Debra Li

THE end of the year is a time for people to fuss about “top 10” lists, and 2007 is no exception. The Shijiazhuang-based Yanzhao Metropolis Daily came up with a list of 10 cultural news stories last week, representing the issues that caught the interest of the educated Chinese this year. The events are listed in chronological order.

Starbucks leaves Forbidden City

CCTV host Rui Chenggang criticized Starbucks in his blog in January for opening an outlet in the Forbidden City. His rant soon sparked a massive backlash against the U.S. coffee chain, forcing it to leave the historical area in Beijing.

“I hope Starbucks will consider the dignity and sensitivity of Chinese people,” Rui said. “But I’m not accusing anyone, or globalization. Nobody can stop globalization. However, we need to know just how far this opening up is going to go — we have to have some red line that can’t be crossed.”

The incident revealed a deep-rooted anxiety among Chinese trying to hold on to their traditions in this era of globalization.

Wang Shuo makes comeback

Wang Shuo, the most popular Chinese writer of the early 1990s, made a comeback with his new book “Wo De Qian Sui Han” (“My Thousand Years of Coldness”) in April. Though the book met with a lukewarm response from readers, Wang was as cynical as before as he lashed the “post-1980s’ generation.”

“They are brainwashed by Hong Kong and Taiwan culture….They cannot form an independent force in the literary circle. They are foams. Once we — people born in the 50s, 60s and 70s — make a strive back, their influence will be reduced to nothing,” he said. Wang also criticized intellectuals, calling them “pretentious.”

Wang Xiaobo commemorated

How time flies. Ten years after his death, author Wang Xiaobo is still remembered by many book lovers as being humorous and ingenious. On April 11, the date of death his friends, relatives, readers and literary figures commemorated him in various ways. In a way it was ironic that the works Wang had tried so hard to sell while he was alive became a cash cow for publishers, selling innumerable copies in repeated print runs. His works are now called classics, and Wang himself is a new superhero in the literary world.

“Literary scene a garbage disposal center”

After German Sinologist Wolfgang Kubin criticized present-day Chinese literature as “garbage” at the end of 2006, an influential Chinese critic called the literary scene a huge “garbage disposal center” in July 2007.

Zhu Dake, the most important Chinese literary critic, had always been prudent in his reviews. His criticism caused many people to ponder the issue: What’s wrong with literature in China?

“First Heartthrob” banned

First aired in 2006, the reality show aimed to select actors for a TV sitcom with the same title, directed by Zhang Guoli. At the beginning of 2007, “The First Heartthrob” ran into trouble. First its official Web site announced that Zhang had fallen seriously ill, something later found to be untrue. Then rumors began to spread that the gay director of the reality show was harassing contestants.

In August, the reality show was banned by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television for its vulgar content. The ban, a first for reality shows, set limits for other shows like it.

“1980s’ generation” authors join writers’ association

The Chinese Writers’ Association published a list of 439 new members in September 2007, among whom 10 were born after 1980. Writers like Zhang Yueran, Jiang Feng, Li Shasha and Guo Jingming were on the list. The admission of Guo, who had earlier been caught plagiarizing work, triggered criticism, with established writers like Lu Tianming questioning his integrity. Chen Jiangong, vice chairman of the association, said that while Guo had plagiarized and never apologized for it, he was still a writer, with many published novels.

Yu Di commits suicide

Poet Yu Di committed suicide in his home in Kunming on Oct. 4, aged just 30. His wife had given birth to twin boys in July. Yu, unemployed for months, had been earning money by writng for newspapers and magazines. “The money he earned was enough to pay the mortgage and raise the family. But he had been very depressed because his works were not well received among the public,” his wife said.

Guo Jingming richest Chinese author

In November, Wu Huaiyao published a list of China’s literary tycoons after interviewing publishing companies, bookstores and writers. Guo Jingming, born in 1983, surprised everyone by overtaking Yu Qiuyu as the top earning Chinese writer in 2007 with an annual income of 11 million yuan (US$1.5 million). Many people hailed the wealth list, saying it shattered the myth that Chinese writers were poor.

“Soldiers Sortie” popular overnight

A 28-episode TV drama set in the army became popular on the Chinese mainland overnight, with the Internet helping to spread the word.

The show, lacking any significant female role, tells the story of a farmer-turned-soldier. Dubbed the Chinese-version of “Forrest Gump,” the story is simple, and takes people back to the “good old days.” Many “Soldiers Sortie” fans formed online groups to donate money to poor mountainous regions.

“Lust, caution” reviewed millions

of times

The Ang Lee film “Lust, caution” started a movie-review craze, with Sina, a major Chinese portal, revealing that more than 1.5 million reviews of the film had been posted on Sina blogs by Nov. 16. The figure has been rising by 100,000 daily.

