Literary Master 1983

Chapter 444 The Sound of the Wind

In this manuscript entitled "A Study of Chinese Thought," Qian Zhongshu wrote:
"After liberation, I thought there were hardly any great works in the literary world. I used to think it was due to old habits."

“In 1979, I visited the United States and met the writer C.T. Hsia. He asked me why Guo Moruo wrote a book that ‘criticized Du Fu and praised Li’. I said it was because the people in power liked the ‘Three Lis’—Li Bai, Li He, and Li Shangyin—but disliked Du Fu, thinking he was too bitter. So Guo Moruo wrote such a book.”

"Later, someone told me that Guo Moruo wrote 'Li Bai and Du Fu' out of personal taste, not necessarily to pander to their preferences. I misunderstood Guo Moruo. He said that he was studying oracle bone inscriptions at the time, so naturally he had to protect Guo Moruo's reputation! Little did he know that after hearing this, I was even more disappointed in Guo Moruo. I thought he even had a problem with his aesthetic sense."

"That is indeed the case. In the past few decades, Chinese literature has not integrated into the world. What it has done is nothing more than a re-imitation of Western literature. I think this is fundamentally due to the confusion in the writers' thinking. They themselves do not know what they should believe in. They are just venting their resentment! Of course, their articles also mislead young people."

"Fortunately! Not entirely. On this barren soil, a lone seedling suddenly sprouted and actually grew into a sizable tree, becoming quite a force to be reckoned with! The person I'm going to talk about now is the one who said I misunderstood Guo Moruo. His explanation of other people's mistakes to me makes me feel especially absurd."

"Because he is far more important than the person he is explaining. You probably already know who this person is? Yes, it is Yuqie."

Yu Qie's heart pounded wildly after reading it!

This was the first time he profoundly changed someone's history. And it was a celebrity, a stubborn and acerbic person.

What was Liu Xinwu like in his early years?
Without Yu Qie, he wouldn't have been able to make a graceful exit from People's Literature; Liu Xinwu's approach would have been refuted eventually.

So what about Cha Liangyong?

After the turn of the millennium, when Cha Liangyong visited the mainland, the students realized the hidden agendas in his novels and demanded an apology from him.

Lu Yao himself will also receive the Mao Dun Literature Prize, just two years later.

Su Tong, Yu Hua, and Guan Moye will also become the backbone of the 1980s, four or five years later.

Yu Qie merely guided them; the times themselves will shape them.

Qian Zhongshu was the only one who was different.

He kept a very low profile throughout the second half of his life, and it was impossible to find any fault with him in any public setting. Although he kept expressing his attitude during this period, he would never expose himself to risks.

Yu Qie's failure to be nominated for the Nobel Prize sparked outrage among the Chinese community, who assumed that Qian Zhongshu, in his semi-reclusive state, was unconcerned. However, quite the opposite occurred; this event changed the course of Qian Zhongshu's life. He began to actively express his views.

Three days later, when Yu Qie was traveling by boat to the main city of Chongqing, Zhang Li called him again to tell him that Qian Yuan had written a letter to him.

“Let’s take it apart!” Yu Qie said.

After Zhang Li opened it, she found that it was Qian Yuan's thank you to Yu Qie, as well as a note left by Qian Zhongshu for Qian Yuan.

"I've been caught red-handed! But let me make this clear, sweetheart, it's not because of you this time!"

This note is no longer Qian Zhongshu's defense, but his confession.

He didn't start studying "Yuqie" because of his daughter; he had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.

Why?
Yu Qie found it strange.

Perhaps it was because Qian Zhongshu was swept away by Yu Qie during the "Ice Melting Journey" that this eccentric and reclusive old man unexpectedly obtained the fame he had always dreamed of—truly changing history through literature. From then on, he completely let go of himself.

Perhaps due to his personal preferences, Qian Zhongshu previously stated that he thought "books like 'The Way Out' are quite good."

In short, following this research article in the *Wenyi Bao* (Literary Gazette), Qian Zhongshu published numerous research articles that combined narration and commentary. This was a characteristic of his work; literary research articles in the 1980s were not as academically standardized as they would become in the future, and authors often couldn't help but reveal their personal feelings.

Sometimes, the entire text is even the author's own recollection.

In an article titled "A Reconsideration of China in 17th and 18th Century British Literature," Qian Zhongshu wrote: "When I was young, I read a large number of original English books, became familiar with Western philosophy, psychology, aesthetics, and other common knowledge, and discovered their mysteries! But today's writers don't even know English! Yet, they brazenly use Chinese translations to write their imagined modern literature! Just imagine, can such chewed-up, second-hand waste be welcomed in its country of origin?"

In this article, Qian Zhongshu has already rejected most of the writers of this era.

