Wooing rural hearts with words

Peng Xueping had kept to herself for months, avoiding eye contact, after a sudden family misfortune.

The 12-year-old girl from Mabian Yi autonomous county, deep in the mountains of Southwest China's Sichuan province, began to open up only after meeting Tang Sulan, a celebrated children's author known affectionately to millions of young readers as "Mother of Silly Wolf".

"I like Story of the Silly Wolf. It taught me to be brave. Since we're alive, we might as well live happily," Xueping says.

For Tang, visiting this remote mountain county for the first time, the encounter was quietly profound.

"I was deeply moved. It reaffirmed the true value of children's literature," she says.

At the pottery-painting workshop where Tang first noticed Xueping, the shy girl had painted the magpie rhododendron, a flower symbolizing beauty and purity in Yi culture.

The details showed extraordinary care, Tang notes.

"I could tell her inner world was incredibly rich," she says.

In late March, Tang, along with Xu Guixiang, and Alai, both renowned novelists and vice-chairmen of the China Writers Association, traveled to Mabian as part of an initiative to empower rural areas through literature.

"Literature comes from life, and it must return to life," Tang explains.

"Bringing literature to the county scene is part of serving the people. As a contemporary writer, I feel both interested and responsible for taking part," she adds.

Mabian was once known as a remote frontier. After shaking off poverty, the county is finding new life through tea, green plums and bamboo groves.

During the trip, Tang found herself surrounded by children from both Han and Yi ethnic groups, their faces bright with curiosity.

"I felt the vibrant energy of Mabian. The children's passion for books, their respect and affection for me — it was deeply moving," she says.

Tang was particularly impressed by 8-year-old Yu Keyi, who had nearly all her books.

Flipping through Keyi's notebook, Tang discerned that the young girl had an instinct for storytelling.

"Read widely. Write boldly. Write what's in your heart. You have the power to create a more beautiful world with your words," Tang encouraged her.