Urbanization Hides in Air Guitar

Air Guitar, the first collection of short stories written and published by young writer Shao Dong2, was shortlisted for the 2023 Blancpain-imaginist Literary Prize. Air Guitar consists of nine short stories. The author claims that the title comes from the instrument of the same name, which is played by imaginary hands without physical instruments, that is, “pretending to play the guitar”. Extending to the work, the author reveals the “urbanization hiding” and reveals nine human undertones with the characteristics of the times -- people are pretending to be alive. For example, the people in Epidemic Prevention Sugar Pill live an elegant life, but once they encounter difficulties, they blame their childhood experiences. For example, in Parrot, the seemingly sincere lovers are secretly engaged in a game of love. Through the analysis of the nine novels, this paper reveals the unique human nature in this era and the writing strategy of “urbanization hiding” in Air Guitar.