In 1978, a short story published in The Wenhui Paper changed the course of contemporary Chinese literature. Lu Xinhua’s Scar exposed the psychic wounds inflicted during the Cultural Revolution through the unforgettable tragedy of a daughter compelled to “draw a line” against her persecuted mother. Its appearance ignited nationwide reflection and gave birth to “Scar Literature,” a landmark literary movement that restored humanism to Chinese letters. With this single work, Lu became one of the most influential voices of the early Reform era.
Born in 1954 and admitted to Fudan University in the first class of students after the resumption of college entrance exams, Lu Xinhua astonished the literary world while still an undergraduate. Yet his path defied expectations. After graduation he left journalism to pursue business, becoming widely known as “the first Chinese writer to enter the marketplace,” a symbol of the bold transformations of the 1980s.
His journey later led him to the United States, where he supported himself through a series of hard jobs—from pedicab driver to casino dealer—while gaining a unique, bicultural perspective that shaped his later writings. His novels and essays gradually expanded from personal trauma to broader cultural self-examination. Works such as The Forbidden City Woman and Wounded Soul reveal an ever-deepening inquiry into humanity, history, and moral consciousness. In recent years, the English version of his novel Wu Lou received a Silver Medal at the 2024 Independent Publisher Book Awards, signaling a new phase in the international reach of his work.
The Renwen Society at China Institute is pleased to present an online lecture by Lu Xinhua on January 17, 2026, in which he reflects on the creation and impact of Scar, recounts his extraordinary journey across literature, business, and overseas study, and explores how storytelling can help us understand history, heal inner wounds, and bridge cultures.
This event is both a return to a pivotal literary moment and an invitation to consider how individual experience illuminates the evolution of a society. Lu Xinhua’s life charts the story of a generation—its traumas, transformations, and enduring search for truth.
1978年8月11日，《文汇报》发表了一篇题为《伤痕》的短篇小说。这篇作品深刻揭露了“文革”极左路线对个体心灵造成的精神摧残，通过女主人公王晓华与受迫害母亲“划清界限”所留下的终生遗憾，引发了巨大的社会共鸣与反思。《伤痕》的发表，直接催生了“伤痕文学”这一重要文学思潮，成为新时期文学拨乱反正、回归“人学”的标志性事件。这篇小说的作者便是卢新华，他也因此获得1978年全国优秀短篇小说奖，在中国当代文学史上奠定了无可撼动的地位。
卢新华1954年生于江苏如皋，1977年恢复高考后考入复旦大学中文系，成为新时期首批大学生之一。正是在大一期间，他以惊人的文学才华震撼全国文坛。此后，他的人生轨迹却出人意料地延展出文学之外的多重维度。大学毕业后，他辞去《文汇报》记者职务，毅然“下海”经商，被誉为“中国文人下海第一人”，成为改革开放早期思想解放与社会变迁的象征。
1986年，卢新华自费赴美留学，在异国他乡历经艰辛，曾做过三轮车夫、赌场发牌员等工作。这些经历使他获得独特的跨文化视角，也让他的文学创作更加厚重。从《伤痕》到《紫禁女》《伤魂》，卢新华的写作逐渐从个体创痛走向文化反思，展现出对人性与社会的深度思考。他不仅是一位作家，更是一位思想者——在《财富如水》中，他从哲学和文化角度探讨财富与人性的关系，并提出“三本书主义”：读好书本知识，行万里路，读自己的心灵。2024年，他的小说WU LOU（《无漏》）的英文版在美国出版，荣获独立出版系统图书大奖银奖，标志着其创作进入跨文化的国际语境。
卢新华的文学成就，在于他以一篇小说命名了一个文学思潮；而他的人生魅力，则在于不断突破、不断重生。从文学新星到商海闯将，再到跨文化反思者，他始终保持着对社会现实的敏锐洞察与对人性温度的追求。
华美人文学会于美东时间2026年1月17日晚8时至9时半（北京时间1月18日上午9时至10时半）特邀卢新华先生做在线讲座，带领听众回顾《伤痕》的创作缘起与社会影响，分享他在文坛、商界与海外求学的曲折历程，探讨文学如何成为疗愈心灵、跨越文化的力量。这不仅是一次回望历史的对话，更是一次关于文学与人生的深层思考。
