A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

Tuesday, December 13th.

On the Rongshuxia forum, discussions about Lin Shubai have more than doubled in the past two days.

Speaking of Rongshuxia, in the Chinese internet world of 2010, almost every literature lover knew this name. Founded in 1997, it started as a personal homepage and later developed into one of China's earliest original literature websites. In those days, Rongshuxia was practically a club for literature lovers in the Chinese-speaking world on the internet.

At this moment, the pinned post is a long article titled "From 'Story Club' to 'October': Lin Shubai's Literary Path," posted by an ID named "Pen and Ink Old Stories," who has been registered for eight years and is a recognized veteran in the forum. The post starts with Lin Shubai's "The Most Precious Gift" published in "Story Club," analyzes his work all the way to "Life on a String" in "October," and finally concludes with the publication of "Charlotte's Web."

In the post, Bimo Jiushi wrote, "Lin Shubai's writing has a rare restraint. He is not sentimental, does not pile up adjectives, and never writes an extra stroke where there should be blank space. This restraint is not a skill, but an intuition. A sixteen-year-old with such intuition is either a genius or has read books for several lifetimes."

There are already over two hundred replies below.

The first comment was taken by an ID called "Night Voyage": "Finally, someone has written a long analysis of him! I've read several of his works, and they're really well-written!"

Third floor: "I read 'Life on a String' several times. The part where the old blind man opens the zither case and finds only blank paper, made my eyes red, even though I'm a grown man."

Fourth floor: "Upstairs +1. That ending was too cruel, 'Not a thousand, but a thousand two hundred,' one lie supports a person's entire life, and then the next generation continues."

Fifth floor: "Don't you guys think 'Charlotte's Web' is the real masterpiece? A spider saves a pig and then dies in an empty market. When I read it to my child, I cried when I read about Charlotte's death, even though my child didn't cry."

Sixth floor (reply from Pen and Ink Old Stories): "Charlotte's Web and Life on a String are actually the same core - what sustains life? Charlotte sustains the little pig's life, and the old blind man sustains his own longing for light. Lin Shubai was writing this when he was sixteen years old. Think about it."

21st Floor: "You guys don't know, do you? Lin Shubai is the first prize winner of the National Essay Competition. His essay, 'A Young China,' is going to be published in *People's Literature*, yes, that *People's Literature*. This guy definitely has powerful connections!"

22nd floor: "Is the person upstairs sick? They really have a lot of information. Go read the excerpt from 'A Young China'. It's circulating online. 'When the youth are wise, the nation is wise; when the youth are strong, the nation is strong'—I've already seen three people share this sentence on my WeChat Moments."

23rd Floor: "I saw that sentence too. So it was written by him? I thought it was written by some famous writer from the Republic of China era."

24th Floor: "That's the level of a great master from the Republic of China era."

25th Floor: "Don't exaggerate. He's only sixteen. He has a long road ahead of him. Haven't you heard the story of Zhong Yong, the prodigy who failed to live up to his potential?"

Floor 26: "The tragedy of Zhong Yong was because he stopped studying. Does Lin Shubai's output look like he didn't study? Three stories in 'Story Collection,' one in 'October,' two in 'Science Fiction World,' plus a full-length fairy tale. You call this the tragedy of Zhong Yong?"

27th floor: "Wait, *Science Fiction World*? He published it in *Science Fiction World* again?"

28th Floor: "Yes, the December issue, 'Dinosaurs in the Afternoon' and 'Artificial Beauty,' both are science fiction fables, and the style is different from the previous ones. This person is too unconventional; he can write anything."

29th floor: "Holy crap, is he even human?"

As the post scrolled down, the debate intensified, and a dissenting voice appeared on the thirty-third floor, with the ID "Old-Scholar Writer": "I don't deny Lin Shubai's talent, but have you ever considered this question—could this really have been written by a sixteen-year-old? How could a high school student possibly have such insights into the meaning of life in 'Life on a String'?"

This reply caused an uproar.

34th Floor: "What do you mean by that? You suspect someone of using a ghostwriter?"

