Chapter 34 1984 "Chess King"

Genre: Novella Author: A Cheng Original publication: "Shanghai Literature" Published time: Issue 7, 1984 (written by Li Zhaozhong) It is Acheng's debut novel. When it was published in "Shanghai Literature" in the summer of 1984, it became famous for a while, and Luoyang's paper was expensive, so much so that there was a boast of "the capital is full of nests".Before the novel was published, it spread like wildfire in the circle, and the editors of two famous journals competed for the manuscript.It is said that Chen Jiangong, who has always been mature and prudent, and Li Tuo, who has a very sharp vision, were all "suppressed" by this novel.Ah Cheng himself recalled: "After I wrote it, a friend took it to read, and one of his friends who was an editor of "Shanghai Literature" saw the manuscript at his home and published it. I didn't even have time to express my opinion. The punctuation marks of the manuscript were not written clearly before being sent to others. After posting, there was a lot of excitement, and I was also hung up." ) At that time, Ah Cheng was 36 years old.

Times have changed, and re-reading it more than 20 years later still makes one's heart flutter. It can be seen that this kind of instant hit back then has considerable artistic authenticity, which is not the same as the sensation when "The Class Teacher" was published several years ago.According to the simplest definition of a literary classic—it can withstand re-reading, it is well-deserved as a classic of contemporary Chinese literature.Wang Meng, a stalwart in the literary world, praised it highly and regarded it as a strange article. He wrote this comment: "colloquial but not vulgar, classical and beautiful but not pedantic, nationalized but not 'earthy', crisp and neat but still meticulous and detailed. But it cherishes ink like gold. It is difficult to classify, and it is different from the current popular brushes and inks, but it is not uncommon." ("Let's talk about <Chess King>", "Literary News" October 1984 issue) The old writer Wang Zengqi spoke highly of Acheng The uniqueness of the novel art, frankly admitting that he "can't write" such a novel, and believes that "many people can't write it", and has high hopes: "Acheng has become a young writer with his own unique style, follow this , strive for perfection, just like Wang devoted his whole life to chess, he will surely become a master of Chinese novels." ("The Reason Why People Are Human——Reading the Notes of "The King of Chess", "Guangming Daily" March 21, 1985) Even Zeng Zhennan This more orthodox reviewer was also moved to forget himself, and wrote at the beginning of the article: "I read it, and I was caught at once. This is a strange and unique text, and the taste seems to have never existed before. Any other famous or rookie pens have flowed out. Hold your breath and read on, the ups and downs, the real life is vividly presented in front of your eyes, the real world is rolling in your heart, and my eyes are wet in a few places." ("Special Splendor and Deep Taste-Reading Cheng's novella "The King of Chess", "Shanghai Literature" No. 10, 1984)

From an objective point of view, the sensation at that time was not only due to its excellence in art, it can be said that it had all the elements of success including the timing, location, and harmony of people.For Chinese literature, 1984 was an important year. After experiencing the stages of "scar literature" and "reflective literature", after experiencing the problems of "obscure poetry", "modernism" and "subjectivity" of literature After the discussion, an era of "individualization" of literary creation is about to emerge.This is an epoch-making event in the history of Chinese literature development in the 20th century.Since modern times, due to the severe crisis of national survival, enlightenment and national salvation have become the overriding theme. Literature has become a weapon to save the country and the people, a trumpet of the spirit of the times, and a tool for political struggle. The loss of individuality and the alienation of literary nature are inevitable. things. The end of the "Cultural Revolution" brought prosperity, society entered a more normal track, and literature gradually got rid of political control and returned to its own world.What is worth noting is that this movement of literary independence and personalization took place against the background of "cultural root seeking".In fact, long before this, works that echoed this intention of “seeking roots” had already appeared, such as Wang Zengqi’s Chronicles of the Great Nao and The Precepts, Jia Pingwa’s First Records of Shangzhou, and Li Hangyu’s “Ge Chuanjiang Novels”. etc.At the same time, Latin American writers made remarkable achievements in the second half of the 20th century by relying on local cultural resources. In particular, the Colombian writer García Márquez was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in the early 1980s, which greatly encouraged Chinese writers believe that if they root their creations in the long and rich national cultural traditions and absorb, assimilate and transform Western concepts and forms with Chinese sensibility, they will surely achieve original achievements.Li Qingxi sorts out the ins and outs of "literary roots" in the article "Looking for the Root: Back to the Thing itself"——

1. At the beginning of the stylization of literature in the new era, writers first gained a sense of "seeking".Looking for new art forms, but also looking for myself. Second, the emergence of the consciousness of "seeking" is related to the so-called "value crisis" and also to the crisis of "realism" in the literary world.Therefore, many writers have accepted Western modernism in terms of artistic thinking methods and sensory forms. 3. Western modernism has broadened the artistic vision of Chinese writers, but it has not brought them a real sense of self, and it cannot solve the problem of the soul of the Chinese people.That is to say, the freedom of artistic thinking is not equal to the freedom of existence. As some people think, without the standard culture, people cannot obtain spiritual self-help.Therefore, the search for self and the search for the spirit of national culture go hand in hand.

