Village tells story of literature

Participants described the visit as an experience that brought literature to life.

"I felt I was stepping into the pages of novels I had read years ago," said Ana Jovanovic, a Serbian scholar who started reading Chinese literature at 15 and was captivated by depictions of rural life. "The surroundings in Qingxi resembled the landscapes I had imagined while reading the books."

During their journey, the Sinologists contributed signed translated editions of Chinese literary works to the newly launched Literary Shelf of Global Sinologists initiative in Qingxi. It adds to Qingxi's growing reputation as a literary village with international ties.

Zombory Klara, a Hungarian scholar, donated a 1951 Hungarian edition of Zhou's Baofeng Zhouyu (Mighty Storm), published in Budapest.

A recipient of the Special Book Award of China, she has spent over two decades studying and translating Chinese literature, including Mo Yan's Frog and Yu Hua's To Live.