Over the moon

The novel has been translated into various languages and was nominated for the 2008 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in the United Kingdom.

Wang's journey with the novel began when she was a student at the Beijing Dance Academy, where she first encountered its poignant narrative. She vividly remembers the moment she read the final line, her senses overwhelmed as snowflakes began to fall outside her window. The emotional weight of the story left her deeply affected.

"I was physically numb yet emotionally stirred after reading the novel," she recalls. "And I realized then that I had found a character that resonated with me on a profound level."

In collaboration with Bi, a Mao Dun Literature Prize recipient, who granted her the rights to adapt his novel, Wang embarked on a creative journey that would shape her artistic identity.

"The adaptation process, which took about five months, was both liberating and rigorous," she says. "But it allowed me to push the boundaries of how we interpret literature through dance."