on every aspect of human life, including its frameworks and structures, and its temporal coordinates, so it absolutely is a replay of the Creation. A novel must concern itself with many levels of integration and structure, so ultimately the novel is a hub. This isn't a motivation, the novel itself is a hub. Rhythm is clearly very important in your poems, but where does rhythm in modern Chinese come from? Do you use classical metres? Mandarin Chinese doesn't have a conspicuous stress system like English, so what do you use to create rhythm? I don't use classical metres. You're right to say that when I write poetry, rhythm is a very important consideration. But I understand it as tone, or perhaps the expression of tone is closer to my meaning. Modern written Chinese is a language in There is no such thing as a completely rule-bound language; or if there is, it contains no poetry. constant use, as is spoken Mandarin. In use, rhythms or tones develop naturally, so for me it is very important to pay attention to people's speech and tone. I also try to listen to my own speech to hear my own intonation. A voice is like a singer's distinctive sound; there is often something qualitative or textural. There is no such thing as a completely rule-bound language; or if there is, it contains no poetry. But in a living language, in a language that is used and breathed by individuals, there are captivating rhythms. They