Chapter 4 1950 "Between Our Husband and Wife"

Genre: Short Story Author: Xiao Yemu Original publication: "People's Literature" Volume 1 Issue 3 Published: January 1, 1950 On January 1, 1950, New China was established for three full months.If the old-style calendar is adopted, it can also be said to be New Year's Day in the first year of the Republic. On this day, the third issue of the first volume of "People's Literature", the highest-ranking publication in new Chinese literature, was published under the special name of "New Year".A very unusual work was published on it—the short story "Between Our Husband and Wife" by Xiao Yemu.

"Very unusual" means that in the next year or so, it faced two very different situations.At first, it was very popular and its reputation rose; however, in June of the following year, the public opinion changed suddenly, and it became the number one object of criticism in the literary world in just ten days.As for the further influence and long-term meaning, it is not limited to this. The content of the plot is roughly as follows: a couple, the husband is an intellectual, and the wife is a poor peasant who worked as a worker in a military factory after participating in the revolution.Now they have come to Beijing together as "urban cadres" following the victory of the revolution.The husband's thinking has undergone subtle changes. He thinks his wife is "soiled" and is not in harmony with the new environment.So there is a gap between husband and wife, one wants to "change", and the other is very stubborn "not changing".In the end, the facts educated the husband and made him realize that his wife was right, but he "still retains a very strong part of the petty bourgeoisie."Of course, the wife's attitude has also been slightly adjusted, saying that under the new environment, "work methods" are worth reconsidering.

Until the end of the "Cultural Revolution", there was no literary creation in China that had nothing to do with the party's principles and policies, and all works "coordinated" with one of the contents.This article is no exception.What it "cooperates with" is an issue that the party attaches the most importance to in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China: "resisting corruption and preventing change" in the revolutionary ranks.Mao Zedong once compared "entering the city" to "rushing for an exam". Whether he can withstand this test is considered to be a matter of the future. Although "Between Us and My Husband" does not involve "rot", it uses "change" as the joint. All the contradictions between the hero and heroine stem from the dispute between change and invariance.The purpose of Xiao Yemu's writing this novel is to understand the party's concerns, and timely and actively carry out propaganda and cooperation through literature.

Originally, logically speaking, "entering the city" was a hurdle, and the fear of "deterioration" implied in it was mainly aimed at those who were born in rural areas in the revolutionary ranks.For them, the new environment, new reality and their own experience constitute a greater contrast, and the severity of the "test" is more prominent.It should be said that the expression of this question in "The Sentinel Under the Neon Lights" written on the basis of "The Eighth Company on Nanjing Road" is more consistent with the original meaning.In contrast, it is not difficult for us to understand that Xiao Yemu had "scruples" in his heart before he wrote, and he even had a warning to himself.Similar to the role of third platoon leader Chen Xi, he arranged an image of an intellectual to replace him; the incident of "entering the city" did not constitute a test of right and wrong for his wife, Comrade Zhang, who was born as a poor peasant, but Li Ke, who was born as an intellectual, almost fell into a trap. Somersaulted.Such a plot cannot be said to have no basis in life, and the author's handling of it in this way is more likely to avoid negative descriptions of the "image of workers and peasants".This may indicate that Xiao Yemu already had a premonition of the risks of this subject and took precautions in advance.

However, the slander still came unexpectedly. The first critical article appeared in "People's Daily" on June 10, 1951, namely "Some Tendencies of Xiao Yemu's Creation" by Chen Yong.The article was published in the party's central organ newspaper, which seems to allow some people to guess.However, Chen Yong himself has always been an active literary critic. "People's Daily" has a special section on literature and art. Although it is very political, it does not necessarily mean that every negative article has a "background". As far as the article itself is concerned, although it holds a negative attitude, the tone is basically mild, and it is generally a case-by-case discussion. The conclusion is relatively restrained, and there is no particularly strong intention to "convict" the author's work politically.It is dissatisfied with Xiao Yemu because of two points: first, it "uglifies" Comrade Zhang, that is, his wife; second, it reveals "petty bourgeois thoughts and emotions".In addition, unlike the criticisms that were later put on the line, Chen Yong's article did not generally oppose writing about daily life, love affairs, etc., but only emphasized "whether it can be described correctly".There is another important difference. Chen Yong's article is not specifically about "Between Our Husband and Wife". In fact, it starts with Xiao Yemu's two novels. "Between" and "On the Edge of the Sea" also look more like ordinary work reviews, and there is still a distance from the "big criticism" that deliberately creates troubles.

