Joint China-South Korea Reading Event for Mao Dun Literature Award Winner Liu Liangcheng Was Held in Seoul

On June 27， a joint China-South Korea reading event for works by Liu Liangcheng， the Mao Dun Literature Award-winning author， was held in Seoul， South Korea. The event was co-organized by Yilin Press and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies， focusing on the Korean version of Liu’s representative work A Village of One. The event attracted experts， scholars， and young students from both China and South Korea， who gathered to share and exchange insights. Yilin Press released the South Korean edition of A Village of One in 2022， and after nearly two years of effort， the book was formally introduced to South Korean readers. This marks the first foreign language edition of A Village of One， the representative work of Liu Liangcheng the “Rural Philosopher”， making it a significant milestone.

During the event， Liu Liangcheng delivered a lecture titled “The Sound of My Hometown Contains the Voices of the World.” The event featured discussions on literary writing and translation， with contributions from notable figures such as professor Lee Seung-yong， the director of the Library at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies; professor Na Min-koo， head of the Chinese Department and South Korean director of the Confucius Institute at the university; professor Kim Jin-ah， director of the South Korean-Chinese Department at the Translation Institute; Kang Sung-min， president of Book Journal Publishing House; Zhao Yin， the South Korean translator and sinologist who translated A Village of One; and Ji Yu， deputy editor-in-chief of Yilin Press. More than 30 young students from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies also shared their reading experiences with Liu and read excerpts from the book together.

Following the reading event， Yilin Press， Liu Liangcheng， and Book Journal Publishing House signed a copyright agreement for the South Korean version of Liu’s other major work and Mao Dun Literature Award-winning novel Ben Ba. Additionally， Yilin Press， Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing， and Jiangsu Phoenix Education Publishing donated 50 original Chinese books， including the Liu Liangcheng Works Collection and the Ge Fei Works Collection， to the library of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Liu Liangcheng’s presence at the event was a major highlight. In his speech， he explained that A Village of One does not describe a village inhabited by only one person， but rather， it represents the perspective of someone looking back at their hometown as a wanderer in a foreign land， who then was given an opportunity to recreate and rearrange their own hometown. “When I look back at my village， everyone is gone because that period of time has vanished. What I wrote about is a hometown from a particular time，” Liu said. He expressed gratitude to the Book Journal Publishing House for their efforts in translating， publishing， and distributing the book in South Korea. Liu hopes that the book’s portrayal of the emotional bond between people and nature can resonate with readers across Asia and the world， transcending language barriers， and that his words， like the wind， can reach the heart of every nature lover.

Ji Yu， deputy editor-in-Chief of Yilin Press and the Chinese publisher representative， spoke highly of the significance and value of publishing A Village of One in South Korea， describing it as a model of contemporary Chinese writing. The book， with over 50 essays featured in Chinese language textbooks and reading materials across various regions， has contributed to the literary， aesthetic， and environmental education of several generations of Chinese readers. Ji expressed hope that the South Korean version would similarly plant seeds of literature in the hearts of South Korean youth and even middle school students.

Book Journal Publishing House， a subsidiary of the prominent South Korean publishing group Munhak Village， is widely influential in South Korea. Kang Sung-min， president of Book Journal Publishing House， highlighted the power of literature to bridge the gap between human hearts and expressed confidence that A Village of One， as a classic work of Chinese literature， would further promote Chinese literature in South Korea and touch readers worldwide.

Professors Na Min-koo and Kim Jin-ah of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies praised A Village of One as an excellent work that blends literary quality with readability， celebrating the bond between humans and nature and the purity of the human spirit.

South Korean translator Zhao Yin， along with students from the university’s translation institute， shared insights into the translation process and engaged in in-depth discussions with Liu Liangcheng about the content of the book.

Themed around “hometown，” this event was not only a professional literary exchange but also an exploration of the keywords “nature，” “world，” and “exchange.” Through such a classic literary work that combines regional characteristics with universal emotions and reflects humanistic and natural concerns， the event showcased its unique significance.

This international， scholarly， and innovative literary exchange provided an effective platform for China-South Korea literary and cultural interaction， fostering friendship between the two countries and deepening mutual understanding of each other’s culture and literature. The “going out” of Chinese literature requires not only professional copyright trade but also innovative mechanisms and effective academic exchanges to promote Chinese literature abroad， attracting more global readers to engage with outstanding literary works. It is hoped that this event will serve as a starting point for more international joint reading sessions， enhancing the role of publishing in connecting Chinese and world literature and promoting more excellent Chinese authors and works to a global audience.