Chinese novel interview paper. Ethnographic Progress Report

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Chinese Novel Interview Paper
Literature is part of life. Every day, people get to interact with pieces of literature that make up life. The world is filled with musicians, poets and spoken-word artists, authors, etc. Each of these people enhance literature in numerous ways. In my quest to understand Chinese literature, I decided to take part in an activity that was meant to teach me more about ancient and modern Chinese literature. In this activity, I interviewed two of friends who love reading ancient and modern Chinese novels. My goal was to understand what makes these two sets of literature different. So, I dug deeper and below is a summary of the activity together with my and the participants’ points of view as well.
Description
Interviewing my friends was an eye-opener for me in many ways. The two are very different and like different things as well. Jinjing Li like reading ancient Chinese novels while Zhongjie Zhou likes to read modern Chinese novels. We are all friends but having them like to read two different sets of novels has helped me learn a lot. Even though my research could be limited in some ways, it still helps to paint a picture of how modern and ancient Chinese literature differ.
First, I interviewed Li who expressed his desire to continue reading ancient Chinese literature. To Li, the past influences today and the issues of today will influence the future. While this statement does hold true, it is possible to wonder how a young person like Li would get interested in old novels. Li’s story starts with his grandfather who shapes his love for ancient literature. From the stories they used to have Li managed to pic something crucial and one that will be with him eternally. Li’s grandfather can be said to have been the link or bridge between the older generation and the new one. He made sure he passed on everything he knew to his grandchild, and Li took notice and interest and made sure a legacy will come out of his grandfather giving the lessons he did. For Li, it was easy to find meaning in what he was being told as a child. His grandfather understood that as long as what he tells him finds fertile ground, it will sprout and grow. For sure, it did find fertile ground and ancient Chinese literature became incredibly ingrained in the mind of Li.
When it comes to Zhou’s interview, one is led to the dark era of China when people were not allowed to express themselves. Currently, there are still issues in China with factors like freedom of speech and democracy still being foreign there. However, today, people can write what they want but under certain limits. Freedom of speech is still being curtailed but it was doorway for Zhou to understand and have a relationship with modern literature. Zhou believes that modern literature liberates and frees the mind and he hopes to keep reading as many as possible.
What stands out about this particular interview is that it involves young people talking about literature. Often, a disconnect exists between the older generation and the new generation. However, with people Li and Zhou, this may never be the case. Literature brings people together. It brought Li and his grandfather together an...