Chinese novel interview paper. Ethnographic Progress Report

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Chinese Novel Interview Paper
Literature is part of life. Every day, people get to interact with pieces of literature that make up life. The world is filled with musicians, poets and spoken-word artists, authors, etc. Each of these people enhance literature in numerous ways. In my quest to understand Chinese literature, I decided to take part in an activity that was meant to teach me more about ancient and modern Chinese literature. In this activity, I interviewed two of friends who love reading ancient and modern Chinese novels. My goal was to understand what makes these two sets of literature different. So, I dug deeper and below is a summary of the activity together with my and the participants’ points of view as well.
Description
Interviewing my friends was an eye-opener for me in many ways. The two are very different and like different things as well. Jinjing Li like reading ancient Chinese novels while Zhongjie Zhou likes to read modern Chinese novels. We are all friends but having them like to read two different sets of novels has helped me learn a lot. Even though my research could be limited in some ways, it still helps to paint a picture of how modern and ancient Chinese literature differ.
First, I interviewed Li who expressed his desire to continue reading ancient Chinese literature. To Li, the past influences today and the issues of today will influence the future. While this statement does hold true, it is possible to wonder how a young person like Li would get interested in old novels. Li’s story starts with his grandfather who shapes his love for ancient literature. From the stories they used to have Li managed to pic something crucial and one that will be with him eternally. Li’s grandfather can be said to have been the link or bridge between the older generation and the new one. He made sure he passed on everything he knew to his grandchild, and Li took notice and interest and made sure a legacy will come out of his grandfather giving the lessons he did. For Li, it was easy to find meaning in what he was being told as a child. His grandfather understood that as long as what he tells him finds fertile ground, it will sprout and grow. For sure, it did find fertile ground and ancient Chinese literature became incredibly ingrained in the mind of Li.
When it comes to Zhou’s interview, one is led to the dark era of China when people were not allowed to express themselves. Currently, there are still issues in China with factors like freedom of speech and democracy still being foreign there. However, today, people can write what they want but under certain limits. Freedom of speech is still being curtailed but it was doorway for Zhou to understand and have a relationship with modern literature. Zhou believes that modern literature liberates and frees the mind and he hopes to keep reading as many as possible.
What stands out about this particular interview is that it involves young people talking about literature. Often, a disconnect exists between the older generation and the new generation. However, with people Li and Zhou, this may never be the case. Literature brings people together. It brought Li and his grandfather together and also brought Zhou and his uncle together. For Zhou, a connection between the old and the new may not exist, but the understanding of the world as well as aspects of freedom have become grounded. The activity also revealed a fire in my friends. Both appear ready and informed about their preferences.
My Point of View
Taking part in this activity helped me learn a lot. First of all, to me literature is simply literature. I have never known that there might be a great distinction between the old and new literature. So, taking part in the activity helped me learn a lot. Apparently, ancient Chinese literature uses language that is allusive and understated. I did not know this or how it makes Chinese literature different. In literature, language matters and this became evident throughout the interviews.
The interviews did make me feel uncomfortable mainly because it was against my friends and they showed me how little I know about Chinese literature. While in a group of friends, who are arguably at the same level as yourself, it is always crucial to seek to learn from each other. However, for the most part, I was the only one learning. Li and Zhou seemed to know their literature preferences and this further made it impossible for me to be comfortable while conducting the interview. However, I took it as a challenge and opted to learn more as they kept sharing their ideas and this made it possible for me to get comfortable and gather relevant information from them.
One way that this activity relates to me is through the insistence that one needs to know something about their ethnic background. This is an idea that is often ignored by young people but that make a lot of sense as one grows up. I have always admired people who know and deeply understand aspects of their origin like literature and history. For the most part, I have lacked a connection with my past because of this. However, this activity directly relates to my idea of wanting to know more about myself, my literature, and my history.
Point of View of participants
With regards to the participants, Li was for the opinion that ancient Chinese literature will always trample modern Chinese literature. To Li, ancient Chinese literature is rich in the way it represents China. Aside from holding the rich history of China, ancient history offers the perfect opportunity for the younger generation to connect with the older generation. Li had his grandfather connect him with his history. He loved ancient literature because his grandfather made sure he knew and understood what it entailed. He was pointed to the right direction and this made it easier for him to learn the ways and fall in love with ancient literature. Li believes that ancient Chinese literature is more lyrical and the authors made use of idioms more than modern Chinese literature. Additionally, the language is richer and is much more hidden compared with modern Chinese literature.
Zhou, on the other hand, took a more political stance on the matter at hand. Zhou learned about modern literature from his uncle. However, his uncle was a controversial writer whose writings often ended up annoying the wrong people. So, his works never got published albeit having written some of the best works. Zhou makes it clear that modern literature has a future in the world and not just in China. He makes the point that one major disadvantage of ancient Chinese literature is that it is difficult to translate. So, for the most part, these works can only be read by people with an understanding of the language. This limits the readership and makes it difficult for Chinese literature to be read elsewhere. However, Zhou believes that writers like Mai Jia have made it possible for the entire world to fall in love with Chinese literature. Jia has had several of her books translated and this has made it possible for her to be critically acclaimed worldwide. China’s field of literature continues to grow and expand and there is only more to come from this budding field.
As it stands, those who love reading ancient literature and those who love reading modern literature may never agree on which one appeals more to them. However, with regards to China’s literary field, one can only hope that the room for growth will continue getting bigger.
Interviews
Interviewee: Jinjing Li
Me: Hello my friend. How are you doing today?
Li: I am well. How are you?
Me: I am great as well. So, today I would like to engage you in a discussion that intrigues me. You are a big fan of ancient Chinese novels and since I have known you, you have always been talking about how ancient Chinese novels are great compared to today’s Chinese novels. Well, today, I would like us to go deeper in this discussion because I want to understand what you think makes ancient Chinese novels better than modern Chinese novels. What are some of the attributes that make them stand out for you? Are you ready?
Li: Yes. I am ready. You know I have plenty to talk about when it comes to ancient Chinese novels. So, I am ready when you are.
Me: Awesome. Before we start, I would like to tell you that this discussion will not be shared with anyone. I would also like you to confirm that you are here with me willingly and have not been coerced. I will add that you can stop anytime you want or whenever you find the discussion uncomfortable for you.
Li: Sure.
Me: Do you have any questions for me before we begin?
Li: Just one. Why aren’t there any drinks in this discussion? Am sure we will have a lot to say (laughs).
Me: I’ll get you something after we are done with the interview. The interview will take 45 minutes and I hope it is okay if I record the entire interview.
Li: Sure. You can record.
Me: So, Li, how old are you and when were you born and raised?
Li: I am 21 years old. I was born and raised in China. I went to school in China and i...