Among the guests at this year’s The Script Road – Macau Literary Festival, there was probably no writer who could compete with the “King of Fairy Tales” Zheng Yuanjie in terms of readership and publication volume.
Since publishing his first fairy tale in 1979, Zheng has never stopped creating new stories. In 1985, he established the bi-monthly publication (later changed to monthly in 1991) The King of Fairy Tales that solely publishes his works.
The stories and characters of this prolific writer have engaged the imagination of the children of China for decades, yet Zheng’s fairy tales differ from traditional ones in the sense that they don’t try to teach moral lessons to the readers, nor are they detached from reality. They simply allow children to enjoy reading and absorb knowledge they might not usually be able to find in school. They do however emphasize the importance of rule of law and personality development.
The fairy tales have not only had a great influence on the children reading them, but as those children have grown up and become parents themselves, it seems the stories have even had an impact on the way they approach raising their own children.
Despite his tremendously successful literary career, there is not the slightest sense of entitlement or arrogance when you meet Zheng. Instead, his extremely approachable manner and willingness to answer each and every question is both impressive and endearing. And Zheng’s readiness to talk was not just reserved for the media. During and after his sessions at The Script Road, Zheng stayed behind to chat with the readers long after the events finished.
CLOSER was fortunate to speak with Zheng and get a glimpse inside his colourful child-like imagination.
CLOSER: When you were young, you didnít have the chance to go to school, so you had a lot of time to read different types of books. Do you think this had an influence on your writing?
Zheng Yuanjie: I did read some literature when I was young, but actually there weren’t many books to choose from. I believe once a person has found several books that are “right” and goes back to them from time to time, they are going to benefit from them. As for other books, I think you just need to flip through them, that’s all, and you will get the idea. However, I seldom read literature after I started writing. Instead, I read more books that were related to history and philosophy.
What books have influenced you the most?
The books that influenced me the most were The Journey to the West, Don Quijote and Guwen Guanzhi (a traditional Chinese literature anthology). In the past, I did memorize quite a few passages from Guwen Guanzhi, so I think it somehow worked its way into my mind.
When I talk about the influence The Journey to the West and Don Quijote had on me, people can instantly understand. But now that I think about it more, I believe Guwen Guanzhi has influenced me hugely. For example, I am still writing with an ink brush and Xuan paper – not for publishing but just topics are about my daily life. Of course, this is not the content of Guwen Guanzhi, but the literary style is similar.
Apart from reading books, I think reading “life” is very important as well. I think I have quite a lot of experience: I was a soldier and then a blue collar worker; I have had children, I am a father and a grandfather. In fact, what I have gained from all these experiences is very important.
Many of your readers are now adults and some even have their own children. How do you keep in touch with them?
There are two ways. One is through Weibo. For example, when I was on Rua do Cunha the other day, I posted a message on my Weibo page to ask for dining recommendations. Later, I met two of my readers through this.
The other way is that if they also have children, and if their children also read my publications, then it is like we are connected again.
How do you recommend encouraging children to read?
The best way is not to buy children books, but to read in front of them. They are going to find books to read themselves.
You write every day. Do you ever get tired and want to do something else?
Although it is all about writing, the topics and methods are always different. The reason I can keep writing is because of my relatively young inner age. I did some tests and found out that my inner age is six. My family and my assistants have already adapted to me. But if someone can’t adapt to me, they probably cannot bear to be around me.
For example, I was walking back to the hotel when I came across a wetland area in Cotai, where a sign said “No Feeding or Life Releasing”. Since, in my mind, I had brought with me Louke (one of his fairy tale characters), I asked him what he thought about this sign. I also told him that if I released him there, I would be breaking the rules. This conversation between me and Luoke continued in my head until my assistant reminded me that there was an event I had to attend. If not, I would probably have kept talking with Luoke.
Strictly speaking, this is like a mental illness. My family asked me to visit the Beijing Anding Hospital (an institution specializing in mental health issues) for a check up. After I went there, I feel that I actually have a mental issue that is controllable.
You see, I can come up with many things, even a book, after just seeing a sign at a wetland. Actually, all my inspiration for writing comes like this. However, if parents saw their children having a conversation with an imaginary person they would certainly be concerned. The fact is, many kids should be the kings of fairy tales. Fortunately my parents accepted me and allowed my random thoughts like this.
Later, I told my family that the Hospital should change its name to “The Writer’s Association” (laughs).
Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
I believe that the reason I keep getting ideas is because of my child-like heart and sense of curiosity. That’s why I can get ideas from whatever I see.
