Programme:
Master of Arts in Chinese Literature

Awardee:
Yang Wei

Competition:
The Third Baima Lake National Internet Literature Criticism Competition (第三屆白馬湖全國網絡文學評論大賽)

Award:
Third Class Award

Work:
On How “Historical Possibility Novels” Shape Real Historical Figures: Analysis of the Image of Du Fu in Ma Boyong’s Lychee in Chang’an (論「歷史可能性小說」如何塑造真實歷史人物——解析馬伯庸《長安的荔枝》中的杜甫形象)

Publication:
Exploring Internet Literature: A Collection of the Winning Works of the 3rd Baima Lake National Internet Literature Criticism Competition (網文探秘——第三屆白馬湖全國網絡文學評論大賽獲獎作品集), edited by the Institute of Internet Literature of the China Writers Association, pp. 185-194

Organiser:
Institute of Internet Literature of the China Writers Association and Hangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles

Details:
Master of Arts in Chinese Literature graduate Yang Wei won the third prize in the Third Baima Lake National Internet Literature Criticism Competition (第三屆白馬湖全國網絡文學評論大賽) with his piece “On How 'Historical Possibility Novels' Shape Real Historical Figures: Analysis of the Image of Du Fu in Ma Boyong’s Lychee in Chang’an” (論「歷史可能性小說」如何塑造真實歷史人物——解析馬伯庸《長安的荔枝》中的杜甫形象). His work was also published in Exploring Internet Literature: A Collection of the Winning Works of the 3rd Baima Lake National Internet Literature Criticism Competition (網文探秘——第三屆白馬湖全國網絡文學評論大賽獲獎作品集), edited by the Institute of Internet Literature of the China Writers Association.

Contemporary Chinese novelist Ma Boyong defines his historical novels as “historical possibility novels”. To be exact, the author fills the gaps in official history by composing credible, integral fictional works within the confines of historical events, historical conditions and the conventional image of historical figures. Yang Wei's criticism focuses on Ma's Lychee in Chang’an (長安的荔枝), which was published online, exploring how it shapes the real historical figure Du Fu. Inspired by a poem of Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu, the novel tells of a junior government official in Chang'an who pulls out all the stops to ship fresh lychee all the way from southern China to the palace for Imperial Consort Yang Yuhuan, in between meeting his old friend Du Fu.

The Baima Lake National Internet Literature Criticism Competition is jointly organised by the Institute of Internet Literature of the China Writers Association and the Hangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles in an effort to promote literary criticism of online literature as a way of driving the development of the genre.