At the 10th World Association for Chinese Studies Conference (WACS 10) held at the University of Hong Kong, award-winning writer Xuemo delivered a keynote address that positioned literature as a vital counterbalance to the rise of artificial intelligence. His speech, titled "Using Literature to Connect the World: Wisdom and Transcendence in the AI Era," argued that literature, rooted in love and wisdom, remains the truest bridge between human hearts, even as algorithms increasingly shape human experience.
Xuemo described his creative process as entering a state of "holistic consciousness," shedding ego and sensory limits to allow the work to emerge as a natural response to human suffering and aspiration. "Love and wisdom," he said, "are the soul of great literature." This perspective resonated across disciplines, with scholars from various fields engaging with his ideas.
Professor Richard Van Ness Simmons, Director of Chinese Studies at the University of Hong Kong, praised Xuemo's masterful use of Liangzhou dialect, a linguistic treasure carrying five thousand years of agrarian heritage. Simmons highlighted Xuemo's collaboration with translator Howard Goldblatt, which involved millions of characters of dialogue to ensure dialectal nuance, setting a new standard for cross-cultural fidelity.
Professor Martin Woesler, a member of the European Academy of Sciences, drew parallels between Xuemo's narrative voice and Western phenomenological thought. Woesler praised Xuemo's strategy of giving translators creative freedom, calling it a "game-changer" for bringing Chinese literature to global readers. Scholars from Uzbekistan, Europe, and China's top universities joined the discussion, reflecting the widening international interest in Xuemo's work.
Xuemo concluded, "The real barrier to cross-cultural understanding is never technique. It is the depth of our care for life itself." This statement underscored the conference's central theme: that the human element in literature is indispensable, particularly in an era dominated by technology.
With more than 80 books and translations in 31 languages, Xuemo has become one of China's most translated and internationally recognized living authors. His landmark works, including the Desert Trilogy, Into the Desert, and the monumental eight-volume epic Suosalang, have earned recent international honors such as the New York City Big Book Award and the International Book Awards (2024–2025).
Xuemo's growing global readership and rising academic recognition suggest a deep, counter-intuitive truth: the more technology advances, the more the world hungers for stories that speak directly to the shared human condition across all borders, languages, and ages. As artificial intelligence continues to permeate daily life, the conference underscored the enduring relevance of literary wisdom and the necessity of preserving human connection.
