Yan Lianke
Encyclopedia
Yan Lianke is a Chinese writer of novels and short stories based in Beijing
. His work is highly satirical, which has resulted in some of his most renowned works being banned.
He has admitted to self-censorship while writing his stories in order to avoid censorship.
He started writing in 1978 and his works include: Xia Riluo (夏日落), Serve the People (为人民服务), Enjoyment (受活), and
Dream of Ding Village (丁庄梦). He has also published more than ten volumes of short stories including the winner of the Lu Xun Literary Prize in 2000,
Nian Yue Ri (年月日). Enjoyment, which was published in 2004, received wide acclaim in China, garnering the 3rd Lao She
Literature Award in the novel category. His literature has been published in various nations, and some of his works have been banned in China.
, Henan Province, China. Though he lives in Beijing, he has said that his heart remains in Henan, and he has based numerous works on life in Henan, including Dream of Ding Village. He entered the army in 1978. He graduated from Henan University
in 1985 with a degree in politics and education. In 1991, he graduated from the People's Liberation Army Art Institute with a degree in Literature.
in 1944 when he wrote an article:"To Serve The People
", to commemorate the death of a red army soldier Zhang Si-De (张思德). In that article Mao said:" To die for the benefit of the people, is more important than Tai mountain; working for the fascists and dying for those who oppress and exploit the people, that death would be lighter than a feather. Comrade Zhang Si-De died for the benefit of the people, so his death is heavier than Tai mountain."
During the Cultural Revolution
, this article was required reading for millions of Chinese; it was also one of the Three Old Articles(老三篇). "To serve the people" became one of the most popular slogans of all times, even being used today. However, there was evidence suggested by author Jung Chang
's book Mao: The Unknown Story
, indicating that Comrade Zhang Si-De was in fact killed while processing raw opium when the kiln collapsed on him.
To serve the people.马克思，恩格斯，列宁，斯大林，毛泽东 下方文字： 为人民服务 ——毛泽东]]
Yan Lianke used Mao's phrase "To Serve the People" for the name of his novel, which contains vivid and colorful descriptions of sex scenes, resulting in extensive controversy when it was featured in 2005 in a magazine "Flower City". The Chinese government ordered the publisher to stop the release of 30,000 copies of the magazine, which in turn created huge demand for the novel.
The storyline is similar to D. H. Lawrence
's Lady Chatterley's Lover
: the younger wife (32 yrs) of an old and impotent army general (52 yrs), begins to seduce a soldier (28 yrs), assigned to do the domestic chores for the general. During a three-day run of sex, the soldier runs out of energy. They discovered that when he smashes a bust items with Mao Zedong
's image, he can get aroused again. Afterward they smash or deface all of the Mao imagery in their residence to prove their love for each other. The story's background, the Cultural Revolution
, means the main characters are fully aware of the consequences of smashing Mao's statues: death by firing squad.
The novel was banned by the Chinese government at least partially because of its depiction of items related to Mao Zedong and political issues. It has been translated into French, Danish, German, and English.
sufferers with almost no outside help. To get first hand knowledge about the subject, Yan Lianke visited AIDS sufferers, eventually seven times, and even lived with villagers for periods of time. Dream of Ding Village has been compared with Albert Camus
' The Plague
(1947), sometimes called the Chinese version of The Plague.
In 2005, it was chosen for The Best Ten Books Award by Yazhou Zhoukan
亞洲週刊, a popular weekly magazine published in Hong Kong. It was longlisted for the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize
.
Dream of Ding Village was published in Hong Kong at 2006, where it was again banned by the Chinese government. The reasons put forward were its use of "dark descriptions, to exaggerate the harm and fear of AIDS".
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. His work is highly satirical, which has resulted in some of his most renowned works being banned.
He has admitted to self-censorship while writing his stories in order to avoid censorship.
He started writing in 1978 and his works include: Xia Riluo (夏日落), Serve the People (为人民服务), Enjoyment (受活), and
Dream of Ding Village (丁庄梦). He has also published more than ten volumes of short stories including the winner of the Lu Xun Literary Prize in 2000,
Nian Yue Ri (年月日). Enjoyment, which was published in 2004, received wide acclaim in China, garnering the 3rd Lao She
Lao She
Shu Qingchun , better known by his pen name Lao She was a notable Chinese writer. A novelist and dramatist, he was one of the most significant figures of 20th century Chinese literature, and is perhaps best known for his novel Rickshaw Boy and the play Teahouse . He was of Manchu ethnicity...
Literature Award in the novel category. His literature has been published in various nations, and some of his works have been banned in China.
Life
Yan Lianke was born in Song CountySong County
Song County is a county of Luoyang City, Henan Province, China . It was the first capital of China during the Xia Dynasty.-External links:*...
