MCLC: Annic Baobei finding a new path

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: Anni Baobei finding a new path
***********************************************************

Source: Global Times (7/2/14):
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/868568.shtml

Finding a new path
By Xu Ming

For many people in their 20s and 30s who like literature in China, the
name Annie Baby [安妮宝贝] (Li Jie [励婕]) is almost synonymous with
decadence, 
melancholy, loneliness and the isolation of youth.

However her new book Unprecedented Gains [得未曾有], published by
Thinkingdom 
House, represents a more peaceful and mild side that the author seldom
showed in her previous works. Along with the new book, comes her new pen
name Qing Shan (celebrating mountain), making it seem like the 40-year-old
writer is saying goodbye to an earlier period of her life.

Another life

Despite her fame, Annie Baby has been living a relatively low key life
these past years, only appearing in public very rarely. Therefore it came
as a surprise to many when she announced on her Sina Weibo that she was
changing her pen name and later actually showed up at a press conference -
a first for the solitary author -to promote her book.

The first work the author has published under the name Qing Shan [庆山],
Unprecedented Gains is a book about a journey and the exploration of
different lifestyles in China today.

The story covers the lives of four people: a cook who loves painting, a
photographer returning to the countryside with his wife and children, a
young monk who practices Tibetan Buddhism through poetry and painting, and
an old woman who has dedicated her life to playing the Chinese stringed
instrument known as the guqin.

According to Annie Baby, the book has its origins in a trip she took
during the second half of 2013. Setting off from Beijing, she traveled all
across the southern part of China before turning back up to Northwest
China's Gansu Province, encountering these four people along the way.

"Although their identities, ages and experiences are all different, these
four people do have something in common: They chose a new direction for
themselves and once their mind was made up they remained persistent,"
Annie Baby said at the press conference.

The author's book does not try to point out any specific lifestyle people
should adhere to, but by telling the stories of these four people, she
provides examples of people who have escaped the set pattern life had
given them and began to live life as they wished.

"There are no specific suggestions or guidance in the book, but it can
provide some enlightenment for people confused by busy city life," Lin
Nina, the book's editor, told the Global Times.

For example, Wei Bi is a photographer who made the decision at 40 to
return to his home village in Hunan Province after living in the big city
for over 20 years. Now he lives the life of a farmer, planting trees and
vegetables, with his mother, wife and child while also earning some extra
income with his photos. "Life is short and precious, and I had become
tired of city life a long time ago," Wei explains in the book.

"He made a decision, and the important thing is, he is sure about the
decision he made is the right one," Annie Baby said.

She explained that this pursuit of a different lifestyle has little to do
with success in the normal sense, "I didn't focus on their achievements
while writing the book. That wasn't my angle."

Changing with time

Many regard the era of cyber literature in the mainland as starting with
Taiwanese author Tsai Chih-heng, who got famous overnight with his novel
The First Intimate Contact in 1998. From that moment on, cyber literature
began gaining increasing amounts of attention.

During this time, many pioneers of cyber literature in China such as Ning
Caishen (Chen Wanning), Li Xunhuan (Lu Jinbo) and Annie Baby gradually
built their fame on the Internet; until the later appearance of Mu Zi Mei
and her erotic literature in 2003 ended up making cyber literature the
center of controversy.

In 1998 Annie Baby hit it big with her online novel Goodbye Vivian.
However, like many other cyber literature authors such as Chen, now a
popular screenwriter, and Lu, now a publisher, she gradually moved away
from Internet publication. Turning to traditional channels she later
published a collection of short novels as part of the Goodbye Vivian
series, the novels Other Shore Flower and Spring Banquet, and several
books of collected essays such as Blank in Sleep and Plain and Beautiful
Time. She was listed at No.5 on the China Writers Rich List 2011 with
annual earnings of $1.5 million.

 Showing the dark and ruthless side of city life her early works mainly
focused on people living at the edges of urban society and were rampant
with decadence, crime, suicide and insane entanglements between characters.

Over the years, her writing began to experience subtle changes. Compared
to her early works that indulge in dark narration, her essay collections
appear more peaceful and controlled.

This change continues in Unprecedented Gains. According to literature
critic Zhi An, her new book has removed itself from the ruthless world of
her previous works and has become a more well-meaning work. Meanwhile,
readers have said that the book appears to be a little bit Zen in its
philosophy.    

"This has something to do with my experiences and understanding about
life. When I was young, I had a strong sense of right and wrong and would
attack things that I regarded as bad or false. But after experiencing some
things… you find that everything is equal in the world. What I mean by
that is that there is no definite right or wrong," Annie Baby said.

Her recent decision to change her pen name has many readers assuming that
she would change the way she wrote. However, she stressed that her writing
style was not going to experience any sudden changes. "Annie Baby is a
part of me. She will never disappear. I'm just doing something new with
her as the foundation," she said.