Contrary narratives in contemporary Chinese fiction

China’s revolution subjected its traditional culture to extreme, iconoclastic critique that reached a peak in the ‘criticise Confucius” campaign of 1973-76. It was a world turned upside down. Determined efforts since then have aimed to re-establish Confucius’s foundational value and sought to affirm his significance, not merely for China but in world terms. Along the way countless lesser writers, artists and thinkers have seen their fortunes fall and rise. Chinese literature is celebrated internationally for its classics of poetry and thought, less so for its fiction and drama. Its modern literature is relatively unknown to non-Chinese readers; its contemporary literary production has limited recognition. Difference in form, style and genre and the inaccessibility of cultural and historical references and social context – all contributing to the challenge of translation – have kept Chinese literature to itself.