Call it "the boom of kiddie lit". While England had its Bloomsbury group, the literary circle in today's China seems to be dominated by a pack of teenagers and even younger children.

Yu Xiu

Ever since 16-year-old Yu Xiu debuted with ''The Season of Flower and the Season of Rain'', writers who have graced headlines have become younger and younger. Wei Ni was 15 when she wrote "Live Again for You", a 130,000-word tome; 12-year-old Gu Likun penned "Legend of Sorcerer"; "Tell You I'm Not Stupid" was the creation of 9-year-old Zhang Mengmeng; Jiang Fangzhou was seven when she published her first novel and 10 when she finished her second; Dou Kou, who chronicled his "wanderings" in a travelogue, was six...

More amazing than the age of these "baby writers" is the popularity they have achieved. Some of their books are best-sellers, and the news of their follow-up work would create a bidding war among publishers.

Many of the older generation are not amused. Ran Yunfei, a noted author, says that Gu Likun, whose three novels are inspired by Harry Potter, still remains at the stage of imitation. He admits that Gu has a rich imagination, but "she can only write about the campus life that she knows".

Zhou Xuefeng, director of the education bureau in Sichuan Province, where Gu and her mother live, comments that a writer needs a solid foundation of culture and rich life experiences. Just a little smart and a good imagination won't get you too far, he says. When Gu decided to quit school to be a full-time writer, he felt sad. He felt she would lose touch with the outside world by cutting herself off from "the soil of her inspiration".

Gu Likun does not want to go to school because she feels the way she is educated stifles her creativity. And her mother, who is a single parent, agrees.

"She doesn't like the practice of learning all texts by rote. And I feel I should respect her decision. Our educational system is geared towards an endless stream of tests and exams, and I don't think I should blindly follow suit," says Gu Longyuan.
Since nobody refutes the inherent defects in the system, some experts have come up with compromises. How can we keep a child's individuality without cutting off his or her connection with society, they ask.

One way is for the child to spend half the time in school and half in writing. It will require the school to customize the curriculum. Another way is to go with the flow and write while the kid is overflown with inspiration. This is good for realizing the potential as a writer. The third way is home schooling.

However, many eminent authors have expressed doubt at the wave of kiddie literature.

Zhang Ping, author of "Choosing", takes it as a danger sign that parents, the media and the publishing industry are misleading these kids by blowing their achievements out of proportion. This is killing them in their cradle, he said.

Jia Ping'ao, another old-generation writer, asserts that "teenager authors have become homogenized in their work. They all seem to be under the influence of one style".

Meanwhile, Gu Longyuan takes it easy. "I cannot predict whether my daughter will be able to continue producing good work. But while she is at it, I support her. And whatever makes her happy and lets her express herself, I'm okay with it."

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