In January 1976, the magazine "People's Literature" was revived. Soon after, a group of Japanese readers who had deep feelings for Chinese writers and loved to read contemporary Chinese literature spontaneously founded the "People's Literature" Reading Club in Tokyo. At the beginning of the new year of 2022, the Japanese "People's Literature" Reading Club has entered its 46th year of establishment, which also means that the reading club has been reading and discussing "People's Literature" for 45 years.
On January 22, Japan's "People's Literature" Reading Club held a video conference to commemorate the 45th anniversary, and invited representatives of the Outreach Department of the China Writers Association, People's Literature Magazine and writers to participate. At the age of nearly 80, Shin Yokokawa, one of the founders of the "People's Literature" Reading Club in Japan, Shi Zhanjun, secretary of the Secretariat of the China Writers Association and editor-in-chief of the "People's Literature" magazine, Li Jinqi and Jiang Haoshu, representatives of the Outreach Department of the Chinese Writers Association, Shao Li, Pan Xiangli, Cai Jun, Huang Yongmei, and members of the reading club, such as Yuko Higuchi, Naoko Iimura, Ryoichi Shiroda, Jingko Takagi, Zhang Wujing, Hiroko Miyasushi, Masao Yazawa, Liang Xiuli, and Yingtonghai, the representatives of the authors of "People's Literature", as well as members of the book club, yuko Higuchi, Naoko Iimura, Ryoichi Shiroichi Shiroda, Jingko Takagi, Zhang Wujing, Hiroko Miyasumi, Masao Yazawa, Liang Xiuli, and Yingtonghai, who were members of the reading club, participated in the commemoration activities, while the new crown pneumonia epidemic had not yet dissipated Japanese readers and Chinese writers have completed a "face-to-face" sincere exchange online, mainly through Chinese.
Nobu Yokokawa, one of the initiators of the book club, introduced the people's literature reading club
Hosted by Japanese readers on behalf of Matsuba Setsuko and Kazuko Hashimoto, Yokokawa gave a speech and reviewed the background and historical story of the founding of the book club. He said that the reading club was initiated by several faculty members of The Japanese-Chinese Academy, who hoped to feel the changes in Chinese literature and art through reading the newly republished "People's Literature" and thus further understand the development of Chinese society. In the second half of the 1980s, the reading club began to form a fixed scale and pattern, once a month, reading a short story and a novella, first written by two speakers, introduced the synopsis of the story, published the after-reading feelings, and then discussed together, and from the perspective of the difficulty and interest of the work, the work was "marked". The book club will also regularly organize Spring Festival cocktail parties, spring excursions and other activities. Since 2001, member Akiko Takagi has begun to edit the annual report of the book club, and has formed a thick "reading record". In 2020, due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, from September onwards, the regular meetings of the book club began to use the online conference method. Over the past 45 years, the number of members participating in the book club has been constantly changing, reaching nearly 100 at the most, and now it still maintains more than 10 people. Participants have different occupations, including translators and teachers, post office clerks, and doctors, but their common hobby is to read Chinese literature. This book club, which has no fixed charter and no membership fee, has been able to persist for 45 years, all by relying on the spontaneous enthusiasm of its members, and in the words of Mr. Yokogawa Nobu, "It is a pleasure to understand the ever-changing Chinese society through literary works."
In his introduction, Yokokawa said humorously: "People's Literature is the 'lifeblood' of our book club. In his speech at the event, he thanked the reading club for its love for "People's Literature", and also deeply felt the responsibility of the magazine to disseminate good works and launch good writers. From the perspective of the magazine, the author is also the "lifeblood" of "People's Literature". Shi Zhanjun said that this year is the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations, and the "People's Literature" Reading Club has been held for 45 years, and the existence of the reading club has contributed to the friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples, and also proved that no matter how the world changes, the literary exchanges between China and Japan will converge into a hot current.
The members of the book club introduced their fate with "People's Literature" and their experience of participating in the book club. Naoko Iimura has been attending book clubs for 30 years, and after working in the Chinese Department at university, she worked unrelated to literature, and it wasn't until she attended the book club that "I got close to Chinese literature." Ryoichi Shiroda, 65, who worked as a post office clerk for 47 years, retired last March. He began to study Chinese at the age of 19, and "understood the ideas of Chinese society and writers" by reading Chinese literature at the reading club. Higuchi Hiroko is a literary translator who returned to Japan after studying in China in 1988 and has translated contemporary Chinese literature such as Chen Danyan's "The Relics of Shanghai's Red Face", Ryuichi's "Elegy for New Women", and Yao Emei's "Mother". Translating Chinese literature has also allowed Hiroko Higuchi to develop a friendship with writers, and she mentioned that in addition to her literary fate with the writer Huang Yongmei, she is also a like-minded "cat friend". Many of the literary works translated by Hiroko Higuchi have been published in People's Literature, "There are more and more good works in People's Literature, and through good novels, we can understand the lifestyles and psychological activities of Chinese people under the rapid development of society." Akiko Takagi, who has been at the book club for more than 30 years, showed two precious photographs through her camera — taken when she was invited to visit the People's Literature magazine twice in 2000 and 2008. During the two visits, she met with Cui Daoyi, Xiao Fuxing, Chen Jiangong, Han Zuorong, Li Jingze, Li Mingsheng and other writers, and had in-depth exchanges with the writers, and the two photos recorded the sincere friendship between Chinese and Japanese writers, editors and readers.
Chinese and Japanese writers and readers discuss the works
In a warm atmosphere, the book club held in-depth discussions around the works of several Chinese writers, including Cai Jun's "Shu fen with pearl earrings", Shao Li's "Yellow River Story", Pan Xiangli's "Lotus Ginger" and Huang Yongmei's "Little Sisters". The writers shared their personal creative experiences and experiences, and had a detailed and comprehensive exchange with the members of the book club. The members of the book club were "prepared" and put forward their carefully prepared questions one by one, including the character settings, psychological changes, detailed arrangements, etc. in the works, some questions involved the cultural differences between China and Japan, and more questions made everyone feel that these characters, stories, emotions and the lives of the Japanese people were completely at all, as if they were around. The discussion brought The hearts of Chinese writers and Japanese readers closer together.
For the convenience of readers, the video conference was chosen to be held in the evening, and the exchange between writers and readers from the two countries lasted for nearly three hours. At night in Tokyo and Beijing, the lights outside the window are already dimmed, but the participants in front of the screen are still unsatisfied. At the end of the event, the participants of China and Japan separated from each other's screens, wished each other good health, a happy new year, and jointly blessed this beautiful literary relationship, which will continue to be passed on.
Source: China Writers Network
Editor-in-charge: Zhang Yongqun
Editors: Zhang Xueyu Sun Dai Sun Xiaoting