Screenshot of Mai's Rensheng Haihai Photo: IC

Chinese author Mai Jia Photo: IC

In April, Chinese novelist Mai Jia's latest novel Rensheng Haihai (Life is Like the Sea) hit bookstores in China. In the novel, the writer takes readers on a journey through his childhood memories of his hometown of Fuyang in Zhejiang Province, to tell the story of a retired colonel. 

Inspired by life

Mai leapt on the scene in 2008 with his spy novel An Suan (Plotting), which later won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, the most prestigious literature prize in China. 

In 2009, an adaptation of the novel, spy film The Message, became a huge hit in Chinese film market markets. Along with his two following spy suspense novels Feng Yu (Wind Whisper) and Dao Jian (Knife Tip), Mai was launched to the top of the market. 

For Rensheng Haihai, Mai makes a departure from the spy genre and calls upon his childhood memories to tell the story of a colonel, who was based on an old man that worked in the communal production team in his hometown. 

"He was only around 40 years old and not an old man actually," said Mai. "I only saw him from 100 meters away and never met him." 

Mai told The Beijing News that he couldn't remember when he first decided to write the story and that he wasn't trying to write specifically about himself or his hometown. 

"The characters and places in the novel are just a container to explore history."

Leaving comfort zone

Since it has been eight years since Mai's last novel Dao Jian, many fans have been clamoring for another of his spy novels. 

"From the perspective of commercial value, spy novels may be more popular, but you can only say 'may be,'" said Mai. 

"An Suan was rejected by a publisher before and no one could have predicted that the spy genre could turnout to be so popular."

Mai insisted that the decision to move away from the spy genre wasn't a difficult one since he is not in it for the money. 

"The rate for achieving commercial success with writing is very low," Mai said.  

"The reason I choose writing as my job is that I had a much more important goal than making money."

Mai said that the reason why he left his safe zone was to continue searching for this goal. He noted that he is not sure he will succeed, but that heading out on this adventure was much better than staying at home.

Some people call Mai "the father of the spy novel" in China, but there are those who question his works literary value. 

"The reason why my novels have been doubted is not result from their spy theme but due to the TV adaptation," said Mai. 

"TV adaptation makes literature appear simple and vulgar."

Mai gave many examples of authors who wrote spy novels but are considered great writers such as Allan Poe, William Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene.

"I don't think I am underestimated, I won the Mao Dun Literature Prize," Mai joked.

No retreat

"I was confused after finishing Dao Jian. I predicted that problems would arise if I continued writing in this way but I didn't know how restart," said Mai.

Mai graduated from the Information Engineering University and worked with an intelligence agency for a decade, which inspired him to try to write a spy story.

After finishing Dao Jian, Mai apologized to readers for some of the mistakes he made in his book. Mai said he did so to make it so he couldn't retreat back to the spy genre. 

"If you block your retreat, the only other choice you have is to break through the wall ahead," Mai explained. 

"However, some walls are hard to break and you get injured."

Writing outside the spy genre proved difficult for Mai, but at the same time was extremely inspiring. 

After reading Rensheng Haihai, many readers noted that it was not like Mai's previous "mind-blowing" spy novels but was instead "heart-lowing."

Mai once said he never needed fame or wealth, just a happy childhood.

"People who never taste candy in their childhood never know sweetness."


Newspaper headline: Creative struggle