Since the People Literature Publishing House presented the first
three collections of Harry Potter series to the public in October
of 2000, about 1.5 million books have been sold across the country.
The fourth collection, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," broke
records with 160,000 copies sold throughout the country within its
first week. More than a thousand delirious fans lined up on June 1
outside the city's biggest bookstore, Beijing Book Mansion, to
learn what happens to Harry this time.
The store sold more than 5,500 copies in the first 50 days.
By
comparison, "A Boy Student Named Jia Li," the best-selling book
among the store's domestic children's books, has sold 1,566 copies
since its 1999 publication, Chen said.
Why is Harry Potter so popular among Chinese readers?
Fantasy appears the most striking factor. From oddly-shaped jelly
beans to dragon's eggs hatched on the hearth, J. K. Rowling exerts
her fascinating imagination to create a real-seeming wizard
world.
"That makes it destined for greatness," said Wang Quangen, a
renowned children's literature critic from Beijing Normal
University.
Suspense also helps to make this book a best-seller. Secrets
emerge, followed by revelations that actually produce new
secrets.
The book is also full of humor, another selling point.
Harry's unprecedented popularity among Chinese readers also brought
forth concerns from critics about the current situation of Chinese
children's literature.
"Fantasy, what Harry Potter tales brought to us, is just what
Chinese literature writers lack," author Peng Yi said.
Shanghai Normal
University professor and literature critic Mei Zihan noted that
Chinese children's novelists are weaker at infusing their work with
winding plots, suspense and surprises.
"I
haven't found any Chinese children's book more interesting than
Harry Potter," Beijing middle-school student Wu Donghan said.
Late children's author Chen Bo-chui, known for "A Cat Wanting To
Fly" and "Fantasy Stretches Out Colorful Swings," once said that to
see, hear and think like a child is key to good writing for
children.
Yet many Chinese children's novelists write at an adult's
level.
China's school system is also part of the problem. Focused solely
on getting children into university, they overlook the importance
of making reading fun.
Chinese children's literature wasn't always so dull, scholars say.
Ancient Chinese mythology, for example, is loaded with fantastic
detail. And some modern authors have picked up some of that style,
notably in the "Pipilu and Luxixi" book series written by Zheng
Yuanjie in the 1980s. Zheng's premise involved a gang of
finger-sized characters who lived with oddball kids Pipilu and
Luxixi to help them solve problems.
"It is a joint effort by the author, the publishers and retailers
that creates a success for a book," said Wang Zhipeng, the
marketing department manager of the Wangfujing Bookstore.
(China Daily 07/26/2001)