Sun Yunxiao (L) and his daughter Sun Ran, co-authors of the book Fantastic Years to Meet Literature published by the New Century Publishing House [China Women's News]

A book series centering on literary traditions in four families recently stimulated people's interest. 

The books, created by four father and daughter pairs — the elder generation are all renowned Chinese children's writers while the younger generation are post-80s or post 90s writers — tell coming-of-age stories pertaining to interactions that promote mutual growth. 

"The family tradition, having a profound impact on everyone in the family, is the dreams, interests and pursuits created and inherited by family members," said Sun Yunxiao, one of the fathers. 

Sun likes to read, and his habit of keeping a diary affects his daughter Sun Ran. 

"I think that every child has unlimited possibilities. It is the deepest love for parents to set examples and guide their children to develop some habits," he said of his family education for more than 30 years. 

"My first understanding of father is diligence. He spends most of his time in the study.  He takes the manuscripts even on trips and always uses the fragmentary time to read. For decades, I learned working hard and perseverance from my father," said Sun Ran.

Another father and daughter pair, Sun Jianjiang and Sun Xueqing, also share a common habit. They rarely write diaries, but they both like to take notes. The father likes to do that while reading, and the daughter writes down anything interesting that inspires her. 

Sun Jianjiang impressed on his daughter the importance of thinking about the attitude towards writing rather than the contents. He holds that articles should be true, and one is supposed to write about their genuine thoughts, especially at a young age, otherwise the writing will develop in a direction of emptiness and hypocrisy. 

Fathers play vital roles in their children's growth. In Dong Jing's eyes, her father Dong Hongyou, a well-known children's writer, is a man of innocence and love. The charm of his personality is reflected in his works that integrate purity, sensibility, fullness and exquisiteness.

Meanwhile, the offspring can also pass on new thoughts to the parents in return. Chang Xingang, Vice-Chairperson of the Heilongjiang Writers Association, said that when his daughter Chang Xiaoyu came to this world, he got a second "childhood" — a "boy" who had a suffering childhood was able to be with his daughter to grow up together.

Li Bimei, editorial director of the New Century Publishing House, concludes that, "Although these four books alone cannot provide practical guidance to all families on family education, they show a possibility of conveying good family traditions, which contributes to the inheritance of good family traditions and spiritual culture in our times."

Sun Jianjiang (L) and his daughter Sun Xueqing, co-authored of the book Free Talks, Serious Affairs published by the New Century Publishing House [China Women's News]

Dong Hongyou (R) and his daughter Dong Jing, co-authors of the book Eighty Percent of Perfect Father published by the New Century Publishing House [China Women's News]

Chang Xingang (R) and his daughter Chang Xiaoyu, co-authors of the book Daddy's Two Childhoods published by the New Century Publishing House. [China Women's News]

(Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)