Floor 35: "It's not ghostwriting, it's talent. Some people can't understand something even at sixty, while others understand it at sixteen. Is that so hard to understand?"

Thirty-sixth floor: "I think the 'old-school literati' has a point. Something like 'Life on a String' can't be written without experiencing the ups and downs of life. Lin Shubai was only sixteen; what had he experienced?"

Floor 37: "Having experienced school, exams, being scolded by teachers, and being nagged by parents, why does it have to involve family tragedy to write a tragedy? Does that mean writers of murder cases have to kill someone first?"

38th floor: "Hahaha, the person upstairs is right."

On the 41st floor, the old story of pen and ink resurfaced, this time with a longer reply: "Regarding the authenticity of Lin Shubai's works, I would like to share a few thoughts."

"First, the work is credited to Lin Shubai, the publication process was legitimate, and the editors have all confirmed it, so there was no ghostwriting involved."

"Secondly, there are precedents for geniuses. Wang Bo wrote 'Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng' at the age of sixteen, and Cao Zhi wrote 'Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River' in his teens. Did they also have someone else write their works for them?"

"Third, although Lin Shubai's works cover a variety of themes, the core is consistent - an understanding of the human condition. This understanding does not necessarily come from personal experience, but can also come from reading and empathy. It is not surprising that someone who has read a lot of good books and has a strong ability to empathize can write these things."

This reply received the most "likes" that day.

The debate under the banyan tree is not isolated. Similar discussions are taking place simultaneously on Douban, the official forum of "Story Club", and the "Leisurely Book Talk" section of Tianya Community. Some people have compiled all of Lin Shubai's published works and made a timeline chart; others have analyzed the narrative structure of "Life on a String" sentence by sentence.

A netizen named "Deep Sea Fish" posted a thread on Tianya titled "Lin Shubai's Creative Code: Why Are All His Works Different?" The post listed seven of Lin Shubai's published works (three in "Story Club", two in "Science Fiction World", one in "October", and one full-length fairy tale), and labeled each one with tags: heartwarming, satirical, rural, science fiction, philosophical, fairy tale... almost every genre is different.

Deep Sea Fish wrote, "What I admire most about him is not his output, but his breadth of expression. Some people spend their whole lives working in one genre, but he can jump from the lively atmosphere of 'Spring Blossom Noodle Shop' to the sci-fi coolness of 'Dinosaurs in the Afternoon,' and then to the heavy philosophical reflections of 'Life on a String.' Many established writers cannot achieve this breadth of expression."

Someone replied, "It means he's still finding his own path. Having too many different styles isn't necessarily a good thing."

Some countered, "His style is eclectic because he's only sixteen. Give him ten years, and he'll naturally develop his own unique voice. The key is, he has the foundation."

As online discussions grow, a conference about Lin Shu-bai is about to be held in Shanghai.

3 PM, Shanghai Writers Association, third-floor conference room.

The meeting room was small, with a long table that could seat fifteen or sixteen people, and bookshelves against the wall filled with various literary journals and award certificates.

Nine people were already seated on both sides of the long table. Fang Chongguang, vice chairman and secretary-general of the Writers Association, sat in the main seat. He was fifty-seven years old, with gray hair and wearing silver-rimmed glasses. He looked older than his actual age, but he was in good spirits.

To Fang Chongguang's left is Ma Guoliang, 52, a round-faced director of the Creative Liaison Department of the Writers Association, known for being "difficult to deal with." To his right is Lu Ying, 46, deputy editor-in-chief of Shanghai Literature.

The others were: Cheng Depei, a representative of veteran writers, 68 years old, with completely white hair, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, resting; Qin Wenxiu, a children's literature writer, 55 years old, wearing reading glasses and holding a copy of "Charlotte's Web"; Sun Yu, a critic, 49 years old, tall and thin, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with a stack of printed manuscripts in front of him; and three members of the Writers' Association—Wu Haisheng, a novelist; Gu Yi, an essayist; and Zhao Songbai, a critic.

Fang Chongguang cleared his throat. "The main reason I invited everyone here today is to discuss one thing: the development of new members. Specifically, it's about Lin Shubai. I think everyone here has already seen his materials."

