Writer delves into home truths
On Douban, she also got to know some plant enthusiasts who led Shen to learn about the obscure plants and flowers often seen in the surroundings of everyday life. Knowing the name of each tree on campus and their appearance in different seasons thus became a hobby for her. But what's most intriguing for her was to know the wildflowers and plants she saw in the countryside every day as a child.
In her writing, she recalls her childhood life in the countryside, capturing the moods of past days through memories of the plants, customs, food and daily life.
These essays, in a simple language, are natural, poetic and refreshing. Through a pair of warm naturalistic eyes, all the details about the plants, flowers, cooking festive food, making utensils, or farming, impart these works a unique flair that makes nostalgia concrete and heartwarming.
In 2013, Shen published her first book Ba Jiu Shi Zhi Hua (literally, "eight, nine, and 10 sprays of flowers"), which collected essays written from 2010 to 2012, mainly about the delights in her childhood such as the starry sky or spring flowers.
In an article about the book, she talked about the influence she got from the writers she likes — one is Zhou Zuoren and the other is Zhou's student Feng Wenbing, pen-named Fei Ming. In Zhou's works, she found the beauty of a simple writing style and humanitarian spirit and gained an enthusiasm for natural history. From Feng's essays, she learned how to describe the world from a child's eyes.
Besides, she also tried to imitate the writing styles of prestigious essayists Shen Congwen and Wang Zengqi, following the tradition of Chinese classic essay writing.
In 2014, Shen Shuzhi won the Zijin People's Literature Star award for best essay writing organized by one of China's top literary periodicals People's Literature. In 2015, her essay Jiejie ("my elder sisters") won the top nonfiction prize in the writing competition organized by the reading platform of Douban.
