Meanwhile, here’s an interview of Yang Hongying from the March edition of beijingkids:

Best-selling children’s author Yang Hongying is frequently referred to as China’s J.K. Rowling,due to her success and popularity among young Chinese readers. Previously a teacher and currently an editor at a children’s literary magazine, Hongying writes from her experience with children. In fact, it was her daughter who inspired her to write Girl’s Diary, the novel that first brought her fame. Hongying continues to charm millions with mischievousMa Xiaotiao from the Mo’s Mischief series.

Tell us about your family.
I have a daughter studying abroad in graduate school. She inspired me to write one of the first books that made me famous, called Girl’s Diary (女生日记).
What were your favorite books as a child?At the time, there weren’t a lot of books available[in China]and people weren’t allowed to read a lot. So, I didn’t read a lot of books when I was young, but the books I read, I read thoroughly. These three are my favorite children’s books and have influenced my writing: Grimm’s fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, and Journey to the West.
How do you feel about being compared to the author of the Harry Potter series?The media started calling me the Chinese J.K. Rowling ten years ago. I think the reason is that we were both best-sellers, but there is really nothing comparable between myself and J.K. Rowling.
Your books have been translated into many languages. What do you think gives your books such universal appeal?My books are available in Chinese, English, French, German, Korean and Japanese. We’re talking about translating them into Italian. The imagination, humor, and appreciation for beauty in my books make them universal.
What inspired you to become a writer?
My writing has a lot to do with my experience. I started teaching at 18, and writing at 19. I’ve mostly worked with children, so that really inspired me to write for them.
How has your experience as a teacher, a children’s book editor and working with a children’s newspaper affected your writing?
Being a teacher helped me learn and understand how children feel and think. Working as an editor and with a newspaper helped me understand what they like to read.
What influence do Chinese children have on your writing?
The unique aspect about Chinese children is that they are only children. There are more expectations and pressure [placed on]them than in other countries. So, making sure they have a happy childhood is a theme in my writing.
Do you have advice for other children’s writers?
Be devoted to writing. Spend a lot of time learning about kids – how they think and feel.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on The Diary of a Smiling Cat (笑猫日记). I’ve published 13 books in this series and feel it’s the most important of all my writing.

Interview translated by Amy Wang

Tune into the beijingkids blog each Thursday as we take you on a quick tour of interesting and relevant items from around the web, all relating (however tangentially) to parenthood and family life in Beijing.

1. If you’ve never heard of author Yang Hongying, you probably should pay more attention. This Beijing-based author of children’s books is the country’s highest-earning writer and Harper Collins is making a new push for her recognition in English-language markets. The China Daily has this interesting profile of "China’s JK Rowling" as well as a brief synopsis of her works here. English versions of Yang’s "Mo’s Mischief" series can be purchased on Amazon.com and Amazon.cn

2. Speaking of writers in China, you might be interested to know that the top 3 richest authors in China write children’s books (and the top 2 foreign authors in China write children’s books as well — JK Rowling and Thomas Brezina).

3. Ever wonder if you are making the right decision raising your kids in Beijing? Well you might like to know that 40 million people around the globe are learning Chinese these days, according to the Confucian Institute. Meanwhile, in the US, Chinese is the 7th most popular foreign language studied, according to data released last month by the US Modern Language Association … here’s the top 10, plus change in enrollment since 2006:
1. Spanish (864,986) +5.1%
2. French (216,419) +4.8%
3. German (96,349) +2.2%
4. ASL (91,763) +16.4%
5. Italian (80,752) +3.0%
6. Japanese (73,434) +10.3%
7. Chinese (60,976) +18.2%
8. Arabic (35,083) +46.3%
9. Latin (32,606) +1.3%
10. Russian (26,883) +8.2%

4. Here’s a nice little love story that residents and visitors to the Lido area can watch unfold: The love story of two swans that call Lido’s Side Park their home.

5. More and more Chinese kids raised overseas are coming to the mother country for a look-see. Xinhua gives us this story of a few Chinese-American tweens that visited China for the first time over Christmas.

The couple behind Jenny Lou’s: Wang Jianping (aka Jenny, left) and her husband Lu Xudong. Picture by Guo Yingguang of Global Times

6. So just who is this person Jenny Lou that feeds all of us expats here in Beijing? Newer residents would be surprised to read the rags-to-riches story of Wang Jianping and Lu Xudong, who got their start with a vegetable stand in Sanlitun 20 years ago. The Global Times‘ Vera Peneda has this excellent profile of the couple here.

7. Another gem from Kickstarter, a website that enables aspiring artists to get funding for their projects. Here’s a documentary worth tossing a few dollars at: Xmas Without China. I’ll leave it to the filmmakers themselves to describe this project: "Tom Xia, a Chinese-American immigrant challenges his neighbors, the Jones Family, to spend the entire month leading up to Christmas with no Chinese products in their home and without purchasing any Chinese products for the holiday … As the Joneses struggle to figure out how to have a simpler Christmas in a time when "we don’t make anything anymore," they also begin to think about just how related they are to China. Fed up with the mudslinging between the two countries, Tom finds himself on an unlikely journey to break down stereotypes between China and America, and find his own place between these worlds."

8. Practical advice for teachers: Don’t take any bribes from parents this year. Oh yes, and refrain from punishing the students with hot irons to the face, please.

9. The Chinese Red Cross has published its first-ever Chinese-English bilingual Family First Aid Manual and allegedly distributed it to 30,000 foreigners in Beijing. Anyone seen a copy?

10. Finally, the minimum wage in Beijing was just raised to RMB 1,160 a month for 2011 … meanwhile, one hospital is offering RMB 3000 for a sperm donation. Is it any wonder college students aren’t studying hard these days?