Chinese author Mo Yan drew overwhelming interest at the Shanghai Book Fair on August 15, as fans rushed to secure limited seats for the launch of his new short story collection, Ren Na (Being Human). The event, held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, marked Mo Yan’s first participation in the city’s largest reading festival in 14 years and came six years after his previous publication.
The demand for attendance was unprecedented, with over 18,000 readers attempting to reserve one of the 770 available seats in the Friendship Auditorium. The initial booking platform, linked to the publisher Dook Media Group’s social media account on Xiaohongshu, was quickly overwhelmed, prompting the publisher to move reservations to Damai.cn, a major ticketing service for cultural events in China. The seats were filled within seconds of availability.
Mo Yan, 71, is a highly regarded figure in contemporary Chinese literature and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012. His work is noted for blending folk tales, historical elements, and modern themes with “hallucinatory realism.” Among his most famous works is the novel Red Sorghum, which was adapted into an acclaimed film directed by Zhang Yimou that won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1988.
During the launch, Mo Yan engaged in a public conversation with Song Fangjin, a screenwriter, television director, and novelist. He recounted his experience visiting the Red Sorghum film set in his hometown of Gaomi, Shandong province, and noted the creative collaboration he witnessed as the director developed the screenplay. Mo Yan emphasized how Zhang Yimou’s ability to translate literary works into diverse cinematic narratives offers valuable lessons for novelists in terms of evolving storytelling methods and experimenting with fresh narrative perspectives.
Mo Yan credited the success of such film adaptations with boosting international awareness of contemporary Chinese literature, leading to translated editions of his work and those of other prominent authors including Yu Hua, Su Tong, and Liu Heng. He described the synergy between writers and filmmakers as mutually beneficial in promoting their stories globally.
The discussion also touched upon Mo Yan’s personal engagement with digital media. Song Fangjin noted Mo Yan’s enthusiasm for short videos, revealing that the author spends substantial time viewing micro dramas on his mobile device. Mo Yan identified these bite-sized dramatic narratives as a source of creative inspiration, citing a particular mini-series called Yimengshan Ga Laotai (A Little Boss of Yimengshan), which portrays rural life in Shandong’s Yimeng Mountains with vivid characters and authentic dialogue.
Highlighting the importance of language precision and originality, Mo Yan explained that observing everyday life and fresh storytelling approaches—such as those found in short video formats—contributes to his literary creativity. He stressed that innovative metaphors and expressive language remain critical skills that writers must continually develop.
The event reaffirmed Mo Yan’s enduring popularity and the evolving interaction between literature, film, and digital culture in contemporary China.