Debra Li

THE end of the year is a time for people to fuss about “top 10” lists, and 2007 is no exception. The Shijiazhuang-based Yanzhao Metropolis Daily came up with a list of 10 cultural news stories last week, representing the issues that caught the interest of the educated Chinese this year. The events are listed in chronological order.

Starbucks leaves Forbidden City

CCTV host Rui Chenggang criticized Starbucks in his blog in January for opening an outlet in the Forbidden City. His rant soon sparked a massive backlash against the U.S. coffee chain, forcing it to leave the historical area in Beijing.

“I hope Starbucks will consider the dignity and sensitivity of Chinese people,” Rui said. “But I’m not accusing anyone, or globalization. Nobody can stop globalization. However, we need to know just how far this opening up is going to go — we have to have some red line that can’t be crossed.”

The incident revealed a deep-rooted anxiety among Chinese trying to hold on to their traditions in this era of globalization.

Wang Shuo makes comeback

Wang Shuo, the most popular Chinese writer of the early 1990s, made a comeback with his new book “Wo De Qian Sui Han” (“My Thousand Years of Coldness”) in April. Though the book met with a lukewarm response from readers, Wang was as cynical as before as he lashed the “post-1980s’ generation.”

“They are brainwashed by Hong Kong and Taiwan culture….They cannot form an independent force in the literary circle. They are foams. Once we — people born in the 50s, 60s and 70s — make a strive back, their influence will be reduced to nothing,” he said. Wang also criticized intellectuals, calling them “pretentious.”

Wang Xiaobo commemorated

How time flies. Ten years after his death, author Wang Xiaobo is still remembered by many book lovers as being humorous and ingenious. On April 11, the date of death his friends, relatives, readers and literary figures commemorated him in various ways. In a way it was ironic that the works Wang had tried so hard to sell while he was alive became a cash cow for publishers, selling innumerable copies in repeated print runs. His works are now called classics, and Wang himself is a new superhero in the literary world.

“Literary scene a garbage disposal center”

After German Sinologist Wolfgang Kubin criticized present-day Chinese literature as “garbage” at the end of 2006, an influential Chinese critic called the literary scene a huge “garbage disposal center” in July 2007.

Zhu Dake, the most important Chinese literary critic, had always been prudent in his reviews. His criticism caused many people to ponder the issue: What’s wrong with literature in China?

“First Heartthrob” banned

First aired in 2006, the reality show aimed to select actors for a TV sitcom with the same title, directed by Zhang Guoli. At the beginning of 2007, “The First Heartthrob” ran into trouble. First its official Web site announced that Zhang had fallen seriously ill, something later found to be untrue. Then rumors began to spread that the gay director of the reality show was harassing contestants.

In August, the reality show was banned by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television for its vulgar content. The ban, a first for reality shows, set limits for other shows like it.

“1980s’ generation” authors join writers’ association

The Chinese Writers’ Association published a list of 439 new members in September 2007, among whom 10 were born after 1980. Writers like Zhang Yueran, Jiang Feng, Li Shasha and Guo Jingming were on the list. The admission of Guo, who had earlier been caught plagiarizing work, triggered criticism, with established writers like Lu Tianming questioning his integrity. Chen Jiangong, vice chairman of the association, said that while Guo had plagiarized and never apologized for it, he was still a writer, with many published novels.

Yu Di commits suicide

Poet Yu Di committed suicide in his home in Kunming on Oct. 4, aged just 30. His wife had given birth to twin boys in July. Yu, unemployed for months, had been earning money by writng for newspapers and magazines. “The money he earned was enough to pay the mortgage and raise the family. But he had been very depressed because his works were not well received among the public,” his wife said.

Guo Jingming richest Chinese author

In November, Wu Huaiyao published a list of China’s literary tycoons after interviewing publishing companies, bookstores and writers. Guo Jingming, born in 1983, surprised everyone by overtaking Yu Qiuyu as the top earning Chinese writer in 2007 with an annual income of 11 million yuan (US$1.5 million). Many people hailed the wealth list, saying it shattered the myth that Chinese writers were poor.

“Soldiers Sortie” popular overnight

A 28-episode TV drama set in the army became popular on the Chinese mainland overnight, with the Internet helping to spread the word.

The show, lacking any significant female role, tells the story of a farmer-turned-soldier. Dubbed the Chinese-version of “Forrest Gump,” the story is simple, and takes people back to the “good old days.” Many “Soldiers Sortie” fans formed online groups to donate money to poor mountainous regions.

“Lust, caution” reviewed millions

of times

The Ang Lee film “Lust, caution” started a movie-review craze, with Sina, a major Chinese portal, revealing that more than 1.5 million reviews of the film had been posted on Sina blogs by Nov. 16. The figure has been rising by 100,000 daily.