September 15, 2005
China. Mobile Phone Mini Story Contest
The story of the mini novel in China began centuries ago but the literary form has been given a new lease of life thanks to the mobile phone. Michelle Zhang for The Shangai Daily reports on a competition where writers use SMS to pen their plots.
Organized by the Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, the first mobile phone mini story contest was launched in early July and ends today.
In the two months the contest has been running, it has received nearly 2,000 works from all over the country through SMS. People of all ages — from young students to retired workers — have showed an unexpected enthusiasm for the event.
Commenting on the contest, well-known writer Yu Hua says: "To hold the competition is like bringing 'karaoke' to literature. Before the invention of karaoke, there were only few people who could or would sing in public. Thanks to karaoke, anyone and everyone can sing in public whenever they feel like it. Now, thanks to the mobile phone, the same is true with writing."
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