Fifteen Contemporary Xi'an Writers

Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, Northwest China, has a storied reputation. As well as being home to the first unified dynasty in Chinese history, it lies near the end of the modern Long March. During the 1980s and 1990s, literary critics hailed the arrival of another epoch, "the great long march of Shaanxi literature." They claimed that local writers such as Jia Pingwa, Chen Zhongshi, Lu Yao, and Gao Jianqun were among the nation's new cultural trendsetters. This volume brings together fifteen short stories and novellas by authors from Xi'an and the surrounding area. These demonstrate major themes such as retaining one's identity and dignity in a rapidly urbanizing society, the encroachment of foreign values, and the persistence of regional culture.