Mián Mián writes in the first person, and the protagonists of her autobiographical stories have names like “Miracle Fruit”, “Faded Flower”, or “Running Water”. They are good-for-nothings; musicians; and sometimes poets; all of them finding great pleasure in clubs and at parties. “Shanghai is beautiful. Like a stage, except that the actors have no script.” Mián got to know the Shanghai youth and pop scene as a DJ and a rave promoter, and describes it in her novels with an openness that has been, until now, unknown in China. Books such as Candy and Panda Sex were censored or banned by the Chinese authorities because of their supposedly dubious morality, but, through reprints nevertheless achieved a large readership. Candy became a bestseller abroad. Mián’s novel We Are Panic was filmed as Shanghai Panic with her starring in one of the leading roles. La La La appeared in German in 2000, uncensored, and revised by the author.
in English
Mián Mián (*1970) is a writer and DJ. She lives and works in Shanghai.