Best 12 of Contemporary Chinese Literature in the 2020s (All in Bunko)

Best 12 of Contemporary Chinese Literature in the 2020s (All in Bunko)

Best 12 of Contemporary Chinese Literature in the 2020s — all available in bunko (pocket paperback)

Availability: ◎ Easy / ○ Moderate / △ Limited

Social Realism (5)

  1. Yu Hua, To Live (Chuko Bunko, 2019) ◎

    A family chronicle that mirrors an era.

  2. Mo Yan, Red Sorghum (Iwanami Modern Classics, 2003) ○

    A brawny portrait of Shandong during the Anti-Japanese War.

  3. Mo Yan, Sandalwood Death, Vol. 1–2 (Chuko Bunko, 2010) ○

    Cruelty and fable coexist in this sweeping novel.

  4. Lao She, Rickshaw Boy (Camel Xiangzi) (Iwanami Bunko, 1980) ○

    A Beijing rickshaw puller’s setbacks and pride.

  5. Qian Zhongshu, Fortress Besieged, Vol. 1–2 (Iwanami Bunko, 1988) ○

    An urban satire of the intellectual class.

Science Fiction (4)

  1. Liu Cixin, The Three-Body Problem (Hayakawa Bunko SF, 2024 bunko ed.) ◎

    The core of the Chinese SF boom.

  2. Liu Cixin, Circle — Liu Cixin Short Stories (Hayakawa Bunko SF, 2021) ◎

    His idea range, distilled in short form.

  3. Folding Beijing — Contemporary Chinese SF Anthology (Hayakawa Bunko SF, 2019) ◎

    A window onto the new generation (Hao Jingfang and others).

  4. Cosmic Epitaph — Contemporary Chinese SF Anthology (Hayakawa Bunko SF, 2025) ◎

    A fresh, comprehensive update via the latest selection.

Women Writers (3)

  1. Eileen Chang, Sealed Off / The First Incense (Kobunsha Classic New Translation Bunko, 2018) ◎

    Wartime Shanghai’s atmosphere and psychological feints.

  2. Eileen Chang, Lust, Caution (色・戒) (Shueisha Bunko, 2007) ○

    Seduction and resistance pushed to the limit.

  3. Can Xue, Breakthrough Performance (Kawade Bunko, 2020; original title: 突囲表演) ◎

    China’s avant-garde as an “otherworld” you can step into.

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