Spring 2018 Events

Modern Chinese Literature: A Conversation with Yan Lianke and Ji Jin

​On April 9, 2018, students and scholars at Harvard University enjoyed the wonderful opportunity to have a conversation with the world-renowned and award-winning writer Yan Lianke and Professor Ji Jin. The students and scholars posed various polemical and critical questions to Yan and were able to solicit humorous, candid and highly informative answers from the writer. During the conversation, scholars particularly expressed concern regarding the future of young writers—born in the 1980s and 1990s—in China. Moreover, Yan has revealed the obstacles that he has encountered in recent years, with regard to the quality and quantity of his own creative work. Moreover, he also repeatedly underscored the importance and relevance of literary criticism and the critical role it plays in providing genuine and truthful opinions for writers. The two-hour conversation ended on a cordial and reflective tone.