Chapter 52 1992 "White Deer Plain"

Genre: Novel Author: Chen Zhongshi First publication: "Contemporary" Published: Issue 6, 1992 First publication: People's Literature Publishing House Published: June 1993 (Written by Bai Ye) In the 30 years of literature since the new era, and even in the 60 years of contemporary Chinese literature, novels like Chen Zhongshi’s have been commented on and interpreted continuously for decades since they were published. . At the end of 1992 and the beginning of 1993, it was serialized in the sixth issue of "Contemporary" in 1992 and the first issue of 1993, and was published by People's Literature Publishing House in June 1993.So far, the circulation of the People's Literature Publishing House alone has accumulated to 1.2 million copies. In addition, there are other editions from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas, as well as pirated editions with inestimable sales.In addition, it also appears in the form of comic strips, pottery sculptures, and Qin opera from time to time. In October 2007, it was adapted into a drama of the same name (written by Meng Bing and directed by Lin Zhaohua) and put on the stage of drama; in June 2008, it was adapted into a dance drama of the same name (written, directed and composed by He Gu, Xia Guangxing, Zhang Dalong, etc.), It will be staged in the capital; the movie version is written by Lu Wei, co-produced by Xiying, Shanghai Film Group and Zijin Changtian Company, and the TV series version is written by Zhang Guangrong and produced by Beiguang Group, all of which are under preparation.Following the simulcast of novels by Central People's Broadcasting Station in 1993, in 2008 Shaanxi People's Broadcasting Station launched a broadcast of novels in Shaanxi dialect.

Chen Zhongshi, born in June 1942, is a native of Baqiao District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province. In 1962, he graduated from Xi'an No. 34 Middle School.Previously served as primary school teacher, middle school teacher and Youth League branch secretary, deputy director of the commune revolutionary committee and deputy secretary of the party committee, deputy curator of the Xi'an Suburban Cultural Center, deputy director of the Cultural Bureau of Baqiao District, Xi'an, vice chairman and chairman of the Shaanxi Writers Association, and the Chinese Writers Association Member of the fifth session, vice chairman of the Chinese Writers Association, etc.In addition, he has successively served as a representative of the 13th and 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and an alternate member of the 7th and 8th Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Chen Zhongshi began to publish his works in 1965. He is the author of a collection of short stories "Country", "Going Behind the Old Poplar Tree", a collection of novellas, "Selected Works of Chen Zhongshi's Novels" (3 volumes), "Chen Zhongshi's Collected Works" "(5 volumes), the collection of essays "Farewell to the White Pigeon" and so on.Short stories won the 1979 National Award for Excellent Short Stories, novellas won the first Shanghai "Novel World" Literary Award, novellas won the 1984 "Contemporary" Literary Award, reportage "Weibei Plateau, about a person's memory" He won the National Reportage Award from 1990 to 1991, and won the 4th Mao Dun Literature Award for his novel in 1998.

For this novel, Chen Zhongshi began to conceive and prepare historical materials in 1986, started writing in April 1988, and finalized it in March 1992. After four years of writing, it was completed. The story of the novel mainly revolves around the open and secret struggles of the Bailu family, and uses this to reveal the ebb and flow of the KMT and the Communist Party, as well as the rural culture, customs, etc. intertwined in it. What Bai Jiaxuan cited as heroic was that he had married seven women in his life.After the death of the sixth woman, Mrs. Hu, Bai Jiaxuan came back from the mountains to marry the seventh woman, Wu Xiancao, and brought back poppy seeds.The huge benefits of poppy cultivation are more alluring than the aroma of opium.A complete courtyard house is firmly entrenched in the alleys of Bailu Village with its attractive and majestic appearance.

Legend has it that in the early years of Bailuyuan, there were constant natural disasters and plagues.At the suggestion of a thoughtful patriarch, the original Houjia Village (there is a saying about Hujia Village) was changed to Bailu Village, and at the same time, it was decided to change the surname.The two old brothers of the Hou family (or Hu family) wanted to take all the auspiciousness of Bailu, and agreed that the patriarch and the oldest person with the vine should be given the Bai surname.The children and grandchildren of the second child belong to the deer surname; the rule of the white deer and the two sexes to sacrifice to the same ancestral hall has maintained the blood relationship of the same root and the same species until now.The eldest son who changed his surname to Bai and the second son who changed his surname to Lu established a rule when the ancestral hall was built, and the patriarch was inherited by the descendants of Changmen Baixing.

