Few writers on the Chinese mainland dare to admit that their works can be found in the schoolbags of a generation of young people, but some writers from Taiwan have no trouble saying so. Names like prolific love-story writer Qiong Yao, the late author San Mao, versatile Xi Murong and witty caricaturist Zhu Deyong are well known to mainland readers, especially those born in 1960s and 70s. For many people, it is these writers that shared their joys and pains of growing up.

Qiong Yao - A Great Romantic

Qiong Yao, meaning fine jade in Chinese, is the poetic penname for Taiwan writer Chen Zhe, who has long been considered a great romantic.

Famous for her vivid and sentimental love stories, Qiong Yao uses her pen to create a very special world that is filled with emotion and devotion.

Only God knows how many stories she has written over the past few decades, but one thing is certain: more than 40 of Qiong Yao's novels have been adapted to TV, plays and films, and they have won great applause from an army of her fans.

Qiong Yao's fame really took off on the mainland during the 1980s, when countless teenagers became her aficionados, with their eyes guzzling down every word she wrote. 30-year-old He Xia recalls:

"I remember in junior middle school, whenever a classmate got hold of a Qiong Yao book, we felt as if as if she was holding some treasure. All the girls in the class would try to get their hands on it. We became addicted to her words, and we even read the books when we were supposed to have our heads in a maths book. After school I often neglected my homework in favour of a line or two of Qiong Yao. Her writing was so captivating that it could make me erupt in laughter or burst out crying."

Qiong Yao's books brought about many changes, some that even the author herself could not have envisaged. Numerous stars were brought to fame thanks to the adapted TV plays and films, and many loyal readers named their children in a typical Qiong Yao style. Qiong Yao even helped He Ye to her find her husband.

"I often dreamed of having a romance described in Qiong Yao's books. So I refused all the matchmakers, and decided to find my ideal man, and then he appeared before my very eyes!"

Xi Murong - A Poet, A Prose Writer and A Painter

"My tears are gushing as I read; I can do nothing but concede, that youth itself is just a book, one that is swallowed down with greed". The simple but melancholic line captured million of teenage Chinese hearts in the 1980s. Its writer Xi Murong is a poet and a prose writer, as well as an established painter.

A descendent of Mongolian nobility, Xi Murong was born on the mainland and grew up in Taiwan. She studied painting in Belgium and earned a reputation as a famous painter overseas. But domestically, Xi Murong was better known for her nostalgic writing, and the finest description of the delicate and turbulent feelings of an adolescent.

Jin Bei, a postgraduate of the Shanghai International Studies University, was a loyal reader of Xi Murong's works when she was a middle school student.

"I've read almost all her poems and prose. Her works provided us with an escape from the rigidity of school life. We found her work fresh and new, and it really opened up our minds. Her books prompted me to look at things from a philosophical point of view. It's difficult to describe the kind of thoughts that her works provoked in our young minds."

Taiwan Literature's Fascination

Poetry books rarely top the bestsellers lists, but during the 1980's Xi Murong's magical books were conjured up by the publishers again and again to meet the massive demand. On par with the growing popularity of Qiong Yao and Xi Murong, prose writer San Mao and critic Long Yingtai from Taiwan, also caused a big stir among mainland readers.

It is no exaggeration to say that these Taiwan writers introduced a new literary genre to mainland literary circles. Professor Liu Jun, with the Modern Chinese Literature Center in Nanjing University says it could be attributed to a certain historical background.

"These writers gained popularity in the 1980s. That was a period when China was recovering from the decade-long Cultural Revolution and starting the opening-up reform. People were longing for a kind of affection and an expression of love, which was rare in mainland writers' works, as the ban on talking about love in public had just been lifted. People found Taiwan authors could meet their desire for entertaining, thought-provoking, and light-hearted novels."

Ji Mi and Zhu Deyong - An Era of Picture Reading

The Chinese mainland has experienced rapid economic growth over the past few years. Quick-paced life is coupled with changes in reading habits. Two people from Taiwan have attracted a whole host of readers with their caricature books. They are Ji Mi and Zhu Deyong. Although the two are totally different in style, they led modern people into an era of picture reading.

In Ji Mi's works, the illustrations and their accompanying captions seldom exceed a page. A childlike innocence prevails in the simple sentences, but it is difficult to ignore the adult sentiments expressed in them. And they have become immensely popular with adults who find them refreshing and even philosophical.

In Zhu Deyong's books, simple but funny characters telling each other short stories. The main theme is "love is unreliable and marriage is a nightmare". And the words used to depict the stories appear sharp and sarcastic. 32-years-old Feng Yue works for a Beijing-based newspaper. She is a big fan of Zhu Deyong.

"Be it black humour or a subversion of the traditional concept of love and marriage, I found what's described in the books DOES happen all around us. I like the simple characters he created, exaggerated but sometimes more powerful than words."

Every day, writers of different styles emerge, rise and fall. But in the fast-changing circles, literary works from Taiwan tend to stand out and refresh the mainland audiences. There will always be a special place in people¡¯s hearts for the familiar names from Taiwan, as Jin Bei says.

"I would not hesitate to buy Xi Murong's works now, although I will no longer get so crazy about her works. I'll read it as a memory of my growing pains."

 
Editor: Catherine