LONDON — The English versions of two major fictions by renowned contemporary Chinese writers Jia Pingwa and Jiang Zilong debuted on Wednesday in London.
The two books, Broken Wings and Empires of Dust, were published by ACA Publishing Ltd., a British publishing house producing China-focused publications.
Wang Ying, ACA director, told Xinhua that both books offer English-language readers an insight into how the seismic socio-economic changes over the last few decades had impacted the lives of ordinary people in the Chinese countryside.
Broken Wings by Jia Pingwa is the story of a young Chinese woman named Butterfly who is trafficked into sexual slavery in a remote village. A harrowing tale, the story was told in the first person and explores the issue of how investment in Chinese cities has resulted in a decline in rural areas, with women, money and resources all moving away.
Jia is one of China's most prolific and popular authors.
Empires of Dust by Jiang Zilong examines the changes in China's rural development from the 1950s through to the early 21st century. It's a rags-to-riches tale of a kind-hearted, hard-working and entrepreneurial peasant who starts a business making coffins and eventually becomes extremely wealthy. In the process, he also lifts his fellow villagers out of poverty.
In China, Jiang is known as the pioneer of "reform literature" focusing on the country's reform and opening up which began in the late 1970s.
The two books make up part of ACA Publishing's 2019 catalogue, which features some of the best of contemporary Chinese fiction and non-fiction books.
