Jia Pingwa, whose novels have caused both fame and controversy, has an enormous readership throughout the Chinese speaking world. However, despite Pingwa's cultural significance and the use of his poetry, novels and prose in schools and universities, there has never been any substantial academic study of the writer and his writings. Filling that gap, this book examines the corpus of Pingwa’s writing and emphasizes his importance, prominence and relevance to contemporary Chinese society.

This pioneering study discusses Pingwa's works in the light of ‘cultural nationalism’, showing how he links the cultural identity of China with the cultural authenticity of his local Shaanxi Province. In addition, the book highlights issues of nationalism in contemporary Chinese literature and underpins the significance of regional writing in negotiating China’s national identities.