Frontier Bookshelf: Drink big, talk small

Author: Zuiyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Cutting-edge Bookshelf. A pioneer of alternative Chinese writing, China's most exciting column series. Zuiyu's life motto is one he wrote himself, concise and to the point: "Aside from alcohol, there is no passion in life." This motto suits his pen name "Zuiyu" and his "life like a barrel of wine" (name of a web collection), and it also allows him to pour alcohol into his words without restraint. Thus, in Zuiyu's essays, not only is there "alcohol," but often the alcohol content exceeds the limit, making it a typical case of "writing too high." And this is precisely the kind of writing I love: it has a drunken demeanor, a frenzied energy, a flushed face, and is unrestrained to the point of madness.
I once read a short essay by Zuiyu titled "A Letter to My Father," and the last line reads: "I think I'll go home tomorrow and bring my father two bottles of good wine. Get the old man drunk first!" Honestly, this line, which is clearly "written too high," is so captivating. In this cold and indifferent world, I would say that such "high" writing is already rare.