Bai Jiaxuan walked into the courtyard of Lu Zilin's house with a careful plan to restore the ancestral hall in his arms.Bai Jiaxuan and Lu Zilin are responsible for the renovation of the ancestral hall.After the summer harvest this year, the school started.The five main halls enshrine the gods of Liezong, Liezong, Liezong Xiankao and concubines of Bailu, and the three buildings on the west are used as schools. Bai Jiaxuan and Lu Zilin went to Bailu Academy to find Mr. Zhu and asked him to recommend a knowledgeable person. And Mr. Good Morality.Mr. Zhu recommended Xu Xiucai from Xujiayuan in the east of Bailuyuan.Bai Jiaxuan's two sons also had scientific names, the colt was named Bai Xiaowen, and the mule was named Bai Xiaowu, so they naturally sat inside.Lu Yulin's two sons, Lu Zhaopeng and Lu Zhaohai, returned to the village school.Bai Jiaxuan helped Heiwa also enter the school.

Heiwa went out to work, but brought back his little wife, Xiao'e, back to Bailu Village. After being rejected by the Bailu family, they lived in a dilapidated cave dwelling at the east end of the village. After the "April 12" coup, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party split.Lu Zhaohai believed that the Kuomintang was his choice, but Bai Ling switched to the Communist Party. The relationship between the two appeared to be cracked, and Lu Zhaopeng, Heiwa and others began to live in desperation.Brigadier Xi transferred Heiwa to the guard platoon of the brigade after watching the shooting competition. After the team was broken up, Heiwa panicked and became the "second thumb" of the bandit. and killed Lu Taihuan.Tian Fuxian sets a trap to capture Heiwa, Xiao'e asks Lu Zilin to save Heiwa, and Lu Zilin takes the opportunity to take Xiao'e.Lu Zilin instigates Xiao'e to seduce Bai Xiaowen, and Bai Xiaowen indulges in secret love with Xiao'e and cannot extricate himself.

An unusual famine caused by drought came to Bailuyuan.After the separation, Bai Xiaowen sold the land under unbearable hunger, and then sold the house and became a beggar.Lu Zilin, who originally wanted Bai Xiaowen to "live", accidentally gave him a new life. After only one month in the Zishui County Security Brigade, Xiaowen recovered his body and confidence. The reward points to his benefactors Tian Fuxian and Lu Zilin who gave him a way to survive, and plans to give the rest of the money to Xiao'e, but Xiao'e dies mysteriously!When Heiwa was about to kill Bai Jiaxuan after learning the news of Xiao'e's murder, Lu San shook out a sentence-I killed people.

Bailuyuan once again fell into a devastating disaster.An unprecedented plague spread in all large or small villages on the plain, and all the people in all villages, men and women, old people and children, poor and rich, trembled in this irresistible catastrophe.The patriarch Bai Jiaxuan built the Demon Suppressing Tower against all opinions, and the plague finally subsided. Bai Xiaowen finally got his father's promise from his uncle, Mr. Zhu, to recognize his son and tolerate him returning to the original place.Bai Xiaowen began to enter the good times of life, was promoted to the battalion commander and was in charge of the defense of the county, and became the commander of the Imperial Forest Army of Zishui County.His name was soon rumored in the streets and alleys of the county and the mansions in the market....

The news that a group of bandits in Zishui County surrendered to the security regiment caused a sensation in the county.Heiwa was appointed as the battalion commander, married a wife, and began to transform into a thoughtful person. He was accepted by the family again.But Lu San died in solitude.Heiwa accepted Lu Zhaopeng's advice and turned against the general, but still died under the butcher's knife of the anti-villains.Mr. Zhu's words in the tomb have become a mystery that the rebels will never be able to solve. Lu Zilin hired a long-term worker again, redeemed the land that was sold while in prison, and began to build up his family fortune.But when Yue Weishan, Tian Fuxian and Lu Heiwa were executed, he became demented.Bai Jiaxuan watched Lu Zilin dug up a large piece of wet soil, and suddenly remembered that he used Lu Zilin's slope as a cemetery under the guise of selling land. His son Xiaowen is the county magistrate, and it may be the result of this feng shui treasured land. .He bent down and looked into Lu Zilin's eyes and said, "Zilin, I'm sorry for you. I've done this shameless thing all my life, and I'll repay your debt in my next life."

