Wei Hui
Encyclopedia
Zhou Weihui is a Chinese
writer, living and working in Shanghai
and New York
. Her novel Shanghai Baby
(上海宝贝) (1999) was banned in the People's Republic of China
as "decadent". Her latest novel Marrying Buddha
(我的禅) (2005) was censored, modified and published in China under a modified title. She is often associated with Mian Mian
, another slightly older member of the so-called "New Generation".
as Wei Hui, studied Chinese Language
and Literature at Fudan University
in Shanghai
, after a year of military
training. Her first short story
was published at the age of 21. Her first novel Shanghai Baby
, was a local bestseller
in Shanghai
. Soon after its publication, Shanghai Baby was banned by the Chinese government, because of the novel's explicit
sexual
scenes and bold portrait of China's new generation. The publishing house that published the novel was temporarily closed for 3 months. Shanghai Baby was published overseas where it became an international bestseller. Shanghai Baby has been translated into 34 different languages and has sold over six million copies in 45 countries. Shanghai Baby has sold more copies than any other work of Chinese contemporary literature.
A German film
adaptation of Shanghai Baby, starring Bai Ling
was released in 2007, however it has not been released outside of film festivals.
Marrying Buddha
, Weihui's second novel and a sequel to Shanghai Baby, was published in 2005 and became another international bestseller. Like Shanghai Baby, the novel is narrated by Coco, a thinly disguised Weihui. Coco is described by Weihui as a 'representative of socially and sexually liberated Chinese young women'. Marrying Buddha continues Coco's journey of self-discovery in terms of her sexuality.
Wei Hui has been regarded by international media as a spokeswoman of the new generation of Chinese young women. She has presented her work in a large number of Western publications, including The New York Times
, The New Yorker
, Time
, CNN
, USA Today
, the BBC
, The Times
, The Sunday Times
, The Economist
, Stern
, Welt am Sonntag
, Asahi Shimbun
, NHK
, Yomiuri Shimbun
, Le Monde
, Le Figaro
and more.
Apart from Shanghai Baby and Marrying Buddha, Zhou Weihui has published four other books in Chinese and Japanese
:
Zhonghua minzu
Zhonghua minzu , usually translated as Chinese ethnic groups or Chinese nationality, refers to the modern notion of a Chinese nationality transcending ethnic divisions, with a central identity for China as a whole...
writer, living and working in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Her novel Shanghai Baby
Shanghai Baby
Shanghai Baby is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Chinese author Wei Hui. It was originally published in China in 1999. The English translation was published in 2001.-Plot introduction:...
(上海宝贝) (1999) was banned in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
as "decadent". Her latest novel Marrying Buddha
Marrying Buddha
Marrying Buddha is the second novel by Chinese author Wei Hui and is a sequel to her first published novel, Shanghai Baby.-Plot:Set four years on from the events of Shanghai Baby, Marrying Buddha continues the story of Coco, a writer from Shanghai, now aged 29...
(我的禅) (2005) was censored, modified and published in China under a modified title. She is often associated with Mian Mian
Mian Mian
Mian Mian is a Chinese writer. She writes on China's once-taboo topics and she is a promoter of Shanghai's local music. Her publications have earned her the reputation as China's literary wild child, and some are banned in China....
, another slightly older member of the so-called "New Generation".
Life and work
Zhou Weihui, known in the WestWest
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
as Wei Hui, studied Chinese Language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and Literature at Fudan University
Fudan University
Fudan University , located in Shanghai, is one of the oldest and most selective universities in China, and is a member of the C9 League. Its institutional predecessor was founded in 1905, shortly before the end of China's imperial Qing dynasty...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, after a year of military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
training. Her first short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
was published at the age of 21. Her first novel Shanghai Baby
Shanghai Baby
Shanghai Baby is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Chinese author Wei Hui. It was originally published in China in 1999. The English translation was published in 2001.-Plot introduction:...
, was a local bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. Soon after its publication, Shanghai Baby was banned by the Chinese government, because of the novel's explicit
Explicit
Explicit can mean:* Sexually explicit, content that might be deemed offensive or graphic* the final words of a text, which are immediately followed by a colophon...
sexual
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
scenes and bold portrait of China's new generation. The publishing house that published the novel was temporarily closed for 3 months. Shanghai Baby was published overseas where it became an international bestseller. Shanghai Baby has been translated into 34 different languages and has sold over six million copies in 45 countries. Shanghai Baby has sold more copies than any other work of Chinese contemporary literature.
A German film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
adaptation of Shanghai Baby, starring Bai Ling
Bai Ling
Bai Ling is a Chinese actress known for her work in films such as The Crow, Red Corner and Wild Wild West, and in TV series such as Entourage and Lost. In 2011 she appeared in the fifth season of the VH1 reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr...
was released in 2007, however it has not been released outside of film festivals.
Marrying Buddha
Marrying Buddha
Marrying Buddha is the second novel by Chinese author Wei Hui and is a sequel to her first published novel, Shanghai Baby.-Plot:Set four years on from the events of Shanghai Baby, Marrying Buddha continues the story of Coco, a writer from Shanghai, now aged 29...
, Weihui's second novel and a sequel to Shanghai Baby, was published in 2005 and became another international bestseller. Like Shanghai Baby, the novel is narrated by Coco, a thinly disguised Weihui. Coco is described by Weihui as a 'representative of socially and sexually liberated Chinese young women'. Marrying Buddha continues Coco's journey of self-discovery in terms of her sexuality.
Wei Hui has been regarded by international media as a spokeswoman of the new generation of Chinese young women. She has presented her work in a large number of Western publications, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
, Welt am Sonntag
Welt am Sonntag
Welt am Sonntag is a German national Sunday newspaper published by Axel Springer AG, and established in 1948. Its head office is in Berlin, and it has local editions for Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Düsseldorf....
, Asahi Shimbun
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
, NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
, Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
, Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
, Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
and more.
Apart from Shanghai Baby and Marrying Buddha, Zhou Weihui has published four other books in Chinese and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
:
- The Shriek of the Butterfly
- Virgin in the Water
- Crazy Like Weihui
- Desire Pistol