Ru-yan

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Ru-yan (如焉 or 如焉@sars•com) is a very popular Chinese novel that was initially published online. Ru-yan is written by Fa-yun Hu, a novelist of intermediate fame in China, to commemorate his deceased wife

It is an instant hit as it resonates well with its audience, especially the vast online audience in China. However, it is subsequently banned by the Government as it touches on several sensitive domestic issues. Ru-yan has generated so much interest that it remains a very sought-after reading at the underground market and it is still available online at sites hosted at overseas.

Ru-yan, who is the central character of the novel, is a single mother of middle age. After her son went to study abroad, she began to have her own life and fell in love with online activities. Ru-yan is her online name. Through the internet, she makes many friends with people who are similarly situated and share the same thoughts. She posts blogs and exchanges messages; she found a new life in the virtual world. Jiang, one of her colleague introduced Ru-yan to a widower Liang, who is vice-mayor of the city. Ru-yan and Liang soon started dating and Liang, a government official, began to be exposed to the online world. Suddenly SARS epidemics hit the city. While Ru-yan and her online friends are spreading the information, the city wanted to contain the bad news. Eventually the conflict led to the break-up between Ru-yan and Liang who chose to put his career over the truth and his love, while Ru-yan and her friends keep struggling.

Ru-yan is not simply a love story; it exposes the social and economic realities of contemporary China that is undergoing a deep socioeconomic transformation, contributed by both state-sponsored market reforms and utilitarian approaches of capitalism. Ru-yan is well received by people from all walks of life in China. Some even compare it to Doctor Zhivago.

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