New chapter for women's writing

Throughout Chinese history, there have been far fewer women writers than men, because, most of the time, only a small number of women were allowed to receive education or were encouraged to write with a chance of being published, until the May Fourth Movement in 1919.

Like holding a fire, one by one, Zhang illuminated the memorable moments in women's writing history over the past 100 years in the foreword.

The first key moment was on Sept 1, 1923, when a young woman named Ling Shuhua wrote a letter to her teacher Zhou Zuoren, a male writer.

She writes: "There have been so few women writers in China. That's why the ideas and life of Chinese women have never been known to the world, which is so irresponsible to human beings. What do you think, sir? Do you also want to help women in this cause?"

With her writings, Ling later made her contribution to the cause.

"When stringing together women's works in the past 100 years, we find they were about women's life, the life that had been lost in time, and were reiterations of women's spirits and stances," Zhang writes.

"Due to their listening and writing, those women writers 'let those invisible be visible, and those silent, heard'."

Each year, Zhang talks about different topics in the anthology's foreword. "This year, I want to talk about what good women's literature is, that is, the meaning of women's writing," she says.

"It is to let those invisible be visible, those silent be heard, and also to let those who cannot see and hear, see and hear."