Writer delves into home truths

Memories and thoughts of childhood appeal to readers beyond the confines of her village, Yang Yang reports.

Wild fruit in the mountains, countryside plants and birds, bamboo utensils, home-cooked meals, festival customs and stories, and the heartwarming moments of seasonal changes — all these memories of her childhood hometown are ones she can never truly return to.

In her latest essay collection Yueliang Chulai, or Take Me Home, Shen Shuzhi, now living in Beijing, recalls those memories about her hometown in the countryside of Nanling county, Wuhu, Anhui province. Seemingly ordinary and personal, they are also local chronicles and a record of the time.

Born in 1984, Shen and her twin sister were the fourth and fifth daughters in a poor farmer's family. Named Shi Yanping by her parents, Shen grew up in the countryside, where many struggled to feed their families.

Sericulture boomed in the village, allowing young Shen to enjoy mulberries, before fading soon. In an era of material scarcity, a cup of sweet soup was a rare treat for a high school student like her. On Chinese New Year's Eve, parents kept the light in the sty on the whole night, which was a luxury at that time.

By bringing out these memories of bygone years, Shen re-presents a hometown of not only hers, but a whole generation.

"A good author must be able to turn a unique personal experience into a complex life experience that all the readers can relate to," writer Liang Hong said at a book event about Take Me Home in September.

"Her language, like a gently flowing brook, is clear and bright, and meanwhile full of details and warmth of everyday life … giving you an especially real and warm feeling," Liang says.

Commenting on the book, writer A Yi said at a book event in November that Shen's writing is "elegant", "accurate", "detailed" and "naturalistic".

"In a naturalistic style, she tries to return home through words, to a village that's physically impossible to reach," he says.

Shen started writing about the landscapes and life in her hometown in 2010 when she was a postgraduate student of ancient Chinese literature at Nanjing University, inspired by other writers on social media platform and review site Douban. She posted the essays online and attracted many readers.