Stills from "The Wonder Years"
To the inverted space-time
——Liu Yiman and his literary world
Author Tang Dongmei
Chapter Two: The Old Garden, the Vastness Left in Memory
They don't sit opposite each other. They sit side by side on the side of the card slot. They are like a pair of wrestlers, twisting and turning. They do what they want to do, and there is no one around. For them, everything in the restaurant, apart from the two of them, was non-existent. ——Liu Yiman's novel "Opposite Down"
In the darkness, there is an irresistible force that arranges a person's life.
That may be the two French letters written on the wall tiles on the side of Notre Dame Cathedral, translated as the "fate" of the Chinese.
Liu Yiman
Liu Yiju was born in Shanghai on December 7, 1918 (the fifth day of the first month of the 11th lunar month), with his ancestral home in Guima Siqiao, Xiguan Township, Zhenhai, Zhejiang. His original name was Liu Tongxuan (刘同绎), the character Changnian (昌年), and his pen names were Lan Nao, Ge Li Ge, Lin Heling, and Taiping Shanren (太平山人).
His father, Liu Hao (劉灏), graduated from shanghai Zhongxi Academy, joined the League, and in 1924 became the English secretary of the Whampoa Military Academy. The following year, he was the supervisor of the Customs and the negotiator of Shantou. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he served as the supervisor of Zhejiang Customs. Before the fall of Ningbo, he fell ill and returned to Shanghai via Hong Kong. He died in Shanghai in the autumn of 1944.
His mother, Ji Suyun, is a native of Chuansha, Pudong, Shanghai.
Liu Yiju entered Shanghai Zhabei Sanyu Primary School at the age of seven, and after learning some Chinese characters, he became a long-term subscriber to magazines such as "Little Friend" published by Zhonghua Bookstore and "Children's World" at the Commercial Press.
He also liked stamp collecting, which became a hobby of Liu Yiman's life, and thus influenced his later creative themes, such as the 570,000-word novel "Stamps" written by stamps, and the novel "Opposite Upside Down" inspired by stamps.
At that time, his family lived in Western Hu, and there were two stamp shops opened by White Russians on Aiwenyi Road. Liu Yihuan, who was only eight or nine years old, often stood in front of the window to peek into the colorful world of stamps.
His mother had saved up more pocket money for him, and he would also go in and say to the skinny old Man of White Russia, "Buy a stamp."
With only a little money in his hand, the Belarusian boss only gave him a "garbage ticket".
"As long as the print is beautiful, I like it."
With the strong interest in stamp collecting, Liu Yiman went from buying loose tickets to buying complete sets.
However, the pocket money given by his parents is limited after all, and he can't afford to buy a complete set. As a result, collecting stamps became the most important thing he did outside of school.
Seeing that he liked stamps so much, his mother asked the carpenter to make him a flat wooden box, one by one, to store the stamp book, scissors, and pliers. Liu Yiman's childhood was spent in peace, tranquility and happiness.
In the summer of 1931, Liu graduated with honors from Shanghai Zhabei Primary School and was promoted to the Affiliated Middle School of Datong University in Shanghai.
The school is near the South Railway Station in South City. From his home to the school, the distance is quite long, you have to pass through the public concession, the French Concession, and you can turn three times to get to the school. Therefore, he boarded at the school. In addition to studying at school, he enjoyed playing basketball and reading new literary works.
When he came home on weekends, his mother often accompanied him to The Qipan Street on Sima Road, which is a concentrated area of Shanghai bookstores, which opened several famous bookstores such as business, Chinese, enlightened, and modern. There, Liu Yihuan purchased a large number of literary books. The love of literature began in middle school. Liu Yihuan's short articles are often seen in the school's posters.
In the spring of 1933, at the age of fourteen, Liu Yihuan participated in the "Anonymous Literary Society" and the "Crazy Stream Literary and Art Society". The former was initiated by Ye Zi and was established in the spring of 1933, with Ye Zi as the president and Chen Qixia as the vice president. In June 1933, the "Anonymous Literary Society" published the monthly magazine "Anonymous Literature and Art".
I was only fourteen years old when I attended the Anonymous Literary Society. At that time, I was studying at the Affiliated Middle School of Datong University in Shanghai, and I was in junior high school. I often write short essays in posters.
