Writer Yang Liguang
Writer Yang Liguang is Shenzhen's most celebrated literary figure. Last month, he won China's most prestigious literary prize, the Lu Xun award, for the third time for his reportage on Sars. He talks to Simon Bowring and Yvonne Young about life, writing and philosophy.
I'm a Shenzhen immigrant. When I first arrived I was surprised that people here eat soup before eating rice - in my hometown everyone eats the main course first. But now I always eat soup before meals.
"New China" has the most opportunities in the world. I like the industriousness and assiduousness of Chinese people, but I dislike their unlimited eagerness for money.
Sitting beside an open window in a gentle breeze with a nice cup of tea and a good book gives me the most relaxation. The pleasure derives from not having to interact with anybody else - the world feels far away.
After more than 25 years of development, the urban construction in Shenzhen is definitely improving. I've been to a lot of cities, and when it comes to "green" development, I think Shenzhen is a lot further ahead than Hong Kong.
I began to investigate Sars during its peak. Traveling from China's outbreak zones to the seriously infected hospitals took me on a 42-day journey. I went to all hospitals with Sars cases and acquired a huge amount of first-hand information.
I began thinking about the ultimate origin of this disaster. Why and how did Sars emerge? And why was it attacking humans so mercilessly? After a year of study, I realized Sars was connected to all epidemics - it follows the path of human civilization. I asserted we share the same ancestor as the virus, if we consider the first form of life on Earth was a bacterium. I believe there is no way to completely eradicate a virus, because that would imply the destruction of the human race. Then I wrote the book "Epidemic, The Shadow Of Humans: In Search of the Origin of Sars," which brought me my third Lu Xun Literary Award.
A sense of responsibility determines my behavior and thinking, it's the most commendable quality of being a man. To undertake responsibility is the basic premise for success.
In Shenzhen, opportunities should not be missed.