Hui author Li Jinxiang (李进祥), born in the 1960s, recently introduced Ningxia writers of fiction and poetry in an article entitled 纯净朴诚的宁夏少数民族文学. I haven’t read most of these authors and hope to write about them in detail in the future, but for now, I’ll just cite some authors and works for reference.
Major Ningxia-based writers since the 1960s to our day include 马知遥 (Ma Zhiyao), 石舒清 (Shi Shuqing), 查舜 (Cha Shun), 郎伟 (Lang Wei), 金瓯 (Jin Ou), 李进祥 (Li Jinxiang), 白草 (Bai Cao), 单永珍 (Shan Yongzhen), 马占祥 (Ma Zhanxiang), 了一容 (Liao Yirong), 马金莲 (Ma Jinlian), 平原 (Ping Yuan), 阿舍 (A She), 曹海英 (Cao Haiying), and 马悦 (Ma Yue).
Almost all write in Chinese. Ethnicities include Dongxiang, Hui, Manchu, Mongolian, Salar, and Uyhgur. Many are Muslim and religious motifs are common.
These short stories feature aspects of Hui culture: Shi Shuqing’s《清水里的刀子》; Li Jinxiang’s《换水》; Ma Jinlian’s《长河》; and Ma Yue’s《飞翔的鸟》.
Other writers/works worthy of note (the latter two are not mentioned in Lin Jinxiang’s article):
- Liao Yirong: 《我的颂乃提》 ,《走出沙沟》and《挂在月光中的铜汤瓶》. Adventurer who panned for gold in Tibet and herded horses in Xinjiang.
- Jin Ou: 《鸡蛋的眼泪》 and 《一条鱼的战争》. Female Manchu author influenced by post-modernist trends.
- Zhang Chengzhi (张承志), author of History of the Soul and perhaps China’s best-known Hui writer, lived in Ningxia for six years.
- Zhang Xianliang (张贤亮), a Han accused of rightist sympathies who spent some 22 years in labor camps in Ningxia, wrote Half of Man is Woman.
Bruce Humes 