Lilac Garden

Author: Zhao Mei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-05-01
Features: Since the 1980s, with the development of China's reform and opening-up, the impact and influence of global literary trends, contemporary Chinese literature has undergone unprecedented changes and growth. As the primary of this transformation, the landscape of contemporary Chinese literature has shifted from closed to open, from singular to diverse, from narrow to expansive, with unique choices giving way to a multitude of options. Realism remains the mainstream of contemporary Chinese literature, but alongside it, various artistic explorations and experiments have emerged, creating a multifaceted artistic landscape in the field of contemporary Chinese literature. Despite interference and even constraints, the artistic creativity of writers and the overall productivity of literature have indeed achieved unprecedented liberation and development. Looking back at the changes and growth of Chinese literature since the 1980s, we are filled with deep nostalgia, but we place even greater hope in the coming decades of the 20th century and the longer span of the 21st century. We believe that future literature will undoubtedly undergo further, better, and more significant transformations and developments. Cross-Century Literary Collection was born at the intersection of two centuries. It will integrate the new achievements of 20th-century literature, particularly the transformations of Chinese literature since the 1980s, to bridge the past and the future and contribute its modest efforts to shaping the new landscape of 21st-century Chinese literature. It will herald the dawn of the new century's literature. Cross-Century Literary Collection will be inclusive, regularly releasing new creative works by contemporary Chinese writers, primarily in fiction but also including essays, poetry, (literary non-fiction), and literary essays. Without regard to the fame or ranking of the authors, the length of the works, as long as they are creative achievements, will be appropriately accepted. Cross-Century Literary Collection will be rooted in the present while looking to the future, upholding the tradition of realism in Chinese literature while advocating openness, exploration, and diversity. In its selection criteria, it will adhere to the principle of combining aesthetics and history, valuing both literary merit and the cultural depth, historical significance, and intellectual impact of the works. It will emphasize artistic innovation while also considering the reading needs and expectations of the audience.