postscript

I probably started conceiving this story back in my youth. In 2001, I wrote a similar draft, which was very short, only a few tens of thousands of words long, and it was a handwritten copy. Later, as I grew up, I gained a new understanding of the story. In 2005, I started preparing materials, and in 2006, I basically designed the framework. In 2007, I spent a year completing this 380,000-word novel.

My initial idea was simply to record my childhood, but over the years, I suddenly had other ideas. I gradually realized that I was no longer the naive and aimless child I once was; we had inevitably become a generation in the torrent of history, shouldering the responsibilities of history and the future.

So I began to carefully consider the so-called "post-80s" generation. From the decisive impact of the one-child policy from birth, to the era-defining changes brought about by the development and transformation of China's politics, economy, and culture during our growth, and now, as we mature, the changes and expansions in our work, study, and life bring us both confusion and awareness.

This is the path our generation has walked, one that is certainly different from that of people from other eras. It is unique and irreplaceable, and it is a path that we ourselves will inevitably have to record and tell.

And so, when I found that the people and things I thought I would never forget were gradually becoming blurry, and when I felt that the emotions I thought would be forever profound were slowly fading, I picked up my pen without hesitation.

It's fair to say that the era I personally experienced, the youth I witnessed firsthand, the laughter and tears I personally felt, all inspired me to create this story. Therefore, the entire year of 2007 felt incredibly disoriented. Sometimes I felt as if our fleeting youth was right before my eyes, and other times I suddenly realized that it was all a decade ago. I was deeply immersed in those bygone days we all experienced, frantically digging into the things we often said, the songs we often listened to, the snacks we often ate, the emotions we often felt… I used my chaotic time to write "Those Bygone Years." The characters in the story might be you or me, and the love and friendship in the story might be what you and I once shared.

In my memory, a reader's comment deeply moved me. She essentially said that she was drawn to this story because she, too, had experienced Fang Hui's life. Yes, in our incredibly beautiful years, we may have all been Fang Hui, Chen Xun, Qiao Ran, Jia Mo, Zhao Ye, or just like them. Therefore, I think this novel doesn't belong to me alone; it belongs to the generation that shared my vibrant youth. Much later, I hope the "post-80s" generation can say this: We didn't have burning passion, nor bloody romance, but we had those fleeting years!

The story in "Fleet of Time" may have ended, but our story is not over yet. Just like at the beginning, I would like to ask a few more questions on behalf of Zhang Nan.

If you are a person born in the 1980s, then you who are reading this are...

What were you doing in your 20s?

Is it ready?

Are you married?

Do you remember your fleeting years?

Have you laughed because of the good old days?

Did you shed tears because of the inevitable partings in life?

Is it out of nostalgia?

Or have you simply forgotten?

Have you taken them to heart?

Have you taken them to heart?

Have you let go of the past regarding your youth?