The 10th World Association for Chinese Studies Conference (WACS 10), held August 14 at the University of Hong Kong, featured a keynote address by award-winning writer Xuemo that positioned literature as an essential counterpoint to the rise of artificial intelligence. In his talk titled "Using Literature to Connect the World: Wisdom and Transcendence in the AI Era," Xuemo argued that while algorithms increasingly shape human experience, literature remains the truest bridge between human hearts.
Xuemo described his creative process as entering a state of "holistic consciousness," shedding ego and sensory limits to let the work emerge as a natural response to human suffering and aspiration. "Love and wisdom," he said, "are the soul of great literature." His paper, featured on the front page of the conference journal, drew immediate attention from international scholars.
The conference, which brought together scholars from Uzbekistan, Europe, and China's top universities, highlighted the cross-disciplinary impact of Xuemo's work. Professor Richard Van Ness Simmons, Director of Chinese Studies at the University of Hong Kong, noted Xuemo's masterful use of Liangzhou dialect—a linguistic treasure carrying five thousand years of agrarian heritage. Simmons also pointed to Xuemo's painstaking collaboration with translator Howard Goldblatt, involving millions of characters of dialogue over dialectal nuances, as 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. This approach, Woesler argued, could reshape how Chinese literary works are translated and received worldwide.
The implications of Xuemo's message extend beyond the literary sphere. As artificial intelligence continues to permeate every aspect of daily life, his assertion that "the real barrier to cross-cultural understanding is never technique—it is the depth of our care for life itself" offers a timely reminder of the enduring value of humanistic expression. His growing global readership and rising academic recognition suggest a counter-intuitive truth: the more technology advances, the more the world hungers for stories that speak directly to the shared human condition across borders, languages, and ages.
Xuemo is the author of more than 80 books, with translations in 31 languages, making him 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, the International Book Awards, and the International Impact Book Awards (2024–2025).
The conference served as a platform for Xuemo to reinforce the role of literature in an increasingly digital world. His keynote, which resonated across disciplines, underscored the importance of love and wisdom in creative expression. As scholars continue to explore the intersection of technology and humanity, Xuemo's work offers a timeless perspective on the power of storytelling.