, Henan Province, China. Though he lives in Beijing, he has said that his heart remains in Henan, and he has based numerous works on life in Henan, including Dream of Ding Village. He entered the army in 1978. He graduated from Henan University
Henan University
Henan University is a public university in Kaifeng, Henan, China.-History:Founded in 1912, Henan University is one of the oldest universities in China. It was originally named the Preparatory School for Further Study in Europe and America...
in 1985 with a degree in politics and education. In 1991, he graduated from the People's Liberation Army Art Institute with a degree in Literature.
To Serve the People
This phrase was coined by Mao ZedongMao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
in 1944 when he wrote an article:"To Serve The People
Serve the People
"Serve the People" or "Service for the People" is a political slogan which first appeared in Mao-era China. It originates from the title of a speech by Mao Zedong, delivered on September 8, 1944. The slogan was also widely used in the United States by students and youth during the Asian American...
", to commemorate the death of a red army soldier Zhang Si-De (张思德). In that article Mao said:" To die for the benefit of the people, is more important than Tai mountain; working for the fascists and dying for those who oppress and exploit the people, that death would be lighter than a feather. Comrade Zhang Si-De died for the benefit of the people, so his death is heavier than Tai mountain."
During the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, this article was required reading for millions of Chinese; it was also one of the Three Old Articles(老三篇). "To serve the people" became one of the most popular slogans of all times, even being used today. However, there was evidence suggested by author Jung Chang
Jung Chang
Jung Chang is a Chinese-born British writer now living in London, best known for her family autobiography Wild Swans, selling over 10 million copies worldwide but banned in the People's Republic of China....
's book Mao: The Unknown Story
Mao: The Unknown Story
Mao: The Unknown Story is a 2005 biography of Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong written by the husband and wife team of writer Jung Chang and historian Jon Halliday, and depicts Mao as being responsible for more deaths in peacetime than Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin.In conducting their research...
, indicating that Comrade Zhang Si-De was in fact killed while processing raw opium when the kiln collapsed on him.
To serve the people.马克思，恩格斯，列宁，斯大林，毛泽东 下方文字： 为人民服务 ——毛泽东]]
Yan Lianke used Mao's phrase "To Serve the People" for the name of his novel, which contains vivid and colorful descriptions of sex scenes, resulting in extensive controversy when it was featured in 2005 in a magazine "Flower City". The Chinese government ordered the publisher to stop the release of 30,000 copies of the magazine, which in turn created huge demand for the novel.
The storyline is similar to D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
's Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover is a novel by D. H. Lawrence, first published in 1928. The first edition was printed privately in Florence, Italy with assistance from Pino Orioli; it could not be published openly in the United Kingdom until 1960...
: the younger wife (32 yrs) of an old and impotent army general (52 yrs), begins to seduce a soldier (28 yrs), assigned to do the domestic chores for the general. During a three-day run of sex, the soldier runs out of energy. They discovered that when he smashes a bust items with Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's image, he can get aroused again. Afterward they smash or deface all of the Mao imagery in their residence to prove their love for each other. The story's background, the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, means the main characters are fully aware of the consequences of smashing Mao's statues: death by firing squad.
The novel was banned by the Chinese government at least partially because of its depiction of items related to Mao Zedong and political issues. It has been translated into French, Danish, German, and English.
Dream of Ding Village
Another award winning novel by Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding Village (丁庄梦), is about an extremely sad and heavy subject: AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
sufferers with almost no outside help. To get first hand knowledge about the subject, Yan Lianke visited AIDS sufferers, eventually seven times, and even lived with villagers for periods of time. Dream of Ding Village has been compared with Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
' The Plague
The Plague
The Plague is a novel by Albert Camus, published in 1947, that tells the story of medical workers finding solidarity in their labour as the Algerian city of Oran is swept by a plague. It asks a number of questions relating to the nature of destiny and the human condition...
(1947), sometimes called the Chinese version of The Plague.
In 2005, it was chosen for The Best Ten Books Award by Yazhou Zhoukan
Yazhou Zhoukan
Yazhou Zhoukan , literally as "Asia Weekly", is the only Chinese language international affairs newsweekly which has been published for over 20 years...
亞洲週刊, a popular weekly magazine published in Hong Kong. It was longlisted for the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize
Man Asian Literary Prize
The Man Asian Literary Prize, founded in 2007, is an annual literary award given to the best novel by an Asian writer, either written in English or translated into English, and published in the previous calendar year...
.
Dream of Ding Village was published in Hong Kong at 2006, where it was again banned by the Chinese government. The reasons put forward were its use of "dark descriptions, to exaggerate the harm and fear of AIDS".
Awards
- 2000 Lu Xun Award for "Nian Yue Ri" (《年月日》)
- 2005 Lao She Award for "Enjoyment" (《受活》)
- 2005 Asia Weekly 10 Best Novels award for "Dream of Ding Village"