Wei Hui

Quería creer que el cuerpo y el corazón de una mujer se pueden separar. Si los hombres podían lograrlo, ¿por qué las mujeres no?» Esta es la historia de Cocó, una joven china aspirante a escritora, atrapada en un triángulo amoroso. Vive con su novio, Tiantian, un joven de una sensibilidad extraordinaria que tiene un grave problema de impotencia y que, a pesar de amar intensamente a Cocó, no puede satisfacerla sexualmente. En una fiesta, Cocó conoce a Mark, un alemán casado, con quien iniciará una aventura centrada en la mutua atracción sexual pero que, inevitablemente, se irá desplazando hacia el centro mismo de su ser. En medio del caos emocional, la voz de Cocó nos muestra cómo el amor y el deseo tienen a menudo caminos separados y transmite una inesperada y conmovedora sensación de verdad. Shanghai Baby es también el retrato de la fascinante ciudad de Shanghai en la actualidad. Después de varios libros de éxito que nos han transportado al Oriente de las geishas y sus tradiciones, esta novela nos habla de la vida en la China de hoy. Lírica, inocente, narcisista, apasionada, leal, hedonista, sensible, auténtica, vital, compleja, sincera, sensual, irreverente, frívola y profunda a la vez, Shanghai Baby se ha convertido en un auténtico fenómeno sociocultural y en la referencia de toda una generación de jóvenes chinos, en una novela de culto que afronta con excepcional naturalidad los temas que todavía son tremendos tabús en ese difícil país. Su espectacular acogida de crítica y lectores en Francia, Inglaterra, Italia, Alemana y Japón demuestra una vez más que no hay fronteras para una novela valiente, sincera y rabiosamente contemporánea.… (meer)

I would say 2.5 but meh, I don't care. The book and storyline was intriguing at first but then it got more and more dull. I guess what I hated the most is the fact that Coco kept going back to Mark, even though she claimed she loved Tian Tian so much. She's indeed a foolish character in my opinion in all confused about her own self. I guess that's what made me rating pretty low, I really didn't like the main character so much as to the fact that she would betray her lover like that. Hm, I just think it's a pet peeve of mine and to read about it is a turn off. In all, it was alright I guess. I had quite high expectations for this book but they weren't met.… (meer)

Shanghai Baby (上海寳貝) by Zhou Weihui is the quintessential novel of the modern, middle-class Chinese woman living in the heady days of the early 90s as China underwent massive socio-economic changes.

Semi-autobiographical in nature and with the link between fact and fiction blurred for marketing purposes, Shanghai Baby is replete with brand names, sexualised themes and empty dialogue. Commercialisation and materialism are glamorised to an obscene extent, with the protagonist at every opportunity announcing to all the brand name make-up, cars, drinks, music, places etc. she uses and visits. This vapid materialism is compounded by the sexual element of Coco's story - at every opportunity she discusses the superiority of western penises and bemoans the fact her Chinese lover is impotent.

All of this comes together in a heavily commercialised novel that reeks of self-promotion and exhibitionism; sex and material wealth are constantly exploited for commercial profit. Shanghai Baby is merely the culmination of the trend of "Babe Writers", common in the early 90s, whose novels focused on the lives of modern independent women in modern China. However, whatever sociological or literary worth this phenomenon might have had is lost in vapid, empty dialogue, obnoxious and one-dimensional characters, and exploitative writings. Unlike earlier novels by Chinese women, Shanghai Baby has nothing to do with protest, personal growth, or rebellion against social convention; rather it is testimony to the mantra "sex sells".

The only thing modern about this novel is its alternative Shanghai setting populated by artists, writers, and disaffected Generation Y members but ultimately that as well is nothing more than stereotypical hedonism and materialism.… (meer)