Foreign books for Chinese children

For Children’s Day, the Beijing Times invited four writers with children of their own to talk about their views on children’s literature.

Yu Hua, author of Brothers and To Live, recommended classic novels like The Three Musketeers and David Copperfield. Liu Xinglong, a Hubei-based author of rural fiction, is more eclectic in his choices for his daughter, with magic books alternating with Russian novels. Novelist Hong Ying has a two-year-old, so her choices are all picture books. And then there’s Chen Xiwo, who doesn’t give his son any reading guidance whatsoever.

The titles recommended by these authors are all foreign (except for their own work, natch). They do provide a few clues for why this may be the case: Hong Ying complains about the lack of a clear audience for picture books (not all comics are suitable for children), and Chen Xiwo alludes to the disconnect between “good literature” and “healthy literature.”

The pieces translated below seem to be heavily edited; following the Beijing Times article is an extended version of Chen’s Q&A that he posted to his blog late last week.

Another Children’s Day has arrived, and taking your child to the bookstore to let him or her pick out a few books is not a bad way to spend the holiday. Many parents may be going crazy over what books they should have their children read, and even in the “experience-rich” community of authors there is considerable debate over this issue. For example, Yu Hua thinks children should start off with the best literary classics, while Liu Xinglong is more tolerant and believes that books that let you read, play, and learn something at the same time are good as well. Chen Xiwo’s attitude is to go with the flow; it doesn’t whether or not a child likes to read, and if he likes to read, it doesn’t matter what gets read.

Yu Hua: Classics start with The Three Musketeers

(Son in middle school)

My son, who’s in his teens, has lots of very interesting ideas and images in his writing. His approach to language is odd; for example, once when I went to give a lecture at Harvard, I had a student from the school take him around. The student later said to me, “The way your son talks is very interesting. I was grabbing his hand, and he said I was pinching a blood vessel.” In everyday life, lots of the things he says are just as interesting.

Three years ago, I began setting out a reading plan for him. According to my observations, he especially liked reading literature. The two books I had him read first were my own To Live and Chronicle of a Blood Merchant, and I could see that he enjoyed them. He was about 10 years old then. The language in those two books is simple, and since he was in the third grade at the time, he was able to understand my books. Later on, because he was spending more time with his friends, his reading became trendier, and like many of the Harry Potter fans in his class, he read Rowling’s Harry Potter from start to finish.

When he was about to enter middle school, I said to him, “The time for you to read kids’ books is about over. You’ve got to start reading literary classics.” I recommended The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père, and after he finished it, he said it was even better than Harry Potter. So I had him read The Count of Monte Cristo. When he was about a quarter of the way through, he asked me if The Count of Monte Cristo was more famous than The Three Musketeers. I said that The Count of Monte Cristo had a higher literary reputation than The Three Musketeers, and he said that he could already sense that, and that the part describing the man fuming in prison was written very well. After that, I suggested that he read David Copperfield, which tells the story of a boy about his age in 19th Century England, and how he wanders through life. I plan to wait until he finishes reading two or three Dickens novels to start him on Shakespeare. I feel that reading the classics is definitely a great way to start.

Once, when I was discussing this topic with Harvest editor Li Xiaolin, she said that her father Ba Jin had her start reading literature when she was around eleven or twelve, and the first works he suggested to her were The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and David Copperfield. Evidently, on the subject of recommending reading material for children, Old Ba Jin and I are great minds that think alike.

Liu Xinglong: No regrets for not reading popular works

(Nine-year-old daughter in the third grade)

Before children start school, parents provide them with direction, and they generally recommend books for them. These books are mostly those that the parents themselves enjoy, and children are largely passive in their choices. After they start school, children will obtain all kinds of information about reading material from their classmates. Parents should not be afraid that their kids won’t be with what’s popular. That’s how reading works: there’s nothing to regret about going your entire life without reading the most popular writing, nor will you have lost out on anything.

I recently bought my child a book on how to do magic. That kind of book, which explains information in interesting ways, can enrich a child’s creativity, expand her imagination, and improve the quality of her childhood. I believe that a child’s upbringing begins with reading. Sometimes I’m not really sure what sort of reading will be most helpful for my child’s development, but I know that none of the so-called books that are spread out on the sidewalk should form the majority of a child’s reading material. Besides, the vast majority of children’s books published by shady publishers have motives that are suspect. If parents have no time to read a book first, I advise them to choose children’s books from well-known publishers.

Not long ago, I suggested to my third-grade daughter that she read The Golden Rose by the Russian novelist Konstantin Paustovsky. Although it is a little difficult, she was still able to understand the meaning of “Precious Dust.” Now, she is always mentioning that goldsmith, and has benefitted not only in terms of writing style, but in her studies and life as well. Of course, I have also recommended my own works, such as Gate of Heaven and How Deep a Drop of Water; when she finished reading them, she asked me questions about writing and about the novels themselves.

Hong Ying: Picture books are the best choice for young children

(Two-year-old daughter in preschool)

For a two-year-old child who cannot read, picture books are the best choice of reading material. The vast majority of the books I choose for our two-year-old Sybil (西比尔) are picture books, like The Chronicles of Narnia illustrated edition, The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Smurfs and Pénélope. The good thing about these books is that children can see just by looking at them what the pictures are trying to say, and when adults tell the story in full, children can remember it.

