Shanghai Stories (Her and Her Story)

Author: Zhang Haoyin (USA)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-03-01
Features: That summer, I was unemployed at home. A friend wrote to me, "What should I write?" So I started typing thousands of words every day on a BBS called "Laughing and Smiling." This interactive writing style was completely different from the usual solitary writing experience—it was like being thrown on stage for a solo performance. Gradually, shaped by applause, laughter, and sighs, it evolved into what it is today; it is a story of sorrow and helplessness, condensing the shadows and hearts of many people, and perhaps even some coincidental experiences of an unknown you. Long ago, I thought I had become someone who no longer believed in love. But this novel, in the process of its creation, made me become a believer in love again. It needs to be explained that the phrase "Accompany You to Dawn" in the text is similar to the real-life phrase "Accompany You to Dawn," which led many readers to ask me if it was the private life of a famous female announcer. In fact, it's simple—I wanted to be a announcer, so I had the protagonist in the novel fulfill that dream for me. As promised, when the novel was published, I would write: "For a group of girls full of sunshine, laughter, and wisdom, for their 'Laughing and Smiling.'"
"Is there really a Meirui in this world? By chance, I saw Shanghai Memories online, and I couldn't sleep for three days and three nights. Meirui couldn't just disappear like this—unless she is no longer in this world. If I were An, I would never let her leave my life, no matter how far apart we are, no matter how many light-years separate us, I would find her back. Thinking about it, this is ultimately a helpless love. If one can shed worldly prejudices, An and Meirui could have been the happiest people in the world, but how many people can truly transcend such constraints? That's why there are so many ordinary marriages, and this principle has long been pointed out by countless people. Only after repeatedly questioning in the dark and uncertain did I realize that a simple and composed life is true."—Weiqi
That summer, I was unemployed at home. A friend wrote to me, "What should I write?" So I started typing thousands of words every day on a BBS called "Laughing and Smiling." This interactive writing style was completely different from the usual solitary writing experience—it was like being thrown on stage for a solo performance. Gradually, shaped by applause, laughter, and sighs, it evolved into what it is today; it is a story of sorrow and helplessness, condensing the shadows and hearts of many people, and perhaps even some coincidental experiences of an unknown you. Long ago, I thought I had become someone who no longer believed in love. But this novel, in the process of its creation, made me become a believer in love again. It needs to be explained that the phrase "Accompany You to Dawn" in the text is similar to the real-life phrase "Accompany You to Dawn," which led many readers to ask me if it was the private life of a famous female announcer. In fact, it's simple—I wanted to be a announcer, so I had the protagonist in the novel fulfill that dream for me. As promised, when the novel was published, I would write: "For a group of girls full of sunshine, laughter, and wisdom, for their 'Laughing and Smiling.'"