Magic Dragon: " Beijing 's situation is so bad because so many sick people from out of town have come to Beijing to get treated in the hospitals. When they need help, the first place they think of is Beijing, not Shanghai. Beijing people have never been as selfish as the Shanghainese!"
Seeing the situation disintegrate, someone named American Passport posts his message: "Guys, stop fighting. It doesn't matter if you are from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Beijing, or Shanghai – you are all deemed the same here in the United States! Nobody is better than anyone else. Do you know that many U.S. Chinatown businesses have dropped severely? So has the business in the Japanese enclave near my house. Some of my American coworkers think everyone with an Asian face might have relatives who live with pigs."
Following American Passport, I post my own message. I give myself the name, China Doll.
China Dolclass="underline" "A Taiwanese author once said that each Chinese individual is a dragon, but when the Chinese group together, they become a fat worm. Do you know why? The Chinese have never been united. They always try to categorize themselves and others. The city people look down on the country people; the rich look down on the poor. It is so stupid!"
Domestic Love posts a response: "Who are you? Writing slogans here? Where are you from? How dare you refer to the Chinese as 'they'? How dare you call us stupid?" I feel funny, but being attacked online doesn't upset me. Instead, it is entertaining for some reason. I understand why Hong Kong Babe has written those provocative messages. She must be bored and wants attention. Under a new identity, you can do anything you want and say anything you want.
So China Doll writes: "I'm a Chinese American. My family tree consists of a Taiwanese father, a stepmother from northeast China, and a Beijing mother who married an American. In one word, I'm Chinese."
Louis Vutton: "This 'China Doll' sounds suspicious with such a complicated background. Might be an American spy. We'd better report her to the online police."
77 The (Brief) Return of Ximu
It takes Lulu seven months to finish her first book, Lover ' s Socks. The book originally was called Love in the Time of SARS., but by the time the book is out, SARS is passe. Inspired by Sade's Lovers Rock, the publisher has given the book this current name. Lover ' s Socks is based on Lulus six-year on-and-off relationship with her former boyfriend, Ximu. The male character, Daiwu, goes to France to study fashion with his new-lywed wife after graduating from a top university in China. In France, like many Chinese emigre couples, the wife abandons the husband, marries a Frenchman, and stays in France. Somehow, the wife's decision sets Daiwu free.
He returns to China and soon emerges as a top fashion designer. He has no difficulty hooking up with beautiful young women, but his soulmate and confidante is a young fashion magazine editor named Jade, who worships him wholeheartedly. Smart and understanding, Jade never pushes Daiwu to marry her because he claims to be a free spirit who would not want the fetters of marriage. But Daiwu betrays Jade by secretly getting married to a woman who is half Chinese and half French. This is his way to get even with his ex-wife.
The publisher is keen on promoting Lulu, the young, fashionable, and talented author. They plan to list the book as semi-autobiographical, a method sure to generate more buzz and sales. But Lulu wants to change the location from France to Japan to make the characters less identifiable. Her editor persuades her not to. "Don't be afraid of reve aling your private life. You see, even Hillary Clinton has to write about Monica Lewinsky in order to sell her book. Victims like her, and Nicole Kidman, get a lot of sympathy. Your book will be a tear-jerker. You'll get a lot of supporters, especially sympathetic female readers who 'll rally behind you against those heartless womanizers. But to get this effect, you have to make us believe it's a real story."
Lulu says, "But I'm not concerned about my own privacy. I'm concerned about Ximu's."
The editor says, "If you worry about us getting involved in lawsuits, don't. We'd be thrilled if he sued us. It's called free publicity! If he were to sue, we'd invite all the journalists and hold press conferences – way more effective than book signings to pump the sales."
"But I just don't think it's fair for Ximu." Lulu mumbles quietly as she looks at her feet.
"Was he fair to you? He lied to you and cheated on you. Why are you still treating this shameless man kindly?"
As they are debating, the telephone rings. Lulu picks it up and gestures to her editor that it is Ximu. The editor puts the speaker on so that she can also hear what he says.
"So I heard you wrote about me," Ximu says to Lulu.
Lulu doesn't deny a thing. "Yes. Do you mind?"
"No. Not at all." Ximu sounds happy. "As a matter of fact, I'd prefer you to use my real name."
"But the character is not an honorable man, as you may know better than anybody else," Lulu mocks.
"It's flattering to be written about by a young, beautiful, and very promising writer. I'd rather be notorious than normal. If you want, I can help you find investors who might be interested in turning the book into a movie. Our story might become a legend!"
Hearing his words, the editor gives Lulu an I-told-you-so expression.
"You're treating my book like free advertising for your fashion designs," says Lulu, displeased. Despite all his flaws, Lulu still can't believe that the artist Ximu would promote himself so shamelessly.
"Why not? Nowadays the most difficult thing is to be taken seriously. Movie actors, fashion designers, and pop singers reinvent their love stories to promote themselves. We have a real one – why not go for it? Lulu, let's make some noise and sell our past together to the public!"
For a moment, Lulu says nothing. The she regains her confidence and replies, "What do you mean, 'we'? You didn't have any trouble going your own way before. You wanted to write some new chapters in your life without me. Now, I'm the one writing it, so I'll be the one selling it. Bye-bye!"
78 Marketing Trauma
Lulu's debut novel Lover ' s Socks is published with a first printing of 100,000 copies. Lulu is sent on a ten-city book tour. In every city, with every journalist and interviewer, she repeats the tales of her sad love story with Ximu who cheated on her and only wanted to take her as a lover, not a wife. She's heard on radio, seen on TV, and written about in newspapers.
Although Lulu enjoys the stardom of a rising new author, she cannot help but feel a sense of irony about the whole thing: Her relationship with Ximu almost destroyed her and made her look like a failure in front of her family and friends. But now, she is going to achieve some fame and make a fortune out of this story. She needs to smile at her readers as she signs her name on the flyleaf of the sad book they have purchased.
She calls me: "Niuniu, believe it or not, I'm selling my own pain. I guess everything is commercialized nowadays. The market is what counts."
I recently just finished reporting a story on the Chinese literature scene. I know exactly what she is talking about. I comfort her: "Nothing is wrong about making a living off one's pain. Mo Yan, the author of The Republic of Wine always writes about hungry peasants in his stories. Jung Chang, the author of Wild Swans, tells the stories of the three generations of women's suffering. Amy Tan is another successful writer who made a bundle by selling sorrowful Chinese stories to the West. Look at Hollywood – movies about the Holocaust always tend to win the awards. Selling pain is a good business model."