Chinese Worker Writers

The Social and Textual Practice of the Picun Literature Group
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-90-485-6397-5
Verlag: Pallas Publications

Buch, Englisch, 296 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

This book offers a comprehensive survey of the literary output produced by rural-urban migrant workers in Picun, Beijing.

Divided into two parts, the book first examines the historical traditions and enduring challenges of working-class cultural production in China, before focusing on five of the group’s most prominent authors. The book provides the first English-language monograph on the Picun Literature Group, combining literary theory with fieldwork and extensive engagement with Chinese-language scholarship. It explores the formative process of worker authors, their struggles to create meaningful work beyond the assembly line, and the ways their class background shapes their writing. By contextualizing their literary production historically—from the early 20th century—it offers unique insights into working-class literature in mainland China. Readers gain methodological insights and a deeper understanding of the intersection between class and cultural production.

Chinese Worker Writers is ideal for scholars and undergraduate and postgraduate in Chinese studies, literary and cultural studies, and related disciplines. Its accessible explanations and contextualization also make it suitable for non-specialist readers interested in contemporary Chinese literature and working-class cultural production.

Zielgruppe

Academic

Autoren/Hrsg.

Picerni, Federico

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Wirtschaftssoziologie, Arbeitssoziologie, Organisationssoziologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturen sonstiger Sprachräume Ost- & Südostasiatische Literatur
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Soziale Gruppen & Klassen
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literatur: Sammlungen, Anthologien

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction  Part 1: Context 1. Can the Worker Write? 2. Picun, Making a Community through Cultural Activity  Part 2: Text 3. A Worker’s Memoir in Virality and Commentary: Fan Yusu 4. Howl of the Factory, Workshop of Poetry: Xiao Hai 5. Songs of Labour Most Glorious: Xu Liangyuan 6. Rural Memory in the City: Li Ruo 7. Fictive and Factual in Workers’ Autofiction: Wan Huashan Conclusion: Metatext

Über Autor(innen)

Federico Picerni is an assistant professor of Chinese literature with the University of Bologna. He obtained his PhD at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in a double degree programme with Heidelberg University. His research concerns the relationship of cultural production and society in China.