Focusing on this general background, the significance of its meaning is relatively clear. It is not unreasonable to say that it directly detonated the "literary roots" movement.In short, five months after the publication, "Shanghai Literature" magazine and Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House jointly held a symposium on literature by the picturesque West Lake, reviewing the past, predicting the future, and discussing how literature in the new era can break through existing artistic conventions and create more Go up a floor.Ah Cheng is a natural invitee to this meeting.According to the description of the participant Ji Hongzhen: During the meeting, Ah Cheng was "sometimes solemn and sometimes humorous. When he was solemn, he was like a suffering Jesus, and when he was witty, he was like a big urchin." In one speech, he talked about Chinese culture and was emotional. , the ending sentence is: "A nation will never forget its own culture", everyone was shocked for a moment, and there was no sound at the venue. (Acheng's "The Soul of Pitching the Heaven and Earth", "Mangzhong", Issue 1, 1995) The effect of this symposium was shown a few months later: Han Shaogong published "The "Literature" in the 5th issue of "Writer" in 1985. "Roots", Zheng Wanlong published "My Roots" in the 5th issue of "Shanghai Literature" in 1985, Li Hangyu published "Realize Our Roots" in the 6th issue of "Writer" in 1985, and A Cheng published in July 1985 "Culture Restricts Human Beings" was published in "Literary News" on July 6, and Zheng Yi published "Crossing the Cultural Fault Zone" in "Literary News" on July 13, 1985. At the same time, a number of "root-seeking" novels came out one after another. : Han Shaogong, "Women and Women", Zheng Yi's "Old Well" and "Far Village", Zheng Wanlong's "Strange Stories from a Foreign Land", Jia Pingwa's "Shangzhou Youlu", "Shangzhou Shishi", Acheng's,, "Merry Everywhere", Wang Anyi's..., for a while, the north and the south echoed, and it was very lively. A "root-seeking literature" movement was carried out in full swing in the Chinese literary world.

Among this group of "root-seeking literature" writers, Acheng is a special one.When it comes to the start of literary creation, he is the latest; when it comes to the starting point of art, he is the highest.It's a bit interesting to say that Ah Cheng wrote illustrations for other people's novels because he felt unsatisfactory.According to Zhong Chengxiang, one night in the early 1980s, at the bus terminal of No. 22 in Beitaipingzhuang, Acheng said to him: "To be honest, illustrating other people's novels has inspired me to write novels. For example Let’s talk about novels that reflect the lives of intellectual youths, I always feel that they are not enough, at least my own life in this aspect has not been fully expressed in novels.” ("The Mystery of Acheng", "Modern Writers" 1985 Issue 6 of 2009) At this time, he has passed his thirties.Of course, there is a reason for this "late bloomer" created in Acheng's literature.Influenced by Nai's father (Zhong Lianfu studied art in Yan'an Luyi in his early years), Ah Cheng loved painting since he was a child, and he wanted to be a great painter. There is him in the "Painting Exhibition", and he also does photography, and his level is also very good.A Cheng was able to transfer back to Beijing from the Yunnan farm to the editorial department of "World Book" to "replace work with work" because of his skills in painting.However, according to the evaluation of experts in the art world, although Ah Cheng has considerable attainments in painting, he is not outstanding. Compared with his literary talent, he can only be "insignificant".Ah Cheng is an extremely intelligent person, and it is impossible for him to hang himself on a tree. When he found out that his talent in literary creation was greater and his future was greater, it was natural for him to change course.To be fair, it is definitely a good thing for Ah Cheng to be late in writing novels, making him extraordinary and a blockbuster, like a Wenqu star descending to earth.Otherwise, Ah Cheng is no different from the educated youth writers of his age.Wang Zengqi tactfully pointed out that it is understandable that Acheng did not write novels during the period of devolved labor—“Only today, now, can Acheng look back more clearly at that extremely abnormal period of life, and the people of that period , Write it down. Because he has a mature, calm, and confident thought that doesn’t need to look around. Once he writes, everything is right.”

