Flower Season Rain Season Series - Yu Xi and Flower Season. Rain Season

Author: Yu Xiu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-10-01
Features: The book "Yu Xiu and A Time of Flowers and Rain" has finally been published after more than a year of preparation. If A Time of Flowers and Rain was her own bold venture, then this book is one that she was forced out under the inevitable urging. The impact and popularity that A Time of Flowers and Rain generated after its publication were beyond our expectations: it became a bestseller at the 7th National Book Fair, was serialized in newspapers and selected for magazine publications, broadcasted on radio stations from the central government to local levels, adapted into movies and TV dramas, and even turned into several picture books and cartoons. The novel also won numerous awards, with the most notable being nominations for the "Five One Project" Award and the National Book Award. Behind her fame, however, came many speculations and questions: Was it really written by a 16-year-old girl? Or was it ghostwritten by her parents? At first, I dismissed these doubts, thinking that everyone would understand the content of the novel and that adults could not write from a child's perspective and voice. The language was also unique to contemporary high school students in Shenzhen, and in many places, I still found it difficult to comprehend. But one person's silence cannot drown out the voices of many; doubts remained. In today's world where counterfeit goods are everywhere, it is not surprising that someone would raise such questions. However, there were two instances that deeply affected me and made me take the matter seriously.
The first was a reporter from the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, Ms. Huang Hanqing, who wrote an article about A Time of Flowers and Rain and asked me to verify its content and provide some photos of Yu Xiu. She had once worked at Shenzhen University and was a familiar face, so we chatted casually after I finished explaining the novel's creation process. After I spoke, she said sincerely, "Before hearing your explanation, I had some doubts about whether an adult wrote it, but now I understand completely." Her doubts resolved, I couldn't help but wonder: if even someone as familiar as her had questions, what about others?
The second was at Yu Xiu's alma mater, Yucai High School. One afternoon, the school held a symposium on A Time of Flowers and Rain, and the principal insisted that I attend and speak. Reluctantly, I shared the novel's creation process and some reader feedback, then invited the students to ask questions. The students were very thoughtful and raised many questions. The one that stuck with me the most was from a male student who asked directly, "What role did the parents play in the creation of this novel?" After I answered his question thoughtfully, he smiled with satisfaction. Through this experience, I realized that many people must share similar doubts, and it was important to share the true story of how Yu Xiu created A Time of Flowers and Rain in a proper way, so readers wouldn't be left with uncertainties.
In April 1997, an editor from Zhejiang People's Publishing House wrote to me suggesting the publication of a book about Yu Xiu and A Time of Flowers and Rain. At the same time, an editor from Hai Tian Publishing House, Kuang Ting, was also working on a similar project, and the title of this book, Yu Xiu and A Time of Flowers and Rain, was suggested by him. I thought this was a great way to address some readers' doubts. Of course, the main purpose of this book was to satisfy the many readers who wanted to learn more about Yu Xiu and A Time of Flowers and Rain.
After the novel's publication, it received an enormous response from readers and widespread praise. Symposia were held in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Beijing, with each event larger and more highly regarded than the last. Readers flooded us with letters and calls, asking about Yu Xiu's current status, the writing process, her views on her work, and her future plans. This posed a challenge for us.
Yu Xiu completed her studies at Shenzhen University and, according to the joint program agreement, went to the United States in the fall of 1995 to continue her education. She later transferred to a university in California and is still a student today. To ensure she had a peaceful study environment, we only gave her a general idea of the commotion at home and the praise and awards she received, fearing it would distract her from her studies. Many readers requested Yu Xiu's contact information, but we had to politely refuse. Numerous media outlets sent reporters to interview her or request articles about Yu Xiu and A Time of Flowers and Rain. With no other choice, my wife and I stepped in to handle some of the interviews and writing.
It has been almost two years since the novel's publication, and Yu Xiu has never appeared in the media or published a single word. Despite receiving so many awards and the deep affection of readers, even with her busy studies, she should at least make an appearance to thank them and answer their concerns. But she is studying in the U.S. and cannot return—what could we do? A suitable solution was to gather readers' questions and send them to her in the U.S., asking her to answer them in her spare time. This led to the "Q&A with Readers" section of this book. She then continued to write the second and third parts, "My A Time of Flowers and Rain" and "After A Time of Flowers and Rain—Three Years in the U.S.", which form the main body of this book.
Many readers also wanted to know more about Yu Xiu's past. I selected over 20 of her old diaries, shared them with others for feedback, and received positive responses, so they were included in this book. While writing about herself, she inevitably faced some limitations and shortcomings, so we added an appendix with several articles introducing Yu Xiu and reviewing A Time of Flowers and Rain. At the readers' request, some photos of Yu Xiu were also included in the book.
I hope the above content meets the readers' expectations. As Yu Xiu's father and a teacher myself, I also want to take this opportunity to address the readers, especially my fellow middle school students. First, thank you all. A Time of Flowers and Rain was written primarily for you, and I appreciate your care for Yu Xiu and her work. I know many of you love literature and have a strong desire to create. What should you do? My advice is to focus on writing diaries, weekly logs, travel essays, prose, sketches, and short stories—avoid rushing into writing long novels, as both time and energy are not infinite. Yu Xiu's success had many factors, and she spent years working on A Time of Flowers and Rain. Even though the novel succeeded, how many middle school students achieve success when writing long novels? That's why she doesn't encourage middle school students to write long ones. The key in middle school is to build a solid foundation. If you are truly sensitive to literature and have special feelings, once you have a strong knowledge base and enough material, won't young you have plenty of opportunities to create satisfying works?
Due to the time constraints and limitations of various conditions, I fear this book may not fully meet expectations. I sincerely hope everyone will understand and provide valuable feedback so we can improve it for future editions.