Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.2, 2023

Writing Multidimensional Contemporary Chinese Stories: On Techniques and Concepts of Fan Wen’s The Turn of the Sun

(Abstract)

Liu Daxian

Every contemporary writer who bears serious pursuits faces a true issue of how to recognize and write about the diversity and multi-dimensions of Chinese stories. Fan Wen’s The Turn of the Sun provides an “significant form” to the heterogeneous and chaotic reality through the combined narration of multiple clues, protracting the tradition of New Literature where views take the lead. He integrates popular detective novels into the epochal propositions of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, coupled with the inheritance and innovation of ethnic minorities’ intangible cultural heritage. Fan’s writing shows his ability to simplify the multiple dimensions of contemporary Chinese stories.