He paused, then added, "The recommender is Chen Yuanshan, the editor-in-chief of 'October,' whom everyone should know. He submitted the materials last month, but we only held the meeting today because I wanted to give everyone enough time to read his work. After all, we've never encountered a 16-year-old applicant before in the history of our Writers' Association."

Ma Guoliang opened the folder in front of him. "Let me first report on his basic information. Lin Shubai, male, sixteen years old, is a first-year high school student at Jing'an No.1 Middle School. From September of this year to the present, he has published three short stories in 'Story Club'—'The Most Precious Gift,' 'Lunch,' and 'Chunhua Noodle Shop'; one short story in 'October'—'Life on a String'; and two short stories in 'Science Fiction World'—'The Dinosaur in the Afternoon' and 'Artificial Beauty'. His full-length fairy tale 'Charlotte's Web' was published by Children's Publishing House last month."

He closed the folder, looked up and glanced around. "That's basically the situation."

Cheng Depei opened his eyes and said in his slightly hoarse voice, "At sixteen, I published six short stories and one novel. I heard that another one is going to be published in People's Literature. I've been writing for forty years, and at sixteen I couldn't even write a proper essay."

His words elicited a few soft laughs, but the silence quickly returned.

Qin Wenxiu put down the book "Charlotte's Web" in her hand, took off her reading glasses, and said, "Let me say a few words. I have read this book. As someone who has been writing children's literature for more than 30 years, I can say with certainty that this is one of the best original long fairy tales in China in the last ten years. The character of Charlotte will become a classic in the history of Chinese children's literature. So my attitude is very clear: I support him joining the association."

Sun Yu pushed up his glasses, picked up the stack of printed manuscripts in front of him, and said, "I'd also like to say a few words. Lin Shubai's situation is rather special, for two reasons. First, he's young, only sixteen years old. Second, his works have a wide range, from fairy tales to rural themes to science fiction to philosophical short stories; he can write anything. These two points combined have generated controversy, such as the online rumors that he used a ghostwriter..."

Before Sun Yu could finish speaking, Cheng Depei interrupted him, "There's no need to discuss those baseless rumors online. Anyone who has read his writing knows it's impossible for it to be ghostwritten. If there really is such a good ghostwriter, you should introduce me to some so I can see if I can buy a couple of pieces."

Sun Yu said helplessly, "Old Cheng, please at least let me finish what I have to say."

Cheng Depei gestured for him to proceed.

Sun Yu continued, "Let me analyze 'Life on a String' from a purely literary perspective. This novel, which is 12,000 words long, tells the story of two blind men. The structure is very ingenious. It uses the setting of 'breaking a thousand strings' as the core driving force, and finally uses 'lies' to deconstruct 'hope', pushing the narrative to a philosophical level. I have been doing criticism for more than 20 years, and I can say this: this novel would not seem out of place in the collection of any mature writer."

"So I support it too. By the way, that old bastard Chen Yuanshan has a really sharp eye; he's never made a mistake in recommending people."

Fang Chongguang looked around. "Where are the others? Tell me."

Wu Haisheng spoke first, "I have a concern. I don't doubt Lin Shubai's talent; I've read his work, and 'Life on a String' is indeed very well written. But I want to ask a question—what are the criteria for our Writers' Association to admit new members? Is it the quality of the work, or a comprehensive consideration? If we only look at the quality of the work, Lin Shubai is good enough. But if we consider the overall picture, is it a good thing for a sixteen-year-old who has just started writing to bring him in so early?"

Gu Yi picked up the thread, "I agree with Teacher Wu's concerns. Although Chen Yuanshan recommended him, Chen Yuanshan is the editor-in-chief of 'October,' and he values ​​the quality of the manuscript, which is fine. However, our Writers' Association is not an editorial department. We consider whether a person can pursue a career in literature long-term. Lin Shubai is only a first-year high school student with a lot of academic pressure. After joining the Writers' Association, will the various activities, meetings, and commissions affect his studies?"

Zhao Songbai spoke up at this moment, "I disagree with Teacher Wu and Teacher Gu's views."