After it was published and published, it gradually attracted widespread attention and high praise from both inside and outside the literary world.The author Chen Zhongshi's life is also divided into two parts because of this novel: before and after.The former Chen Zhongshi was, at best, a powerful local writer, while the later Chen Zhongshi became a rare heavyweight writer in contemporary literature. Although it has aroused great repercussions and praise in the literary criticism circle, and has also been loved by readers, it has been treated unfairly for quite a while. In May 1997, he failed in the selection of the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" (1991-1995) Excellent Novel Publishing Award in Tianjin; he also failed in the "National Book Award" awards.Initiated in 1995 and announced on December 7, 1997, in the selection of the fourth Mao Dun Literature Award, it was not included in the list of candidates at the beginning.Fortunately, Chen Yong, an old critic who is the director of the judging committee, stepped forward and gave his full support, which made this work shortlisted and finally awarded.He especially emphasized that the objective tendency of historical development is described, and there is no problem with the political tendency, and the writing style also meets the needs of the character and destiny development, and there is no problem.However, due to some of the judges' previous strong criticisms, after negotiation, the judges decided to revise two sentences and two details before winning the award.Therefore, the jury informed Chen Zhongshi of this opinion, and Chen Zhongshi finally agreed to make appropriate adjustments and deletions (about two to three thousand words were deleted).The work finally won the fourth Mao Dun Literature Award in such a revised way, which also created a precedent for a revised work in the history of the Mao Dun Literature Award. In the relevant comments, the critics first gave an overall high evaluation.Feng Mu said in a phone call to the Beijing Symposium that his "initial impression of this novel is a work with an epic scale", and he also said that "it has reached a height and depth that has not been reached by novels that have appeared in a period of time. Forged his own path." ("A Great Work That Can Be Called an Epic——Summary of Beijing "Bailuyuan" Symposium", "Fiction Review" No. 5, 1993) Radar said: "My first feeling in reading is that the field of Chinese literature has emerged. "It is not only a reflection on the history of the nation, but also a cultural reflection on the existence of the nation"; it "absorbs many new achievements in contemporary Chinese and world literature... it is the most important work in the new era. , the most worthy of research".Its appearance is "by no means accidental", "it is a leap in the development of literature in the new era to the present stage". ("Spirit on the Ruins—On "White Deer Plain"", "Literary Review" No. 6, 1993) Cai Kui thought: "This is a remarkable work. Overall, it is a magnificent epic. In terms of specific details and language, it is also finely needled and densely threaded. It can withstand eyebrow criticism and various inspections, and can be read like the same." ("A Great Work That Can Be Called an Epic-Beijing") The rare works of art that appeared in the field of socialist long-form writing in the early 1900s can withstand repeated reading, repeated chewing, and in-depth criticism... Chen Zhongshi set a milestone for himself and for Shaanxi literature. An important breakthrough", the work "can be evaluated by the word epic". Xing Xiaoli pointed out in an article summarizing the situation of the Xi'an Symposium: "It is a work with great artistic charm, and it is a rare large-scale work in recent years. . . It is different from the new realism that describes the life of citizens in the city, and it is not the realism with idealism. It provides a powerful new example for realistic novels....marked by Chen Zhongshi This is "the result of the writer's creation, and it is also created by the times." ("A masterpiece showing the secret history of the nation", "Shaanxi Daily", April 26, 1993) Critics generally believe that it has rich historical connotations and distinctive epic style. It embodies many historical connotations of the family and the nation in one work, and has a rich and profound epic taste. It is a contemporary novel. It is rare in novel creation; and it is so easy to read and durable, which is also rare in contemporary novels.These multiple breakthroughs in art have pushed the contemporary long-form realistic creation to a new era height, thus having a certain symbolic significance.Some people also believe that although it is still difficult to say that it has entered the ranks of classic novels, it is obviously unparalleled in contemporary novels in terms of richness and profoundness.On the one hand, it is the harmonious unity of a profound sense of history and a distinct contemporaryity.On the other hand, it is the harmonious unity of philosophical symbolism and historical mystery.On the other hand, it is the harmony and unity of the twists and turns of the plot structure and the richness of detail description.This makes an epic full of philosophical meaning will be engraved in the history of literature, with a living life and soul forever. But there are also people who hold different views from the above evaluation.For example, Jin Huimin believes that "Compared with traditional revolutionary historical works, it is more profound, rich and beyond utilitarian. It cannot be denied that this is an improvement"; Historical coordinates, the progress achieved is no longer very innovative; it is at most just the application of existing ideological achievements to the opened up area in central Shaanxi. This is not a creation.”He said: "I firmly believe that the emergence of masterpieces is neither a direct derivation of certain political concepts or historical philosophies (such as stage struggle theory), nor is it a borrowing and promotion of existing ideological achievements or common sense of thought", but " What we see in "is a "literary application of pre-existing common sense". ("What Kind of Literature Do We Need?