One day, while walking around the campus, a senior student suddenly greeted me. I remember his last name was Ge because his father was an arithmetic teacher in our class. He likes to tie red and is three or four years older than me. He asked me, "Do you want to attend a literary conference?" I nodded. He took an entry form from his pocket and asked me to fill it out and give it to him.
I did as he told me to do. After about half a month, I received a notice of the meeting.
The conference was presided over by Ye Zi. He was thin and not very good-looking. I don't remember if the congress held an election, but I clearly remember that the president of the "Anonymous Literature Society" was Ye Zi and the vice president was Chen Qixia.
In addition, what impressed me most was that Ye Zi and Chen Qixia repeatedly encouraged members to write more, asking everyone to send their written works to the editorial department of "Anonymous Literature and Art"; and repeatedly guaranteed that the editorial department would give priority to the members' manuscripts.
("Ye Zi and the "Anonymous Literary Society", see "Selected Works of Liu Yihuan", Hong Kong Literary Research Society, first edition, January 1980)
At the age of 59, Liu Yihuan recalled the scene of his first contact with the literary and art community in his life, and he had some holy feelings.
When organizing the "Nameless Literary and Art Society", Ye Zi was also a young literary youth who was only twenty-one years old. When Liu Yihuan, who was only 14 years old at the time, first crashed into the hall of literature and art, he thought that Ye Zi, the "president" of this hall, was a "person who really loved literature", and it should be said that Ye Zi was the first writer liu Yiman came into contact with in his creative career.
Decades later, Liu Yihuan still had a high opinion of Ye Zi. He admired Ye Zi's creative attitude and realistic approach. For the first enlightener and guide he came into contact with when learning to write, Liu Yihuan was grateful throughout his life.
Joining the "Anonymous Literary and Art Society" stimulated Liu Yihuan's creative enthusiasm, in addition to editing posters, he began to write literary works for newspapers and periodicals.
Liu Yiman's first work was published in May 1936, at the age of seventeen, when he was in his second year of high school.
During this period, the country was at a critical juncture of life and death, and the call for anti-Japanese resistance to save the country was growing, and Liu Yihuan, like most students, "the world rises and falls, and the pirate has the responsibility" and participated in strikes and demonstrations. Therefore, his creation could not be separated from the background of the War of Resistance and Chaos at that time.
His debut novel, a short story entitled "Anna Floschi in Exile", features three illustrations by his classmate Hua Junwu, published in the Life Pictorial edited by Zhu Renhua (Xuhua).
Artistically, the novel is worth remembering for its experimental nature, although Liu Yihuan himself was not conscious of adopting any new techniques. But decades later, when Liu Yihu talked about the novel, he admitted that he was indeed influenced by Mu Shiying's novel. Approaching the Neo-Sensational approach was the beginning of his lifelong exploration of experimental fiction.
When Mu Shiying was very active in the Shanghai literary scene in the 1930s, Liu Yihuan was studying in middle school in Shanghai. Although the novel is immature, it is a good start for Liu Yihuan to move towards a creative life.
When the "August 13th" all-out War of Resistance broke out, Liu Yiju graduated from high school and entered St. John's University in Shanghai, majoring in political science and minoring in history. During this period, Liu Yiman had the opportunity to read a wide range of literary masterpieces. From reading new Chinese literary works, to foreign literary works, and, as his English skills improved, he began to read some original texts of English and American literature, inspired by the works of Dickens and others.
Because I liked these books, and because I bought the well-printed Tolstoy's War and Peace (in English) and John Dos Passos's American trilogy, I had the desire to start my own publishing house.
Reading further stimulated Liu Yihuan's desire to create, and he still did not stop creating after school. During the isolated island period, Liu Yihua submitted articles to the Shanghai Wen Wei Po supplement "Century Wind" and the supplement of "Damei Bao" "Asakusa", as well as the "Wenbi" magazine, and published the work "Grain of Sand and Feathers" (originally published in Shanghai "Wen Wei Po • Century Wind" on February 28, 1939), which is a group of small poems with a modern style.
During this period, he also published more than a dozen novels that integrated certain techniques of prose, poetry, and film, most of which were related to the reality of the time - anti-aggression, defending the country and defending the country, such as "The Wind and Rain of the Seven Mile Ridge", "Sheep and Tired Shepherds", "Storm in the Foothills", "Free Shooter", etc., the content of which has a distinct sense of the times and reality. But because of the lack of real experience, it is still the transformation of imagination into reality.
