Wu Huaiyao (Founder of China’s Rich Writers List):

For the fifth Rich List of Writers, we chose “practical”

December 15, 2006, The "Rich List of Chinese Writers", which was investigated for more than a month, was released for the first time. The real living conditions of Chinese writers were presented to the public in the form of wealth for the first time, triggering heated discussions among the people. The debate about the writer's wealth and literary value is still a focus of debate to this day.

On November 15, 2010, the fifth China Rich Writers List was released, along with a new sub-list "The Most Profitable Foreign Writers Rich List in China". Comparing the royalties income of Chinese and foreign writers, while sighing that "foreign writers are making crazy money in China, Chinese writers are struggling overseas", as the creator of this list, I think of some things besides wealth.

In 1900, Liang Qichao, who was in exile in Japan, faced his homeland with internal and external troubles. He wrote "Young China Theory" in grief and anger, pinning the hope of national revitalization on the hard-working and promising Chinese teenagers. Among them, the sonorous words "The wisdom of young people will make the country wise, the richness of young people will make the country rich; the strong youth will make the country strong; the independence of young people will make the country independent; the freedom of young people will make the country free". Now it seems that it is still soul-stirring, and its appeal for a strong country is almost pathos.

Shortly thereafter, the New Culture Movement came into being. At this unique historical node, those young returnees who have learned both Chinese and Western knowledge, despite the historical situation of walking on thin ice, resolutely took up the task of cultural enlightenment, allowing the ignorant Chinese people to accept the baptism of modern civilization. They cut a fresh twig of thought from outside the region and grafted it onto the ancient Chinese tree, hoping to rejuvenate it.

Writers such as Lu Xun wrote vigorously, hoping to reshape the hearts of the Chinese people with literary and artistic works. Their literary works can still bring us strength to this day. Time is always in a hurry, the running water takes away the glory, and the outstanding figures of the past have been lost in the dust of history. Today, 100 years later, the economic wave has enveloped a generation. Behind the abundant material life, consumption and entertainment, there is a new round of lack of humanistic spirit.

Looking at the group of writers, it is not difficult to find that after experiencing the golden period of literature in the 1980s, the influence of pure literature has gradually declined. Under the huge impact of the commercial wave, some Chinese writers are at a loss. Some people gave up writing and went into business, some complained about everything, and some gradually adapted. At the same time, the unsmoking cultural war between China and foreign countries has become increasingly fierce.

In the past ten years, under the general trend of cultural globalization, Chinese literature has been trying to go abroad, and Chinese writers have been trying hard, but the results have been unsatisfactory; in sharp contrast, foreign writers Their works have swept across the land of China. After taking away the money from the pockets of the Chinese people, their views and thoughts are also quietly changing the thinking of the Chinese people. In terms of reading alone, many Chinese children are "the generation that grew up drinking foreign milk."

I am not willing to simply attribute this phenomenon to "the massive invasion of Western culture into China", nor do I want to accuse the majority of readers of utilitarian reading, because everyone's values ??are different and their reading directions are naturally different. But I sincerely hope that when Chinese writers appear on the "Rich List of Chinese Writers", they can provide more and better literary works, so that Chinese people can get more spiritual nourishment and spiritual comfort while working hard for life. If Chinese modern literary works can become super best-sellers overseas from time to time, then I really want to stand up and applaud them.

"Chinese literary works are selling well overseas", this is our vision and wish; facing the real situation of the average sales volume of local books in China of 6,000 copies, we choose a more pragmatic attitude, which is also the reason for this year's "Chinese Writers" "Rich List" will publish the methods and details of creating local bestsellers and the reasons why.

An ancient Chinese poem goes like this: "When a mandarin duck has embroidered, he must learn from the teacher, and don't teach others the gold needle." Some people interpret this as: after mastering a skill, you should think over and over how you learned it. , don’t teach the know-how and process of this skill to others easily.

If we follow this line of understanding, then this year's "Rich List of Chinese Writers" is an effort to "bring the golden needle to people". It is hoped that this move will help increase the overall sales of original books in China - of course, this It is also a longing and wish. We sincerely hope that this wish will come true as soon as possible!