historical dictionary of modern chinese literature

For orders and information please contact the publisher SCARECROW PRESS, INC. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200 Lanham, Maryland 20706 1-800-462-6420 • fax 717-794-3803 www.scarecrowpress.com COVER IMAGE: GAO XINGJIAN © SOPHIE ELBAZ / SYGMA / CORBIS LITERATURE • CHINESE LITERATURE MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE LI-HUA YING HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts, No. 35 Modern Chinese literature has been flourishing for more than a century, with varying degrees of intensity and energy at different junctures of history and points of locale. Although it has been challenged and enriched by external influences, it is an integral part of world literature in constant dialogue with its counterparts across the globe—contributing to the wealth of worldwide literary culture. In terms of themes and styles, modern Chinese literature is rich and var- ied: from revolutionary to pastoral, romanticism to feminism, and modernism to postmodernism, as well as critical, psychological, socialist, and magical real- ism. Indeed, it encompasses a full range of ideological and aesthetic concerns. This Historical Dictionary of Modern Chinese Literature presents a broad perspective of the development and history of literature in modern China. It includes a chronology, introduction, bibliography, and more than 300 cross- referenced dictionary entries on authors, literary and historical developments, trends, genres, and concepts playing a central role in the evolution of modern Chinese literature. Li-hua Ying is director of the Chinese and Japanese Program at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. She is also the executive director of the Association of Shufa Calligraphy Education, an academic organization based in the United States. YING HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE HD Modern Chinese Lit Litho.indd1 1HD Modern Chinese Lit Litho.indd1 1 10/28/09 1:59:21 PM10/28/09 1:59:21 PM Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts Jon Woronoff, Series Editor 1. Science Fiction Literature, by Brian Stableford, 2004. 2. Hong Kong Cinema, by Lisa Odham Stokes, 2007. 3. American Radio Soap Operas, by Jim Cox, 2005. 4. Japanese Traditional Theatre, by Samuel L. Leiter, 2006. 5. Fantasy Literature, by Brian Stableford, 2005. 6. Australian and New Zealand Cinema, by Albert Moran and Errol Vieth, 2006. 7. African-American Television, by Kathleen Fearn-Banks, 2006. 8. Lesbian Literature, by Meredith Miller, 2006. 9. Scandinavian Literature and Theater, by Jan Sjåvik, 2006. 10. British Radio, by Seán Street, 2006. 11. German Theater, by William Grange, 2006. 12. African American Cinema, by S. Torriano Berry and Venise Berry, 2006. 13. Sacred Music, by Joseph P. Swain, 2006. 14. Russian Theater, by Laurence Senelick, 2007. 15. French Cinema, by Dayna Oscherwitz and MaryEllen Higgins, 2007. 16. Postmodernist Literature and Theater, by Fran Mason, 2007. 17. Irish Cinema, by Roderick Flynn and Pat Brereton, 2007. 18. Australian Radio and Television, by Albert Moran and Chris Keating, 2007. 19. Polish Cinema, by Marek Haltof, 2007. 20. Old Time Radio, by Robert C. Reinehr and Jon D. Swartz, 2008. 21. Renaissance Art, by Lilian H. Zirpolo, 2008. 22. Broadway Musical, by William A. Everett and Paul R. Laird, 2008. 23. American Theater: Modernism, by James Fisher and Felicia Hardison Londré, 2008. 24. German Cinema, by Robert C. Reimer and Carol J. Reimer, 2008. 25. Horror Cinema, by Peter Hutchings, 2008. 26. Westerns in Cinema, by Paul Varner, 2008. 27. Chinese Theater, by Tan Ye, 2008. 28. Italian Cinema, by Gino Moliterno, 2008. 29. Architecture, by Allison Lee Palmer, 2008. 30. Russian and Soviet Cinema, by Peter Rollberg, 2008. 31. African American Theater, by Anthony D. Hill, 2009. 32. Postwar German Literature, by William Grange, 2009. 33. Modern Japanese Literature and Theater, by J. Scott Miller, 2009. 34. Animation and Cartoons, by Nichola Dobson, 2009. 35. Modern Chinese Literature, by Li-hua Ying, 2010. Historical Dictionary of Modern Chinese Literature Li-hua Ying Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts, No. 35 THE SCARECROW PRESS, INC. Lanham • Toronto • Plymouth, UK 2010 Published by Scarecrow Press, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 http://www.scarecrowpress.com Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom Copyright © 2010 by Li-hua Ying All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ying, Li-hua. Historical dictionary of modern Chinese literature / Li-hua Ying. p. cm. — (Historical dictionaries of literature and the arts ; no. 35) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8108-5516-8 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8108-7081-9 (ebook) 1. Chinese literature—20th century—Dictionaries—English. 2. Chinese literature—20th century—Bio-bibliography. 