Ma Boyong (born 14 November, 1980) is a Chinese novelist, columnist and blogger. In the year of 2010, he won People's Literature Prize, one of China's most prestigious honors.
His short story The City of Silence was translated into English by science fiction writer Ken Liu.
570-The Longest Day in Chang'an-Ma Boyong-Novel-2017
Barack May 17, 2025
The first edition of "The Longest Day in Chang'an" was published in 2017. It tells the story of how the Turkic Wolf Guard sneaked into Chang'an City one night, and the protagonist finally cracked the conspiracy and saved Chang'an.
The birth of "The Twelve Hours in Chang'an" was originally derived from a question and answer on Zhihu: "If you were to write a plot for "Assassin's Creed", where would you set the background?". When a netizen asked about the background of a popular game, Ma Boyong opened his "brain hole" and casually wrote a game script: "Looking down at Chang'an City, 108 squares are arranged like a chessboard, and an eagle flies over the clear sky." This "fan fiction" with a strong sense of interaction eventually became the prototype of the beginning of "The Twelve Hours in Chang'an". The novel is about the imperial capital Chang'an on the Lantern Festival in the third year of the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty. In the prosperous scene of singing and dancing, a group of Turkic wolf guards who sneaked in secretly were brewing a conspiracy to destroy the city. Only one death row prisoner can save Chang'an, and the time limit is twelve hours. Starting from the catalog, the whole novel was wound up. There are 24 chapters in total, and each chapter is only written for half an hour, and each chapter seems to be counting down. Corresponding to the strong time hint, at the end of almost every chapter, there is a map of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty, which details the character's "GPS location whereabouts" and also locks the spatial scope of the story. The 108 wards of Chang'an City are like a chessboard, and every round of moves is between them: someone commits crimes in the dark, someone is chasing in the open, someone is deducing the overall situation in front of the case, and someone is sitting in the deep palace to reap the benefits. In the montage-style scene switching, the bright and dark lines crisscross, weaving an exquisite narrative network.
Ma Boyong, formerly known as Ma Li, was born in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 1980. Ma Boyong began to publish his works on forums when he was in college. In 2004, he graduated from the Department of Economics and Management of Waikato University in New Zealand, and then went to work in a foreign company. In his spare time, he insisted on writing. [In 2005, he published his first work "The Wind Rises in Longxi". In the same year, he won the "Galaxy Award", the highest award for Chinese science fiction literature, with his work "Silent City".
Since then, he has launched representative works such as "Wind and Rain", "Secrets of the Three Kingdoms" and "The Antique Bureau". In 2010, he won the "Moutai Cup" People's Literature Award for Prose. In April 2012, he won the second "Zhu Ziqing Prose Award" for his works "Wancheng Shocking Change" and "Wind and Rain ". In 2015, he quit his job and became a full-time writer. In 2017, he published the novel "The Twelve Hours in Chang'an". The following year, the copyright of the book was introduced by Thailand's JAMSAI Publishing Company. In 2018, he joined the Chinese Writers Association; On December 16, 2021, he was elected as a member of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese Writers Association; The next day, he won the fourth "Mao Dun Newcomer Award". In 2022, he published the novel "Lychees in Chang'an". In February 2023, the TV series "The Silk Case of the Ming Dynasty under the Microscope", which he wrote for the first time, was broadcast. In the same year, he published the novel "Taibai Jinxing is a Little Annoyed". In 2024, he launched a new book "Food South".
Ma Boyong is known as a "literary genius". His writing style is considered to be a lineage of historical literary creation since the May Fourth Movement, and his writing is full of fun. His works are mainly historical novels, with a variety of creative types, including essays, sketches, prose, etc. Many of his works have been adapted into film and television scripts, among which "The Antique Bureau" won the weekly box office championship in its first week of release.
The origin of the twelve-hour system can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when people began to apply the names of the 12 months in the calendar to astronomical positions. The north is the Zi position, the south is the Wu position, the east is the Mao position, and the west is the You position. In one day and night, the sun moves through 12 positions and returns to its original position. This gave rise to the concept that one hour is one position of the sun. One day and night is 12 hours, and people can use the position of the sun in the sky to determine time. 【Zishi】Midnight, also known as midnight or middle night: the first hour of the twelve hours. (23:00 to 01:00) 【Chou Hour】Cockcrow, also known as Huangji: the second hour of the twelve hours. (01:00 to 03:00). [Yinshi] Pingdan, also known as dawn, morning, and daybreak, etc.: It is the time when night and day alternate. (03:00 to 05:00) [Mao time] Sunrise, also known as the beginning of the day, dawn, rising sun, etc.: refers to the time when the sun just appears and rises slowly. (05:00 to 07:00). [Chenshi] Eating time, also known as breakfast: the time when ancient people had breakfast was also the time for eating breakfast (07:00 to 09:00). [Si Shi] Yuzhong, also known as Riyu, etc.: The time near noon is called Yuzhong. (09:00 to 11:00). [Noon] The middle of the day, also known as noon, etc.: (11:00 to 13:00). [Wei Shi] Sunset, also known as the sun's fall, the sun's center, etc.: The sun's fall is when the sun is westward. (13:00 to 15:00). 【Shenshi】Evening time, also known as sunset, evening meal, etc.: (15:00 to 17:00). 【酉时】Sunset, also known as sunset, sundown, evening: means when the sun sets. (17:00 to 19:00). 【Xushi】Dusk, also known as sunset, dusk, evening, etc.: At this time, the sun has already set and the sky is about to get dark. The sky and the earth are dim and everything is hazy, so it is called dusk. (19:00 to 21:00) [Hai Shi] Ren Ding, also known as Ding Hun, etc.: At this time, the night is deep, and people have stopped their activities and rested for sleep. Ren Ding means that people are quiet. (21:00 to 23:00).
Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Early Noon Chapter 3 Noon Chapter 4: The Beginning Chapter 5: Uncorrected Chapter 6: The Beginning of the Shen Dynasty Chapter 7: Shen Zheng Chapter 8: The Beginning of the Rooster Chapter 9: You Zheng Chapter 10: The Beginning of the Dog Chapter 11: Xu Zheng Chapter 12: The Beginning of Hai Chapter 13 Haizheng Chapter 14 Zichu Chapter 15 Zizheng Chapter 16: Ugly Beginning Chapter 17: Ugly and Righteous Chapter 18: The Beginning of the Tiger Chapter 19 Yin Zheng Chapter 20: Early Mao Chapter 21 Maozheng Chapter 22: The Beginning of Chen Chapter 23 Chen Zheng Chapter 24: Beginning of the Year
Whether a work is well written or not, and whether it is attractive or not, can actually be seen in half an hour of reading. The book has a tense atmosphere from the beginning, the plot is fast-paced, and there are crises everywhere. From the perspective of storytelling, it is full of dramatic conflicts and tension. The opposition between the pros and cons is clear and strong, which can easily arouse the curiosity of readers and make them want to know what will happen next. If the beginning can be so "open", then the end must also be "closed", otherwise it will be a tiger's head and a snake's tail, which is inevitable. Another major feature of this novel, which is also one of the directions I want to pursue in my future creation, is that it is based on Chinese history, but does not rely on any supernatural or immortal settings. The whole work is based on realistic logic and is only reasonably interpreted within the scope allowed by the historical conditions at the time. This is itself very trustworthy and appreciative. Although it is a novel, it retains a "sense of reality". Of course, the novel is not completely realistic, and it enhances the charm of the characters through exaggeration. Whether it is a decent or a villain, almost all of them are portrayed as wise and brave, with superb means, which makes the whole story more tense and dramatic. In real life, many events are often not so detailed, but full of absurdity and loopholes , sometimes even making people feel simple, rough or even stupid. So novels provide an "idealized reality" that makes people immersed in it. At present, most of the widely circulated literary works or games in the world are still based on Western culture, and Japan also has a place. However, there are still relatively few works based on traditional Chinese culture and telling the stories of the Chinese people themselves. There are many reasons behind this, such as the degree of industrialization, the international adaptation of narrative methods, and so on. But I believe that this situation will eventually change. With the growth of Chinese cultural influence, there will be more and more excellent literary works and games created with Chinese history and culture as the soil.
The reason why this book is tense and exciting is that it tells a story full of "opposition". This opposition is not only reflected in the open and secret struggles between the enemy and us, but also in the differences within our own camp, the conflicts between the characters, the contradictions between ideals and reality, and even the collision between environmental factors and human will. We can see that Li Mi wanted to use Zhang Xiaojing, but He Zhizhang firmly opposed it; there was a rift and confrontation between Zhang Xiaojing and Cao Boyan ; and within the Turkic people, Cao Boyan and Yousha Guiren were not a monolithic group. Multiple opposing relationships are intertwined together to form a tension network of this story. Not only that, if we jump out of the text, we will find that attractive forms such as novels, games, and sports competitions are essentially based on the mechanism of "opposition". It is precisely because of the existence of opposition that there is the possibility of solving puzzles, breaking through, winning, and growing. And life may be the same. For example, when we solve a problem, we feel happy, and that sense of accomplishment essentially comes from the moment when the opposition and conflict between us and the problem are resolved. Therefore, opposition is not a bad thing. A wonderful story often finds life in a "dead end"; the core of an excellent game design is also "difficult but solvable". If contradictions are too easy to resolve and conflicts are easily swept away, it will make people feel boring and dull. Stories need resistance. If you think about it this way, you will probably be able to accept the fact that "life is full of challenges". Resistance is actually the source of the vitality of our "story"; without resistance, life may become a stagnant pool of water.
