Entertainment> Celebrities

Rebel without a pause

By Wu Chen (XinHua)
2009-08-20 08:57

He also said Chinese should focus on more important matters, such as the "tofu-built" schools that collapsed in the quake.

For this he was branded an "idiot", "cold-blooded" and "unpatriotic" on Chinese websites.

In fact, he had gone to Sichuan right after the quake to distribute relief materials he and his friends personally donated, but he cautiously avoided the cameras so as not to be branded a "showoff".

Lu Jinbo, Han's publisher, and Leung Man Tao, a commentator with Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV, agree that Han might be the next Lu Xun (1881-1936), arguably the most famous modern Chinese writer, who was acclaimed for his vehemently critical essays.

As a post-'80s author, Han gained fame when his first novel Triple Gate (San Chong Men) was published in 2000. The book is about a high school student's campus life.

In it, Han - then only 18 - attacks the educational system, by comparing teachers who do home schooling with prostitutes.

"Teachers are not popular, but home schooling is. From that, we can see that teaching is like dating," he wrote.

"One to many is cheap, but one to one is precious - almost the same price per hour as a prostitute.

"However, a teacher is much more competent than a prostitute: The prostitute makes money by giving joy, while a teacher achieves it through giving agony."

This provocative criticism launched at least five of his books onto the bestseller lists.

One reader of Triple Gate wrote to the author, saying: "Han Han you're great! You've just said what I wanted to say."

He responded: "Then why didn't you say it?"

Guangzhou-based New Weekly magazine said in late 2008 that Han lives up to the duties and responsibilities of a public intellectual.

"His rational thinking makes us hopeful for the 1980s generation," it said, referring to the generation of mostly only children, who are famously considered self-centered and lacking social responsibility.

But Han rejects the praise, saying he just enjoys speaking out. He even enjoys the fact that many don't share his views. "When I started car-racing, I thought the slow drivers were foolish but later changed my mind; without them, how could I stand out?"

He has followed his own passions, and his entry into the racing world befuddled many who believe he has a promising future in writing.

They claimed he just wanted to flaunt his wealth or just sought some excitement like many young men with excessive testosterone.

At first, Han spent his own money on training and buying cars. Later, he was contracted to a professional team. And then he astonished the public by winning the 2007 China Circuit Championship.

"My success comes from my judgment, which is my gift. Some people will never know what they are really capable of. They just waste their lives doing something that they are not good at," he says.

Han enjoyed a carefree childhood in a small town in Shanghai's suburbs.

Unlike many Chinese parents who push their children to excel, his parents were relaxed about his schoolwork and studies.

He found a passion for reading as soon as he started to learn Chinese characters, hiding under his blankets to read at night.