Wu Zuxiang

Wu Zuxiang

Wu Zuxiang (1908.4.5-1994.1.11), a famous writer in the 20th century, was born in Maolin, Jingxian County, Anhui Province. Since 1921, he has studied in Xuancheng No.8 Middle School of Anhui Province, Wuhu No.5 Middle School of Anhui Province and Shanghai. When studying in Wuhu No.5 Middle School, he was the literary weekly Zheshan founded by the student union, and began to publish poems and essays in the supplement of Wanjiang daily, his representative work 1800 Dan.

Character experience

In 1923, the short story "unfortunate grass" was published in the supplement "consciousness" of Shanghai's "Republic of China Daily", and in March 1925, the short story "kite flying and fish leaping" was published in women's magazine, all of which had a distinctive anti feudal color. He got married in 1927 and returned to Maolin as a primary school teacher.

In the autumn of 1929, he joined the Economics Department of Tsinghua University, and one year later, he joined the Chinese department. He was once known as the "four swordsman of Tsinghua University" together with Lin Geng, Li Changzhi and Ji Xianlin. During the period of Tsinghua University, Wu Zuxiang's literary creation was at its peak. In 1932, he wrote the novel "supplements of officials" and achieved great success. In 1934, he wrote eighteen hundred Dan. The works are collected as Xiliu collection and Fanyu collection. His novels, such as 1800 Dan, world peace and fan Jiapu, are well-known in the literary world for their distinctive realism style. In particular, the novel 1800 Dan vividly reproduces the decline of China's rural social and economic system in the 1930s through a clan meeting of the Song family. Wu Zuxiang's creation is simple and meticulous, with rigorous structure. He is good at describing the language and mentality of the characters, and has strong local characteristics. He can be called the first person to write the rural customs and scenes in southern Anhui. In 1935, he interrupted his study and applied for the position of tutor and Secretary of Feng Yuxiang. In 1936, he founded novelist magazine with Ouyang Shan, Zhang Tianyi and other left-wing writers. In 1938, as one of the founders of the National Association of literary and art circles against the enemy, he and Lao She jointly drafted the declaration of the National Association of literary and art circles against the enemy, and became permanent members of the association. In March 1943, the novel "duck's beak waterlogging" (also known as "mountain torrent") was published. It describes the tortuous course of the awakening of farmers' national consciousness in the Anti Japanese War, and creates the image of Zhang Sanguan, a simple, kind, tough and brave farmer. It is a wonderful flower in the Anti Japanese War literary garden.

He visited the United States with Feng Yuxiang from 1946 to 1947, and later served as professor of Jinling Women's College of Arts and Sciences, Professor of Tsinghua University and director of Chinese department. In 1952, he was a professor of Peking University and devoted himself to the study of classical literature, especially novels of Ming and Qing Dynasties. He served as the director of the China Federation of literary and art circles and the China Writers' Association, and the president of the Research Association of a dream of Red Mansions. During the cultural revolution, he was beaten as a "ghost" and persecuted.

Wu Zuxiang studied in private school and Yuying primary school founded by his father. In 1921, he left his hometown and returned to Maolin to marry Ms. Shen Shuyuan. He worked as a teacher in YangZheng and Fuqun primary schools. He was admitted to Tsinghua University in 1929, and was promoted to Tsinghua Research Institute in 1933, specializing in Chinese literature. After graduation, he went to work in Nanjing. In 1935, he was employed as Feng Yuxiang's Chinese language teacher and Secretary for 13 years. Recalling this experience, he praised Feng Yuxiang affectionately for his respect for teachers and education: "Feng Yuxiang is a great patriot, advocates Anti Japanese and supports the Communist Party. He is a believer in the romance of the Three Kingdoms, learning from Liu Bei and respecting intellectuals. He saw my works and asked me to be a Chinese teacher. I'm in my twenties and he's in his fifties. Every time I go to class, he goes to the gate to meet me. He sat down and gave me tea in his hands. He made a good composition and gave it to me in both hands: "Mr. Wu, please change it for me." During the Anti Japanese War, Wu Zuxiang participated in the drafting of the declaration of the all China Association of literary and art circles against the enemy, and was elected as the executive director of the association. After Wuhan retreated, he went to Chongqing with Feng Yuxiang and taught in Southwest Associated University. From 1946 to 1947, he went to the United States with Feng Yuxiang. After returning to China, he served as professor of Chinese Department of Nanjing Jinling Women's College of Arts and Sciences until the founding of the people's Republic of China.

After October 1949, Wu Zuxiang became a professor in the Chinese Department of Peking University. He also served as a member of the National Association of literary writers, member of the China Federation of literary and art circles, member of the Secretariat of the Chinese writers' Association, member of the editorial board of people's literature, member of the Beijing Municipal Federation of literary and art circles, vice chairman of the Beijing Writers' Association, and President of the Research Association for a dream of Red Mansions. In the early days of liberation, he participated in land reform, went to North Korea to visit the Chinese people's Volunteer Army and other social activities. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1956 and the China Democratic League in 1979, and was elected as a member of the Central Committee. When he went to the United States to give lectures in 1981, "Wu Zuxiang fever" appeared.

