphic novels<\/a>. If you\u2019re more of a homebody like we are, check out our a list of books by our favourite modern Chinese authors, some of whom are the most influential authors beyond their country. Now, you know what you should start reading next.<\/p>\n

Books by modern Chinese authors that you should put on your bookshelves<\/h2>\n

1. Call to Arms<\/em> by Lu Xun (1922)<\/h3>\n
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Lu Xun is one of the most famous Chinese authors of all time (Image: Lu Xun via Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Call to Arms (\u5436\u558a)<\/em> features a number of short stories by Lu Xun (\u9b6f\u8fc5), including \u201cA Madman’s Diary\u201d, \u201cMedicine\u201d, and \u201cThe True Story of Ah Q\u201d. Having made satirical and brutal critique on humanity and antiquated social conventions, Lu Xun\u2019s works reveal his strong desire for revolution and changes, making Call to Arms <\/em>one of most influential books by a Chinese author in the last century.<\/p>\n

2. A Maze of Stars and Spring Water<\/em> by Bing Xin (1923)<\/h3>\n

If you’ve attended a local school in Hong Kong, chances are you would’ve encountered the compositions by Bing Xin (\u51b0\u5fc3), who’s widely known for her works in Chinese literature for children and young adults. A compilation of poems written when she was just 19 years old, A Maze of Stars and Spring Water (\u7e41\u661f\u2027\u6625\u6c34)\u00a0<\/em>comprises selected works by the esteemed Chinese female author during her early career. These poems show influences from the historical May Fourth Movement and New Literature Movement, and are considered representatives of the short poetry genre.<\/p>\n

3. The Field of Life and Death<\/em> by Xiao Hong (1935)<\/h3>\n
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Xiao Hong (right) was played by Tang Wei (left) in the movie The Golden Era<\/em> directed by Ann Hui (Image: \u9999\u6e2f\u6587\u5b78\u751f\u6d3b\u9928 via Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Field of Life and Death (\u751f\u6b7b\u5834)<\/em> portrays peasant life from the 1920s to early 1930s, mainly emphasising the suffering and mistreatment of women. As one of the most successful female Chinese authors ever, Xiao Hong (\u856d\u7d05) dealt with more misfortune than one could ever take \u2013 losing her mother at a young age, being abandoned by her fianc\u00e9 soon after she got pregnant, almost being sold to a brothel, and eventually passing away during wartime in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

4. Red Sorghum Clan<\/em> by Mo Yan (1987)<\/h3>\n
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Actress Gong Li played the main role in esteemed director Yimou Zhang’s film adaptation of Red Sorghum<\/em> (Image: Films sans Fronti\u00e8res \/ Xi’an Film Studioti\u00e8res \/ Xi’an Film Studio via IMDb)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first Chinese author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, Mo Yan (\u83ab\u8a00) is best known for his novel Red Sorghum Clan (\u7d05\u9ad8\u7cb1\u5bb6\u65cf)<\/em>. This book is a compilation of five short stories: \u201cRed Sorghum\u201d, \u201cSorghum Wine\u201d, \u201cDog Ways\u201d, \u201cSorghum Funeral\u201d, and \u201cStrange Death\u201d; the first two were adapted by the esteemed director, Yimou Zhang, to create the film Red Sorghum\u00a0<\/em>in the following year. As a series,\u00a0Red Sorghum<\/em> was about a family in Shandong, China, who ran a sorghum wine distillery between the 1920s and 70s. This was a turbulent period in Chinese history, with the Second Sino-Japanese War, the rivalry between global and regional political powers, and the Cultural Revolution. But instead of a strictly documentary approach, Mo Yan tells the story with elements of folk-tale, mythology, and superstition. For those of you interested in modernist Chinese literature, Red Sorghum Clan\u00a0<\/em>is definitely well worth reading.<\/p>\n

5. To Live<\/em> by Yu Hua (1993)<\/h3>\n

Having gambled away all his money, losing his mother to detrimental illness and getting caught up in the misfortune of the Chinese Revolution, protagonist Fugui\u2019s life took a 180-degree turn. Hua Yu’s (\u4f59\u83ef) To Live (\u6d3b\u7740)<\/em> is a story about losing loved ones to injustice and natural selection in times of political violence. Many historical events in China such as Great Leap Forward, Three-anti and Five-anti Campaigns are also mentioned in the story.<\/p>\n

6. The Rose of Time: New and Selected Poems<\/em> by Bei Dao (2010)<\/h3>\n
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Poet Bei Dao was born in Beijing in 1949 (Photography: Hong Kong International Literary Festival\u200e via Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bei Dao (\u5317\u5cf6) is one of the most successful contemporary Chinese poets. His works articulate the bitterness of living in fraught political times and being separated from his family due to political issues. As one of his representative works, The Rose of Time<\/em> is heartfelt, astonishingly beautiful, and very melancholic.<\/p>\n

7. The Flowers of War<\/em> by Geling Yan (2012)<\/h3>\n