Panda

Author: Mian Mian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: In Panda, there is not only a television with a sci-fi vibe, but also a futuristic new dynamic between men and women. A perfumer creates a fragrance called China Underground, and there is even a Panda Virus. It is said that pandas only mate twice a year, which inspired Mian Mian to propose the concept of Panda. She specifically explains that urban pandas are not sexually repressed and are not people who have lost interest in love. On the contrary, Panda is a deeply heartfelt work—it is a bow of gratitude to the readers she loves! Panda employs a novel narrative technique, with almost the entire text consisting of dialogue, minimal descriptive language, and very few adjectives. Within the fiction, there is further fiction, mixed with ninety images and the Shanghai Special Tourist Guide. Most of the images are by Zhuang Jie, a "famous player" in Shanghai's nightlife, taken during parties and later selected by Mian Mian as "still shots." For her return to the literary world, Mian Mian requests that all interviewers not call her a "beautiful writer" or even a "female writer," not discuss "body writing" with her, and not interview her without having read her books. As for the literature she loves, Mian Mian says: Traditional novel writing has become outdated for me. For me, the greatest charm of fiction lies in its, and I have retained only the, discarding everything else. Because we need to stay in the "heat of the moment" and always maintain "freshness." As for the love she has always cherished, Mian Mian says: Love, men, art, money—they are all the same. They won’t tell you anything; they will only show you colors at important places. Love is my eternal theme. I was born into this world because of love, and I will ultimately find freedom because of love. "Only when I am dead can we determine whether I love you. Until then, we must be comfortable. If you love me, you must accept that I often need to be high alone." A young Shanghai couple allows each other to have "third parties," and this "perfectly open relationship" lasts for ten years. One afternoon, they go from place to place, playing the game of "story" at each location, using fiction to speculate about each other’s uncertain "private lives." The story features parties one after another, both private and public. Every girl in the story talks about Miami Beach, and every girl has a special relationship with the male protagonist. There are six girls in the story, and together, five of them make up the sixth. This is China’s first true "urban novel." At the end of the game, a virus appears—one who contracts it can only have sex twice a year. The couple eventually arrives exhausted at an artificial tropical storm beach. The woman says: Destruction is like a swimming pool without walls. The man says: Your smile is a virus I don’t want to share with strangers.