Draft:Lyrical Forest （抒情的森林 Shu Qing De Sen Lin)
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Lyrical Forest (Chinese: 抒情的森林) is the alias of an anonymous Chinese blogger on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. He is known for producing side-by-side text comparisons of literary works.[1] .
Since 2024, Lyrical Forest has posted annotated screenshots highlighting similarities between passages in contemporary Chinese novels and earlier works. To avoid potential legal accusations of plagiarism —a legal term in China that could lead to defamation claims—he coined the phrase "Similar in Meaning" (Chinese: 抒异曲同工之妙)[2] as a rhetorical substitute.
Lyrical Forest has published dozens of such comparisons, involving both domestic authors and internationally renowned writers, including Ian McEwan, Albert Camus, and Gabriel García Márquez.[3] The posts have generated wide discussion in China’s literary community about originality, influence, and the boundaries of "borrowing" in creative writing.
Reception
[edit]Reactions to Lyrical Forest’s posts have been mixed. Supporters argue that the comparisons reveal systemic issues of uncredited borrowing in the Chinese literary field, while critics question his methodology and warn against labeling such cases as plagiarism without legal adjudication.
Supporters
[edit]Supporters argue that the blogger has exposed long-standing plagiarism issues in Chinese literature.
In an interview with 探照灯, novelist Chen Ran (陈染) credited Lyrical Forest with bringing attention to the alleged plagiarism of her landmark novel Private Life (私人生活), originally published in 1995. Chen stated that without such disclosures “the deception would have continued,” and described the revelations as both shocking and necessary for the literary field.[4]
In a 2025 Wexin Blog article Exclusive: Author Chen Ran on the Echoes of Plagiarism,[4] Chen Ran further recalled that as early as 1991 her short story "Century Disease" had been plagiarized by another author in the journal Zhongshan. According to a former editor, the author at that time "allegedly threatened to commit suicide if forced to issue a public apology", and Chen decided not to pursue the matter further. Chen stated she had hoped this would lead the person to stop such behavior, "but the copying continued for 30 years".
Critics
[edit]Others have expressed skepticism toward the allegations. In September 2025, writer Shen Zhirong (沈志荣) published a memoir-style essay[5], portraying her as a meticulous recorder and careful writer, suggesting that the accusations might be "a misfortune of the times," the result of the "torrent of the traffic era" rather than intentional plagiarism.
Works highlighted by Lyrical Forest
[edit]| Year | Author | Original Work | Compared Work | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Chen Ran (陈染) | Private Life (《私人生活》) | Gu Yan, Song of the Jungle (《丛林之歌》, 2025) | 独家专访作家陈染：被抄袭的回声[4] |
References
[edit]- ^ "China probes what China does: Plagiarism scandal shakes Beijing's state-backed literary scene". Firstpost. 2025-08-06. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ^ "一个"鉴抄博主"，为何让文学圈沉默？_财富号_东方财富网". caifuhao.eastmoney.com. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ^ Abrams, Dennis (2013-06-05). "Scandal Rocks China's Largest Online Literature Site". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ^ a b c "独家专访作家陈染：被抄袭的回声". news.ifeng.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ^ "沈志荣：顾艳印象记_美中时报 美中经贸的桥梁 精英人士的智库". sinoustimes.com. Retrieved 2025-09-26.