Ms Wang reveals Japan to itself

Yang Yi, a female Chinese writer, has won the Japanese Literature Award for New Writers with her novel Ms Wang. She is the first non-Japanese writer to win this award.

Her book tells the story of a Chinese woman married to a man in rural Japan. It depicts the living situations of Chinese in Japan.

The committee members for the award described the novel as "interesting" with "realistic implications". Though some criticized it for lacking ambition and not exploring new forms, most committee members affirmed its values and spoke highly of its objectivity.

"The writer did not inject any personal opinions into her work, but objectively and concisely depicted various characters and conditions in urban and rural areas, in both China and Japan," said Masahiko Shimada, a renowned Japanese writer and a committee member for the award. Despite some flaws, Yang's novel has "a wide range", he said.

"When you begin to read this novel, you may think it slightly naive. But digging deeper, you will feel the writer's warmth, sincerity and sympathetic attitude toward people.

"By overcoming the restraints and prejudices of system and custom, it shows people's jocularity and loveliness. All of this can be attributed to the writer's impartial and accurate observations," he said.

The Japanese press focused on the novel's observations on Japan. The Daily Yomiuri described the novel as reflecting the spiritually deprived life of people pursuing material enrichment.

The Japanese Literature Award for New Writers is one of the most important awards in Japanese literature. This year, the committee received 1,700 works in total.

In the novel, the leading character, Ms Wang, works in a clothes factory after graduation. When China adopts its opening-up policy, she starts her own clothes shop. Unfortunately her marriage does not work out.

To leave behind the unsuccessful marriage, she goes to Japan and marries a man through an agent. They live in a remote area. Her mother-in-law is sick and bedridden. Her brother-in-law sits at home, watching TV every day. Her husband is silent and boring. What lies ahead for Wang is not a romantic new life, but solitude.

Wang begins to act as a marriage broker, matching Japanese rural men with Chinese rural women. In the process, she sees various people with different values toward life and the world. In the end, she succeeds in matching several couples, but she never gets rid of her own pain and sense of loss.

Yang was born in 1964, in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province. She went to Japan in 1987. After graduation from Ochanomizu University, she worked at a Chinese newspaper and later taught Chinese.

For Yang, writing is a basic instinct. "Whenever I feel depressed, instead of talking to others, I like to write something as an outlet for my emotions." She used to write essays and commentaries in Chinese.

To make more use of her free time, Yang began to write seriously in 2005. "I have been away from China for so long that I have no idea of China's societal changes. Besides, I didn't know where to send my script," she said.

It was at that time Yang saw that contributions were wanted for the committee of the Japanese Literature Award for New Writers. She began to write in Japanese.

There are many negative reports about Chinese women married to Japanese men. Living in Japan for 20 years, Yang has a deep understanding of these women.

She thinks most Japanese hold superficial views toward this particular group of people.

Without much education, these Chinese women usually go to remote areas in Japan. What they are experiencing is in complete contrast to their expectations.

Without support or proper understanding, they are lonely. Yang is sympathetic toward these women. By showing their living conditions and feelings, she hopes that people can truly understand them.

"Novels should reflect people's true lives and describe the incomprehensible," she said.

Many of her Japanese students and readers wrote to her and said this novel caused them to observe Chinese with new perspectives.

"I find reading these letters is more rewarding," she said.

Yang said she used to write for herself. In the future, she wants to think more of her readers.

"I think I have finally found my way. From what I have achieved, I can continue to write. I hope, one day, writing will become my life-long pursuit."

Global Times

(China Daily 12/25/2007 page19)