——From "Bailuyuan" and "Abandoned Capital"", "Literary Review", November 6, 1993) Critics believe that the author's new view of history deserves special attention.Zhu Zhai said: "The author does not start from a party political point of view or a narrow class point of view to make a simple judgment on right and wrong. Instead, he goes beyond a single perspective and enters into the thinking of history and people, life and people, culture and people. A high-level macroscopic bird’s-eye view of history." ("A Great Work That Can Be Called an Epic—Summary of the Symposium on "Bailuyuan" in Beijing") Li Xing said in the article "Looking Back at the End of the Century——A Preliminary Discussion on "Bailuyuan"" : "The reason why it can be called a great work is not because it has a length of 500,000 words, but because the author has a new experience and understanding when he examines and reflects on this period of history with a contemporary perspective and consciousness.... In Chen In faithful writing, history is no longer a single-line history of class confrontation, but also a history of interdependence and integration in the confrontation; history is no longer a purely political history, but also a history of economics, Cultural history, natural history, and spiritual history; the vividness of history is not only unfolded on the social and political level, but the latter is more vivid, richer, and more poetic than the former.” He believes, “Chen Zhongshi is It is through value, more poetic value." He believes, "Chen Zhongshi raised the existence and history of our nation to a new poetic realm, and its unique cognitive value is beyond doubt. The unique aesthetic value is also unquestionable." ("Literature News" May 20, 1993) Chang Guangyuan believes that the author's view of history has three points: "The first is the historical vision of the contemporary Mr. Zhu. Mr. Zhu is a literary great Confucianist described by the author, and he is revered as a saint by Bai Jiaxuan, a representative of Bailuyuan. The second is to observe people's hearts, the third is to observe trends, and the fourth is to experience more. He does not only look at banners and signs, but also looks at political achievements and actual results; Looking at the history in his pen is basically the same historical perspective; "Secondly, it is the historical scale of national interests. …It has a much wider field of vision, a much broader mind, and a much more magnificent bearing than the standpoint of a class;These "constitute Chen Zhong's calm and objective attitude towards history, and regard history as a diachronic operation of human survival activities that are constantly open to accidents. It is this attitude that enables the writer to write the tragedy of Bailuyuan vividly, containing almost even The profound cultural significance that the writer himself may not be aware of." ("Examining History Calmly and Objectively——A Brief Discussion on the Historical View of "Bailuyuan", "Shaanxi Daily", April 26, 1993) And the cultural values ​​of its authors are also a hot topic in commentary.He Xilai said: "The author uses a big cultural vision to write a historical culture, and the regional culture is profound and complex. I disagree with the use of Confucian culture to cover the entire national traditional culture. The cultural vision is not only Confucianism, but also Others, such as sexual culture...moral and ethical culture..." Zhang Ren believes: "This work shows for the first time that family and family power are not only the pillars of Chinese feudal society, but also have the function of preventing social turmoil and restraining natural disasters. It has a huge effect." ("A Part of the Great Work That Can Be Called an Epic", the same as before), Feng Lisan said that the "long-term value of the work lies in the use of exquisite local language in the extremely deep and vast tunnel of time and historical space. It shows the unashamed charm of the oriental personality spirit of oriental culture". Radar analyzes the author's cultural values ​​from the perspective of the author's handling of human, historical, and cultural relations.He said: "The author no longer stands on the narrow and short-sighted political point of view, but stands on the ideological commanding heights of the times, nations, and cultures to contemplate history. He uses the national history as the framework, and the tragedy of patriarchal culture and peasant-style struggle as the main line to structure the whole book." "The author's creativity lies in his full awareness of the blending and interpenetration of cultural vision and class struggle vision, thus raising the authenticity to a new level." He said: "I always He believes that Chen Zhongzhi's cultural standpoint and values ​​are full of contradictions: he sees that traditional patriarchal culture is a roadblock to modern civilization, and he is attached to the charm of traditional cultural personality: he clearly sees that agricultural civilization The sun is fading away, and I hope to find a panacea to save and recast the soul of the nation... I don’t completely agree with his cultural values, but I firmly defend his unique vision and right to evaluate life as a writer.” ("Spirit