Wu Zuxiang is a famous writer in China. Most of his novels and essays are based on his hometown. His short stories such as Guan Guan's supplement, Lu Zhu Shan Fang, 1800 Dan, world peace and fan Jia Pu have exerted an important influence on the literary world. These works reflect the reality that the rural economy in Maolin area of Jing county is bankrupt and the people are in dire need of living. They mercilessly flog the dark forces and express infinite sympathy for the people at the bottom. His works not only use many local dialects in language and dialogue, but also can find prototypes in Maolin. He is familiar with the local people's joys and sorrows, so his writing is very vivid, which can be said to be a typical "local literature". He has a "preference" for Maolin dialect, which is a kind of language with high cultural level, profound meaning, vivid metaphor, popularization and popularity. Shanhong, a novel written by him, reflects the Anti Japanese War of the New Fourth Army in southern Anhui, which can be read in Maolin dialect. The characters, anecdotes, life scenes and children's songs are well-known to the local people, which makes them feel more intimate.

He is full of deep affection for his hometown. He donated 10000 yuan of his pen money to Maolin primary school as a scholarship to cultivate talents. "I teach in Peking University. Every year after the college entrance examination, I go to the freshman roll, hoping to have Maolin students study in Peking University," he said He warned the people in his hometown not to belittle themselves. They should be enterprising, concentrate on the four modernizations, care about education, pay attention to education, cultivate talents, and make contributions to the four modernizations.

Anecdotes of characters

Reading with my wife

Wu Zuxiang got married when he was in middle school and brought his family to Tsinghua University. His family lives in Xiliu village, where Ji Xianlin and Li Changzhi often visit them. Ji Xianlin later said that it's said that Chinese students can take their wives abroad. It's called accompanying reading. Isn't what Wu Zuxiang is doing "accompanying reading"? It's really ahead of time. At that time, Wu Zuxiang had a girl named xiaojiuzi. The article in Li Changzhi's praise for children: a gift to xiaojiuzi, a girl in Zuxiang, mentions that "among the children who are together now, xiaojiuzi is the one who benefits the most and knows each other's names. Maybe it's my sharp feeling or allergy. The child and I are quite friendly. The children's father is a sentimentalist. He looks at things with no past but no sentimental color. Even his tone is sentimental, although in sharp humor, even in a sneering attitude, there is also pitiful and sentimental sympathy. Not long after his wife and children first came to Peiping, he once introduced his children to me. It is said that he was very homesick and often imitated the scene of his grandmother thinking about her at home. Moreover, he felt lonely, because there were no children playing together at that time. How old was the child? He was only six years old. I think that Zuxiang's words can't be denied, because with his sad father, it's hard for the child not to be sad, and even if it's not sad, it will be sad if the father of the sentimentalist looks at it. ".

In the second half of 1993, Ji Xianlin went to Wu's home to see Wu Zuxiang. Xiaojiuzi just returned from Sichuan to Beijing to accompany his father. She was in her 60s at that time, and Ji Xianlin called out "little Hatoya!"! Wu Zuxiang said with a smile: "it's old Hatoya now." The passage of time is so rapid, Ji Xianlin can not help but "exclaim warm heart".

Two propositions

In a class, Mr. Wu Zuxiang said to the students as soon as he came up, "I have two propositions here. What do you think? Proposition 1: Wu Zuxiang is a man; Proposition 2: Wu Zuxiang is a dog. "

For this problem, students do not know what Mr. meaning, do not dare to say. Sir, the first proposition is certainly correct, but it is meaningless. The second proposition is certainly wrong, but you have to think about it. Why did someone put forward this proposition? What is Wu Zuxiang like? Therefore, although the second proposition is wrong, it makes people think deeply and further investigate, so it has a little "significance". The story is that Peking University teachers are not bound by the authorized syllabus.

Main works

Xiliu collection (novel collection), July 1934, Shanghai, life bookstore, Fanyu collection (novel prose collection), December 1935, Shanghai, cultural life bookstore

Yazuilao (novel) was published in March 1943 by the Publishing Department of Chongqing literature and art awards and grants management committee. It was renamed Shanhong in 1946 and reprinted by Shanghai Xingqun publishing company

Wu Zuxiang's collection of novels and essays, may 1954, people's Literature Press

Shuo Pei Ji, August 1987, Peking University Press

Su Cao Ji (collection of Novels), April 1988, Peking University Press

Collection of essays, August 1988, Peking University Press

Yuan waiji, August 1988, Peking University Press

Song Yuan literature history manuscript (co authored with Shen Tianyou), May 1989, Peking University Press

Wu Zuxiang's creation is influenced by Mao Dun

Wu Zuxiang is another important representative of left-wing social analysis novels besides Mao Dun. Although he

Chinese PinYin : Wu Zu Xiang