INK 墨

For more suggestions, try this list of writers and books.

Eileen Chang 張愛玲

Eileen Chang 張愛玲_1920—1995 — also known as Zhang Ailing — was a novelist, screenwriter and essayist, and a major figure in 20^th century Chinese literature.

Chang's works remain widely read in the Chinese-language world today, many of them focused on the 1930s to 1940s of the Republican era 中華民國_1912—1949. She is perhaps best known overseas today as the author of Lust, Caution色，戒— which Ang Lee 李安 adapted for the screen in 2007. Her novel Naked Earth赤地戀愛— one of few translated into English — depicts a young couple separated by Party bureaucracy and the Korean War.

In addition to her fiction she was an active translator, and her research on Cao Xueqin's 曹雪芹_1715—1763 Dream of the Red Chamber紅樓夢 is credited with having revived scholarly interest in the classic novel.

Chen Hsueh 陳雪

Chen Hsueh 陳雪 — born Chen Yaling 陳雅玲_1970— — is a novelist and short story writer from Taiwan.

Her 1995 collection Vile Girls Book惡女書 explores its protagonists' struggles to accept their non-conventional sexuality amid strained family ties and social stigma.

The strongest of the stories — Looking for Lost Angel Wings尋找天使遺失的翅膀 and After the Cat Died貓死了之後— speak directly through first-person narratives, whereas the magical realist style of the other two seems to dilute the impact.

In one passage of Night Maze夜的迷宮 Chen composes across the page in rows and columns simultaneously, an unusual technique that gives a stream of consciousness-like feel. It would be interesting to see this developed to greater effect.

Since gaining infamy for the controversy of Vile Girls Book, her debut work — published in a less tolerant Taiwan over two decades before it legalised same-sex marriage — Chen has spoken of her desire not to be typified as a genre writer. Chen is a prolific writer with several acclaimed full-length novels, some of which are on this list.

Chen Zhongshi 陳忠實

Chen Zhongshi 陳忠實_1942—2016 was an author and the 1997 recipient of the Mao Dun Literature Prize茅盾文學獎.

The novel that earned him recognition, White Deer Plain白鹿原, follows two rival families in rural Shaanxi province through the major upheavals of the first half of the 20^th century.

From the decline of the Qing dynasty 清朝_1644—1912 through the establishment of the Republic of China 中華民國_1912—1949, Japanese occupation and civil war, and the ultimate victory of the Communist Party, Chen depicts the conflicting interests and obligations that lead individuals to fateful decisions.

The narrative complexity brings out the overwhelming uncertainty people endured during the period, and avoids any sense of a simple moral path to safety.

Chiang Hsun 蔣勛

Chiang Hsun 蔣勳_1947— is a writer, artist, and former professor of fine arts at Taiwan's Tunghai University 東海 大學. He has written extensively on global culture, art history and Chinese history, and is a popular speaker due to his accessible style.

His extensive output includes interpretations of literary classics, such as his mesmerising in-depth series on Cao Xueqin's 曹雪芹_1715—1763 Dream of the Red Chamber紅樓夢— akin to the late Frank Delaney's_1942—2017 exegesis of James Joyce's_1882—1941 Ulysses — essays on Buddhism, and musings on artistic expression across differing cultural and societal values.

China Heritage

The China Heritage project, which also houses The Wairarapa Academy for New Sinology 清漪書院, is a product of collaboration between sinologist Geremie Barmé and fellow scholars of China's culture and politics.

Though not "native" content, the site is included here due to being an excellent gateway to encounter independent thinkers in the People's Republic of China and its community-in-exile, and a resource for those interested in in-depth analysis of contemporary China's politics and society.

Its publications provide insight into the context of current developments, and their coverage of the writings of prominent intellectuals — such as the ongoing Xu Zhangrun 許章潤 archive project — shares invaluable expertise on the subtleties of language and historical references used to express political opposition, among other insights.

China Unofficial Archives
中國民間檔案館

The China Unofficial Archives 中國民間檔案館 launched in December 2023 as a platform "dedicated to making accessible the key documents, movies, blogs, and publications of a movement of Chinese people seeking to reclaim their country's history."

The archives include an extensive back-catalogue of the renowned history magazine China Through the Ages炎黄春秋— abruptly dismantled in 2014 — in addition to a growing body of other important writing and films that shed light on the broad scope of discussion and research that persists outside of official narratives.

Chu T'ien-wen 朱天文

Chu T'ien-wen 朱天文_1956— is a novelist and screenwriter, and one the most celebrated Taiwanese literary figures of the 20^th century. Her father Chu Hsi-ning 朱西甯_1927—1998 and sister Chu T'ien-hsin 朱天心_1958— are also prominent writers.

