China in Ten Words

In this chapter, Yu Hua describes his transition from dentistry to writing and explains how the Cultural Revolution influenced his early works. His narrative begins with a vivid account of his early attempts at writing, which took the form of big character posters during the Cultural Revolution. He paints a striking picture of the fear and uncertainty that gripped his family during this period, when his father, a surgeon, was denounced as a “runaway landlord” and a “capitalist-roader” (64). In an attempt to demonstrate their loyalty to the Communist Party, Yu Hua and his brother wrote self-criticism posters, a common practice at the time.

As Yu Hua entered his teenage years, he continued to explore his passion for writing, venturing into new genres such as playwriting. He recounts his experience of writing a one-act play about a landlord attempting to sabotage the Communist Party’s efforts in the countryside. Seeking feedback, Yu Hua approached a well-known local “red pen” writer, a term used to describe politically correct authors. However, the writer reacted with anger and hostility when Yu Hua offered his own comments on the writer’s work. The local writer was later denounced and publicly humiliated for his work, a fate that Yu Hua narrowly avoided.

Yu Hua then describes his early career as a dentist, recalling the monotony and dissatisfaction he felt as he spent his days peering into patients’ mouths. He yearned for a more fulfilling and intellectually stimulating job, and he set his sights on securing a position at the local cultural center. Recognizing that writing was his only viable path to this goal, Yu Hua began to dedicate himself to the craft, submitting short stories to various literary journals across China. He was fortunate to have started writing during a brief window when editors still carefully considered unsolicited manuscripts, as this practice would soon become a rarity. Yu Hua’s persistence paid off, and he eventually caught the attention of an editor at the prestigious Beijing Literature magazine.

A turning point in Yu Hua’s literary career came when he received a life-changing phone call from the editor, inviting him to travel to the capital to revise one of his stories for publication. Yu Hua navigated the challenges of securing leave from his hospital director and the logistical hurdles of traveling to Beijing. Once in the capital, Yu Hua spent several days revising his work under the guidance of the editor, Zhou Yanru, who encouraged him to alter the ending of his story to make it more uplifting. During his free time, Yu Hua explored the city, visiting iconic landmarks such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, experiences that he recounts with a sense of wonder and awe. Upon his return to his hometown, Yu Hua leveraged the editor’s acceptance letter to secure a transfer from his dentistry job to a position at the local cultural center, fulfilling his long held dream of becoming a professional writer.

In response to a question posed by interviewer Pankaj Mishra about the prevalence of violence in his early stories, Yu Hua offers a reflection on the impact of his childhood experiences during the Cultural Revolution. He describes the countless denunciation sessions, factional battles, and public executions he witnessed as a young boy, experiences that left an indelible mark on his psyche and his writing. Yu Hua’s recounts the grim details of prisoners being sentenced to death and the visceral impact of witnessing their final moments. He reflects on how these traumatic experiences shaped his worldview and found expression in the graphic violence that characterized his early works.

Yu Hua recalls a pivotal nightmare that forced him to confront the psychological toll of his fixation on violence in his writing. In the dream, Yu Hua found himself sentenced to death at a public rally, a scene that closely mirrored the executions he had witnessed as a child. However, in a surreal twist, he was shot on stage rather than at the beach, as was the usual practice. Upon waking from this nightmare, Yu Hua was overwhelmed by a flood of suppressed memories of the executions he had witnessed, and he came to the realization that his obsession with violence in his writing was a way of processing these traumatic experiences. This epiphany led him to make a conscious decision to change his writing style, recognizing that continuing to dwell on graphic violence could lead to a mental breakdown.