1979: Reopening Wenhao Road from the Village

"Indeed, Comrade Wei Dong's 'The Herdsman' is not a work of the three-prominent model. It is written with great originality and has a kind of plain and simple charm that can leave a lasting impression."

The ability to craft a captivating story from the mundane, drawing the reader in and compelling them to continue reading, demonstrates an author's skill even more than the ability to highlight three key aspects.

Wang Meng didn't mind and took the initiative to speak up, affirming Chen Weidong's stance.

"Comrade Wang Meng is too kind."

Chen Weidong quickly waved his hand, saying that the praise was too much for him to accept.

Liu Xinwu followed up, saying, "The Class Teacher wrote about the poisoning of teenagers by the 'buzzing,' while The Herdsman wrote about the destruction of intellectuals by the 'anti-government.' These works together constitute the 'scar literature' of our time."

No, it shouldn't be called "scar literature." I think "The Herdsman" is more of a new trend and should be called "reflective literature."

We should learn from Comrade Chen Weidong; literature must dare to confront the wounds of history—this is the responsibility of writers.

To everyone's surprise, Liu Xinwu, a representative figure of "scar literature," would take the initiative to propose a new idea.

However, after thinking about Liu Xinwu's words, everyone realized that they did make some sense.

Although "The Herdsman" also shows traces of scar literature, it is only mentioned briefly. Instead, it focuses more on the love story between Xu Lingjun and Li Xiuzhi, as well as the friendship among the herdsmen.

Unlike other works of literature about the trauma of the past, it doesn't simply expose the wounds of the past. Instead, it offers an answer in a warm way, which is also a reflection on the past.

……

Amid the heated discussion, there were both praises and criticisms, but overall, the majority of opinions affirmed Chen Weidong.

Chen Weidong gave the final speech.

Dear leaders and teachers:

First of all, I would like to thank October magazine for giving me this opportunity to sit down with everyone and talk about my humble writings.

To be honest, I was both excited and nervous when I received the notice for the symposium. In my more than 20 years of life, I have never spoken in such a setting.

Today, we're discussing creative work, which in itself demonstrates that our times have truly changed!

I want to thank this experience of going to the countryside, which allowed me to grow from an ambitious but incompetent teenager into a husband and a father.

During my time in the countryside, it was the herdsmen and villagers who taught me. I farmed, herded horses, repaired irrigation ditches, and mined coal... Without that period, I could not have written a work like "The Herdsman," and I wouldn't even be sitting here today.

However, I don't want to talk about gratitude today. What I want to talk about is "why"—why I wrote this novel, why I wrote about pastures, hunger, and the warmth that people find comfort in each other in desperate situations, a warmth that I experienced firsthand.

Some of the teachers here may know what grasslands and pastures are. The weather there is even colder than in Yanjing, and whether it is farming or herding, it is barely enough to make a living.

When I first went to the countryside, I didn't know anything and I went hungry. I was really hungry. My monthly food ration was only nine catties of raw grain.

But the villagers in the countryside didn't abandon me; they taught me, step by step, how to support myself. Therefore, in my opinion, instead of dwelling on the past and reopening old wounds, it's better to look forward and embrace the future.

Therefore, I wrote "The Herdsman" not to accuse or to complain. I wanted to depict the human dignity in dire straits.

The protagonist, Xu Lingjun, herded horses on a farm. He was hungry, lonely, and sexually repressed—I wrote that he was still a virgin at forty years old.

Hahaha

Upon hearing this, the group of people who had been listening attentively and seriously burst into laughter.

After everyone stopped laughing, Chen Weidong continued, "This isn't about sensationalism; it's about reality. But more importantly, even in such extreme circumstances, he maintained his dignity as a human being, still believed in the value of knowledge, and still longed to love and be loved."

I wanted to write about how the flower of humanity tenaciously blooms even in the most barren land. Neither I nor my characters are heroes; we are merely survivors. But the memories of survivors are also part of history.

Of course, this novel is still quite rough artistically. "The Herdsman" is my debut work, and my writing skills are still very limited. Some descriptions may be too straightforward, and some arguments may be too explicit. But I believe that as long as the direction is right, and as long as we stand firm on the word "human," our literature will have a future.

Thank you everyone. I still need to learn, and I need your criticism and guidance.

After Chen Weidong finished speaking, he let out a long sigh of relief. He had spent two days and two nights writing this author's reflection, which was even more tiring than writing "The Herdsman".

clap clap clap...

The audience burst into enthusiastic applause, especially the younger generation, who understood Chen Weidong's intentions and felt that listening to his words gave them a deeper understanding of "The Herdsman".

Of course, some people still feel that "The Herdsman" is too sentimental and does not depict their past suffering. They feel that Chen Weidong may not have experienced those days and that "The Herdsman" does not quite fit the word "scar".

After the applause subsided, Su Mao stood up and gave a final summary: "Thank you to all the editors, writers, and comrades for attending this symposium today. Everyone shared their thoughts, and our October magazine will summarize everyone's remarks and publish them in the next issue for your reference."

Meanwhile, the next issue will also feature Comrade Chen Weidong's new novel. We look forward to hearing everyone's comments in the October issue of the magazine.

Chen Weidong glanced at Su Mao. Su Mao's words could be said to be a win-win situation. She could increase sales by publishing her own "Hibiscus Town" and also raise the novel's popularity to a new level through everyone's comments.

……

The day after the symposium concluded, the People's Daily was the first to publish a commentary on "The Horse Herder," titled "A Heartfelt Hymn to the Motherland and the People."

"Comrade Chen Weidong's novel 'The Herdsman' vividly portrays how Chinese intellectuals shared the same breath and fate with the working people during a dark and turbulent era, and ultimately found their spiritual home in the vast grasslands through the ups and downs of the protagonist Xu Lingjun's life journey."

With heartfelt words, Comrade Chen Weidong praised the simple sentiments of the working people and the profound strength of the motherland's mountains and rivers.

Xu Lingjun's refusal to go abroad with his father was not a personal sacrifice, but rather a generation's steadfast adherence to their ideals and beliefs. They deeply understood that individual destiny can only take root and flourish when integrated into the soil of the motherland. This work serves as a vivid teaching material for patriotic education in the new era, telling us that wounds will eventually heal, and hope will forever be rooted in the land beneath our feet.

Following this, Wang Meng published her review of *The Herdsman* in the *Literary Gazette*. Her review was titled "The Grassland as a Spiritual Coordinate—On the Regional Writing in *The Herdsman*".

"I just met Comrade Chen Weidong at a symposium. He is a humorous person. When I first met him, I thought Xu Lingjun had come out of the novel."

I have read "The Herdsman" three times. The novel's depiction of the Northwest grasslands is not just a scenic embellishment, but the spiritual core of the narrative.

Sandstorms, herds of horses, earthen houses, and a vast horizon together create a dialectical space that is both a prison and a home. Here, the sense of place is subtly dissolved by the laws of nature and the bonds of the herdsmen. This successful portrayal of the region provides an important example for Western literature.

……

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