"When you talk about 'the tragedy of Zhong Yong,' the premise is that the person originally had talent but later stopped studying. Is Lin Shubai someone who didn't study? In the past three months, he has published seven works and a book. Who among you can match that output?"

"He's not a genius who needs to be protected; he's already on the move. If our Writers' Association doesn't grant him this status, will he stop writing? He'll continue writing. Joining the Writers' Association isn't about giving him a diploma; it's about providing him with a platform and resources so he can move forward more smoothly."

Cheng Depei snorted from the side, "Zhao Songbai is right. Nurturing young writers is the mission of our Writers Association. Youth is a good thing, not a shackle."

Lu Ying, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, "Let me share my opinion. I've read all of Lin Shubai's works, including those two science fiction short stories. This young man tries something different in every piece. He doesn't repeat himself, nor does he pander to the market. Just in that respect, he's better than many authors who have been writing for ten years."

"Regarding the issue of seniority, I would like to ask: what is seniority? Is it how many years one has written, or what the quality of one's writing is? If someone has been writing for twenty years and their work remains the same, what is the point of such seniority? Conversely, if someone has only been writing for three months, but every piece is refreshing and insightful, what does youth have to do with it?"

She looked at Fang Chongguang and said, "I support his joining the association."

Two distinct camps emerged in the meeting room: Wu Haisheng and Gu Yi were the "cautious faction," while Sun Yu, Zhao Songbai, Qin Wenxiu, and Lu Ying were the "supporters." Although Cheng Depei did not give a lengthy speech, he had already been categorized as a supporter.

Fang Chongguang looked at Ma Guoliang, "Old Ma, you're the director of the Innovation and Liaison Department, what's your opinion?"

Ma Guoliang leaned back in his chair and pondered for a moment. "My opinion is that membership is possible, but there should be additional conditions."

"There's no problem with the quality of Lin Shubai's work; no one here disagrees on that." Ma Guoliang sat up straight. "The controversy lies in his age and qualifications. So I suggest—approving his membership, but without giving him any position or assigning him any administrative tasks. He'll just be an ordinary member and won't need to attend those formalistic meetings and activities. We'll consider other options when he's an adult and goes to university."

He glanced at Fang Chongguang and said, "This gives young people the recognition they deserve while also protecting their creative time. It's a win-win situation."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds, then Cheng Depei was the first to nod, "Old Ma's idea is good. Let's not mess with him, but give him a status."

Qin Wenxiu agreed, saying, "This is the most reasonable approach. His primary task right now is to study and write; everything else is secondary."

Fang Chongguang then looked at the others and asked, "Any other objections?"

Wu Haisheng and Gu Yi exchanged a glance and said nothing more. Sun Yu shook his head, and Zhao Songbai nodded.

Fang Chongguang picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and put it down. "Let's vote. Those who agree to let Lin Shubai join the Shanghai Writers Association, raise your hands."

He raised his hand first, followed by Ma Guoliang, Cheng Depei, Qin Wenxiu, Sun Yu, Zhao Songbai, and Lu Ying—seven hands in total. Wu Haisheng and Gu Yi did not raise their hands, but neither did they object.

"Seven votes in favor, two abstentions, passed." Fang Chongguang made a note in his notebook, then looked at Ma Guoliang, "Old Ma, you're in charge of notifying Chen Yuanshan to tell Lin Shubai that you'll follow up on the form and photo matter."

"Okay." Ma Guoliang wrote it down in his notebook.

Fang Chongguang stood up. "That's all for today. Thank you all for your hard work."

When the meeting ended, everyone gradually walked out. Cheng Depei walked very slowly. When he passed Qin Wenxiu, he stopped for a moment and looked down at the book "Charlotte's Web" in her hand.

"Is this book really that good?"

Cheng Depei has never read "Charlotte's Web"; he's long past the age of reading fairy tales. However, he has read all of Lin Shubai's short stories, which is why he supports Lin Shubai today.

Qin Wenxiu handed him the book, "Teacher Cheng, take this back and take a look. You'll understand after you read it."