The key is the fifth issue of the fourth volume of "Literary News".This issue of "Literary News" published a "Letter from the Reader", and the name of the letter was Li Dingzhong, a name that no one in the literary world had ever heard of. The editor of "Literary News" added an "editor's note" to the front of the letter: "Some Tendencies of Xiao Yemu's Creation" written by Comrade Chen Yong (see "People's Daily People's Literature and Art" on June 10) analyzed Xiao Yemu's works. We feel that such an analysis is a good start .This letter from reader Li Dingzhong sharply pointed out the danger of Xiao Yemu's creative tendency, and made a necessary and powerful supplement to Chen Yong's article, which we think is very good.We warmly welcome readers to boldly put forward various opinions on literary and artistic creation; we especially hope to receive more letters from readers like this.

In summary, it sends two messages.First, dissatisfaction with Chen Yong's articles.It says that Chen Yong's article is "good", but it can only be regarded as a "beginning"; it praises Li Dingzhong's letter-"sharply pointed out the danger of Xiao Yemu's creative tendency"- To imply the unsatisfactory feeling of Chen Yong's article, feel that he is not "sharp" enough, only point out that Xiao Yemu has a creative tendency but not point out the "dangerousness" of this tendency.Therefore, a "necessary and powerful supplement" must be made to deepen the topic.The second is to express the attitude of the editorial department of "Literary Daily".Regarding Li Dingzhong's letter, he clearly "thought it was very good", and even used extremely urgent words such as "warm welcome" and "special hope" to encourage people to follow Li Dingzhong's letter and submit articles for "Literary News"; this actually announced the decision. Mu continued to launch a critical plan.

When "Literary News" published Li Dingzhongxin, it proposed a title for him "oppose the attitude of playing with the people, and oppose new low-level tastes". "Playing with the people" or similar words, there is no such thing as Chen Yong.This is probably what the newspaper called "sharp".If Chen Yong's article criticizes Xiao Yemu's works, then it can be seen that this has completely become a kind of accusation, even a trial or a ruling.It clearly determined that Xiao Yemu was "guilty".The words in the letter are far more fierce than the title.Li Dingzhong, after citing Chen Yong's opinion that Xiao Yemu's works have "petty bourgeois views", said that he would "add one thing".This sentence is——

If the author, Comrade Xiao Yemu, is really a petty bourgeoisie, then he is still the worst petty bourgeoisie! This sentence not only changed the problem from the "petty bourgeois viewpoint" in Xiao Yemu's works to the belief that he himself is a petty bourgeoisie, but also declared that even among the petty bourgeoisie, Xiao Yemu was "the worst". . Li Dingzhong said sternly that, based on Xiao Yemu's attitude of "playing with the people" to "assess" his class attributes, "he can almost be rated as a hostile class." Xiao's attitude "is objectively our class enemy. attitude towards us working people".Li Dingzhong himself is aware that this is a very serious accusation, but he emphasized, "I don't think I'm going too far."

Li Dingzhong was still dissatisfied with Chen Yong's belief that the reason for Xiao Yemu's mistakes was "divorce from life"; he corrected that Xiao Yemu was "divorce from politics"; reach political issues".Perhaps in that era, such accusations and wording were commonplace and commonplace.From our point of view, speaking to such a terrible extent, it is almost doubtful whether it is necessary to kill people and then hurry up. In short, Li Dingzhong's letter is a turning point.After the publication of this letter, Xiao Yemu's problem has greatly deteriorated, and criticism has become organized.So, who is this Li Dingzhong?According to Shi Wan's article "The First Movement in the Literary World of the Republic" ("Century", Issue 4, 2008), on May 21, 1982, Ding Ling disclosed it in her speech at the Tianjin Literature and Art Symposium:

"People's Literature" published this work ("Between Our Husband and Wife") as a good work. Although I thought it was not very good at the time, I didn't say anything or write an article.Later, when I left Beijing for the south, Chen Qixia asked Feng Xuefeng to write an article. The article was good and serious, but it was too much, which aroused some people's resentment. "People's Daily" editorial department held a meeting, and a leader of literature and art said there: "The line of "Literary Daily" is wrong—— It turned out to be Feng Xuefeng, and it turned out that there were no "letters from readers". It turned out that everything was painstakingly planned by "Literary News". A few years later, Hu Feng put forward a special opinion in his famous "Book of 300,000 Characters": "Anonymous criticism, 'readers' letters' that suit one's own intentions, and even forged 'letters from readers' are absolutely prohibited." (" Report on the Practice of Literature and Art since Liberation", Volume 6 of "The Complete Works of Hu Feng", Hubei People's Publishing House, 1999) "Readers Coming" is a fixed column of "Literary News".Hu Feng may not specifically refer to Li Dingzhong's letter here.It is said that Feng Xuefeng's pseudonym Li Dingzhong, Ding Ling told Chen Qixia not to talk to outsiders, and Xiao Yemu didn't know about it until his death.What Hu Feng said, should be based on his usual understanding of the literary world, such practices are already notorious. At that time, there were two important towns in the Chinese literary world, one was "People's Literature" and the other was "Literary News".The former is edited by Mao Dun, and the latter is under the control of Ding Ling.The two national publications are the highest halls of creation and criticism, and each plays a different role.Probably because of the different roles—perhaps also related to the "subjective factors" of the editor-in-chief—"People's Literature" was relatively able to focus on literary construction, so that "ideological tendency" became a problem; "Literary News" regarded itself as a fighter, full of gunpowder , run a high-profile journal, continue to criticize this batch and that, and make "the strongest voice of the times". Wang Mengzi said: "The short story "Between Our Husband and Wife" was severely criticized by Ding Ling." If this statement refers to the first article criticizing Xiao written by Ding Ling, it must be a misremembering. However, if the word "leading" is It is another matter to refer to the influence and shock caused by Ding Ling's personal appearance.Before the publication of Ding Ling's "Looking as a Tendency", "Literary News" had already conducted two issues of criticizing Xiao, with "Li Ding Zhongxin" as the first, followed by Ye Xiufu's "How Xiao Yemu's Works Violated Life The Truth of " and Le Daiyun's "Several Opinions on the Novel "Exercising"".Ding Ling's article appeared in the eighth issue of the fourth volume published on August 10, 1951.Although it appeared late, the editor-in-chief's momentum is completely different. This issue releases three articles criticizing Xiao at one go. In addition to Ding's article, there is also a summary of the symposium speech on the film "Between Us and My Wife", as well as comments written by Jia Ji. Judging from the weight of the author and the layout of the manuscript, it can be said that the criticism of Xiao reached its climax in this issue.Therefore, it makes sense for Wang Meng to have the impression that "Ding Ling takes the lead". The future situation is that the tenth issue of the fourth volume published on September 10 published "Response to Criticism of Xiao Yemu's Works", collecting voices from all over the world in favor of criticizing Xiao; the first issue of the fifth volume published on October 25 , published Xiao Yemu's own review "I Must Correct My Mistakes", Xiao's friend Kang Zhuo's critical article "My Views on Xiao Yemu's Creative Thoughts", and Li Hui, the comic book adaptor of "Between Our Husband and Wife". Review; in the fifth issue of the fifth volume published on December 25, "My Opinions on "People's Literature"" signed by Jiang Suming was published in the "Readers Come" column, and "Between Our Husband and Wife" was published on "People's Literature" Waiting for "wrong works" and being indifferent to the relevant criticisms, and criticizing; here it needs to be added that Xiao Yemu was not the only object of criticism at that time by "Literary News". Between" was published in "People's Literature" at the same time as another novel "Guan Lianchang" (author Zhu Ding), but the momentum is slightly smaller. To summarize: From June 25th to December 25th, "Literary News" criticized Xiao lasted for half a year; published 11 articles of various criticisms, and convened a criticism meeting; the climax appeared between July and August, marked by Ding Ling Articles and symposiums; criticism forms are rich and diverse, including "letters from readers", professional analysis, leadership discussions, insider reports, public reactions, conference statements, and personal reviews. Long before it was formally criticized, voices of opposition had been heard continuously (Kang Zhuo conveyed Ding Ling's "opinion" more than once).Under pressure, in the autumn of 1950, Xiao Yemu made two changes to "Between Us and My Wife". The version in "Selected Works of Xiao Yemu" edited by Zhang Yu and Huang Yi published by Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House in November 1979 is the revised version.After checking the modified version with the original version, it was found that there were 13 major and minor deletions.It is mainly deleted, but there are two situations: one is related to the differences or comparisons between intellectuals and cadres of worker and peasant backgrounds;By