It mainly writes about two things: "eating" and "playing games". Through the description of "I" and the civilian chess master Wang Yisheng's encounter, communication, and finally a pair of nine-wheel battles together, it reveals such a theme: "Food and clothing are the basic , I have human beings, and I am busy with this every day. But I am trapped in it, and finally I am not quite human.” This theme seems ordinary, but it contains a soul-stirring impact.Analyzing it, the magic power of the novel comes not only from the inheritance of the essence of Chinese classical novels, but also from the quiet reference to the techniques of modern Western novels. The two blend seamlessly.This is specifically manifested in: the author does not weave complex and ingenious storylines, nor does he carve out the inner world of the characters in detail, but decides the winner with a superb line drawing. clumsy demeanor.As soon as the novel came up, it was written: "The station is in a chaotic state, and thousands of people are talking. No one pays attention to the temporary red slogan. This slogan has probably been hung many times. The writing paper was folded a bit badly. Quotations and songs were playing one after another from the speakers, making everyone even more flustered." What kind of old-fashioned pen and ink is this!It is reminiscent of "Water Margin", "Water Margin", the words of "killing people with a single inch knife".However, it is not a reprint of a Chinese classic novel, but a modern Chinese novel. There is no such technique as "narrator" from the West in the creation of Chinese classical novels. Everything depends on the omniscient and omnipotent author. This mode is adopted to give full play to the function of the narrator "I", who is the incarnation of the author. As an important character in the novel, he maintains an interaction with the protagonist Wang throughout his life. The monophonic part thus becomes polyphonic, and the novel thus obtains Sharply modern.On this point, Ji Hong really said it well: "He started from the existence of 'I', went deep into the phenomenal world beyond himself, and returned to a new and richer world by narrating specific life stories or fragments. In the self. All the stories in his pen are in the process of cognition and perception of "I" one after another, completing the sublimation of emotion and thought." ("Universe, Nature, Life, Man", "Dushu", No. 1986 Phase 1)

It exudes authentic Chinese flavor from the inside to the outside, without deliberately "seeking" the roots, and the "roots" are at ease.This is the result of a high degree of fit between the narrative method and the subject matter. In Wang Meng's words, it is "the complete integration of ontology and methodology."This is an extremely high level of art, no wonder some people compare it with Zweig and think that it is not inferior, "The whole text exudes the unique fragrance of ink in Chinese literature, and its many qualities can only come from the great influence of traditional Chinese culture. (omitted) Just like the chess pieces of the protagonist Wang Yisheng, Acheng's novels are also "rooted", as the saying goes, "qi penetrates yin and yang", "converges Tao and Zen in one furnace". Every word directly touches the depth of culture. "(Zhuang Zhou's "On the Characters of Qi", Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House, 2004).Indeed, unlike some root-seeking novels, the Western-style structure is mixed with foreign accents, the narrative method and the subject matter are deviated, and the "finding" and "root" are out of touch, which seems nondescript, like a melon skin hat on a suit and leather shoes.But when you think about it, it’s quite normal. These root-seeking writers are all educated youths, people of the same age in the Republic of China. They received communist education since they were young and speak modern Chinese—a mixture of Western grammar, modern vocabulary returned from Japan, and local vernacular. Their language and literary upbringing mainly come from Chinese New Literature after the May Fourth Movement and foreign progressive literature translated into modern Chinese. Traditional Chinese culture seems to them a world apart.This kind of knowledge background and the state of "lost roots" determine their enthusiasm for "seeking their roots". As Zheng Yi said in his article "Crossing the Cultural Fault Zone", for a period of time, they "gathered together and said what they said must be true". Calling Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism of various schools of thought", "feeling that I have no culture, I just want to read more books so that I will not be superficial"; it also determines the illusory nature of "seeking the root".Indeed, those "root-seeking literature" works that rely on quick supplements always make people feel unnatural and a bit pretentious.The reason is simple: culture is something that is naturally formed and cannot be artificially created.The traditional Chinese culture has been washed away by historical storms, and it has long been changed beyond recognition. It remains dying on the older generation of intellectuals, and they have long been recognized as objects of historical elimination, lingering in the corner of history, and dying out naturally.

It is at this point that Ah Cheng distances himself from his peers.Acheng was born in a family of cultural celebrities, and his father, Zhong Dianfei, came from Yan'an Luyi, but he was a gentlemanly and talented art theorist.Before the age of eight, Acheng lived in Yuying's novel and lived a good life. In 1957, Zhong Lianfu was labeled as a rightist for his article "Drums and Drums of Movies", and his family fortune fell from then on.As the son of a great rightist, Ah Cheng was naturally classified as a separate book, and he experienced the cruelty of the world early on.However, as a result of marginalization, he had the opportunity to come into contact with another world. It was hidden in the old bookstores and antique shops of Liulichang. The baptism of ancient gentry culture.This erroneous experience made him a fish that slipped through the net, and an intergenerational dislocation occurred in the knowledge structure.Indeed, reading Ah Cheng's articles can easily give people the illusion that the times are upside down. That style of writing is not so much that of the educated youth generation, but rather closer to that of the writers of the Republic of China generation.This unique knowledge structure determines that he plays a special role in the "root-seeking literature" movement.

