Leaving the World to Enter the World focuses on the fictional and theoretical writings of Han Shaogong, one of the most striking voices in contemporary Chinese literature. Han played a central role in the 'root-seeking' trend that dominated the literary scene of the People's Republic of China in the mid-1980s. His work has won him acclaim from a wide range of readers in Chinese and other languages, a highlight being the 1996 novel Dictionary of Maqiao.Critics have labeled Han the leader of a nationalist movement in search of a cultural identity. Mark Leenhouts shows that Han's role is much more complex, demonstrating that his literary practice is a highly individual, creative continuation of Chinese tradition. Han's personal style transcends the narrow boundaries of root-seeking as it has been portrayed in literary histories and criticism to date.This rectification of the one-sided image of Han Shaogong has profound implications for the significance of root-seeking literature, and for
