Comparison: A New Perspective in Creative Writing Studies

The concept of creative writing originated in the 1830s during the disputes between the conservative and innovative camps in Arts and Humanities of English-speaking countries. Later in 1936, creative writing emerged as an academic subject in the U.S. under the leadership of scholar Wilbur Schramm. It then spread and developed in other Western countries and Australia. After several decades of efforts by Chinese scholars, including those in Hong Kong and Taiwan, creative writing, as an academic discipline, was officially introduced into Chinese academia in 2009. At present, Chinese creative writing is more than theoretical. It has Chinese characteristics and places importance on the differences between Chinese and the West’s writings in social and cultural backgrounds and traditions. It endeavours to study the patterns of creative manuscript writings and the professional growth of such writers. It nurtures culturally creative personnel and facilitates the creation of cultural products with originality. It propels the cultural and creative transformation of the Chinese economy. The new form of creative writing studies that supports the strategy for building up the strength of the nation through cultural development and the national cultural development in the new political and economic situation has preliminarily taken shape. The undertakings to establish a theoretical system of creative writing studies with Chinese characteristics and to develop the school of thought of Chinese creative writing studies have been brought to academia’s agenda.