Chu is known for her prolific collaboration with Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien 侯孝賢, for whom she wrote or co-wrote over a dozen scripts including the masterpiece A City of Sadness悲情城市. She has also worked alongside directors Chen Kunhou 陳坤厚 and Edward Yang 楊德昌_1947—2007.

Her literary output is highly regarded, amongst which is Notes of a Desolate Man荒人手記. The novel is written as the diary of a gay man who has arrived in Japan to be with his friend who is dying of AIDS, and recollects his memories of their shared past.

Feng Tang 馮唐

Feng Tang 馮唐 is the pseudonym of Zhang Haipeng 張海鵬_1971—, a writer, poet and private equity investor from Beijing.

Oneness不二 depicts Tang dynasty monks and nuns as sexual deviants with cynical attitudes towards their faith and peers. Feng's explicit deadpan humour is reminiscent of Wang Xiaobo 王小波_1952—1997, and he combines this with historical detail and satirical plays on monastic politics to great effect.

Hao Jingfang 郝景芳

Hao Jingfang 郝景芳_1984— is a science fiction writer and the 2016 recipient of the Hugo Award for Best Novelette.

Her novella Folding Beijing北京摺曡 is a futuristic riff on the experiences of the city's beipiao 北漂 or migrant workers, whose labour is essential to its function, and yet must eke out precarious lives in a legal grey zone without basic rights.

Hsieh Tzu-fan 謝子凡

Hsieh Tzu-fan 謝子凡 is an author, translator and former advertiser.

Me and the Garbage Truck I Chased我和我追逐的垃圾車 is a collection of semi-autobiographical short stories. Divided across four themes (Hot — Cold — Dark — Light), Xie's restrained but reflective writing style gives depth to her everyday subject matter.

LEAP 藝術界

LEAP藝術界 is a biannual, bilingual contemporary art and cultural commentary magazine, and self-stated "international art portal of contemporary China".

The Shanghai-based publication extends its lens far across the rest of the country to cover exhibitions and performances from the visual arts scene, interviews, retrospectives and critical analysis of artists' works and themes.

A notable feature of the magazine is that the print edition juxtaposes Chinese and English versions of each article, which can be especially useful as a learning tool for gleaning context from complex prose typical of more abstract subject matter.

Visitors to the LEAP website can view a selection of current and archived articles in English and Chinese, and details of upcoming events.

Leung Man-tao 梁文道

Leung Man-tao 梁文道_1970— is a writer, cultural critic, and public personality. He was a long-running guest on Dou Wentao's 竇文濤 news talk-show Qiangqiang Sanrenxing鏘鏘三人行 until its cancellation in 2017.

His books I Read我讀 and I Write我執 consist of series of short entries of reflections on reading and writing, respectively, with expansions on his personal philosophy as a practicing Buddhist.

Liu Cixin 劉慈欣

Liu Cixin 劉慈欣_1963— is a science fiction writer, former engineer, and recipient of the 2015 Hugo Award for Three Body Problem三體, the first book of his trilogy by the same name.

His engineering background shows in the descriptions of a near-future Earth trying desperately to develop technological solutions to an existential threat, and his application of game theory to space exploration in the second instalment, Dark Forest黑暗森林, is engaging, as are the more experimental plotlines of the finale, Death's End死神永生.

The narrative is let down by two-dimensional characters, and Liu's reliance on lazy stereotypes makes some sections tedious. Still, his strategic plot developments and talent for the science he knows is worthwhile for those interested in the genre.

For a detailed critical commentary on the trilogy and Liu's worldview, see this Yibao article by Wang Qingmin 王慶民.

Liu Yichang 劉以鬯

Liu Yichang 劉以鬯_1918—2018 was a writer, editor and publisher, and one of the most prominent Hong Kong literary figures of the 20^th century. Liu began as a newspaper editor and columnist during the Japanese occupation of China, and over the course of his prolific career continued on to serve publications in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Credited as the first Chinese-language stream-of-consciousness novel, The Drunkard酒徒 relates the perspective of a writer whose lamentations over the lack of an audience for serious literature in Hong Kong serve as an excuse for his descent into alcoholism, and rejection of his art form in favour of the easier income offered by pulp fiction and erotica.

The vivid evocations of the streets and nightlife of 1960s Hong Kong bring to mind Henry Miller's_1891—1980 Paris of the 1930s, though it is William Faulkner_1897—1962, James Joyce_1882—1941 and Virginia Woolf_1882—1941 to whom the protagonist makes repeated references and served as apparent inspiration to the author.

Liu Yichang's work in turn has served as a major influence for acclaimed director Wong Kar-wai 王家衛. The Drunkard provided the inspiration for the latter's 2046, and his internationally renowned In the Mood for Love花樣年華 drew on another of Liu's works, Intersection對倒.