on the Ruins - On "White Deer Plain"") Critics are more highly affirmed and evaluated the artistic peaks reached and the artistic achievements achieved.Li Xing said: "Not only has the potential of realism been fully utilized, but it has also become an art that combines the mysticism, sexual taboos, and outlook on life and death of Eastern culture with the broad sense of symbolism, life consciousness, and Latin American magicism in Western literature." Distinctive modern art....It shows such an artistic phenomenon: the emergence of great works does not always represent the emergence of new methods: great works are often produced on the basis of the exploration and pioneering of previous writers, and are produced by the mature class of new methods It absorbs, inherits, and replaces the previous life." Radar believes that "one of the most prominent features of the work is that it has found a narrative method with energy and tension. Its meaning is by no means limited to narrative language. It is a It is an expression of the creative spirit of realism with a great concentration, which is dedicated to returning to the things themselves.”Lin Weijin analyzed the structural art of this part of the novel and said: "The net-like structure, the whole work is rich in content, not monotonous and dull. Instead of single-line or so-called double-line description, the net-like structure makes the whole This work is like a thick sphere. In addition, it also expands the sense of space of the work." But there are also some views that are different or different from the above views.Nan Fan pointed out the artistic trauma of this novel in his article "Literature·History·Narrative Discourse——Reading Chen Zhongshi's "White Deer Plain"".He said: "Chen Zhongshi proposed three kinds of forces from the masses of people in Bailuyuan. The power of patriarchal families, the power of rebels, and the political power. Many people and events in Bailuyuan gathered around these three forces."However, most of the stories on the thread of politics are not new. Fragments and details have not become the core of the derivative stories. The novel only arranges the experiences of the characters according to the period of the Great Revolution, the period of the Japanese invasion, and the period of the Kuomintang-Communist War, and the narrative discourse has the function of penetrating time. Unknowingly shrinking."He said: "We can also find that there is a dissociation and disconnection between the clue of political forces and the other two clues. It can even be imagined that even if the story on this clue is removed, the integrity of the novel is not significantly affected. This just proves on the contrary that there is a rupture in the narrative discourse.” “We have no reason to interpret this rupture as a negligence. Maybe Chen Zhongshi did not consider in detail the complex relationship between the Confucian tradition and the Three People’s Principles or Communism, He could not continue to imagine the vivid stories formed by the conflict and interweaving between them. However, the avoidance of thoughts cannot replace the avoidance of narrative. Unfinished thoughts can only lead to unfinished narratives." "This leaves a Major artistic trauma." ("Writer News" January 8, 1994) Li Jianjun's "directly admonishing the Shaanxi Army" that took place in 2000 also involved evaluation and criticism of the Communist Party.In September 2000, at the "Bailuyuan" Review Collection Seminar held in Xi'an, Shaanxi, Li Jianjun, the editor-in-charge of "Bailuyuan" Review Collection, pointed out the works of Chen Zhongshi and Jia Pingwa on the premise of basically affirming their artistic achievements. "Narrow national consciousness" and "lack of broad humanitarian feelings"; one of the typical details is that when Lu Zhaohai killed a Japanese soldier, he had to cut off a lock of hair, and Mr. Zhu burned these hairs to commemorate his death Lu Zhaohai.Li Jianjun felt that these places were very uncomfortable. (Li Jianjun previously wrote "A Tranquil Harvest——Chen Zhongshi's Novel Theory", and published "A Shocking National Epic" in the fourth issue of "Fiction Review" in 1993 in the year of publication) Such a person is not without The author Chen Zhongshi readily accepts the sharp opinions.As a result, the critic who criticizes the writer and the writer being criticized become frank friends, which has also left a good story in the current literary world. In September 2000, the People's Literature Publishing House edited and published the "White Deer Plain" Review Collection.The commentary collection collects articles that are innovative, insightful, and have a certain influence published publicly at home and abroad after their publication.The selected articles are divided into categories of comprehensive review, cultural criticism, art form criticism, and comparative criticism.In addition, there are editorial testimonials, author interviews, seminar overview reports, and other types of articles chronicling Chen Zhongshi's life and events.The articles included in the collection of reviews reflect the analysis and research results of critics in the years after its publication, including artistic affirmation and artistic criticism, reflecting the periodical artistic thinking of the author's contemporaries on this important work. latest results. Chen Zhongshi: Selected Works of Chen Zhongshi's Novels · Novella Volume, Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House, 2004 Edition Zhang Wei: "Ancient Ship", People's Literature Publishing House, 1986 Edition Li Jianjun: "A Tranquil Harvest", Huaxia Publishing House, 2000 Edition "White Deer Plain" Commentary Collection, People's Literature Publishing House, 2000 Edition