Catherine Vuylsteke in conversation with Zhang Yueran on her life and work and her latest in Dutch translated novel Huize Zwaan (天鹅之家). Huize Zwaan is a smoothly written yet deeply layered novel by Zhang Yueran, who made a strong impression in Belgium with her previous book, Cocoon (De spijker). In Huize Zwaan, Zhang explores class differences, the position of women in a seemingly modernising society, and the loneliness of life in a big city. Above all, Huize Zwaan is both an original and compelling story.

Huize Zwaan (Tian‘e zhi jia天鹅之家) is praised as a sharply written, surprising, and layered novel in which Zhang Yueran constantly keeps the reader off balance. After a brief introduction by the translator explaining Chinese names and family terms, the story immediately unsettles: a seemingly innocent outing between nanny Yu Ling and her young pupil soon reveals tension and hidden motives.

Zhang masterfully drops small clues that repeatedly shift the reader’s understanding, creating a narrative full of twists and quiet unease. The novel explores class inequality, social pressure, and the unpredictability of life in contemporary China.

As the story unfolds, Yu Ling emerges as a complex, warm, and self-sacrificing figure whose actions challenge initial assumptions.

Huize Zwaan is celebrated as an engaging, humorous, and insightful novel that reveals much about modern China—while offering a universally resonant portrait of human nature. Zhang was invited at MICF 2024 to talk about her novel 茧 Cocoon (De Spijker) and as a resident in Passa Porta Brussels.