Part one of a two-part overview piece on the current state of Chinese literature has gone up at the Guardian's website. It's a good piece, as introductory articles go (I'm not just saying that because I'm quoted in it).
Chinese Literature in the Guardian
By Eric Abrahamsen, published
Comments
“A new cultural revolution” – I love it!
Some of those big publishing numbers may be coming down.
The South China Morning Post ran this small news item on January 18th:
The number of publications has dropped substantially on the mainland as the government tightens environmental regulation of paper manufacturers, China Reading Post reports. With a rise in the price of paper and limited funds many small publishers are facing bankruptcy.
Here is the link (Chinese)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-01/17/content_7439521.htm
I know that mainland magazines and newspapers routinely exaggerate their circulation numbers. What about That’s Beijing? They say they churn out 40,000 a month. Do you think that’s reliable?
David D, January 23, 2008, 3:40a.m.
Hmmm. I think circulation numbers are one of the great mysteries of life – the only certain thing about them is that they're inaccurate. I don't think the TBJ numbers are too far off, though.
That was an interesting article, I wonder how far that effect is going to reach...
Eric Abrahamsen, January 24, 2008, 2:33a.m.