Recommended by faculty and students, To Live, written by Yu Hua, was voted as the top one for our summer reading list. After anticipation and reading during the summer vacation, to enable readers to feel how touched the work is and to explore the essence of life, the library collaborated with the student book society launch the "Reading Bridge" series event, Invocation to Misery: The Book Club of To Live on September 21st for a heated discussions on "the meaning of life."
Figure 1: Scene from the Book Club
To Live is a literary masterpiece by Chinese writer Yu Hua, hailed as "the most influential work of the 1990s." From the perspective of the peasant Fugui, the novel narrates the suffering and resilience, the fragility and tenacity of ordinary people amidst social upheavals, as well as the unwavering hope and perseverance of an ordinary man towards life even in the face of despair.
Figure 2: Yu Hua (Image Source: Internet)
Chen Zihan, a member of the student book society, served as the host of this book club. The event kicked off with a traditional ice-breaking question-and-answer session, gradually warming up the atmosphere and elevating readers' enthusiasm through questions such as "What's your favorite book recently?" and "Do you prefer paper books or e-books?".
Figure 3: Ice-Breaking Session at the Book Club
Yu Hua once said that if he were to rate To Live, he would give it 9.4 out of 10, leaving the remaining 0.6 to be decided by readers online. During the event, the host used online "negative reviews" as a starting point to invite readers to share their opinions on the work. They delved into intense discussions on topics like "Were the characters' deaths overly manipulative?", "Does the novel overly emphasize and glorify suffering?", and "How should we view current suffering, and can suffering be compared?"
Figure 3: Ice-Breaking Session at the Book Club
Yu Hua once said that if he were to rate To Live, he would give it 9.4 out of 10, leaving the remaining 0.6 to be decided by readers online. During the event, the host used online "negative reviews" as a starting point to invite readers to share their opinions on the work. They delved into intense discussions on topics like "Were the characters' deaths overly manipulative?", "Does the novel overly emphasize and glorify suffering?", and "How should we view current suffering, and can suffering be compared?"
Figure 5: Group Photo of the Participants
On this evening, we invited all readers who love literature and ponder life to enter Yu Hua's world together, and the "One Book Project" event ended amidst readers' lingering enthusiasm. The library will continue its efforts to rediscover with readers the emotions and philosophies obscured by daily hustle and bustle from great books, and bringing love and hope to every reader who loves reading.