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Books_of_2024.original

What to Read in Chinese Literature

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What to Read in Chinese Literature

New Publications & Emerging Trends

Discover newly released books and the latest literary trends shaping contemporary China

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BOOKS

Six More Historical and Fantasy Writers You Need to Know

Whether it is a female coroner detective story or a sci-fi tale of survival on Mars, Chinese web novels are finding ways to resonate with readers beyond language barriers

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BOOKS

From History to Fantasy: Five Chinese Writers Who Shaped a New Era of Storytelling

Pioneering cultivation fantasy and reinventing historical fiction, these five writers helped define the golden age of Chinese online literature

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BOOKS

Eight Chinese Crime and Suspense Writers You Need to Read

Exploring the diverse voices shaping China’s contemporary mystery fiction, from literary noir to classic whodunits with a local twist

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BOOKS

Seven Chinese Sci-Fi Writers You Should Be Reading in 2026

Explore the works of emerging voices in Chinese sci-fi, from an eco-utopian island to a sharpshooter capable of ending war and civilization itself, and what they reveal about the past, present, and future of contemporary China

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BOOKS

The Year in Reads: Books of 2024

A roundup of 2024’s notable books and translations by Chinese, expat, and diaspora authors

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BOOKS

Voice of the Masses

Su Tong’s new translated collection offers English-speaking readers a window into one of China’s best-known modern writers

Short Stories

Recent short stories translated exclusively by The World of Chinese

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FICTION

The Record of the Magnolia Grove | Short Story

“Junshan Island no longer exists as a physical place on Lake Dongting. It has passed through the looking glass. You can see the island in this mirror, but there is no way to row a boat over to it.”

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FICTION

Tropical Assassin | Short Story

“In Los Santos, everything’s legal, as long as you don’t get caught. That is the idea of the game.”

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FICTION

Moon Theory | Short Story

A young Tibetan herder and his unruly stallion were warned off the local race. The question is—will they listen?

More Book Reviews

On the hunt for your next great read? Dive into our collection of book reviews

The Beasts Within

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Out of the Cloud Chamber: How to Help Chinese Poetry Go West?

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Ten Thousand Miles of Clouds and Moons: An Anthology of New Chinese Writing

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Stories From Toon Street: Su Tong’s Latest Short Story Collection Reviewed

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The Simple Lines and Grand Designs of Shangyang Fang’s Poetry

Burying the Mountain
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The Beasts Within

Li Bai art

Out of the Cloud Chamber: How to Help Chinese Poetry Go West?

PqUhJJuj

Ten Thousand Miles of Clouds and Moons: An Anthology of New Chinese Writing

sutong 拷贝

Stories From Toon Street: Su Tong’s Latest Short Story Collection Reviewed

Burying the Mountain

The Simple Lines and Grand Designs of Shangyang Fang’s Poetry

In Her Words

Explore the rising voices of Chinese female authors and their unique perspectives

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BOOKS

Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise

Seven years after Taiwanese writer Lin Yi-Han’s death, her only novel—based on her own story—is now available in English

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BOOKS

Can Xue: The Experimental Voice of Chinese Literature

Once again, she didn’t win the Nobel Prize in Literature—but at this point, her legacy may already be secured

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BOOKS

The Raw and Unabashed Poetry of Yu Xiuhua

Yu Xiuhua’s “Moonlight Rests on My Left Palm” is a celebration of the power of straight-talking

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BOOKS, FEMINISM

The Feminine Critique: Women and the Absent Men in Chinese Family Life

Writer Yao Emei portrays the dark, brutally honest reality of women’s struggles in Chinese families in her latest short story collection

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BOOKS

Five Must-Read Works By Chinese Female Writers

These exceptional works by female Chinese authors reflect on topics from the impact of rapid urbanization on Chinese women to the trauma of sexual abuse victims

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BOOKS

Desert Echo

The late writer Sanmao’s memoir ‘Stories of the Sahara’ is a humanistic whirlwind through a harsh and poignant landscape

A Chinese Sci-Fi Odyssey

Science fiction in China dates back to the early 1900s, and The Three-Body Problem is far from the only standout. Dive into the rich and dynamic world of Chinese sci-fi.

