How Long Is Forever?

How Long Is Forever?
cover of the 2014 Thai translation by the Thai princess Sirindhorn
AuthorTie Ning
Translator
  • Lian Wangshu (2008)
  • Qiu Maoru (2010)
  • Vivian H. Zhang (2012)
LanguageChinese
Set in1970s–1990s Beijing
PublishedShiyue, January 1999
Publication placeChina
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese永遠
Simplified Chinese永远
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYǒngyuǎn Yǒu Duō Yuǎn

How Long Is Forever?, also translated as How Far Is Forever? and How Long Will Eternity Last?, is a 1999 Chinese novella by Tie Ning. Set in Beijing, the novella follows a sincere and altruistic-to-a-fault girl named Bai Daxing who never changes: forever like a meek child, she always gives in to others' demands even as she gets used and dumped over and over again. Through the static Bai Daxing, Tie Ning also explores the changing values in Beijing from the 1970s Cultural Revolution to the 1990s as China experiences rapid economic growth and urbanization.