The new sensationists

The three writers under consideration here – Shi Zhecun (1905–2003), Mu Shiying (1912–1940), and Liu Na’ou (1905–1940) – were the foremost modernist authors in the Republican period. Collectively labelled “New Sensationists” (xinganjuepai), they were mainly active in Shanghai in the early 1930s, and their most famous works reflect the speed, chaos, and intensity of the metropolis. ¹ They wrote about dance halls, neon lights, and looming madness alongside modern lifestyles, gender roles, and social problems. The city becomes a dizzying mix of sensory impressions and diametric opposites, enticing and modern but also callous, corrupt, and dehumanizing. Their works experimented with new literary forms, themes, and narrative techniques in order to capture the sights and sounds of the city as well as the sense of alienation and fatigue stemming from an inability to keep up with the pace of change.