In the article "Culture Constrains Human Beings", Ah Cheng talks about "culture" all the time, but does not mention "seeking roots".In Ah Cheng's view, Chinese literature has not yet been established in a broad and profound cultural excavation, and without a strong and unique cultural restriction, it is impossible to achieve the freedom of advanced literature; The transformation of the Chinese Communist Party has progressive significance that cannot be denied, but its nihilistic attitude towards national culture, coupled with the continuous turmoil in Chinese society, has caused the rupture of national culture, which has continued to this day. After sweeping it all over, there was almost no fig leaf left.This is an extremely pessimistic estimate of Chinese culture and literature since modern times.In such a context, the prescription given by Ah Cheng—"Chinese culture" (to be precise, it should be the Taoist culture of Lao Zhuang Zen Buddhism) seems to be nothing but a blank check. Only in this way, it looks extraordinarily tragic .The image of Ah Cheng as the inheritor of "Chinese culture" and "the last cultural aristocrat" has been established virtually.Twenty years later, when Acheng talked about "root-seeking literature" with Zha Jianying, he said: "My cultural composition allows me to know what the root is, and I don't want to look for it. Han Shaogong is a bit like discovering a new thing suddenly. It turns out that the whole In the single composition of the Republic, it is suddenly discovered that it is actually something that is ignored. Including Tan Dun, art, poetry, etc. have similar phenomena. I know that this root has been broken. In my opinion, Chinese culture has disappeared for half a century. The reason is that the soil that produced and maintained Chinese culture has been eradicated.” ——With a posture of “everyone says I am the only one”, Ah Cheng has become the only remaining “single seedling” of Chinese culture.But to be fair, Ah Cheng's arrogance is not without some basis.

However, this is another single seedling that is difficult to thrive.To paraphrase a familiar idiom: If there is no soil, there will be no seedlings.Even Ah Cheng himself has to admit that he can't create a new style of writing, his formation is not universal, it is very accidental, and it is the result of self-study, his stuff has no universal significance, it is just a case. ("Interviews in the 1980s", Life·Reading·New Knowledge Sanlian Bookstore, 2006) When he was famous for a while, Ah Cheng once said that he wanted to write "Eight Kings". He thought: "The Collection of Eight Kings".It's a pity that Ah Cheng only wrote "Three Kings" and stopped.This is Ah Cheng's brilliance, he accepts as soon as he sees something good, otherwise unpleasant things will inevitably happen.Critic Yu Qing skillfully pointed out at that time: Acheng's language is rich in quality and profound in meaning, "However, it may not be suitable for all fields of life and levels of thinking; pioneered." However, the ruler is short and the inch is long, and there is no all-round champion in the literary world. Acheng has obtained the benefits of Taoist culture, but he is also restricted by Taoist culture.What's more, the resources suitable for Ah Cheng to write novels are scarce. Thanks to his ten years of experience in living as an educated youth in the border areas, he wrote "Three Kings".Times have changed, and Wang Yisheng's "chess idiot" can no longer be found, and Ah Cheng's unique skills can no longer be displayed, just like the craftsman in Zhuangzi's pen who was so good at transporting weight and could chop off the chalk from the tip of a person's nose, he had to put down his chess game because of the death of his opponent. sharp axe.Also, I think the most important thing is that Ah Cheng is not a person who regards literature as his life and wealth. He is still a player in his heart. The man in rough clothes is really intoxicated by the gems on the rough clothes and the bear's paws under the vegetable leaves.Although Ah Cheng was a "fish that slipped through the net" of the culture of that era, he was not a martyr of "Chinese culture". Otherwise, he would not have left his own literary soil, followed the fashion and went to the United States to make a living elsewhere. As Ah Cheng said: culture restricts human beings; however, another harsher historical truth is: survival is higher than culture; because of the burden of survival, it is a common occurrence that a high-level culture retreats with the times.From this point of view, the advent of "The Art of Art" is just a reflection of the spirit of Chinese classical art. Acheng: "Chinese Writers", Issue 1, 1985 Acheng: "People's Literature", No. 2, 1985 Acheng: "Culture Restricts Humanity", "Literary News", July 6, 1985 Han Shaogong: "The "Root" of Literature", "Writer" Issue 5, 1985 Zweig: Shanghai Translation Publishing House, July 2007 edition