Dirty

Author: Hei Tiancai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The Filthy is a novel depicting a man who lives freely yet struggles at the bottom of society. This group of people lives in a garbage dump called Xianghe Li on the city's edge, surviving by picking through trash. The "I" who chose to roam solely for the sake of freedom was taken in and joined this family of wanderers. Navigating through the bonds of brotherhood and enmity, he thrived until falling in love with a "concubine." Later, it was revealed that this concubine was the one who, in the story's climax, brutally beat the "I," leaving him for dead. After surviving, he discovered that the lively, warm-hearted Xianghe Li no longer existed, reduced to a true wasteland. The "I" could only continue to roam, waiting to stay in any place where there was "gold."
The term "80th Generation" originally referred to a group of writers born between 1980 and 1989. While the quality of their novels may vary, their writing styles are undoubtedly diverse. The publishing industry and media have adopted this label for this group. Wenhui Publishing House has just released the 80th Generation Ecological Literature Series, featuring five debut works. Hei Tiancai and Feng Tao, who wander the world and rely solely on the internet for communication, are among the authors. Hei Tiancai's The Filthy records his firsthand experience of life on the road. Today, he is teaching at a rural primary school in Anhui. As he writes in the novel: "I can only keep wandering, waiting to stay in any place where there is gold."
Feng Tao, the author of The Key in the Sunlight on the Railings, was once a music enthusiast who chose writing after graduation. Today, he lives quietly in the suburbs of Hangzhou, penning stories that burn within him. After finishing each part, he walks from south to north, enduring a form of self-torture to witness the world as he sees it. The Scoundrel Under the Sun roars with the frustration, helplessness, and self-mockery that arise after the collapse of a sacred life ideal. The Embers of Firework is strewn with fragments of youthful love, as they all leave after coming to terms with their pain, yet the lingering confusion of youth still follows them. Lily Grows Wings and Flies is the only work by a female author among the five, exuding purity and beauty. It tells the love story of a dance girl who has lost the ability to speak, like a lily that blooms in the dark night, ultimately illuminating the hearts of those who wander and struggle in the darkness with its pure white light.
Indeed, these five works are filled with the clumsiness of beginners, even with flaws, but you cannot ignore the expression of life at the margins of China, its micro-level, and its raw, authentic flavor. Nor can you remain unmoved by their expression. They are obsessed with love, but this love far exceeds the physiological needs of youthful infatuation, merging with the pursuit of life. Rather than writing about the restlessness of youth, they remember the struggle of youthful life.