Mom, my finger poked

Author: Chen Yishui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: Unlike the current popular youth literature ambassadors such as Han Han and Guo Jingming, she doesn’t pretend to be cool, unconventional, or shocking. Instead, she faces life truthfully and seeks her own aspirations. This is dedicated to the authentic majority. Over the years, I’ve read many writings by young writers, but rarely have I encountered such clear and simple words as Chen Yishui’s. She seeks neither flamboyance nor just a clean and practical expression. There is no exaggerated embellishment, no forced emotional outpouring, no illusory sorrow, or senseless autumnal mood about life. Everything comes from the heart, from genuine personal experiences. Even in fictional writing, she doesn’t attract attention with noise, extravagance, recklessness, or boundless wandering. Yet, her words still show a certain talent, revealing her literary prowess at every turn. I think this is a commendable beginning for her. – Cao Wenxuan
Han Han is a rebel against the education system, and we are the rebels under the education system. Han Han is probably like a meat-eating bull, and in the end, he might even be eaten by wolves. And what about us? We are just like those grass-eating bulls, destined to be eaten by wolves. People say that rebellion is the textbook of youth, and being unconventional is the synonym for youth. Standing at the crossroads of eighteen, a casual glance back reveals a series of clear footprints, gradually fading with memory. I can’t bear to see youth slipping away, so I’ve strung them together into a book. There is no frantic rock music rhythm, no lazy guitar strumming, just the ordinary days of class and after class recorded, the sincere emotions of loving home, the dreamlike yet real imaginative world presented, and the social insights gained from observing people and events. Youth doesn’t need decoration or embellishment. On the road to the future, I hope to let me and my peers wear a simple, unadorned youth jacket.