Liu Yihuan in his youth
In his junior year, St. John's University moved back to Fanwangdu from the "mainland shopping mall" in the downtown area, and Liu Yihuan had to cross the border to build a road through The West Shanghai when he went to school or school, and was quite familiar with the environment in this area. Crossing the border is a three-way area, the residents of the concession can go; the residents of the Japanese occupation zone can also come; the environment is special, there are many casinos, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, smoke caves, night gardens, clubs and to perform dance.
Liu Yiman intended to write a novel with anti-Japanese implications, using these life scenes as a background to write a love story between an underground worker and a White Russian performing girl.
However, in the summer of 1941, after graduating from college, he had planned to go to the United States to continue his studies, but due to the outbreak of the Pacific War, he had to cancel this plan. Unwilling to live under the rule of the enemy, Liu Yiman went to Chongqing alone with simple luggage, and because he could not find a job, he lived in an iron factory opened by relatives in Xiaolongkan. It was at this time that Liu Yihuan began to write the novel conceived in Shanghai.
During his stay in Chongqing, Liu Yi was invited by zeng Tong, the president of his father's friend the National Gazette, to enter the press and edit the supplement of the National Gazette in the name of the chief writer.
The "National Gazette" is a folk newspaper, the supplement is relatively more free, during which liu Yiyu's hand, published many excellent works, such as Jiao Juyin's novels, Xu Chen's works and so on.
After working in the National Gazette for several months, he was introduced by his college classmate Yang Yanqi and also did the work of the chief writer of the supplement of the "Sweeping Newspaper". Therefore, he became acquainted with a large number of writers, such as Lao She, Feng Zikai, Sun Fuyuan, Yin Xueman, Li Huiying, Lu Danlin, Zhao Qingge, Hua Lin, Wang Pingling, Qian Gechuan, Jiang Xingyu, Ma Bing, Wang Lan and other famous writers.
Lao She's "Four Generations Together", Xu Chen's "Wind XiaoXiao", Wang Pingling's "Returning to the Old Beijing", Zhao Qingge's "Diary of a Troublemaker", jiao Juyin's "Chongqing Serenade", etc., were all originally published in the supplement of the "Sweeping Newspaper" by Liu Yihuan's hand.
From 1942 to 1945, during his stay in Chongqing, in addition to editing the "Sweeping Newspaper And Sweep supplement" and the "National Gazette • National Supplement", Liu Yihuan also created and published a number of literary works: the novella "Underground Love" (later renamed "LuIsa"), the short story "The Story of Xiyuan", "Hunger Online", "Midnight Blood Case", the poem "Shallow Summer", "Girl's Complaint" and other essays and commentaries.
The representative works created during this period are the novella "Underground Love" and "Wind and Rain".
The theme of the literary works created by Liu Yihu during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is only one, that is, the deep disasters brought by the Japanese invaders to the Chinese people, and the anti-Japanese resistance is the only way to save the survival of the nation.
At the end of December 1945, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Liu Yihuan bid farewell to the mountain city where he had lived and worked for three years and returned to Shanghai.
He first published the Shanghai edition of "Peace Daily" (after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, "Sweeping Daily" was renamed "Peace Daily" Editorial Supplement), in order to realize the ideal of studying, he resigned from his job as editor of the supplement, and used the money left by his father to establish the "Huaizheng Publishing House".
Running a publishing house and producing good books is Liu Yihuan's long-cherished wish and ideal.
At this time, Xu Xiao returned to Shanghai from the United States, and he was very appreciative and supportive of the publishing house founded by Liu Yiman. Yikou agreed to give his novel "Wind Xiaoxiao" to Liu Yihua's Huaizheng Publishing House for publication, and moved to the publishing house at Liu Yiju's invitation.
As early as before the War of Resistance Against Japan, Liu Yiman's father, Liu Hao, took out his life savings and bought a piece of land near the junction of Daxi Road and Yidingpan Road in Shanghai, and built two three-story garden houses for the Liu Yihuan brothers (the current door number is Building A and B, No. 99, Lane 559, Jiangsu Road). There are rockeries, pools, meadows, flowers and trees in the courtyard, and the environment is quiet.
This became the site of Liu Yiman's Huaizheng Publishing House. Liu Yiju, who was in the midst of his youth, believed that after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the country was in ruins waiting to be rebuilt, and the sacred responsibility of promoting social culture and improving the level of national education fell unshirkably on the cultural people. With this ambition in mind, huaizheng cultural society began to work.
