Crafted Over a Decade: An Interview with Shi Deliang, Author of Dream of the Mustard Seed

Abstract

Shi Deliang (史德亮), Ph.D., is both an accomplished engineer and a distinguished writer. He was awarded the “Best PhD” accolade by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and holds permanent membership in the Chinese Writers Association of America. His magnum opus, Dream of the Mustard Seed (《芥子梦》), is a 100-chapter historical novel exceeding 800 pages and comprising over 600,000 words. Spanning the period from 1900 to 2000, the novel chronicles China’s profound transformations during this era, encompassing pivotal events such as the late Qing dynasty, the Xinhai Revolution, the Anti-Japanese War, the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the Reform and Opening-Up era. Dr. Shi devoted more than a decade to meticulously crafting and revising this work to ensure its historical accuracy and narrative depth. The novel's title draws inspiration from the philosophical concept of the mustard seed, symbolizing how something small can encapsulate vastness—a theme that resonates across both Eastern and Western philosophies. This metaphor underscores the novel’s ambition to encapsulate a century of Chinese history through the lens of a single family’s experiences.