Hell: An Autobiography of a Female Mannequin

Author: Chen Yuchun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-04-04
Features: This is a documentary-style novel that narrates the life and love of a live model. Lin Dai, a young and beautiful female model from a small county in Hunan, leaves her hometown due to emotional trauma and travels alone to the south. After experiencing various twists and turns, her natural beauty is discovered by a teacher at the fine arts college, leading her to embark on a career as a live model and fall in love with a male student, Tong Er, from the oil painting department. Due to societal prejudices and Lin Dai's own inferiority complex, she rejects Tong Er, who is heartbroken and leaves for France to pursue his studies. Several years later, Lin Dai is imprisoned after being charged with murder in self-defense. Will she be released? What will become of her fate? Can she and Tong Er ultimately be together? This documentary novel, with its exceptionally fresh and unique artistic approach and realistic, delicate brushwork, vividly portrays the images of a group of active live models from various universities and cultural organizations, such as Lin Dai, Chen Yang, and Bai Jingjing, revealing their little-known emotional worlds and life experiences. It also raises many thought-provoking social issues and philosophical insights about life.