The city centre’s Livraria Portuguesa (“Portuguese Bookshop”) hosted one of the segments of “The Script Road – Macau Literary Festival” yesterday, featuring an event titled “Greater Bay’s New Generation of Writers I: The Works of Wang Weilian and Zhu Shanbo.”
The event, hosted by University of Macau (UM) Prof. Yao Jingming, invited mainland Chinese authors Wang Weilian and Zhu to talk about their respective books.
Wang Weilian
Wang, associate professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, has published Chinese-language novels including “The Uncaptured Future,” “The Inner Face,” “Invading Your Room,” “The Sound of Salt Formation,” and “Life Upside Down.” Throughout his career, Wang has been the recipient of numerous literary awards, including the “Purple Gold·People’s Literature Star” award, the October Literature Award, the Flower City Literature Award, the Mao Dun Literature Newcomer Award, and the Chinese Excellent Publication Award.
During the session, Wang described himself as a “deep realist.” One of his earliest works, “Invading Your Room,” delves into the intricate relationships between the protagonist and the people living nearby, while also expanding on existential questions. Wang noted, “In my writing, I often construct a framework that resembles a dialogue between myself and the other, exploring the boundaries between subject and object.”
Some of Wang’s works explore the themes of technology and the internet. He pointed out that there is a tendency to perceive the virtual world of the internet as separate from real life. However, he stressed “that is no longer the case. We are deeply attached to every aspect of technology in today’s world.” In his work, “A Man Without Fingerprints,” Wang depicts the inconveniences faced by a person unable to utilise fingerprint technology. In his more recent work, “The Uncaptured Future,” he explores the raw and uncontrollable power of technology, which both benefits and frightens humanity.
Zhu Shanbo
Zhu, born in 1973, is a novelist and poet from Beiliu city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. His literary work includes novels such as “A Coward Biography,” “Autobiography of the Spirit of Ma Qiangzhuang,” and “Storm Warning Period.” He has also published notable collections of short stories like “Dividing the World into Two Halves,” “Soul Lessons,” and “The Wastelands of Sahle,” along with a collection of poems. Zhu’s contributions have earned him prestigious awards, including the inaugural Yudaf Prize for fiction, the 5th Lin Chin-lan Prize for Short Fiction and the 1st Ouyangshan Literature Prize.
Zhu explores the theme of loneliness in his works, particularly in “The Accompanied Woman of the Night,” (陪夜的女人) which tells the story of an elderly and ill man being cared for by a woman. Zhu noted, “After the economic reforms, many young people moved to the big cities, leaving the elderly alone in the countryside. This work delves into the emotions, sadness, and blossoming that occur when one is alone or accompanied.”
Death, inherently, is a solitary experience as people always pass away alone, Yao said. In Zhu’s “Soul Lessons,” he envisions a world after death, aiming to provide some solace for the soul. “I believe the soul is real, eternal, and unchanging. While science may not be able to explain or interpret the soul, it places the responsibility on writers to create visions of it,” Zhu insisted. He describes the writer’s existence as a lamp in the depths of the sea, illuminating the darkness that surrounds the water.
The painting exhibition titled “I’m Going to Go to the Middle of the Day” by Benjamin Kidder Hodges will continue until November 6 at Livraria Portuguesa, as well as a series of other events of the 12th Macau Literary Festival. For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/macaulitfest.
Mainland Chinese writers Wang Weilian (centre) and Zhu Shanbo (left) as well as the event’s host Yao Jingming engage in a discussion at Livraria Portuguesa yesterday. – Photo: William Chan
