Popular Chinese blogger Han Han set to debut magazine

November 2, 2:46 AMAsia Headlines ExaminerGlen Loveland

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Han Han's "Choir" will be released in November. He is the voice of China's post-1980s generation.

By Yang Kun

SHANGHAI, CHINA – One of China’s best-known writers will unveil his long-awaited magazine this month. Han Han announced on his blog recently that “Choir” magazine will be released in November. Han Han, 27, will write serve as editor of the magazine.

When Han Han announced earlier this year that he planned to launch a magazine, he solicited contributions ranging from essays to poetry to opinion pieces, and received more than 10,000 submissions within five days.

Dubbed “China’s literary bad boy” by Time magazine last month, Han Han's blog is controversial for being anti-establishment, and he is considered the voice of the post-1980s generation. Han Han first came to prominence in 1999, when his essay on the Chinese national character won first prize at the country's New Concept Writing Competition. Over the past ten years, he has published more than ten novels and essay collections, many of which proved to be bestsellers.

Born in Shanghai in 1982, Han Han dropped out of middle school and turned to writing, publishing his first novel Triple Gate in 2000, in which he strongly criticized China's educational system by comparing teachers who do home schooling with prostitutes. "…a teacher is much more competent than a prostitute: The prostitute makes money by giving joy, while a teacher achieves it through giving agony,” he wrote. The novel turned out to be a bestseller and remained at the top of the country's bestseller list for ten months in a row, selling two million copies in all.

Han Han has become one of the best selling authors in China, calling out all that he sees wrong in the world, but with a sly and humorous tone. Han Han's focus on highlighting social injustice and corruption earned him the title as the "the living Lu Xun," in reference to one of China's most celebrated writers and social commentators.

In addition to his blogs and books, Han Han is a professional Formula 1 racer and has captured several titles in China, including the China Circuit Championship in 2007.