But he can't say that it's completely unreasonable.

The experimental literature of the 1980s was all talk and no action. Their works were like ballads written by a rock band. In the end, it was the realistic novels that were "unconventional" that truly stood the test of time.

Now that Yu Qie had obtained the original manuscript of "Red Crag", he naturally spent two days visiting the Zhazidong Concentration Camp.

Since 1988, Zhazidong Prison has been listed as a national key cultural relic under protection. Yu Qie visited the torture chamber, the prison cells, and viewed historical photographs.

He was accompanied by Huang Xingbang, the former editor of the literary journal "Red Crag".

Huang Xingbang is now retired, and the thing he is most proud of in his career is discovering Yu Qie.

“Teacher Yu, our magazine ‘Red Crag’ isn’t selling well these days, but you’re doing better and better. Local writers come to visit our magazine office and they’re all talking about the stories you told us a few years ago.”

What stories do I have to tell?

"So many things... You submitted your first paper to a provincial journal, you had a huge argument with the editor of *People's Literature*! You fled to southern Xinjiang, you completely turned the tide with a pistol, you made a phone call to Márquez... You stood atop Bogotá and looked out... And... and..."

Huang Xingbang spoke with great enthusiasm, pausing from time to time to savor the words. He was so moved by his own story that he seemed to be deeply touched himself.

Yu Qie couldn't help but say, "They talk about me like a legendary figure from a play; I don't even recognize myself anymore."

“Yes!” Huang Xingbang exclaimed. “However, you are someone among us. Now I stand before you, I look up at the sky and feel that the sky is very close; I look at you, however, I feel that you are very far away.”

Zhazidong is an exceptionally cold place, built at the foot of Gele Mountain, where the air is very damp. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and a ravine on the other, its geographical location is extremely oppressive and gloomy, especially in November. Several days of rain not only made it feel desolate but also reduced the already scarce sunshine.

The living conditions for the "prisoners" were extremely poor. A small room could house up to eighteen people! Inside, people were constantly in an oxygen-deprived environment, leaving them completely weak.

In such an environment, the prisoners made a pact with each other never to betray each other, worked hard to learn cultural knowledge, and never gave up hope until the last moment of their lives.

Even if that hope doesn't lie with them personally.

This is a will to be passed down. Yu Qie gradually sensed it.

On New Year's Day in 1949, the martyrs organized a unique "New Year Poetry Gathering" in their simple prison cells. Here, they seemed to see the excellent situation outside and eagerly looked forward to the complete victory in the future.

Gu Chengshuo composed "An Occasional Poem Written While in Prison":
I solemnly pledge: to love the poor and needy.

Homeless, homeless

People who are poorly clothed and lightly quilted;
I hate those who are greedy.

Arrogant, oppressive to the people

A bandit who kills the truth.

He was not the only one. As martyr He Jingping wrote in "Sitting in Prison for Life":
"In order to spare the next generation from suffering,

We wish,
I'd rather rot in jail!
We are born rebels.
We must turn this upside-down world around!

We must overthrow all this injustice!

Despite being in hell, the martyrs faced death without fear and were overjoyed to learn of the revolution's victory.

November 27th was a special day. On this day, on the eve of their retreat, the Kuomintang carried out a bloody massacre of revolutionaries imprisoned in the Zhazidong and Baigongguan prisons. More than 180 revolutionaries perished, which became known as the "November 27th Massacre," shocking the world.

Ma Shitu's eldest disciple, Luo Guangbin, was a lucky man. Luo Guangbin had an older brother who was a general in the Kuomintang, which saved him from death. After being harassed by secret agents countless times, and despite being subjected to both soft and hard tactics, Luo Guangbin remained steadfast. The secret agents dared not kill him. After his release from prison, he collaborated with others to create the book "Red Crag".

This book is, in essence, a love letter written under the rising flames; it is highly romantic and represents one of the most romantic things that humans can do.

Although it was quiet here, Yu Qie seemed to hear the call from forty years ago.

Why did Ma Shitu gift him the manuscript of "Red Crag"? It was probably in the hope that this spirit could inspire Yu Qie.

Yu Qie stopped at the gap in the wall of the Zhaizidong prison, stroking the damp moss left on the wall due to the rainy day, and pondered for a long time.

What kind of novel should I write?
During Yu Qie's visit, Qian Zhongshu's new research was published in the "Literary Gazette." This gave Yu Qie new inspiration.

This study brings to a close the doubts that have been raised this year regarding Yu Qie's "military novels." These doubts were mainly raised by the magazine *Contemporary*, although *Contemporary* has now removed Zhu Shengchang from his position and issued its stance.

However, opinions remain divided on how to write the next generation of "military novels".

