Some of Chi's works were published more than 20 years ago, yet they are not forgotten by readers. One can still find them in the marketplace. Literature critics find it difficult to explain why Chi's works are capable of grasping readers for years against the briskly changing societal picture that is China. In an age when reading is not a fashionable habit any longer, people still choose to take up reading, thanks to Chi's stories. And some of those who have already abandoned reading printed publications turn back to books after they happen to have a glance of Chi's works.
Chi Li: Simple Woman
Chi is an inborn writer. Her sharp observations of life and natural narrations are outstanding among writers. Famous writer that she is, her life and writing remain simple. SinceTroubled Life, the story that brought her fame, Chi has locked her pen on the lives of common people and those in the so-called lower classes. Reading her novels is like appreciating a Yamato-e painting of modern China. However, her stories do not stay at depicting simple scenes, but enter into characters and dig out the essence of human nature.
Chi never denies writing is a job to make a living. She admits she is a citizen who takes down what happens around her in her daily life. So readers cannot find pretentious plots or specious writing skills, nor will one encounter difficult words and complex jargon. She does exploit her amazing skills, but they just seem to match her stories.
Chi Li: Tough Person
Chi is a tough person, too. If a hand were said to be beautifully presentable, she would tell readers "the fingernails are full of dark dirt." Her sharp eyes are visible even through words in the paper. Behind the seemingly bitter description is her whole-hearted concern for the lives of the people she has encountered. "How should we live our life?" Chi writes in her diary. "What do we live upon? Loneliness or revelry, hardship or coziness, disparagement or glories… Why and how do they have unavoidable impact on us? Where comes the power to give up or acquire them? My dear friends, what can I turn to comfort you and myself?"
In Chi's latest novel,Shout Out When You Feel High, the sex-implied title has drawn sweeping controversy among readers. Chi just takes the criticism with a grain of salt. "The criticism and comments all have the right to exist. They are none of my business. Actually negative comments are better than flattering compliments because listening to the former is like a vaccine injection while being flattered is like taking nutrition. I feel cool when my stories are criticized."
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