The story of this book is full of ups and downs, with a tight rhythm, which makes people hold their breath and concentrate. The whole novel has a clear goal - to prevent terrorist attacks and save Chang'an, but the wonderful thing is not the ending itself, but the clever arrangement of the layers of branches in the process. The so-called "branch" is not a meaningless branch or a dragging plot, but an unexpected event that is reasonably generated based on the character's personality, background and environment. On the one hand, these episodes create tension, and on the other hand, they must eventually return to the main line, so that "branches can grow outside and can also be retracted inside." For example, if a character is trapped in a desperate situation, how can he escape from death? Not only must it be thrilling, but it must also be logical, and it cannot be forcibly twisted for the sake of surprise. In terms of character setting, there are both firm righteous people and deliberate villains; not only do some people in the decent camp make mistakes, but there are also wise and brave people in the villain camp who are admirable. This way of dealing with blurring the boundaries between good and evil and enriching the character levels makes the whole story more real and credible. In addition, the novel cleverly combines real history with fictional plots, and it is difficult to distinguish between true and false. This writing style enhances the "credibility" and "immersion" of the text - although we know that this is a novel, we often have the illusion that "this may be true" when reading. The rhythm is even more smooth, with one wave after another. The language, actions, and scene descriptions are all very rhythmic, keeping readers in a state of tension and expectation. Each chapter is like a countdown unit in the ticking of the clock, compact, efficient, and without any redundancy. In short, this novel embodies extremely high skills in terms of structure, characters, rhythm, and historical integration.
Sometimes I feel that words are a kind of magic that almost does not belong to this world. Just through the arrangement and combination of black and white characters, vivid, tense, and heart-pounding pictures can emerge in people's brains, as if they are in the scene and experiencing it personally. Various emotions are awakened and affected, and behind this is actually just a string of silent words. Think about it, how incredible this is. In the entire biological world, many creatures can respond emotionally to visible things, such as seeing danger and seeing their own kind. But it seems that only humans can be deeply moved by "seeing words". It must be said that Ma Boyong is a master who is very good at using words to stimulate this resonance. This book not only has ups and downs and a tight rhythm, but also has a profound skill in narrative expression. For example, if you want to write a heroic character, write about his high skills and courage, and turn the tide, this image can be clearly outlined. But the key is-how do you write it? How do you "write" this character "alive" through his language, his behavior, his demeanor, and even the perspectives and reactions of others? This is the real difficulty of writing, and Ma Boyong did it. This novel was later adapted into a TV series, but I doubt that no matter how good the series is, it will be difficult to fully restore the atmosphere and tension in the novel. Because the psychological space created by words is infinite, while images are often subject to the boundaries of scenes, budgets, and lens language. Many things that are endlessly imaginative in words may be bland in images, and even weaken the original imagination. So I feel more and more that literature may really be a kind of existence that is close to "non-human civilization". It does not seem like something that should appear on the earth, but it happens to appear in the hands of humans. It is the freest transcendence of the real world. Perhaps because of this, we are addicted to it again and again and cannot extricate ourselves.
In the process of writing my own novel, I also tried to use GPT to assist in completing the description of the environment. But I have to say that when I compared the description generated by GPT with the environmental portrayal in Ma Boyong's "The Longest Day in Chang'an", the gap was immediately apparent. Although the description generated by GPT is complete and the words are gorgeous, it often makes people feel empty and boring, like a "soulless landscape postcard". The environment described by Ma Boyong is different - every scene in his writing has a clear narrative purpose and emotional orientation. The environment is not just a background, but also a carrier of the plot rhythm, character emotions, and theme atmosphere. For example, the description of the environment of the Lantern Festival is not just an introduction to the location, it also renders a sense of oppression and fear, and even implies the direction of the character's fate. Perhaps the problem also lies in the fact that the prompt words I gave to GPT were not accurate enough, or that I have not yet mastered the skills to guide AI to write "environments with emotions and narrative intentions". Another point that touched me deeply is that the enemy camp is described as extremely powerful in the novel. On the surface, it seems that "no way out for the protagonist", but in fact, this setting of strong enemy pressure can stimulate the reader's emotions to the greatest extent. The enemy is unstoppable and the team is in crisis, but the protagonist's small team survives and fights back in desperation with wisdom, chance and tenacity. The sense of hope and excitement brought by this contrast is an extremely contagious emotional fluctuation. In the final analysis, the core of the novel is to mobilize the reader's emotions. A truly wonderful story must not only be "good things in succession" or "bad things in succession", but also shuttle between hope and despair, and interweave between light and shadow. Even within a chapter, there should be emotional ups and downs, such as the protagonist's momentary alertness when facing a crisis, or the price after victory. In addition, the conflict is not limited to fighting with force, but is also full of strategic games, competition of people's hearts, and the turning points of success and failure caused by luck and chance. Various types of struggles intersect and reinforce each other, forming an extremely diverse narrative structure. And it is this "diversity" and "unpredictability" that keep readers in a strong curiosity of "what will happen next".