My assistants have a mission, which is to jot down every idea that emerges from my head on their mobile phones and then print them out later at night, or send them back to my home and ask my family to print and store them.
I have had this habit since I was young because I was worried about running out of ideas when I grew old. However, it turned out to be unnessesary, as the older I get, the more ideas I have. There is already a huge file of my ideas and I am keeping them in a bank safety box alongside my diaries.
You mentioned that you would like to establish a Literary Award. Can you tell us what kind of writing you favour the most?
I think good literature needs a good story. It also needs to give its readers a feeling that they are living a good life while they are reading the piece. It doesn’t matter if you don’t educate them on anything.
If a piece can have an influence on its readers and turn them into people who have a sense of justice and avoid giving others trouble, then it is really good enough.
How have you found your time in Macau this trip?
I now see Macau in a whole new way. To be honest, I had never considered Macau or thought about coming here. I always felt that it was a very small place.
When I arrived here I was surprised by several things. First, this place is not all about gaming, it also has a very elegant side. I have met other writers here and even the actor Chen Jianbin on the plane, who was flying into Macau for a film festival.
Another surprising fact is that it is very safe here. Every time I travel overseas, be it the United States or Europe, people always tell me to stay indoors after seven at night. I was in Italy some days ago and was told to wear my backpack on my front. I looked like a pregnant woman walking on the streets of Milan and Venice. But Macau is very safe.
And Macau is actually not small. I have been walking around for three days and there are still places I haven’t been to yet.
I am going to write a book about Macau called Luoke in Macau. The front cover design is already finished and I have basically finished the writing too, because I have been writing from 4:30 to 6:30 every morning. I believe there will be many kids who will ask their parents to bring them to Macau in the future.
ON EDUCATION…
Reading and education go hand in hand, but Zheng Yuanjie had some criticisms about how this relationship works in China: "China has gone through 30 years of reforms and has improved in all aspects, but it has failed in education.
Although there have been some changes, the Chinese education system still suffers from the same issue, namely compulsory education. Despite the fact that education is free for nine years, schools still try to get parents to pay for different reasons.
"For example, when an author gives a lecture at a school, they usually bring along copies of their books. Then the teacher might ask the children to buy the books for their own reading. Even when it is voluntary, children dare not defy the recommendation of the teacher. In the end, the teacher might get a commission from the sale of the books.
"There are also teachers who do not teach during classes and then organize tuition classes outside schools that require extra payment from students who attend the classes. All of this behaviour, in which students are seen as a ready source of money are really bad. They may as well abolish the free education and clearly list out the charges.
"A teacher should not be a manager, but one who demonstrates and guides".
The Love of his Readers
Readers of all ages attended sessions and events at the Macau Literary Festival just to meet Zheng Yuanjie.
Jane Yuan went to the Young Readers Session at St. Regis Hotel with her son. The session was also attended by students from the School of the Nations.
Ms Yuan says she really adores Zheng and was very excited about meeting him.
“I really feel that all of his fairy tales that I read in the past are very wonderful. I just had to buy one of his books and ask him to sign it for me,” she smiles.
However she was a bit surprised at his appearance.
“Since the fairy tales I heard when I was little were all from old people, I thought Zheng would have a big beard. But he is really different from what I imagined”.
University student William Yang had already attended Zheng’s session at Old Court Building the day before, but still came to the St. Regis session to meet Zheng again.
“When I was small and was reading Zheng’s fairy tales, I felt that he was very imaginative. His stories are without constraint. So I thought Zheng must be a very kind and ingenious person. Now that I have met him, I think he is actually very calm and gentle. After seeing him tell stories to a group of children, I think he is very observant and can transform little details from his life into different stories.”
William subscribed to the King of Fairy Tales when he was young. For him, Zheng’s fairy tales are not only fun to read, but also have lessons in them that readers can learn from. His favourite stories were those of Shuke and Beita.
“The main characters are two mice. The story is about how they escape from a big cat while looking for food. I learned from the story that I have to improve myself and be courageous, as well as solve problems through reflection and pondering.”
Even parents who did not read Zheng’s books when they were young attended the sessions, influenced by their children’s love of his stories.
Ellen Guo, who is currently finishing her doctoral degree, attended a session at the University of Macau. She says that she started reading Zheng’s fairy tales because her daughter was reading them. She thinks that Zheng’s stories are both imaginative and full of the sense of sympathy.
She also agrees with Zheng’s idea that teaching by example is very important. In fact, she says one of the reasons she is pursuing her doctoral degree is to set an example for her daughter, showing her what she can achieve in the future if she wants to.
