Beijing doll's pursuit of freedom
(Shenzhen Daily)
Updated: 2004-08-11 09:16

Can you summarize Beijing Doll?

This is a book reflecting the lives of today's teenage girls aged between 14 and 18.

Chun Sue shown on the cover of Time's February edition. [sina/file]

Some critics posted a trademark on your novel, saying it is about a "cruel youth." How do you define the "cruel youth?"

The so-called "cruel youth" in my novel is quite different from the nostalgic youth frequently appearing in those adult movies and novels. It is also not in the least similar to the youth reflected in the lyrics of some pretendingly hysterical singers. My cruel youth is not a feeble literature concept. It is reality, real things happening in our daily life. My cruel youth is about growing up into which I wove all of my life and mood.

What is your heroine like in Beijing Doll?

She is always in a blind state of mind and in a blind, hot pursuit of everything she considers good — love, freedom, material vanity, glory and punk spirit. For every pursuit, she is always whole-hearted and pours everything into it without any hesitation.

Chun Sue takes on a more ladylike appeal. [baidu]

She quits school and stays out at night. She loses the warmness and care from the adult world because her parents are disappointed with her and give up entirely. Once pinning lots of hopes on her, now her teacher cannot understand her behaviors.

In this novel, you can experience her subtle and slight joy followed by a stronger tide of being suspicious and upset. You can feel she is so stubborn and proud but sometimes she is such a weak and inferior girl. In fact she is easily excited once she is given a little bit of encouragement. She is lost and impulsive, but her passion for ideals and freedom will never change.

Could you use brief language to describe your writing style?

I seldom use adjectives in my novel. I hope everything is simple, the simplest way of expression. I think everybody can write, but few of them can become writers. I don't think I am a writer. The most crucial thing about writing is being honest and objective.

Beijing Doll often reminds people of a previous bestseller Shanghai Baby. Why do you use such a title?

Lots of people asked me why I named my novel Beijing Doll. Some may think it is simply for creating the media frenzy. I admit that the publisher changed the name at the last minute. The original name of my book was The World of Ice. I have no choice. Sometimes we are like the products on a production line.

This year you appeared on the cover of the Asian edition of Time. You have told the media that you felt very happy. What made you so happy?

I think anyone would feel happy as long as he or she becomes the headliner not because they are the most wanted criminal. The magazine staff were well prepared before they interviewed me. They did read my novel very carefully and were serious with their work.

How do you feel being called the representative of the generation born in the 1980s?

I think the word "representative" is always connected with responsibility. I can only represent myself.

This new century has witnessed the emergence of a new generation of writers in the Chinese literature world. Born in the 1980s, and embarking on writing early from their high school years, these young writers boast a surprisingly large number of loyal readers among their peers and create sensations in literature circles, which used to be dominated by grown-ups.

Among this group of young writers, Chun Sue is a name that can never be ignored. Labelled as their representative, she, at 18, wrote her novel Beijing Doll, which turned out to be a national bestseller and is translated into different languages.

This year she was even put under the international limelight, as she became the cover person on the Asian edition of Time magazine and was invited to be a jury member of a global writing contest.

The talented but anti-traditional girl has almost become a synonym of China's youth culture. We might learn more about Chun Sue’s inner world and her Beijing Doll through this interview.

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