3. Authors, Chinese—20th century— Biography—Dictionaries. I. Title. PL2303.Y59 2010 895.1'09'00503—dc22 2009027237 ϱ ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Printed in the United States of America v Editor’s Foreword Jon Woronoff vii Preface ix Reader’s Notes xi Chronology xiii Introduction xxi THE DICTIONARY 1 Bibliography 295 About the Author 465 Contents vii Chinese literature is an amazingly hardy breed. During the modern period, roughly since the beginning of the 20th century, it has had to contend with the most adverse conditions: Confucianism, Buddhism, and imperial rule; invasion and occupation by Japan; the long civil war between the Nation- alists and the Communists, and then under communism the dictates of Mao Zedong and other leaders; and the rampant materialism of the present day. Yet, in every period, it has found forms of expression and in some cases flourished, leaving an impressive legacy that is still being enriched at present. Alas, while those who know Chinese can enjoy it, this privilege is only gradually being shared with outsiders as more and more works are translated into English and other languages. This is finally encouraging its spread to new readers and new admirers, who are becoming familiar with a plethora of new authors—novelists, essayists, playwrights, and poets—and masses of intriguing works. Yet, this did not emerge from a vacuum, and Chinese literature is much easier to fathom in the context of its historical and literary trends. Providing this context, and introducing the authors and their works, is the main task of this Historical Dictionary of Modern Chinese Literature. It goes about it in several ways. The chronology traces the evolution, one with many twists and turns and only rare straight stretches, which partially account for the variety and diversity. The introduction provides a useful overview, one in which to insert the authors and their works. The diction- ary follows on with hundreds of entries on writers, in all possible genres, of all possible proclivities, with varying styles and subject matter. Other entries present the historical and political events that impacted on this literature and the assorted literary currents and trends that shaped it. Since China is a vast country, with a population of over a billion, it is helpful to remember that it consists of regions, some of which have their own traditions, such as Tibet, and also that Chinese writers not only live and create in the People’s Republic of China but also the Republic of China Editor’s Foreword (Taiwan), Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia and, indeed, at present in the United States and other Western countries. Having once discovered how rich this literature is, there will inevitably be many who will want to read the works either in the original or translation and gain further background, which is facilitated by the bibliography. Given the extensive period, the geographical spread, and the broad range of writers and works, the author of this volume has done an ex- traordinary job of bringing all the various strands together and providing a comprehensive picture. Li-hua Ying grew up in the People’s Republic of China and studied at Yunnan Normal University, where she received a B.A. in English and also briefly taught. Moving to the United States, and not without maintaining her interest in English literature, she has increas- ingly specialized in Chinese literature. With a foot in each culture, and at- tuned to the increasing flows between them, she is an excellent guide to the literature of the world’s largest cultural community, the rapidly expanding literary output of which is bound to be known and read increasingly in coming years. Jon Woronoff Series Editor viii • EDITOR’S FOREWORD ix How to define “modern Chinese literature”? The challenge has to do spe- cifically with the terms modern and Chinese. First of all, when does the modern period begin and end? Second, by “Chinese,” does one mean “of China” or “in the Chinese language”? If the scope is limited to 1918 to 1949, then the issue can be settled without much controversy. If the histori- cal line stretches further down, however, the problem becomes potentially divisive. What about Taiwan? What about prehandover Hong Kong? And the Chinese diaspora? In the process of sorting through nearly a century of literary production, I have decided to adopt a more inclusive, thus more controversial, defini- tion of “modern Chinese literature” in order to take into consideration the complex and diverse paths of its development. In terms of historical framework, I begin with the May Fourth generation and continue to the present. Acknowledging the defining role of the vernacular language, I have chosen to exclude texts written in classical Chinese during the same period. In terms of geographical boundary, I have also opted for a more in- clusive line of demarcation. In addition to writers in the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, those who have settled in the West but continue to address the topic of, for the lack of a better word, “Chinese- ness,” are considered as part of the modern Chinese literary enterprise. Treating modern Chinese literature as a continuous and borderless entity, this dictionary of Modern Chinese Literature thus adopts a liberal usage of the words Chinese and modern by selecting from writers publishing since the beginning of the 20th century to the present whose language of expression is Chinese. A more accurate but cumbersome title could be “A Dictionary of Modern Chinese (Language) Literature.” I am certainly aware that the inclusion of Taiwanese writers in this dic- tionary could be a point of contention. My process of selection, however, is guided by considerations of linguistic as well as cultural and literary Preface [...]