Contemporary China and its literature in transition

Abstract

The global power dynamics with the new and old forces is undergoing subtle but profound changes. Contemporary China has managed to make its comeback to the center stage of the world with phenomenal advances in many fields, but its cultural influence has seriously lagged behind. The growing Chinese ‘cultural consciousness’ will challenge the stereotypical perceptions of China from other countries. Therefore, the significance of discussions on the ‘contemporary’ nature of contemporary Chinese literature and its place in the canon of world literature lies in the close connection between literature and the reality and the need of contemporary Chinese literature to reflect the current relationship between ‘China’ and the ‘world’. China’s reentry into the new order of the world will definitely bring about the corresponding representations of this historical period in the respects of literary imagination and creation.