Xu Chen's novel "Wind XiaoXiao", the first novel published by huaizheng cultural society, was published on October 1, 1946, immediately became a bestseller, and printed three consecutive editions in less than a year; then Xu Chen handed over his "Three Thoughts Lou Yue Book" to Huaizheng Cultural Society for publication, and the social response was excellent. Then Xu Xiao's "Goddess of the Arabian Sea", "Cigarette Roll", "Old God", "Life and Death", "Portrait of a Mother", "Xiliu Collection", "Brothers", "Spring Leeks", "Overseas Scales and Claws", "Illusion" and other ten kinds, named "SansiLou Series".
In the process of running the Huaizheng Cultural Society, Liu Yihuan and Yao Xueyu established an academic friendship. When Yao Xueyan was worried that he did not have gold bars to rent a house, Liu Yihuan asked him to live in the publishing house. Therefore, during this period, Huaizheng Cultural Society not only published the "Xueyao Creation Collection", but also published his newly completed novel "Long Night".
Moreover, Yao Xueyan also helped the Huaizheng Cultural Society to bring Xiong Foxi's "Iron Flower", Toyomura's "Wangbalijia", and Wang Xiyan's "Human Killing".
Yao Xueyan's "Xueyao Creation Collection", including "Poor Half Car Wheat Straw", "Long Night", "Niu Quande and Carrots", "Ji Lu Rongxuan" and other four series of books have also been published in Huaizheng Cultural Society;
The "Huaizheng Literature and Art Series" includes Foxi's "Iron Flower", Li Jianwu's "Good Things Near", Baudelaire's translation of "Evil Hua Ying", Shi Jingcun's "Waiting danlu", Xu Qinwen's "Kite", Xu Chen's "Lantern Tail Collection", Tian Tao's "Border", Zhao Jingshen's "Western Literature Near-appearance", Liu Shengya's "Water Margin", Wang Xiyan's "Human Killing", and other ten kinds;
The "Huaizheng Novella Creation Series" includes Qin SlenderOu's "Tale of the Dangerous City", the silent "Salt Field", Yao Sufeng's "Legend of Casting Dreams", and other three kinds; in addition, there are also single books, Li Huiying's "Fog Capital", Xu Changlin's "Heaven Spring Dream" and so on.
The Huaizheng Cultural Society gradually moved towards a normal track, while Liu Yihuan's personal literary creation almost stopped. During this time, he wrote a novel, "Lost Love," in his magazine Happiness. In October 1948, it was published by Shanghai Tongye Bookstore. In this book, Liu Yiman himself believes that this novel, like "Underground Love", is also a novella of more than 30,000 words, although it was made into a movie by Cathay Pacific Film Company, the narrative method was influenced by an Austrian novel and had no creativity.
The film "Lost Love" was written by Xu Changlin, directed by Tang Xiaodan, and starring Jin Yan and Qin Yi. Liu Yiman believes that "the film is better than the original." The original is very naïve, imitating more than creating, not a good work. However, this is my first book. (See "Knowing what you can't do: Mr. Liu Yiman on Serious Literature", originally published in the Eighth Party Literary and Art Journal, August 1987, Vol. 6))
At a time when Liu Yihuan had devoted all his energies to the publishing house and had great hopes for the publishing house, the situation was turbulent and did not depend on the will of the people, and what Liu Yihuan did not expect was that in Shanghai, it had begun to emerge and showed vigorous vitality, and the publishing house that had been running for two years was forced to shut down due to a serious predicament of hyperinflation.
On December 5, 1948, Liu Yiman came to Hong Kong from Shanghai with the ambition to continue running a publishing house.
“...... The Huaizheng Cultural Society was relocated to Hong Kong, published books in Hong Kong, sold overseas, established an overseas distribution network, and sought the conditions for continued operation. With this idea, I came to Hong Kong from Shanghai with simple luggage, hoping that this unstructured idea would become a reality. ("Liu Yi Mane Scroll Self-Introduction", originally published in "Liu Yi Mane Scroll", page 2, Hong Kong Sanlian Bookstore Co., Ltd., published in April 1991)
However, in Hong Kong, a metropolis with bright lights, developed commerce and trade, and known as the Pearl of the Orient, what awaits Liu Yihuan, a cultural person?