Kham Writers’ Works Discussed at Sichuan Book Fair

Dragon Media Newsroom

A discussion on works by the Kham Writers’ Group was held on October 16 during the Sichuan Tianfu Book Fair. Publishers, editors and writers gathered to review achievements in Kham literature and discuss new approaches to creating and promoting literature by ethnic groups.

A Ngak Tsering Tashi, head of the Sichuan Ethnic Publishing House, outlined the characteristics and achievements of publishing books by ethnic writers. He said the contribution of literary works to strengthening a shared sense of community among the Chinese nation should be a key consideration in selecting and guiding publications. Publishers, he added, should encourage broader interaction, exchanges and closer integration among ethnic groups.

Organizers said the event was intended to build a channel for dialogue between publishers and writers, encourage authors to write about their homeland, and help them tell stories of the shared community of the Chinese nation.

Representatives of the Ganzi Prefecture Federation of Literary and Art Circles discussed developing local writing talent and sustaining ethnic literature. They said writing workshops in Chinese and Tibetan, along with lectures by established authors, had helped improve local writers’ skills and build a group spanning older, middle-aged and younger generations. They also pledged to strengthen support for writers and the Kham literary community.

Two Kham writers discussed the links among translation, cultural expression and reader reception in Tibetan-language writing, editing and publishing. They said Kham literature draws on the lived experience and cultural roots of the plateau, expressing the region’s intellectual character through distinctive narratives and ethnic aesthetics. The Kham Writers’ Group, made up mainly of young Tibetan writers, has created and published more than 100 works, according to the report.