Monsoon Belt (Issue 11)

"Monsoon Belt" Episode 11 "Liang Weibin Special"

In late 2005, Liang Weibin's novel "The Most Beautiful Thing," written under the pen name "Liang Heng," was shortlisted for the 6th Crown Popular Fiction Award. Subsequently, his work became less common in newspapers and magazines. The next time he appeared in the news, he appeared at an art exhibition under the name "Leon Leong." His paintings, with vibrant colors and ambiguous expressions, resemble movie stills, and their rich storytelling is truly memorable.

This issue includes Liang Weibin's novella "Whale Watching." It tells the story of a college graduate who moves to Boston and his relationship with his female artist sub-landlord. With a painter's delicate brushstrokes, the author quietly and emotionally depicts his home furnishings and daily life. Much unfolds, but he deliberately avoids rushing through the narrative, instead slowly and intricately depicting the tension, letting the tension build. The artist, now in her fifties, and the younger "me" instantly connect. "She believes she has special abilities, allowing her to see past lives." They navigate a wide range of situations, growing like family, until one day the artist reveals, "I have two identities for you. One is purely maternal." "The other one wants to sleep with you." The story then takes a dramatic turn.

In his article "Romantic Chance," Huang Qiwang notes that the true charm of "Whale Watching" lies in its storytelling form, "which is the hallmark of Liang Weibin's novels." He also writes, "The author's maturity lies in allowing the narrative perspective to wander through the blank spaces left by architectural structures. Whether macro or wide-angle, fixed focus or zoom, the structure of the 'lens' spontaneously reveals objects and emotions, the environment, and the context of life."

During an interview with Liang Weibin, Li Xuanchun described his experience reading Liang Weibin's novels: "The rhythm is clear and brisk, the artistic conception is simple yet ambiguous." Numerous details draw the reader in. "This is a love story, but it can also be a story about the pursuit of art, beauty, architecture, and life, describing the frustrations encountered in these pursuits."

✔ Huang Qiwang’s special article and comments!
✔ Wonderful interview with Li Xuanchun!

Liang Weibin Special
5 Liang Weibin 's novella: Whale Watching (Part 1)
47 Huang Qiwang's Romantic Chance: Reading "Whale Watching" and the Disillusionment of Human/Emotional Space
51 Li Xuanchun: One Ambiguity, Multiple Interpretations: Reconstructing “Liang Weibin/Liang Heng”

novel
57 Lin Xuehong Fireworks

Poetry <br>Inside cover Bless My Homeland Forever - Decoding the only way to refuse to sign ICERD
68 Nanyang Guest That Year I Didn’t Return to Malaysia
70 Xiao Zhao's medicine is ineffective
73 Wulongchuan Ancient Road
74 Huang Jianhua Reading the Newspaper
75 Zhang Jinzhong You know I am not writing poetry - To Manini
78 Xing Yiwang Ink and Moonlight Back Cover Inside Page Wu Longchuan Snow Fire - Impression of Tung Blossoms, 2005

prose
88 Guan Bingyu remembers his ancestor Guan Zhenmin - a profile of the teacher-student relationship
93 Zeng Zhen's Rebirth

Preface and postscript
96 Huang Jinshu East Malaysian Perspectives, West Malaysian Perspectives - On "Malaysian Chinese Literature"
98 Xin Jin follows his emotions to the mountains and rivers, and his inspiration comes from his pen: On the life state of Dai Xiaohua's landscape world
115 Huang Xinyi 's Literature at the Foot of the Mountain Waiting to Be Seen: Observations from the Bukit Mertajam Writers' Anthology and International Academic Symposium on Literature
131 Wen Renping's Preface to "Tilting"

New Star Zone
135 Liang Xinyuan's Night Back Cover Liang Weibin's Artwork