The Distinctiveness of Writing in China

In this essay, Yan Lianke offers a more detailed discussion of the challenges of writing literature in contemporary China, particularly the relationship between the national censorship system and parallel practices of institutional censorship and self-censorship. He emphasizes the degree to which there has been a shift of emphasis from directly banning problematic works to instead creating an elaborate set of institutional incentives that encourage contemporary authors to produce works that are consonant with state objectives.