Design Death

Author: Yu Hongsheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features: Contemporary Chinese detective fiction exhibits the following trends:
1. Boldly ( is not translated), portraying major events of various periods and the diverse life in the transitional period of social transformation. Examples include Haiyan's Plainclothes Police, Wang Yaping's Detective Team Leader, and Li Di's The Woman Who Knocked at the Evening Door.
2. Emphasizing character description and personality development, showcasing the wisdom, courage, and unwavering loyalty of guardians of society and the law. Examples include Chen Zhongping in Wang Yaping's works, Situ Chuan in Chang Baohua's, Liangzi in Li Di's, and Sang Chu in Lan Ma's. These popular characters demonstrate that China's Sherlock Holmes has emerged from literature.
3. Contemporary detective fiction also focuses on the psychological analysis of criminals and the exploration of human nature. Examples include Zheng Bingnan's The Man in the Game, Xiu Lairong's The Secret of the Detective, Cao Zhengwen's The Purple Temptation, Chen Tiejun's Passionate Murder, and He Jiahong's The Mad Woman.
This competition thoroughly reviewed the state of contemporary Chinese detective fiction, revealing that it not only has a large volume and wide range of themes but also broad expressive fields and diverse styles. It has preliminarily formed several schools, including classical tradition, modern thriller, social issue, psychological analysis, strong reasoning, science fiction detective, and children's detective. The emergence of these different styles and schools indicates that contemporary Chinese detective fiction is moving toward maturity. The series of Unicorn Library we are publishing is selected from the works of outstanding writers in this competition. It is the first authoritative showcase of detective fiction works since the founding of New China.
It should be noted that to allow readers to fully appreciate and understand the various styles and schools of contemporary Chinese original detective fiction, we have selected as many writer works as possible. The six volumes of the Human Library all consist of short and medium-length works, including short and medium-length works by long-form winning authors, while outstanding long-form works will be considered for separate compilation. At the end of the sixth volume, a list of all winning works and the composition of the competition jury will be included to help readers understand the full scope of the competition.
Table of Contents:
Awakening from a Dream
The Story of a Mirror
Lightning and Thunder
A "Shadow" as Fierce as an Eagle
A Love Affair with a Gluttonous Beast
The Black Bat · The White Bat
Designing Death
The Horse Thief
Futile Refusal to Confess