No nation boasts more manufacturing capacity than the People’s Republic of China, yet few countries’ literary products are less known in the English-speaking world.

In this special issue, we delve into the experiences of the zhiqing — the educated youth ‘sent down’ to the countryside during Mao’s era — contrasting their struggles with the vibrant creativity of today’s writers, who have lived through an epoch of self-assertion and creative dreaming.

Featuring new work from Mo Yan, Yu Hua, Shuang Xuetao, Zhang Yueran, Ban Yu, Jianan Qian, alongside many more, this edition explores the rich tapestry of contemporary Chinese literature, with the country’s best writers converging to reflect a nation in transformation.