Greetings All!
17, May, 2000
Dear Professor Morgan,
I am delighted to tell you some information on Hardy in Beijing.
During 9-11 May I attended an academic meeting in Tongjou, the
extreme-eastern district of the capital. The theme of the
conference was Regionalist Literature in China. About 20 speeches
were delivered by some well-known experts, scholars and writers
during that time. In my speech I gave a brief introduction on
Hardy's regionalist novels in comparison with a famous Chinese
writer of local colour, Lu-Shaotong, who was my friend and died
three years ago. And Tongjou, the place of the conference, is his
native land.
My speech aroused much interest among colleagues who attended the
conference. Some writers said, Hardy is really one of the master
writers in the world, and his *Tess*, *Jude*, *The Return of the
Native* and the short stories in Chinese versions have greatly
influenced their writing. Some young researchers expressed their
intention to pay more attention to Hardy. This, as I think,
marked a good beginning for Hardy to enter a formal, national
literature conference in China.
I am now preparing a small gathering with some friends to
celebrate Hardy's 160 years birthday. I'll tell you more about it
later.
Best wishes,
Yours,
Zhang Ling.