The extraordinary world of the ordinary

Four years ago, Malaysian writer Li Zishu published her full-length novel Liu Su Di (Worldly Land) on the Chinese mainland. Its ongoing popularity has sparked much interest in Sinophone Malaysian literature — literary works written in Chinese by Malaysian authors — a niche genre that offers Chinese readers an alternative perspective on their cultural roots and traditions.

Although other Malaysian writers such as Ng Kim Chew and Chang Kuei-hsing have explored themes such as the trauma experienced by the Chinese diaspora, the community's Chinese identity within the multicultural society of Malaysia, and Malaysian history and politics, their works have often adopted a magic realist style, focusing on the tropical country's rainforests, rubber plantations, animals and damp weather.

However, Li, who has been part of the literary circle for three decades and has won major Sinophone Malaysian literary awards, has adopted a more realistic approach that is closer to daily life to write something true to her mind and will. Liu Su Di was completed and published in 2020, a full decade after her previous full-length work, The Age of Goodbyes.

According to Han Jingqun, editor-in-chief of Beijing October Arts and Literature Publishing House, the novel's publisher on the Chinese mainland, more than 250,000 copies have been sold since the release of this simplified Chinese version in 2021. More than 33,000 readers have rated the work 9.2 out of 10 on the review site Douban. Another 100,000 users have expressed their interest in reading it.

Worldly Land tells the story of a visually impaired woman, Gu Yinxia, and the people around her. It is interwoven with the vicissitudes of the Chinese community in Malaysian society over the past half-century. All the characters, from different races and cultural backgrounds, live in a high-rise apartment building of some 300 households in a city called Xidu(City of Tin), modeled after Li's hometown Ipoh, a northern Malaysian mountain city.

Chen Yucheng, one of the book's editors, says Li has delivered a grounded piece of writing that is sincere and authentic. The language is evocative and exudes a rare empathy for the novel's characters, settings and emotions. Half a century flows like a stream, touching the hearts of ordinary folk.

"Each individual's rise and fall is infused with the author's careful reflection on history, a distanced observation of contemporary politics and a complex exploration of the ethnic identity of the overseas Chinese," he says.

Unexpected popularity

David Der-wei Wang, a professor of Chinese literature at Harvard University, writes in the work's preface that Ipoh, known for its tin mines, attracted waves of Chinese immigrants in the mid-19th century, and this gave birth to a rich Chinese culture.

Meanwhile, the city is characterized by its multicultural society where Malays, Indians, Indonesians, Chinese and Bangladeshis live together.

Wang says Li has adopted a gentler style of writing compared to her earlier works to highlight little-known aspects of inclusivity and empathy in her reflections on the Chinese community in Malaysian society.

"Li has injected a rare warmth into contemporary Sinophone Malaysian literature," Wang writes.

Li did not expect her Sinophone work to be so popular in China. She has been traveling frequently to the country to give lectures, attend seminars and exchange ideas with industry insiders.

She serves on the jury of this year's Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize, co-organized by Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain and Chinese publisher Imaginist. The annual award recognizes a Chinese writer under 45 and comes with a cash prize of 300,000 yuan ($42,000) and a Blancpain watch. The winner will be announced in October.

Worldly Land has also inspired enthusiastic readers to travel to Ipoh to visit the places described in the novel and share photos and vlogs on social media platforms. Some of these posts have received thousands of likes.

However, at this year's Beijing International Book Fair in June, Li said her popularity in China did not extend to her home country, where the Chinese language is seldom part of the mainstream.

"If someone decides to write in Chinese in Malaysia, it is purely out of a love for writing and the Chinese language," she says.

"You must write without regret or complaint. Otherwise, you will be consumed by frustration, lamenting the limited readership or the few publishers willing to release your work. We are aware of this situation."

The speech she gave in June was fittingly titled "A Craft on an Ocean: Sinophone Malaysian Literature Through My Eyes", echoing Wang's view that Chinese literature has, amid the anxiety expressed by the Sinophone Malaysian community about the survival and continuity of Chinese culture, demonstrated remarkable resilience despite the impact of new media.

Li says: "Although Worldly Land is not a blockbuster, it continues to sell well even today, several years after its release. This phenomenon brings me great comfort, and I hope this novel will outlast me, the author."

She adds that she is touched by the recognition it has received from readers and their willingness to recommend the book to others. "As a Sinophone Malaysian writer, it often feels like being a lone craft in a vast ocean, with few to hear my calls. Yet, unexpectedly, I have encountered a large ship full of readers who are there to support me, offering (me) a place to dock and a helping hand. I believe this is just the beginning."

Li says she is planning a collection of short stories about immigrant communities.

Meanwhile, the wild popularity of Worldly Land has prompted Li not only to explore ways to increase the exposure of her fellow writers to potential publishers in China, but also to reflect on the literary genre from a broader perspective.