making this comparison, we can find out how Xiao Yemu digested the accusations against him. When the criticism officially started, Xiao Yemu "tried" to revise the novel, but finally gave up.why? "Read all the works I wrote and the articles criticizing my work carefully, and analyze, ponder, and think about it", the reviewer found, "Unless you delete all the words and sentences, you can't see it. Traces of mistakes!" This sounded like angry words, but it was not an exaggeration at all.The point is that the entire creative intention and starting point of "Between Us and My Husband" was completely denied.Therefore, Xiao Yemu ended the matter simply and happily in the end with this sentence: "No matter what my original writing intention is, there are indeed serious mistakes and shortcomings." Newspaper, Volume 5, Issue 1). The best way to maintain a correct attitude and not to make mistakes is to not write a single word—this was indeed a common thought of writers and artists at the time when criticisms were repeated and people were dizzy.Xia Yan said that after the approval of "Biography of Wu Xun", the production of Chinese feature films "suddenly decreased to two" in 1952 ["The Story of Wu Xun", "Lazy Search for Old Dreams (Supplementary Version)", Joint Publishing, 2000] .Lu Ling mentioned in a letter to Hu Fengxin on July 28, 1950 that he had just attended a meeting, "The theme is that there is an urgent need for creation, and I hope that you 'hens' will lay eggs; if there is no chicken coop, you can help find chickens So the old writers complained: the criticism is too fierce, the atmosphere is too harsh, and they are afraid. The new writers complain: they criticize the left, and they are afraid." ("Hu Fenglu Ling Literature Booklet", Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House, 1994) Looking back at the Xiao Yemu incident after more than half a century, it is really like what was held on at the time. Is there any problem with worldview or political stance?Wang Meng thought that "such novels and such criticisms are comical when read today", and his answer was very clear.In terms of revolutionary morality and ethics, "Between Us and My Husband" is quite orthodox, without the slightest hint of "heresy". It is another point that really stirs and stimulates the nerves of some people in the literary world. To put it figuratively, in 1949, revolutionary literature also faced the problem of “entering the city”. With regard to the history of revolutionary literature, roughly speaking, like the Chinese revolution itself, it has gone through a process of urban→rural→urban.The early Chinese revolution not only took the city as its cradle, but also focused on the city. Later, due to various practical reasons, the strategy was adjusted, and the route of "encircling the city from the countryside" was followed, and finally returned to the city in 1949.The same is true for revolutionary literature. When it first emerged, it was entirely based on big cities. The so-called "Ten Years of the Leftist Federation" can even be referred to as Shanghai Pavilion Literature.Later, with the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War and the establishment of the red regime in Yan'an, a large number of revolutionary intellectuals rushed to the border areas, and the center of revolutionary literature also moved there.Since then, revolutionary literature has undergone a series of major changes in Yan'an. The guiding ideology, artistic concepts, language forms, etc. have undergone radical changes, forming a new structure and integrating into a new model, which is usually developed by Mao Zedong's "Speech" direction.For now, the revolution has triumphed.When the news of the peaceful liberation of Peiping came, Mao Zedong announced in Xibaipo: "From now on," "the focus of the party's work has shifted from the countryside to the city."This turning point is bound to be all-round, and literature cannot be avoided either. Therefore, objectively, there is indeed a problem of "entering the city" facing revolutionary literature. It is not only normal but also inevitable for some people to think about this problem. This question, simply put, is whether the appearance of revolutionary literature should be adjusted according to the new reality?Adjustments, of course, will not touch the core value system of revolutionary literature since Yan'an. The so-called adjustments are based on the premise of adhering to the general direction. Can we try some new changes in the details?For example, look at the characters and seek a more unique angle; determine the focus of the narrative, and do more consideration for the readers; present the plot, close to the daily life of life; show the heart of the characters emotionally, making it less abstract and idealized... … The founding of the country, after all, means that literature has been placed under the conditions of a new background, environment, objects, and scope. The content of life and the situation of readers are different from those in border areas, base areas, and liberated areas. Logically, literature should reflect this change.Some writers did realize it, and began to explore.We can take a look at the issue of "People's Literature" published on January 1, 1950. In this issue, a total of five novels were published, three of which (namely "Between Our Husband and Wife", Zhu Ding's "Relationship Chief" and Qin Zhaoyang's "Reformation") have been criticized to varying degrees, because they seek changes in art.For example, in "Company Commander Guan", when a certain company was performing a siege mission, it was found that the enemy's stronghold was a school, and there were many children in it. The stronghold, and the company commander himself died because of this.The novel focuses on the rough