Lu Xun 魯迅

Lu Xun 魯迅 was the pseudonym of Zhou Shuren 周樹人_1881—1936, a writer, essayist, and translator who played a prominent role in the birth of modern Chinese literature.

His short story collection Call to Arms呐喊 is regarded as one of the first works written entirely in vernacular Chinese. It is worth reading for its historical significance alone, emerging in the aftermath of the 1919 May Fourth Movement 五四運動 that saw widespread demonstrations against imperialism and calls for social modernisation.

The collection includes the novella The True Story of Ah Q阿Q正傳, a satire of backward character traits perceived as emblematic of how the country had fallen victim to the encroachment of foreign powers during the late Qing dynasty 清朝_1644—1912 and early Republic of China 中華民國_1912—1949 period.

Qi Jun 琦君

Qi Jun 琦君 was the pen name of writer, essayist, critic and translator Pan Xizhen 潘希珍_1917—2006.

Her novel Ripe Tangerine橘子紅了 is a critique of female exploitation under traditional family structures. Xiufen 秀芬 becomes the third wife in a rural household, arranged as Dama's 大媽 futile attempt to coax her husband back from the city he has abandoned her for to be with his second wife.

Zhang Yimou 張藝謀 explored similar themes in his film Raise the Red Lantern大紅燈籠高高挂, released the same year in 1991.

Qian Zhongshu 錢鍾書

Qian Zhongshu 錢鍾書_1910—1998 was a scholar and writer, and one of the most lauded Chinese literary figures of the 20^th century.

Fortress Beseiged圍城 is a satirical novel written during his time in Shanghai under Japanese occupation. Centred on Fang Hongjian 方鴻漸, who has returned home after squandering funds and his studies in Europe, the book takes on middle-class affectations and relationships during the Republic of China 中華民國_1912—1949 era.

Resonate 回響

Launched in 2020, Resonate迴響 is a Cantonese periodical from Hong Kong featuring short stories, non-fiction articles, cultural commentary and related content.

Each issue focuses on a theme or topic, with past issues touching on subjects such as advertising, anime, fate, horror, money and nostalgia.

Resonate aims to expand the use of Cantonese in written form, and highlight themes and issues specific to Hong Kong. The magazine features regular contributors, and also accepts submissions via its website.

Sang Ye 嗓晔 & Zhang Xinxin 張辛欣

Sang Ye 嗓曄_1955— is a journalist, writer and oral historian. Zhang Xinxin 張辛欣_1953— is a writer, novelist and playwright.

In 1986 the pair published Chinese Lives北京人：一百個普通人的自述, a collection of interviews with people from a wide range of social, family, and occupational backgrounds in a country very different to today's People's Republic of China 中華人民共和國_1949—.

Song and Zhang edited themselves out of the interviews, to present their subjects' accounts as uninterrupted monologues.

I read the English translation ahead of my first visit to China, and found the authors' deeply humane treatment of their subjects' diverse and sometimes tragic experiences striking. I was fortunate to later track down a second-hand Chinese edition of the original text — see SOURCES for places to search — but the translation is worth reading if that's unavailable.

Sang Ye published a further oral history titled 1949 1989 1999 which was later translated to English as China Candid: The People on the People's Republic by Miriam Lang and China Heritage founder Gereme Barmé.

Sanmao 三毛

Sanmao 三毛 was the pseudonym of writer and translator Echo Chen Ping 陳平, born Chen Mao-ping 陳懋平_1943—1991.

Her then-unconventional lifestyle, which saw her leave Taiwan alone for Europe and Morocco, embodied a free and independent way of life that inspired many across the Chinese-speaking world.

Stories of the Sahara撒哈拉的故事 is typical of her autobiographical writing style, based on her experiences living in Morocco with her Spanish husband, who passed away in an accident just a few years after publication. Her struggles to cope with this loss informed much of her subsequent work, and likely contributed to her suicide a decade later.

Wang Mun Kiat 黄文杰

Wang Mun Kiat 黃文傑_1967— is a Singaporean poet and engineer.

The poems of his second collection Short Tongue短舌 are haiku-like in their brevity, but Wang manages to imbue their clipped lines with barbed social commentary. Take for example Modern Revelations: Smartphones 現代啓示錄：智能手機:

I've spent little time with Chinese poetry in the past, often finding the form's abstract nature to be beyond my language ability.

Some entries of Short Tongue are cryptic, but in general the writing is accessible and I'd recommend it to others interested in trying modern poetry in Chinese.

The publisher Sea Breeze Books 海風書屋 also offers a bilingual edition, with English translations by the poet Daryl Lim Wei Jie 林偉傑.

Wang Shuo 王朔

Wang Shuo 王朔_1958— is a novelist and screenwriter. Known for his liu mang 流氓 or 'hooligan' style of writing, his works have been popular source material for film and television since the late 1980s.

