As a Cantonese, I used to think so. Remember to go out to work in Shenzhen from 1996, and write while working as a coolie. At that time, the meaning of writing was more about recording what happened around you. Finally, I read more publications, and when I see the lead manuscripts in magazines, I have the urge to contribute.
Shenzhen Dapeng Bay is the earliest literature of working, including Jiangmen literature, Foshan literature, Zhanjiang literature and working literature. There are many publications about the Pearl River Delta.
As a literary lover, the desire for publishing is like walking in the desert and wanting a drink. Occasionally publish some tofu pieces, which is as exciting as Jin Fan's move.
I have worked in Guangdong for several years and have been running around in the Pearl River Delta. Literature has become the spiritual pillar of my efforts, but this is also where I have been depressed. I have never found a quiet place to write.
Because of depression, I want to go for a walk in other provinces, or I can find my ideal sky in other provinces. At that time, my cousin was working in Jiangxi, so he easily entered the factory where my cousin worked.
I went to Jiangxi after the Spring Festival in 2003. The factory is in a small county, and suddenly it comes to a quiet small county from a prosperous city, which feels like a paradise. I think this is exactly the creative environment I want.
Although the work in the factory is not easy, nothing needs to be taken care of after eight hours. I have plenty of time to write, so I usually stay in my private house to write after work.
At that time, computers were not popular. I know nothing about computers myself. I write with a pen every day, first on draft paper, then copy it into square paper after revision, and finally mail it. I wrote it with a pen at that time. The advantage of using a pen is that I don't have to buy a ballpoint pen often. The disadvantage is that the pen body is very hard, and the fingers are very sour after not writing for a long time. Sometimes my fingers are numb after writing for a long time. Finally, I came up with a way to wrap some tape around the pen, which is a little elastic and less painful for my fingers.
Because of this, colleagues often tell me why your pen is always broken. I laughed as soon as I heard it. I said my finger was worn out. Colleagues believed it and told people everywhere that my pen was worn out.
In fact, writing at that time was not only to kill time, but also to find your own dreams. At that time, I didn't worry about whether others would receive it or not, and I didn't want to publish what I wouldn't publish. Anyway, I have always believed in the saying that if you give, you will get it.
Facts have proved that efforts have yielded results, but not much.
In 2004, for the needs of the factory, I went to learn computer. Finally I gritted my teeth and bought a second-hand desktop computer. The configuration is a little low, but it still barely works. It was only after I had a computer that I discovered that the manuscript could actually be sent without a post office. So I learned how to send emails, how to use Word, how to use QQ, how to transfer files in QQ and so on.
Although I live in a small county, every day is monotonous. However, the creative atmosphere in the county where I work is quite good. The chairman of the County Writers Association is a woman, and her pen name is Xue Ning. Many members under her leadership write poems. Although it is a county-level writers' association, we have our own pure literature publication called Zhangjiang Literature. We often collect folk songs, and no matter how busy we are, we will find time to get together and discuss literature.
When they went to Jiangxi, they became mainlanders, but they did not exclude them. Apart from talking about literature, one question they often ask me is, since you are from Guangdong, how did you come to work in Jiangxi? In their eyes, it is very strange for Cantonese to come to work in Jiangxi. They say that Guangdong is recruiting everywhere, and the salary is definitely higher than here.
Facing their words, I was speechless. Yes! Why did you come to Jiangxi? Why don't you go back to Guangdong? This is a question that I often think about.
In fact, I am afraid in my heart. I'm afraid I'll lose my ideal when I return to Guangdong. I'm afraid I have to give up literature because of the work pressure in Guangdong. In fact, there are many such examples. After many literary friends from other provinces came to Guangdong, they all said that they were too busy to write at all, and they could not write a few articles a year.
I think what they said is also true, because I am from Guangdong and have a deep understanding. They often say that Guangdong is a cultural desert. Every time I hear this sentence, I feel a little helpless, but my heart aches faintly.
One day, I got up the courage to say to myself, I'm going back to Guangdong! Even if it is as horrible as they say, I will go back to Guangdong. And I'm going to Shenzhen, the most economically developed city in Guangdong.
After the Spring Festival in 2008, I came to Shenzhen with a suitcase and a second-hand notebook. When I came to Shenzhen, my first thought was to gain a foothold. Fortunately, fate is always fair. With my years of literary qualifications, I soon found a job as a reporter for a trade newspaper.
I came to Shenzhen as a stranger. What I think of is how to take root in Shenzhen, and then settle down and create. Go out at six o'clock every morning, come back after eight o'clock in the evening, and write a press release after you come back. I have lived a busy life every day for three months.
At that time, there seemed to be no leisure to think about literature. I miss literature more in my dreams. I often dream that I am standing on a cliff reciting poems and suddenly fall into a deep valley. I often tremble with this dream, and when I wake up, I find myself in a cold sweat.
In order to find my dream, I can only continue to be busy with my work. Only when the work is stable can we regain our literary dream.
Four months later, I was familiar with the working environment and the pressure was less. So I started to Baidu those literary friends in Shenzhen on the Internet.
That day, I found a guest poet on a website, who happened to be a fellow villager in our county. So I took the liberty of calling him. I didn't expect the guest teacher to hear that he was a fellow villager. I met him very readily, and later met the poet A Bei under the introduction of the guests.
I hit it off with Abei, probably because we both stayed in Jiangxi. But I think it's more because of literature, which can often shorten the distance between people. A few days after we met, Abei called me and said there would be a party on Sunday. When I said party, I thought it was just a few friends having dinner. He said it was a gathering of Aoyi.com's original literature.
I'm a little shocked. Are they not busy? Before going, I always thought they were just having a meal in the name of literature. Only when I got there did I realize that I was wrong. I saw them get together in twos and threes to discuss contemporary literature and study some people's works.
I suddenly laughed when I saw it. I think, isn't this the atmosphere I want?
I heard a writer say that real masters come from the people. I think so too. I think they all write about part-time jobs, grass-roots units, business owners and even some housewives. But their enthusiasm for literature and their writing skills are definitely much stronger than those of professional writers.
With them, what I hear most is poetry. I don't know how they can have such high enthusiasm. Whenever they recite poems, their confidence and pride will be generate in an instant.
At this time, I think Shenzhen is a paradise for creation. In the bustling city and impetuous living space, I think it is the highest realm of writing to achieve this kind of creative passion.
What Shenzhen hears now is more about "building a civilized city". Indeed, Shenzhen is striving to build a civilized city just like developing a special economic zone.
In Shenzhen, writers are all part-time, bosses, civil servants, locals and mainlanders. Like the development of special economic zones, Shenzhen chose the word tolerance. However, now, I still choose those two words-tolerance.
Before I came to Shenzhen, I was always worried that I would lose my literature because of some impetuous things in Shenzhen. Now it seems that my worry is unnecessary. There are many poets and writers in Shenzhen who are very United. There are many publications and articles, and there are also many activities about literature. I don't think this is the life I want.
I have always been glad that I made the right choice to come to Shenzhen. For me, the important thing in writing is not publishing, but having a good atmosphere and being able to write happily. For me, this is more important than anything.