The first picture book I chose for Sybil was The Chronicles of Narnia. She was very interested in the brilliantly-colored flowers and the wide variety of animals and was particularly taken by the lion and the witch, to the point that if she saw a stone lion on the street standing beside a gate, she would ask, “Mom, why is that lion different from the lion in the book?” And if she saw someone with a fierce-looking face, she’d shout, “Mom, the witch is coming.” Clearly, The Chronicles of Narnia had affected her deeply enough that she brought its content out into the real world. Retelling stories was the other major thing that Sybil gained from picture books, and our favorite way to interact is by telling stories. I’ll tell her one, and then she tells me one. Most of her stories, apart from the ones she hears from me, come from the picture books. A child’s memory is astonishing, and sometimes when I add things to the books’ stories when I tell them, she’ll notice. and then stop me from continuing and say that I’ve told it wrong.

To me, getting children into the habit of reading from a young age is essential. Sybil used to like to watch movies, particularly cartoons, and I feel that this may be fine once in a while but it’s not good over the long-term. So I use my own actions to influence her. For example, when I’m reading books or writing, sits beside me, and I’ll give her a few picture books to choose from. At first she wouldn’t sit still, but as time went on she chose her own books to read, sometimes the story of the fox, other times the story of Dongguo and the wolf.

In the course of choosing books for Sybil I discovered that the biggest problem with Chinese picture books, aside from having so few good illustrators, is they are not aimed at a clear audience. Adult books and children’s books are not entirely distinct. For example, Jimmy Liao’s and Zhu Deyong’s cartoons seem like they should be for kids, but the content is largely about adult themes. Even worse are ones that accentuate violence and gore. So I basically refuse to get Chinese picture books for Sybil. I lean more toward foreign picture books that are intended for a specific age group, such as books for one- to three-year-old children, or four- to seven-year-old children.

Chen Xiwo: Let things take their course without any guidance

(Fourteen-year-old son in middle school grade 1)

Children’s Day is here, and I originally had notion to buy a few books to give as a present to Chen Jieyi, but ultimately I didn’t. The first reason is that he has no time – practically no time to read outside of class. The second reason is that he has no interest. Sure, I could work to change him, but changing him would make him unfit for the times. Fighting against the times is like a mantis going up against a chariot. You’re only sacrificing yourself.

Looking back on my own childhood, there weren’t many books we could read in those days, and we were bored of those books we were allowed to read. And even if they risked danger by hiding away domestic and foreign classics, my parents wouldn’t dare bring them out for me to read. I suspect they too thought they were “poisonous weeds.” On those June Firsts we ate candy.

Today I’m a father, but I’ve never given my son any suggestions as to what to read, or made any plans for his reading, because all plans get canceled. My attitude about children’s reading is to make no plans, give no guidance, and make no recommendations, because all of this will only make me lose face in front of my son. My attitude is, let nature take its course. If he likes to read, I’ll support him, and I don’t care what he reads, even if it’s Guo Jingming’s books.

Truth be told, there’s really nothing I can say about the children’s books currently on the market, because there’s a paradox here: good literature is inevitably impure, but giving children impure things will poison them.

Chen Xiwo, a writer whose books are themselves impure, posted a complete version of his Q&A with the newspaper in which he comes across as deeply cynical rather than simply hands-off:

1. This year’s Children’s Day is almost here. What present will you choose to give to your child? Will you choose a book? If so, what type of book will you pick, or what book would you recommend that your child read?

Answer: I’ve thought about it, but ultimately I didn’t. The first reason is that he has no time – practically no time to read outside of class. The second reason is that he has no interest. Sure, I could work to change him, but changing him would make him unfit for the times. Fighting against the times is like a mantis going up against a chariot. You’re only sacrificing yourself. I can choose to sacrifice myself, but I have no right to make anyone else choose sacrifice, even if he is my son.

2. Looking back on your own childhood, how did you spend June 1? Did your parents give you books as presents?

Answer: No. There weren’t many books we could read in those days, and we were sick of those books we were allowed to read. And even if they risked danger by hiding away domestic and foreign classics, they wouldn’t dare bring them out for me to read. I suspect they too thought they were “poisonous weeds.” On those June Firsts we ate children’s candy.

3. Talk a little about your reading habits as a child. What books have stayed with you? What books influenced your development or your writing?

Answer: What I read most was Quotations From Chairman Mao, and what I liked best was Annotated Poems of Chairman Mao. That was where I learned ancient Chinese legends, and I practiced some Mao-style calligraphy. Apart from Mao Zedong, there were also Lu Xun’s books, and later on a few novels that had just been unbanned, like Red Crag, Tracks in the Snowy Forest, The Wild Fire and Spring Wind in the Old City, and Song of Youth, which we read as if they were still banned.

4. As a father, have you made any reading plans for your child?

Answer: Those plans can’t be made. All plans get canceled. Let nature take its course.

5. How do you guide your child’s reading? What qualities do you look for in a book when you recommend it to your child?

Answer: I don’t give any guidance. I don’t want to lose face in front of my son.

6. To date, what has been your most satisfactory recommendations to your child? What feedback did you receive? Or, what was the most obvious change after your child finished reading the book?

Answer: I don’t think I’ve ever made a recommendation.

7. Talk a little bit about your thoughts on the children’s books currently on the market. Which do you think aren’t done well enough, in terms of content and format? How would you like them to improve? What kinds of books do you think children’s book authors should be writing?

Answer: For the past few days I’ve been talking with my students, and ever since they were young, what’s been fed to them hasn’t been quality nourishment. But this can’t be blamed on authors or educators, because there’s a paradox here: good literature is inevitably impure, but giving children impure things will poison them. So I feel that children’s authors have it the worst. They’re as miserable as teachers.

8. Tell us about three books you’ve recommended to your child, or will recommend in the future, and give a reason for each.

Answer: If he likes to read, I’ll support him, and I don’t care what he reads, even if it’s Guo Jingming’s books.