"You could say that the movies played a big role in introducing contemporary Chinese literature to the world."

　　The international success of Chinese movies evoked Western publishers' interest in the original novels from which these films were adapted, Mo Yan says.

　　Soon after the movie came out,Red Sorghumwas translated into multiple foreign languages. The same happened to the novels of other Chinese writers such as Yu Hua, Su Tong and Liu Heng. Writers and filmmakers "worked together — everyone's efforts complemented each other", Mo Yan says.

　　Mo Yan's latest book,Ren Na(Being Human), is a collection of 81 tightly crafted short stories. It's been six years since the 71-year-old writer published his last book. [Photo provided to China Daily]

　　Song, a strong advocate of micro dramas, reveals that like many others, Mo Yan is addicted to short videos, and spends up to eight hours a day binge-watching them on his mobile phone.

　　Mo Yan says that he searches for inspiration while watching micro-dramas, and goes on to recommend a mini video series —Yimengshan Ga Laotai(A Little Boss of Yimengshan) — depicting trivial incidents in a village in the Yimeng Mountains in Shandong.

　　The vivid characters, authentic storytelling, and dynamic dialogues in the local dialect have all brought him new inspiration, he says.

　　As a writer, "we need our language to be vivid and precise, metaphors especially apt and fresh, things that others haven't used before", he says, adding that this skill needs to be learned from everyday life. "I feel that watching short videos like this is rewarding and helpful for my own creative work."