Famous writer Liu Xinglong is 68 years old this year. He described himself as someone who doesn't like to join in the fun, and has always been slow to work on writing. A long novel, from conception to completion, may take several years or even longer to meet readers. The latest novel 'Listening to Leaks' is like this, which took Liu Xinglong ten years to complete. In hundreds of thousands of words, he built a huge world of stories around the bronze heavy object "Nine Tripods and Seven Chests", with listeners, archaeologists, experts and scholars, and even the most beautiful double decker bus on Route 64 in the three towns of Wuhan taking turns to appear. In fact, after decades of writing, Liu Xinglong has always incorporated reflections on fate and human nature into his works, and constantly sought breakthroughs in writing. He said that for novelists, the most remarkable and flavorful thing is constantly discovering new fields. In addition to writing, he is good at observing life and has also seen the huge impact of short videos on life. However, he always believes that one or two minute short videos are like the rap art that the older generation appreciates after meals, and there will always be some kind of popular entertainment for people to enjoy after meals. Compared to visual language, text carries a greater amount of information. Liu Xinglong metaphorically said that literature is a meal that provides people with spiritual life. Dinner must have the appearance and quality of the dinner. No matter how good the taste of snacks Dim sum is, they can only be used as a companion. Author Liu Xinglong. Image source: Liu Xinglong from China News Network once said, "Winning an award is like celebrating Chinese New Year, while writing is like living a life." He loves literature and will continue to write meticulously in the future. It is a "loophole" in fate and a starting point for writing. Those familiar with Liu Xinglong know that whenever he goes anywhere, if he has free time, he will most likely choose to take a walk in the museum. This habit has been maintained for a long time. The archaeological excavation site and the workshop engaged in cultural relic restoration also attracted him, but not for the sake of curiosity, but to accumulate as much knowledge as possible. He often chats with the staff without disturbing others. Over the years, the accumulated knowledge of cultural relics has become a driving force for Liu Xinglong to create archaeological themed novels. The recently published "Listening to Leaks" is the second part of Liu Xinglong's "Bronze Heavy Artifacts" series of novels, which takes the "Nine Tripods and Seven Guigui" as the clue and depicts the social turmoil of the past half century through the fate entanglement of two generations of ancient scholars. In a sense, writing is an innovative process. For mature writers, overcoming the challenges encountered on the path of innovation is a fundamental skill. Before starting to write 'Listening to Leakage', Liu Xinglong researched materials, designed writing ideas, and did a lot of preparation work. Facing the twists and turns of fate and the mysterious and unpredictable nature of life, how to identify their flaws and use them as a rare entry point for writing is the most difficult for writers Liu Xinglong said. He explained "Listening to Leaks" in this way: "The Nine Tripods and Seven Barrels" are not only historical flaws, but also the direction secretly guided by real life. "Walking in this direction, the problems in writing will be easily solved." From "sitting at home" to becoming a famous writer and winner of the Mao Dun Literature Award, Liu Xinglong bears many identity labels related to writing. If measured by time, his writing journey can be traced back several decades. Liu Xinglong's first job had nothing to do with writing. He is from Hubei. After graduating from high school, he joined the Water Resources Bureau of Yingshan County and became a construction worker, often carrying survey poles and running around. Not long after, he became a mechanic at the valve factory again. Unlike others, Liu Xinglong likes to stay in the dormitory and write after work every day. He is a genuine "literary youth". However, at that time, he did not receive the favor of fate, constantly creating and being rejected... For a long time, he was the object of ridicule from his colleagues. Everyone joked that he was "sitting at home", but Liu Xinglong didn't get angry and often laughed it off. After several years, his debut work was finally published in Anhui Literature. From then on, the path of writing seemed to have finally become smooth. Liu Xinglong wrote dozens of medium length novels and won the first Lu Xun Literature Award. He also created more than ten long novels and won the Mao Dun Literature Award for his work "Skywalker". Every blade of grass and every tree, even a sandy nest on a small island, can become a source of inspiration for Liu Xinglong's writing, but this process is relatively long. The most typical example is that he wrote about bronze ware, which was an idea he had twenty years ago. Literary creation emphasizes sedimentation and accumulation. One of his works often takes a long time to polish. In 2014, Liu Xinglong began to conceive "Listening to Leakage" and it was not until 2024 that it was written and published. A seed needs to be buried in fertile soil, waiting for the right time to take root and sprout, and undergo the test of spring, summer, autumn, and winter before it can bloom and bear fruit. The same goes for writing Liu Xinglong said, "Inspiration should be kept in the heart for a little bit of warmth, and only after a long time of nourishment can it be harvested." Unconsciously, there is a saying circulating in the domestic literary world that "Liu Xinglong likes to be serious when it comes to things." He admits this, "Ten years of factory workshop life and meticulous requirements for product quality have cultivated an attitude of not daring to be careless about people and things." Author Liu Xinglong. Image source: China News Network. In the free spirited literary world, such temperament sometimes seems out of place, but it is not entirely without benefits. Liu Xinglong has always considered every word and every detail, even the portrayal of supporting role, in order to have a "masterstroke". Writers are often good at observing life. In the current cultural hot spots, he doesn't like to join in the excitement, but most people know that "literature is the main form of cultural inheritance, and as long as you start writing, the power of culture will come uninvited." Short videos swept the Internet, and Liu Xinglong, who has always been reluctant to join in the excitement, was inevitably affected. After the publication of 'Listening to Leakage', he did a live broadcast and filmed several short videos, all of which were his first time. He found them quite fresh and interesting. Short videos are just about being straightforward, speaking in plain language, just like meeting someone you can talk to, going back and forth, without picking words, without using words He described it as' living at home '. The biggest advantage of doing this is that it is easy and natural, and easy for people to accept. The difficulty lies in the fact that if you come across some curious people, as the saying goes, who are "jungle fighters", and just want to see what the writer looks like through live streaming, the anchor's words will be in vain. From this, Liu Xinglong came up with a viewpoint that using live streaming or short video transformation methods to influence others and attract people to read books, the motivation is not a problem, the key is the effect, such as whether people can buy books and read them seriously. Otherwise, no matter how big the traffic is, if it cannot truly make people fall in love with reading, then what will be implemented will only be a superficial scenery He concluded that literature, on the other hand, is more of a subtle influence, flowing slowly and silently. (New Society)