and tough personality of the Guan Lianchang and his tenderness and intolerance in this unexpected situation. Using this as a conflict, it portrays the inner world of the characters, rather than blindly writing about the bravery of revolutionary soldiers, showing a novel and deeper perspective.This should have been regarded as a beneficial development in shaping the image of revolutionary soldiers, but in the end it was denounced as distorting "revolutionary humanism" with "petty bourgeois humanism" ("Comment on "Guan Lianchang"), a group discussion of the Central Institute of Literature correspondents, Edited by Zhang Xuexing, "Literary News" Volume 4, Issue 5). In terms of a single writer, Xiao Yemu's consciousness of trying to "adjust" was probably the most prominent one at the time.According to Kang Zhuo's "My Views on Xiao Yemu's Creative Thoughts", Xiao Yemu believes: "Today we have entered the city, with a wider range of readers and a bigger situation, and the works should also be changed. Feelings', add some 'new', 'vivid' things, the language should also be 'improved', and some intellectuals' words can be used to write properly." Looking at it now, Xiao Yemu's thinking reveals outstanding He is sensitive to the new changes brought to literature by the times ("entering the city"), and accurately expresses its artistic possibilities, and proposes his own exploration direction: human touch, innovation, emphasizing vividness, and paying more attention to language , Improving the quality of art... All this shows that he is a writer who is ahead of the times. Before "Between Us and My Husband" was criticized, the reactions from all sectors of society were completely positive.For example, the film adaptation that made Ding Ling angry.After the novel was published, it was immediately picked up by Shanghai Kunlun Film Company, adapted, shot and officially produced.Director Zheng Junli, starring Zhao Dan, Jiang Tianliu, Wu Yin, etc., a top-notch team (by the way, "The Legend of Wu Xun", which made a bigger splash earlier, was also produced by Kunlun and starred by Zhao Dan).Kang Zhuo said that he once heard a playwright tell Xiao Yemu face to face: "Your novels are all very good, and every one of them can be turned into a movie!" At the criticism meeting, Qu Baiyin said: "When I first When I saw this novel, I also liked it, and I also have the intention of adapting it." Wu Zuguang also said that when he read the work, he "felt it was very fresh and interesting" ("Recording the Film "Between Our Husband and Wife" Symposium", "Literary News" Volume Four Eighth Issue, August 10, 1951).Other good responses include its adaptation into comic strips, plays, and praise from critics.As the above-mentioned playwright said, each of his works is noticed.I don't know if this can explain that Xiao Yemu had already become the most popular writer in the country at that time. Even during the criticism, the public's sincere love for Xiao Yemu can be discovered through the unintentionally exposed gaps. In the tenth issue of the fourth volume (total issue 46) published on September 10, 1951, the "Readers Come" column of "Literary News" was titled "Response to Criticism of Xiao Yemu's Works" in order to show the critical effect , A collection of letters from readers.Shijiazhuang Federation of Literary and Art Circles Jia Huahan disclosed that Wu Yan, a worker writer in the city, felt that "Between Us and My Husband" was "fascinating", and wrote his own one based on its style.Bi Dongchang, a student of Shandong University, said that college students generally "prefer" Xiao Yemu's works.Zhang Wei, who works in the army, said that he himself and the "comrades in the art troupe" "are looking forward to novel and artistic works, so after reading Xiao Yemu's "Between Us and My Husband", most of them are full of praise."Xiao Ren from Huaibei Saltworks confessed: "I have read "Between Our Husband and Wife", and I remember mistakenly thinking that this work was 'good' at the time. The description is 'true', 'typical', and 'representative', and it is a good work that is very vivid and can explain the problem." Examining and understanding history takes time.After a certain distance, it is not difficult to discern the meaning of Xiao Yemu: he is a figure at a turning point.The years of the Revolutionary War are over, and a new life for the country lies ahead.Some people took the initiative to try different styles, contents and writing methods from the previous revolutionary literature to suit this transformation.So Xiao Yemu came into being.Compared with the previous ones, what he explores are more delicate and in-depth human feelings, more mundane daily brushstrokes and more concise and restrained discourse style. Facts have proved that they meet the expectations of readers.If he can continue to explore without being blocked, Xiao Yemu is likely to remain as an important pioneer of the Republic of China literature.But the reality is quite the opposite.Looking at the history of contemporary Chinese literature twenty or thirty years ago, you are always faced with a particularly strange phenomenon: as long as it is welcomed and expected by society and life, it is often suppressed and attacked.This is puzzling. (written by Li Jiefei) Zhu Ding: "Guan Lianchang", "People's Literature", Volume 1, Issue 3 Qin Zhaoyang: "Reform", "People's Literature", Volume 1, Issue 3 Chen Yong: "Some Tendencies of Xiao Yemu's Creation", "People's Daily", June 10, 1951 Li Dingzhong (Feng Xuefeng): "Oppose the Attitude of Playing with the People and Oppose New Vulgar Tastes", "Letters from Readers", "Literary News", Volume 4, Issue 5 Ding Ling: "Looking as a Tendency", "Literary News" Volume 4 Issue 8 Zhang Yu: "The Death of Xiao Yemu", "New Literature Historical Materials", Issue 4, 1993