A New Shanghai Writing

In 2012,Blossoms received a lot of attention upon its release,sparking much discussion in the literary world and winning many awards one after another.The award speech of Mao Dun Literature Prize praised it for "remotely inheriting the tradition of recent novels,re-polishing and repeatedly debugging the dialect full of cultural memory and life...to open up a new path for Chinese literature to express urban experience." Indeed,the urban experience of Blossoms belongs to Shanghai,and the ability to "local" urban writing,stirring up the storm in the literary world,for the long-silent Shanghai writing another way,it is clear that Blossoms is unique,the meaning of which is worth exploring in depth.This thesis argues that Jin Yucheng’s Blossoms presents Shanghai in a different way,mainly in the following ways: First,compared to the previous writings on Shanghai,Blossoms expands the reader’s perception of the Shanghai space with a broader perspective.The geography of the work is more open and fluid,focusing on the everyday yet concentrating on the details,and the "brushwork" style of depiction and detailed hand-painted illustrations make the space more tangible.Secondly,the multifaceted presentation of the world in Shanghai is another quality that distinguishes Blossoms from other writings about Shanghai.While most of the previous writings on Shanghai focus on a certain type of character or group of people,Blossoms focuses on the various characters in Shanghai,giving the characters and stories a historical perspective while highlighting their "Shanghai-ness" that is not submerged by political turmoil,commercial waves,and daily trivialities.Besides,unlike the previous writing in Shanghai,Blossoms not only inherits the tradition of writing in the Wu dialect,but also adapts to the contemporary context by making certain improvements to the Shanghai language.Through a conscious linguistic "breakout",the author creates a linguistic style that fits the local and everyday nature of Shanghai,and expresses the unique voice and tone of Shanghai.Finally,the cool and warm flavor of life makes Blossoms different from other Shanghai writing.The work does not stop at struggle and helplessness,but is full of the power to transcend emptiness.The expression of this life situation also reflects the attitude of Shanghai men and women towards survival and provokes thoughts on the true meaning of life.Like the city it is written about,Blossoms has a delicate and rich heritage.Although the work starts from urban literature,the in-depth exploration of social,historical,life,human nature and other propositions is thought-provoking.Through the unique presentation of Shanghai,Jin Yucheng has rewritten the previous Shanghai writing,redefined the "Shanghai in literature",and opened a new chapter of Shanghai writing.