| Writing For Kids |
| Chinese children's book authors such as Yang Hongying are trying to create more attractive stories to compete with the dominance of foreign works in the market |
| By YUAN YUAN |
As the Harry Potter series of novels has gained legions of fans among Chinese children, some questions about their reading habits have arisen. How can domestically produced works attract children's attention? Will Chinese children rely only on foreign works for pleasure? What do children really like to read?
The list of best-selling children's books at the Xi'dan Book Building in Beijing last year showed that seven out of the top 10 were foreign titles, with the Harry Potter series occupying six places.
Young readers say the images in the series are quite vivid and the stories are touching. Parents like to buy the books for their children because they are written from a child's perspective and are useful for widening children's viewpoint, as well as cultivating the qualities of courage, friendliness and independence.
Compared to foreign works, the domestically produced books often appear doctrinaire and dull. Even fairy tales are inclined to set a clear definition of right and wrong, and tell the children directly that they should or should not do something. But the world of children is far more imaginative and complicated than that.
Becoming aware of this, local writers such as Yang Hongying are trying to explore new ways of writing for children. One of Yang's books, The Concentration Camp of Pets, recently ranked No.1 on the list of the top 10 best-selling children's books.
Yang's name might not be as well known as her books among children, but her books, such as A Girl's Dairy, A Boy's Dairy, and the Mischief Ma XiaoTiao, Naughty Boy in Class 3 Grade 5 series, bring a lot of enjoyment to children. After reading Mischief Ma XiaoTiao, one child commented on the Internet, "the cute personality of Ma Xiaoliu quite appeals to me."
In her 25 years as a primary school teacher, children's book editor, mentor of a children's newspaper and chief editor of a children's magazine, Yang has had a lot contact with children, and knows about their living and studying conditions, as well as their ideas. All this has laid a solid foundation for her writing. "I pay much more attention to the feelings of children; I stick to the conviction that I just write for kids," she said.
Yang began her teaching career in 1982. Since the number of children's books was very limited at that time, she tried to write some stories for the students. "During my writing, I came to understand what kinds of stories are most attractive to the children," she said. "I read my stories to them in class. If they were interesting, the children would stare at me, laugh and cry along with the stories; if they were not, they would just look around and pay little attention to me."
It was the direct feedback from the students that helped Yang understand more about the children's needs and make progress in writing stories for them, Now, her books have become bestsellers in China, with a sales volume of 7 million copies. |
A major influence
Yang also attributes much of her success to her daughter. "My daughter influences me a lot; she is very funny, and I always communicate with her during my writing."
When her daughter entered Grade six in primary school, Yang changed her subject matter from fairy tales to school novels. A Girl's Dairy, which is regarded as her first famous book, vividly records every day of her daughter's life from the first day of Grade 6 to the end of primary school, imitating her daughter's tone. The book ranked No, 1 on the bestseller list for several months after its publication in 2000.
"The initial purpose of my writing is very simple, and I've never changed it," Yang said. "That is to look at the world with the perspective of children. I've never considered myself a writer. My writing is just a channel to link me with the children."
Compared to many other children's authors, who just work based on theories and never think about what children really like and accept, Yang often invites teachers, parents and children to attend her seminars and listens to their suggestions. "They are my target readers; they have the final say. No matter how much fame I've achieved, children's feelings are the first thing on my list of concerns."
Yang is regarded as a spokeswoman for children. Some young readers don't even believe that she is a real person, wondering how an adult could understand their minds so well.
Some even dub her "fairy Mi'er," a fairy in one of her books who can help children realize their dreams. One child who had just entered primary school told her that he finished reading all of her books by looking up new words in the dictionary. Yang said the boy's words gave her a strong sense of achievement because they meant he enjoyed reading, which is her goal.
Yang said she regards the instructional function of children's literature as the main purpose, but how to deal with it and make it acceptable to children requires skills. Yang mixes moral education with interesting stories that capture children's attention. After laughing and crying with the story, the children will draw conclusions by themselves. This is much more effective than solemn words, she said.
"Children are now facing great pressure, both from parents and schools. Most of them shoulder a heavy burden of classes, and do not have enough space and time to be themselves. Releasing children from these burdens and letting them grow up healthily is what I want to achieve with my books," Yang said.
She said she intends to express serious topics in a easy-to-take way, such as in Mischief Ma Xiaotiao. "Ma Xiaotiao looks like a carefree and funny boy, but actually he feels helpless sometimes and has a lot of confusion, grievances and suffers from growing pains. He looks at the world with sympathy, and always fails to fulfill his dreams. He can do nothing but be funny," she said.
Some of her books, such as A Girl's Dairy, have been adapted to TV series. "I hope that my books can bring happiness to more children and I wish every one of them a happy childhood," Yang said.
From Beijing Review
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