Bo Long, a senior police officer in the city of Ji'an, in northeast China's Jilin province really didn't expect to become a writer, nor did he expect to get his online posts published, and certainly not to publish a second book, but, there is it, all of it, right here and now.

What matters to most writers is the ability to use their craft by follows certain literary techniques or conventions and it may require a higher level of education, or at least a strong interest in writing, but, somehow these criteria don't seem to fit in Bo's case. For one thing, he never got a proper degree because he failed the 'Gaokao', the national college entrance exam. Then, he was called up for military service in 1996, a common fate for young people in China who can't fit themselves into an ideal university through the national exam.

After the 40-year-old Bo finished his military stint, he took a 2-year-non-degree course at a local teacher's college where he happened to have one piece of his writing published in a local newspaper and even got paid for it. As he explains, "I just gave it a try and my teacher recommended it. After that, I didn't do any writing. Generally, I'm not good at it."

So, he joined the city's public security bureau, 14 years ago, where he was put in charge of recruiting and training, and got back to his favorite hobby, fishing, something Bo'd done since childhood, or, in his words, "The first time I did it was in my fourth year of primary school. Now, I usually invite two or three friends to come with me, just for fun."

Bo's new book will be available in the book shops soon. [Photo by Lu Hong/xwh.cn]

Then, when Internet forums began to grow in popularity in China about five or six years ago, Bo visited a fishing forum and discuss fishing tips with other enthusiasts, registering under the name, "Ji'an little loss" after his online was account was stolen twice.

By two years ago, the forum had provided a real opportunity for the policeman to describe his life experiences in a more interesting, almost literary way. Then, one day as Bo was reading some of the posts in the discussion section, he wrote an impromptu story named, "When I cast with my fishing rod and pull it back out of the water and 20 years past", recalling his two decades fishing experiences. Unexpectedly, he was praised in the forum simply for his off-the-cuff, but fascinating profile. So, he kept on writing and began touching on other topics from his childhood, things that have gradually disappeared from daily urban life or are hardly seen. Bo wrote stories about pulling fish up out of a hole in the ice, eating popcorn, watching a movie out-of-doors, and taking a public bath, as he writes:

     "Back then [20 years ago], my family was poor and so were many others. We were all the same, and  there was no gap between the rich and poor. At that time we had coupons for clothing, grain, groceries, for just about everything. My siblings often sat on a 'kang' (heated bed in northern China), and we had assignments for summer holiday. But, in two days we could complete two big assignments, because each of us took charge of one part. We were a great team! Then, no more assignments, no more study, and we ran all over the vast black- soil farmland."

Bo's neat language and sense of humor gave readers a sense of joy and relaxation, with its plain language and use of a northeastern dialect. And, the stories took many readers back to a period of time when people weren’t materially rich but lived colorful lives. Most of his followers were born after the 1970s or as late as the '90s, leaving one admirer to say that he was jealous of Long's childhood and having so many pals to play with, because he can only play with his smart phone.

He goes on to say, "They're pushing me to update on a daily basis, but I do need to work during the day, so I have to stay up late to come up with new stories",then notes that he once hit a record updating 200 posts a day on the board, about several thousand words. And his followers kept asking for more.

One book inside illustration is drawn in Chinese traditional painting style.

It seems at times that the Internet world is small, connecting readers, writers and sometimes publishers and Long's Internet posts about his funny childhood memories got the attention of one publisher, who called him several times to suggest that he rearrange the stories to make the writing more coherent and complete.

His response is that "It was so unexpected, the idea of getting my work published that I thought it was a joke. Anyway, I emailed the original version with a few spelling errors and a couple of days later, I received a contract."

Now, a second book is about to come out and the policeman's relatives, friends and workmates can't wait to read it. Long himself however, is quite calm about the affair, and still doesn't see himself as a writer, certainly not one with "solid writing skills" and, he concludes, "I have no plan to write more, since it's just a part of my life, like fishing, a pleasure, really. I'm content with my simple, relaxed life, and hope to make this happen, that's all."