The Sound of Salt Forming: Short Stories by the Post-80s Generation in China

China's post-80s generation, sometimes referred to as Generation Y, is the first whose members have grown up entirely within the reformist era. They are keen to distinguish themselves from their predecessors in every aspect of life. To Western eyes, this generation of Chinese, who are highly engaged with the world, display the ambiguities and paradoxes associated with China's economic rise: They are both nationalistic and cosmopolitan, subservient and defiant, hedonistic and mundane, materialistic and aspirational.

This volume brings together some of the most popular and influential writers of this generation. Most of them remain largely unknown outside China. The short stories have been translated into English by a team of enthusiastic and skilled sinologists, and represent some of the "sweetest songs" that tell of the pains and dreams, frustrations and desires, crises and endeavors of this generation in urban China. The works also demonstrate how "youth" itself is commodified in a system of writing and production that significantly breaks away from the old socialist mode. The book is a must-read for those who are interested in not only the China of today but also of tomorrow.

Not for sale in mainland China

Geng Song, is associate professor of translation studies and China studies at the University of Hong Kong.Qingxiang Yang is associate professor of contemporary literature at Renmin University of China.