Debra Li

debra_lidan@163.com

MORE than 200 people attended a Chinese literature sharing event on the outdoor lawn of Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School in Nanshan District on Saturday evening.

The event, lasting 90 minutes, was co-organized by the school’s students and faculty and members of the Yunxiang Book Club, a coterie of literature fans in Nanshan.

During the recital, performers, most of whom were broadcasters with the school’s radio station, read chapters from local author Tu Qiao’s “Yuan Geng: A Biography,” late author Lu Yao’s “Ordinary World” and “White Deer Plain” by Chen Zhongshi.

Set against the tumultuous backdrop of China’s transformative decade from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, “Ordinary World” portrays the lives of ordinary people from diverse backgrounds. The story revolves around two brothers, Sun Shao’an and Sun Shaoping, with their humble origins in a rural area in Northwest China, perhaps based on the author’s hometown.

The themes of love, ambition and frustration are interwoven into a complex narrative depicting the characters’ daily lives against a changing social backdrop. This book that captures the arduous, winding life paths that ordinary people traversed during those eventful years has influenced millions of Chinese readers since its publication in 1986.

Set in the White Deer Village on the plains of Shaanxi Province, Chen’s “White Deer Plain,” first published in 1993, illustrates the transformations of Chinese society from the waning days of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) up until the 1970s and 1980s.

A remarkable journey unravels through the enduring feuds between two prominent families, the Bais and the Lus, as three generations of the two clans are involved in a multitude of grudges and disputes. Its captivating storyline has transcended the boundaries of literature, resulting in a movie adaptation, a television series, a play, a dance drama and a Qinqiang opera.

While the two modern classics offer a glimpse into the lives of Chinese people from the past decades, Yuan Geng’s biography feels closer to the hearts of Shenzheners, as this pioneer of China’s reform and opening up has left an indelible mark in Shenzhen.

Yuan helped set up the Shekou Industrial Zone and played a major role in establishing China Merchants Bank, the country’s first joint-stock commercial bank, in 1987 and Ping An, the first commercial insurance company in 1988.

These works contain plenty of dramatic dialogues and scenarios which make perfect choices for reading out and sharing on the stage, as they can arouse the audience’s interest. This is according to Sophia, an expat at the event.

“I didn’t expect the event to be such fun, and the performers did an excellent job bringing out the drama in the narratives,” she said, adding that she would certainly attend future literary sharing events organized by the school.

With scenes from the adapted movies projected onto three big screens, the audiences were treated to a visual feast with live audio performances. After the readings, they were also given the opportunity to discuss the contents of the books with literary fans of the Yunxiang Book Club.

Peng Rong, leader of the club, said the club has always explored innovative ways to promote reading. “We wish that reading can play a part in changing and enriching the lives of ordinary people. Such an event also encourages them to express themselves with confidence,” Peng said.

The event, sponsored by the Nanshan Federation of Literary and Art Circles, is one of a series of Shenzhen Reading Month events in the district.