Zhange NI

In this project, Zhange Ni studies fantasy novels published on the Internet in 21st century China. She defines Fantasy as a branch of fantasy literature that reinvents magic, superstition, that is, "false" or "irrational" ideas and practices rooted in popular traditions around the world that oppose modern science and the liberal model of religion through a form of internalized, privatized and depoliticized piety. Following the translation of contemporary Western discourses on science, religion and superstition, Chinese Fantasy first appeared in the form of martial arts fiction in the early twentieth century. The very anti-superstitious nation-state subsequently suppressed it. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Chinese Fantasy has come into its own with the revival of Chinese religions, including what was previously considered superstition and new media such as films, television, video games, and the Internet. In the vast ocean of fantasy novels, she distinguishes three sub-genres to conduct a text analysis - xiuzhen (the quest for immortality), daomu (tomb raiding) and danmei (homoerotic romances). She argues that they engage with the messy reality of contemporary China and demonstrate the post-socialist generation’s desire to navigate the labyrinth of global capitalism and seek alternative imaginaries beyond the dominant order.