CYTC Outstanding Series: Writer-in-Residence, Famous Chinese Writer Ms. Wang Anyi
Ms. Wang Anyi, one of the most important contemporary fiction writers in China, visited Cheng Yu Tung College (CYTC) as the Writer-in-Residence from March 29th to April 2nd . Ms. Wang held one public talk and 2 fiction writing workshops. The talk “The World of Fiction” was successfully held in the evening of 31st , attracting over 120 staff and students to come. 2 fiction writing workshops were conducted on March 29th and April 1st.
In the public talk, Ms. Wang shared lots of her childhood stories and talked about her connection with Shanghai which was the city she grew up, having the complex feelings attached to it and then became her material of fiction writing. There was a 30-minute QA session after the talk. One student asked Ms. Wang if her work would consider or please the need and taste of the market. “I write and I read a lot. If I could be satisfied with my own work, I believe my readers will too,” said by Ms. Wang. Ms. Wang held 2 workshops with 12 student writers, tutoring students’ writing skills and encouraging them to read more. She was impressed that none of the student writers is a Chinese literature major but still did a good job.
Ms. Wang’s works include novels, novelettes, short stories, essays and children’s books, including Documentary and Fiction, Song of Everlasting Sorrow, An Era of Sorrow, The Virgin Egg, An Era of Hermitage, Speaking to Myself, Sister Dear, Fu Ping, Romance and Love in Hong Kong, Ordination, Modern Living, Battle for Middle Street, The Gallant Maid, Story of the Uncle, Ruthless Heroes, Caltrop atop, Lotus root below, An Era of Enlightenment and others. Many of her works have been translated into different languages including English, German, Dutch, French, Czech, Japanese, Korean and Hebrew. Her most well-known novel, Song of Everlasting Sorrow, was recognized with a number of awards including the 4th Shanghai Literary and Arts Awards, the 5th Mao Dun Literary Prize, and the first Hua Zong Literary Award organized by Sin Chew Daily. The Song of Everlasting Sorrow traces the life story of a young Shanghainese girl from the 1940s till her death after the Cultural Revolution. Although the book was published in 1995, it is already considered by many as a modern classic. The other famous work, Scent of Heaven also won the 4th Dream of the Red Chamber Award.