In this article, staff writer Tabitha Rubens delves into the explosive phenomenon of the “Xue Mili” novels that appeared in China in the late 1980s, and examines how this scandal was reflective of the shifts in the landscape of contemporary Chinese literature.

Alice Wright explores Han Kang’s recently translated novel, The Vegetarian (2007), a deeply disturbing yet beautiful work about agency, mental health, and belief from the perspective of a Korean woman.