Chinese novelist Yan Qiao presents creative take on divorce in China. (Photo : Global Times)
A recently published novel from Chinese novelist Yan Qiao about divorce counseling in China presents a creative outlook on how to achieve a painless end in marriage.
Much like all scientific processes, Yan's novel entitled "Lihun Zhao Daoshi" or "Seeking a Counselor for Divorce" starts with making a hypothesis and undergoing experimentation to determine what makes divorce painful.
The novel follows the story of a Chinese psychologist, Li Desheng, who returns home after spending time in the United States to manage a company which deals solely with divorce cases.
Li, together with an unconventional team of marriage experts which includes a professional repo man, a lawyer and a head of a traditional neighborhood committee as well as an astrologer, sought to guide couples who have complicated relationships to go through a "happy and harmonious" divorce.
Because it is generally a painful and traumatic experience in China, Li and his team created an innovative way of helping couples make the final decision whether to undergo divorce or not--through "trial divorce on WeChat."
In an interview with the Global Times, Yan explained that the reason behind his decision to write the innovative book about a sensitive issue in the country:
"In China, particularly in first- and second-tier cities, divorce has become the biggest reality rather than being some fictional story. This wave of divorce cannot be neglected. So I decided to write something funny to let people see this reality. I spent two years collecting all kinds of material," he said.
He also noted how the changing times saw the issue differently where more and more Chinese opt to file for divorce, especially in 2014 when the country experienced a massive boom in marriage break-ups.