Turning the Page on a Male-Centric Sci-Fi World

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Ready to Launch: A Guide to China’s Latest Science Fiction Writers

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Sci-Fi Luminary Chen Qiufan on AI and Chinese Literature Abroad

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Chinese Sci-Fi Beyond “The Three Body Problem” | Book Review

Sinopticon

Burst Your Bubble With Taiwan's Queer Sci-Fi Classic

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Kun the giant fish

Turning the Page on a Male-Centric Sci-Fi World

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Ready to Launch: A Guide to China’s Latest Science Fiction Writers

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Sci-Fi Luminary Chen Qiufan on AI and Chinese Literature Abroad

Sinopticon

Chinese Sci-Fi Beyond “The Three Body Problem” | Book Review

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Burst Your Bubble With Taiwan's Queer Sci-Fi Classic

Sci-fi Short Stories

Discover our collection of translated short fiction—from acclaimed writers to emerging voices

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FICTION

A Short Stay in the Woods | Short Story

“The arm was merely a piece of metal, but, having spent so much time with it, Song Zhen felt as if she had formed some mysterious connection with it.”

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FICTION

The Dark Room Problem | Short Story

Award-winning sci-fi author Chen Qiufan investigates how technology manipulates our consciousness in this short story

Revenge Rocks by Yang Ping
BOOKS

The Revenge Rocks

Yang Ping's sci-fi story explores the darker side of humanity's space ambitions

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FICTION

Flight

In this short story from established sci-fi author Chi Hui, the human race dreams of flight against the wishes of aggressive, legalistic alien overlords

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FICTION

Prairie Whale

“Maybe she had slipped through to some other dimension…Perhaps the whale had traveled the same way and died on the prairie.”

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FICTION

Threads in the Cosmos

Author Tang Fei spins a yarn about alien sheep and intergalactic ties that bind


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The Shifting Lines of Chinese Comics

Back in the 1990s, Cartoon King ruled the shelves as one of China’s hottest comic magazines. But times changed—print giants faded, and digital platforms like Tencent Comic and Bilibili Comics took over. Take a look at how China’s comic scene has evolved, and what lies ahead as the industry battles to stay relevant.

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Reading History

Forgotten war heroes, imperial collapse, the making of modern China through dictionaries, and more

A Modern Look into Lin Yutang’s Timeless Classic

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Souls Left Behind: The Forgotten Chinese Heroes in WWI

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How the Xinhua Dictionary Defined the Way China Thinks and Talks

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A New Monetary History of China, Centered on Silver

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Love Amid the Ruins: Poetry and Pleasure in a Lost Ming World

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A Modern Look into Lin Yutang’s Timeless Classic

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Souls Left Behind: The Forgotten Chinese Heroes in WWI

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How the Xinhua Dictionary Defined the Way China Thinks and Talks

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A New Monetary History of China, Centered on Silver

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Love Amid the Ruins: Poetry and Pleasure in a Lost Ming World

More Short Stories

More fresh voices from today’s Chinese literary scene

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FICTION

Countryside Police Station: An Unsolved Case

Novelist A Yi’s satirical take on how county police “solved” a case of theft at a local chemical plant

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FICTION

Hi-Lee-Bon

An old man and a mysterious snack set the scene for this cynical and humorous tale by Zheng Zaihuan

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FICTION

Neighbor

In Zhao Song’s newly translated thriller, a recluse moves into a mysterious apartment block where not everything is as it seems

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The Pigeon and the Bum

A city’s renewal upends several human and animal lives—a tale from Chinese author Jiang Zijian

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FICTION

I Love Spider-Man

Chinese author Yi Bei explores roommate relations in a crowded Beijing apartment

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FICTION

Liberation Day

Author Han Jinliang’s contribution to the growing body of Chinese Covid literature on pandemic restrictions and collective loss

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