A US man’s claim that reading Chinese web novels cured his drug addiction has been taken as a sign of China’s rising cultural superiority.

Twenty-nine-year-old Riverside, California resident Kevin Cazad said he was able to break his addiction to cocaine after just six months of reading the online Chinese fantasy and wuxia (heroic underworld) serials, many of which have been translated into English.

In an interview with Southern China Weekly, Cazad said he had become depressed after a 2014 breakup, and turned to drugs to cope. However, after having the Chinese web novel Coiling Dragon recommended to him, Cazad became obsessed with his new hobby, causing him to “forget” about doing drugs. In fact, the obsession grew so much that Cazad said, “I kept reading and totally forgot to eat.”

“Previously, all I’d think about after going home is doing drugs. Now, all my thoughts have to do with Chinese novels.” Cazad has read some 15 web series over three different websites like WuxiaWorld.com, and has no regrets.

“Even though they are just as addictive as drugs, online Chinese novels won’t harm your health.”

Cazad’s success with sobriety has been attributed by Chinese news media as proof of the positive influence of Chinese culture. Sohu said, “Chinese online novels are the first shot made by any culture worldwide to stop drug addiction,” while NetEase went so far as to say: “Chinese online novels have a bigger impact than drugs.”

As much as Cazad’s story has captured the imaginations of many Chinese in the weeks since the news was published, some people aren’t surprised.

Shao Yanjun, an associate professor with the Chinese Department at Peking University, said Chinese web novel have become the “soft power for China” that has a “cultural charm.” “China’s online literature is a major cultural export, the same way Hollywood films are for the US, manga is for Japan, and TV series for South Korea,” said Shao.

To get a sense of what Shao is referring to, here’s a short snippet from Book 10, Chapter 1 of Coiling Dragon:

With heavy economic and cultural implications at hand, the stakes couldn’t be any higher. But although Chinese news reports have forecasted Western markets to be invaded by Chinese web novels as recently as last year, other signs show the invasion to be less than imminent.

In its report, the Southern China Weekly named WuxiaWorld as one of the top 1,500 websites in the world with the heaviest traffic. However, WuxiaWorld itself refuted this fact, candidly calling it “a false statistic.” And although the Global Times identified the WuxiaWorld’s main users as “Westerners” by naming the United States of as one of its top five countries, a majority of its user comments seem to use English only as a second or third language.

But while Global Times and the People’s Daily have both reported on how Chinese web novels have helped Cazad break his addiction to cocaine, they neglected to mention Cazad’s other beliefs towards Chinese culture.

Cazad firmly believes that the magical world depicted in the fantasy novel is real, and that superhuman feats in the books like transforming into dragons is something that normal people can do.

“Through practice, people can see energy,” Cazad explained to the China Southern Weekly. “At a high enough level, you can see different ripples of colors, thereby allowing you to tell when someone is lying, or in love.”

As the China Southern Weekly explained, readers like Cazad view Chinese web novels less as a work of fiction and more as a educational textbook.

WuxiaWorld writes:

This is one of the reasons why so many people view the boring, repetitive arcs of webnovels positively.  In their eyes, it is a way for them to understand what is happening in parallel universes.  Through reading, they are preparing themselves for being summoned to a new world.

“I want to become one of the people in a mysterious fantasy novel,” Cazad has said.

And, if Chinese culture like its web novels can help him stop using cocaine, there’s shouldn’t be any reason why it can’t help Cazad achieve all his goals.

***

UPDATE 6pm April 5, 2017 

The Beijinger has had the opportunity to personally interview Kevin Kazad, who confirmed all the details of the China Southern interview for us. But although Kazad is quick to express his admiration for Chinese culture, it doesn’t happen to be the part that shows China as a benevolent and civilized country.

“When I first began reading translated Chinese fantasy books, I was a bit weirded out over some of the decision-making logic used by main characters in various stories,” Kazad told the Beijinger. “For example, in the story Martial God Asura, the main character actually has such a scene where he rapes a woman for revenge.” 

Even though he found the act to be “outrageous,” Kazad said he sympathized with the reasoning behind it.

“As far as my interpretation of Chinese culture based on fantasy novels, overall I love it for it’s seemingly blunt ‘We will do what it takes to win’ attitude that you don’t see much of in Western fantasy character personalities,” said Kazad, who has posted an Ayn Rand quote on his Facebook page. . “I can say that in almost all of the Chinese fantasy novels there is an overall sense of ‘Results over Reason’.”

“At some subconscious (or conscious) level the Chinese value the end result far more than the method.” 

What this means for Kazad is that the feudal hierarchies of ancient China, as featured in Chinese web novels, are the ideal place for individuals to achieve their potential.

“Chinese fantasy novels really push one major thought, and that thought is that if you wish to live peacefully and free, you need overwhelming personal ability or be part of an overwhelming organization,” Kazad told the Beijinger. 

“So in a world of violence, the ends do justify the means whether we want to believe it or not.”

More stories from this author here.

Twitter: @Sinopath

Images: infzm, Facebook