In his opinion published in "Military Literature", Yu Qie believes that "future writers will integrate knowledge and experience", but many people cannot understand what this means.

Qian Zhongshu has now provided the answer: "synesthesia".

This is his unique perspective, which he calls the "synesthetic" view of culture. Simply put, he believes that different cultures should interact and integrate with each other, rather than be isolated and rejected. For example, traditional culture should be critically inherited and promoted, rather than completely discarded or picked up entirely.

In literary creation, this involves taking established novel themes and combining them in a new way. At this point, even model operas can produce brilliant results.

"While 'Lurking' isn't exactly military literature, it reveals Yu Qie's creative philosophy. Its story structure follows a cleverly paced popular novel rhythm, making it captivating, yet it actually explores a deeper question: Why did they win? What kind of people achieved victory?"

"In terms of combining the popular and the serious, no one in the world can surpass him. I believe this is the fundamental reason for his brilliance: the noble see nobility, the base see baseness, women see love, and men see ideals!"

I was deeply moved after reading it.

Take the well-known novel *Bright Sword* as an example. The author was originally a retired tank soldier. Therefore, he depicted the "wild," even tyrannical, side of the military. Some people consider *Bright Sword* to be a work of fiction depicting the trauma of war, while others believe that *Bright Sword* portrays "Li Yunlong" as too lawless, exceeding historical accuracy.

What made Li Yunlong so capable of possessing such great initiative? His ingenious ideas always seemed to work, and special forces and elite corps were no match for him. It was as if he had a protagonist's halo around him, making his wishes come true—a rough, uncultured man, relying on simple values ​​and boundless courage, ultimately achieved far greater feats than others.

How could readers like it so much!

However, if we consider "Bright Sword" as a variant of "Factory Director's Story," then all of this makes sense.

Factory director Li Yunlong was given a critical mission to save the "independent factory" from bankruptcy. He boldly defied his superiors' orders and organized the employees to overcome difficulties...

Chu Yunfei, a wealthy Chinese businessman who had returned from studying abroad, was impressed by Li Yunlong and considered him the hope of inland entrepreneurs. Upon hearing the news, Yamamoto, a Japanese man, also decided to come to China to make his mark and compete with the independent factory led by Li Yunlong...

This is precisely the manifestation of integration and understanding. Yu Qie used "stitching" to describe it, while Qian Zhongshu put it more elegantly as "synesthesia in literature."

This article is quite insightful. He understands Yuqie better than Yuqie himself.

In mid-November, Yu Qie took a train back to Beijing.

This trip was very beneficial to him; he retraced his literary path from south to north. That year, hard sleeper train tickets no longer required a letter of introduction, and citizens could buy tickets directly; however, soft sleeper tickets still required a letter of introduction from one's work unit.

Not to mention, Yu Qie was traveling in a deluxe sleeper berth.

The private room contained a bed, a small desk, a chair, and a private toilet. It was here that Yu Qie wrote the first sentence of his novel *The Message*:

"In the late spring and early summer of 1941, during the Japanese occupation, in the dead of night when the moon was bright and the stars were few, two thousand people suddenly arrived one after another and moved into the east and west buildings respectively..."

The film *The Message*, originally written by Mai Jia, tells the story of a spy thriller. It revolves around two core questions: Who is the mole? And how is intelligence passed on?
This takes the reader into a world full of suspense, tension, and excitement.

However, this novel also has some flaws. It seems to have been written in an attempt to earn royalties, with too much "narrative and commentary" interspersed, which makes it a headache for readers.

The clues and details rely entirely on the dialogue between the characters, which is too little information. It's more like a dramatic script than a novel!
The novel is essentially a "locked room mystery," where a group of people are trapped in a relatively isolated environment, unable to contact the outside world due to special circumstances. Meanwhile, many strange things happen to them, and members die mysteriously one after another. The deeper the investigation goes, the more "innocent" individuals are ruled out, and the more obvious the answer becomes.

It naturally creates the motivation for readers to keep reading, and is therefore a great creation in literary history.

The original text wasn't long; Yu Qie had already written most of it in just one day. Passing through Zhengzhou, writer Wei Wei also boarded the train and found Yu Qie.

Wei Wei and Yu Qie knew each other. Yu Qie was on the front lines at Laoshan during the year, and Wei Wei was one of the writers who visited him. His representative work is the war correspondence article "Who Are the Most Lovable People?" This article was selected for inclusion in Chinese language textbooks!
He noticed Yu Qie writing a manuscript. He had intended to greet him, but he immediately closed the door and remained silent.

Before long, Yu Qie spoke first.

"Teacher Wei?"

"Hey!" Wei Wei exclaimed. He leaned against the side, his gaze drifting to the manuscript on the table. "A new piece?"

(End of this chapter)