Launch ceremony of the English version of The Golden River takes place during the 2024 London Book Fair.

The global launch event of the English version of The Golden River was held in London on March 13 (local time) during the 2024 London Book Fair.

Written by Lu Min, The Golden River is a review of Mu Youheng, part of China's first generation of private entrepreneurs after the country's reform and opening-up in the 1970s, and includes crucial moments such as the establishment of special economic zones, the springing up of private businesses, and the reform of State-owned enterprises.

Lu Min, author of The Golden River, speaks at the launch ceremony.

The author shared the creation process at the launch event, stating that the novel embodies her most important life experiences and encounters.

"In the past forty to fifty years, tremendous changes have occurred in all fields in China. In these changes, literature sees people. It sees faces and the stories behind those faces. In this small business owner that I have written about, there is toughness, tenderness, street wisdom, and the chaotic folk philosophy. His greatest wish in life is for his story to be known. I have written it down, and I have brought his story here. I hope more English readers can see it," Lu said.

Renowned translator Nicky Harman, who translated Lu's works, including The Golden River and The Dinner of Six, believes that the most outstanding achievement of the former lies in the portrayal of the business owner who desires everything. "As his life nears its end, he declares war on death, futilely trying to achieve his goals by severing ties with his family members. He is a strong character, with vulgar language that offends others and a brave and decisive side, straightforward and courageous," Harman said.

The Golden River and other books are on display at the launch ceremony.

Another translator of the novel, Jack Hargreaves, shared his experience translating the novel and marveled at Lu's skill in character portrayal. He expressed that the book is filled with intricate family relationship conflicts, yet Lu's writing style is so interesting, vivid, and lively that each character leaps off the page.

Francesca Leiper, executive director of the Confucius Institute at Oxford Brookes University, who lived and studied in Nanjing for many years as an Oxford publisher, shared her perspective as a reader on the familiar memories and urban details she found in the work. She believes The Golden River has complex interpersonal relationships, rich content, and extensive information, allowing readers to view the characters from different angles and understand their inner worlds. She also mentioned, "Many descriptions in the book evoke familiar memories of Nanjing for me, and it is very beneficial for understanding contemporary Chinese culture, society, and life."

Lu's long novels have received numerous critical literary awards in recent years. In addition to the Chinese version being nominated for the 11th Mao Dun Literature Prize Nomination Award, the Cao Xueqin Chinese Literature Award, and being selected for the annual list of long novels by the Chinese Fiction Institution, The Golden River has also attracted attention and acclaim from several overseas publishers. It has been translated into Russian, Serbian, Turkish, and Kazakh, with the Serbian version being published in March this year.