... Years of Modern Chinese Literature) Beijing: Beijing daxue, 1998; Tang Tao and Yan Jiayan Zhongguo xiandai wenxue shi (A History of Modern Chinese Literature) 3 vols Beijing: Renmin wenxue, 1979–1980 3 Zhou Jin Zhongguo xin wenxue jian shi (A Brief History of Chinese New Literature) Taipei: Chengwen, 1980 4 Huang Xiuji et al Ershi shiji Zhongguo wenxue shi (A History of Twentieth-Century Chinese Literature) ... population of Chinese writers scattered throughout Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America who are connected in their xxi xxii • INTRODUCTION love of the Chinese language as the medium of artistic expression This is the landscape of Chinese literature today In the study of Chinese history, modern China is generally divided into three periods: jindai (the recent era), 1840–1911; xiandai (the modern era),... the thinking of many Chinese literary historians.6 As early as 1985, Chen Sihe called for a redirection in the study of the history of modern Chinese literature, 7 setting off a new round of debates in Chinese scholarly circles Conceptualized in such a framework, the term xiandai wenxue has found traction, pushing out xin wenxue and dangdai wenxue Outside the Chinese- speaking world, the term modern has... could only be attributed, in some cases, to the limited knowledge and lapse of judgment on my part, and in others, to the continuously evolving arena of modern Chinese literature I want to thank Professor Tan Ye, who got me started on this project For the readers interested in Chinese theater, Professor Ye’s Historical Dictionary of Chinese Theater, also published by the Scarecrow Press, is infinitely more... needs of a new society In this campaign for comprehensive social transformation, literature was at the forefront Modern Chinese writers abandoned wen yan (literary Chinese) , the lingua franca of Chinese writing, and replaced it with bai hua (vernacular Chinese) as the language of both prose and poetry Free verse instead of regulated verse was the preferred form; an interest in critical realism gave modern. .. conceptualizing framework and terminology: Huawen wenxue (Chinese- language literature) or Sinophone literature. 10 Regardless of the differences in opinion held by literary scholars, all agree that modern Chinese literature emerged in the midst of grave anxieties as a result of China’s encounters with the West, whose advanced technology and superior weaponry forced Chinese intellectuals to reflect on their own... A Novel of Shanghai, a translation of Wang Anyi’s 1999 novel Changhen ge, published 2009 Liang Yusheng dies Zhang Ailing’s novel Xiao tuanyuan (A Small Reunion) published Introduction Modern Chinese literature has been flourishing for over a century, with varying degrees of intensity and energy at different junctures of history and points of locale It is solidly an integral part of world literature, ... of Liang Yusheng and Jin Yong, and Ni Kuang’s science fiction, which met the needs of readers looking for escape from the pressures of life in a fast-paced modern city Meanwhile, in the PRC, a monolithic literary establishment pursued its strictly ideological agendas, suppressing creative autonomy in favor of propagandist literature From 1949 to the end of 1970s, the best of literature written in Chinese. .. to regard the production of Chinese literature as a global affair that resulted from migration and immigration Recent years have seen major efforts to rewrite the history of modern Chinese literature to take into account authors in the Chinese diaspora beyond the three major regions of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong Leading the group that attempts to grapple with the complexity of the field are Dominic... History of Modern Chinese Fiction New Haven: Yale University Press, 1971 9 Joseph S M Lau and Howard Goldblatt, eds The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature New York: Columbia University Press, 1995 10 Dominic Cheung, “Lisan yu chonghe: huawen wenxue neihan tansuo— jianlun Chen Yingzhen, Zhu Tianxin de ‘lihe’ zhuti” (Dispersing and Superposition: the Meaning of Sinophone Literature A Study of . SYGMA / CORBIS LITERATURE • CHINESE LITERATURE MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE LI-HUA YING HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts, No. 35 Modern Chinese literature. States. YING HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE HD Modern Chinese Lit Litho.indd1 1HD Modern Chinese Lit Litho.indd1 1 10/28/09 1:59:21 PM10/28/09 1:59:21 PM Historical Dictionaries of Literature. full range of ideological and aesthetic concerns. This Historical Dictionary of Modern Chinese Literature presents a broad perspective of the development and history of literature in modern China.