Chinese novelist, screenwriter, and social media star Liu Zhenyun talks in an exclusive interview at London Book Fair his use of AI, humour, and the challenges of sharing Chinese literature overseas.
A giant of contemporary Chinese literature Liu Zhenyun is one of China’s best-known novelists and screenwriters. His novel Someone to Talk To won the 2011 Mao Dun Literature Prize. Many of his works have been adapted to the screen, some of which he has written screenplays for, including I Am Not Madame Bovary.
He visited London as the Reading Promotion Ambassador for the Beijing International Book Fair. In this role serving as a key link connecting the Beijing and London book fairs, building a bridge for international literary exchanges. There, Liu Zhenyun featured in a panel discussing how Chinese stories can reach readers around the world through literature, film and television.
He was joined on the panel with: Jenny Niven, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival; Nicky Harman, a sinologist and veteran translator; and Alicia Liu founder of Xingge who hosted the talk.
Speaking on the panel Liu Zhenyun shared his views on Chinese literature expanding globally. He mentioned that the Beijing International Book Fair has always adhered to the principles of “going out” and “bringing in”. Echoing the view of the hit animated movie Nezha’s director who stated that “in order to go out to mix, you must first go out”. For Chinese literature to build a greater following abroad, it must first go abroad. This is something the Beijing International Book Fair has strived to do, inviting scholars, writers, and publishers to bring voices from different cultural backgrounds together to share literature.
Moving beyond literature the topic of Liu Zhenyun’s other work came up: a social media star. He has gained a total of 500,000 followers through his “Literary Master Class” and humorous videos on Douyin. There he has built up a total of nearly 80 million views.
His humour, something his books are well known for, helps popularise his Douyin videos among a younger generation. However, he feels differently. Stating: “the whole world thinks that I’m humorous, in fact I’m the least humorous person in the world.” There are many differences he notes between his social media humour and what features in his literature. Adding that verbal humour is useless for fiction, “it’s suitable for talk shows.” The humour of the novel is reflected in the story and the structure of the characters. It is an attitude to life.”
Despite his social media fame, it is not an identity he feels reflects him. When asked whether he identifies more as a screenwriter, novelist, or social media Liu Zhenyun admitted that he has only one identity. An author who writes books.
Liu Zhenyun also shared his thoughts on the rise of AI as an author. Admitting he uses AI such as Deepseek to search for information. However, it is important to remember that AI reflects knowledge reserves that are already there. It is an integration of information that already exists in the past. As such, his opinion is that for literary and artistic creation “at the moment truly intelligent AI has not yet arrived”.
Returning to the topic of sharing Chinese literature overseas. Liu Zhenyun believes “All authors have the urge to talk when they are creating, but sometimes listening is more powerful than talking.” Sometimes we first need to listen, because only by understanding others can we better understand ourselves.
At the London Book Fair many Chinese works succeed in “going out”. More than 50 Chinese publishers brought 4,000 titles to this year’s London Book Fair showcasing a wealth of Chinese literary talent. Works highlighted China’s literary talent, recent development, and the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II. There were also around 40 activities hosted during the fair. This included book launches, copyright signings, panel talks, and seminars.
Equally, there was plenty of opportunities to “listen” and “mix”. Around 1,000 publishers and an estimated 30,000 people attended this year’s fair running from Tuesday 11th to Thursday 13th March at the London Olympia Exhibition Centre.
Written by Haoxuezi Tian, additional reporting by Liangyi Yu, and Yini Wang. Edited and translated by Robert Postings. If you liked this article why not read: Chinese Literature Showcased at London Book Fair