The dark humour of Please Don't Call Me Human千萬別把我當人 gets close to the bone with its ridicule of totalitarian bureaucracy, through the exploration of a cynical protagonist who passively adheres to whatever political directives come his way. Published in the 1980s, a similar work could not evade censorship today.

Wang's writing includes several screenplays that have been adapted for film and television, including the absurdist The Troubleshooters 頑主 directed by Mi Jiashan 米家山, which follows three founders of a Beijing firm that promises to resolve any problem their clients face.

Wang Xiaobo 王小波

Wang Xiaobo 王小波_1952—1997 was a novelist and essayist. Born in Beijing, he was amongst the many 'sent-down' or 'educated' youths 知識青年 extracted from urban life to labour in rural areas during the Cultural Revolution 文革_1966—1976.

That experience influenced some of his best-known works, including the hilarious satirical novella Golden Age黃金時代.

Essay collections such as Silent Majority沉默的大多數 display his bold wit and talent for querying norms, whether via serious critique or darkly comic scenarios.

Wang was a rare outspoken public intellectual in a society that offered scant room for one. Had he not sadly passed before his time, he no doubt would have much to say today.

Wu Ming-Yi 吴明益

Wu Ming-Yi 吳明益_1971— is a writer, artist and academic, and a professor of Chinese literature at National Dong Hwa University 國立東華大學. His writing has explored environmentalism and themes unique to Taiwan, such as the influence of the island's Japanese occupation.

The Stolen Bicycle單車失竊記 revolves around a man seeking his long-absent father, with meditations on Taiwan's role in World War II. His meticulous effort to piece together whatever fragments he can — down to cataloguing bicycles used in the theatre his father served in — vividly contrasts the inability to know the person at the centre of his search.

Xue Yiwei 薛憶潙

Xue Yiwei 薛憶溈_1964— is an author, academic, and doctor of linguistics.

His first novel, Desertion遺棄 uses a first-person narrative to explore the protagonist's philosophical reflections, as he struggles against bureaucratic opposition to quit his vacuous government job.

With Shenzheners深圳人 Xue took inspiration from James Joyce's_1882—1941 Dubliners to produce these short stories on fictional residents of the Chinese city, through whom he explores themes of isolation and detachment within a modern metropolis.

Yang Weidong 楊偉東

Yang Weidong 楊偉東_1966— is an artist and independent filmmaker. After suffering a politically-motivated family tragedy, he sought to understand how society could arrive at a state in which such acts occur without recourse.

The result is Put This On Record立此存照, a multi-volume series of over 500 interviews with prominent figures including officials, economists, historians, philosophers and activists across a spectrum of socio-political attitudes.

Subjects of the first print volume include Unirule Institute of Economics 天則經濟研究所 co-founder Mao Yushi 茅於軾, artist Fang Lijun 方力鈞, and journalist Yang Jisheng 楊繼繩 whose own archival project Tombstone 墓碑 recorded extensive first-person accounts of the Great Chinese Famine 三年大饑荒_1959—1961.

Yang Weidong provides his subjects space to elucidate their thoughts, and humbly resists bringing his personal motivation into direct view.

Yibao 議報

Yibao議報 is an online publication featuring social commentary and political editorials.

Operating in association with the non-profit NGO Citizen Power Initiatives for China 公民力量, Yibao's main focus is on the People's Republic of China 中華人民共和國_1949—, with critical features on subjects such as governance, economics, human rights, history, and the arts.

Coverage also extends to world affairs, in particular concerning major geopolitical events and players, translations of articles from Western publications, and news from the Sinophone world.

Yu Hua 余華

Yu Hua 余華_1960— is an author and committee member of the China Writers Association 中國作家協會.

To Live活著 follows the hubristic descent into poverty of the arrogant son of a land-owning family. As the events of civil war, famine, and the Cultural Revolution 文革_1966—1976 unfold, the protagonist emerges with a kinder outlook even under increasing isolation.

As a study of an individual, To Live makes a good compliment to Chen Zhongshi's 陳忠實_1942—2016 broader take on similar themes from that era in White Deer Plain白鹿原.

Zhang Yinlin 張蔭麟

Zhang Yinlin 張蔭麟_1905—1942 was a writer and professor of history.

His Outline of Chinese History中國史綱 is an excellent introduction to ancient China, from the Xia dynasty 夏朝_{c.2070—c.1600BC} through the Warring States period 戰國時代_{c.475—221BC}, unification under Qin Shihuang 秦始皇_259—210BC, and on to the establishment of the Eastern Eastern Han dynasty 東漢_25—220AD in the 1^st century AD.

The book is full of anecdotes on figures and events, and traces the emergence of China's philosophical schools, social customs, and political systems.