Murong Xuecun

Born in 1974 in North East China's Jilin province, Murong Xuecun now divides his time between Tibet and Hainan Island.  Before establishing himself as one of the finest Chinese novelists of his generation, Mu Rong Xue Cun worked in the car industry. He first built a following through publishing his work on various popular Internet sites, with 'Chengdu, Jin Ye Qing Jiang Wo Yiwang' (Chengdu, Please Forget Me Tonight', 2002,) making his reputation. Subsequent work has included 'Tiantang Xiang Zuo, Shenzhen Xiang You' (Heaven on the Left, Shenzhen on the Right, and Yidian Yingtao (Cherries from Eden), which together with 'Chengdu..' form his 'Cruel Youth Series' (Qingchun Canku Xielie.)

Writing

Mu Rong Xue Cun's stories generally concern relationships between young men and women in modern urban China. He is a writer with a reputation for describing the changes of personality that his characters suffer under pressure and temptation. His plots are full of twists and turns, with his ear for comic dialogue, and use of dialects, making the characters real and lively. When asked what he wished to express in his works, Mu Rong Xue Cun once commented: 'I wish I could write down the contradictions of human life and nature.' 

Leave Me Alone, Chengdu

'Leave Me Alone, Chengdu' is a bitter take on love and life in modern China. It's the story of three young men, Chen Zhong, Li Liang and Big Head Wang and their tragi-comic struggles to make their way in Chengdu, China's fifth most populous city. Despite their aspirations in the newly capitalist China, the trio’s lives are beset by dead-end jobs, gambling debts, drinking, drugs, and whoring. Complicated relationships with women, whether pregnant mistresses, angry wives or passive lovers compound their misery. This is an unflinching and darkly funny look at the pressures of life in modern China, where riches and sex abound...but not for all.

Information:  

Benython Oldfield, Zeitgeist Media Group: benython@zeitgeistmedia.com.au