Explore the unique way chinese literature narrates Wuhan's anti-epidemic experience
——Dialogue with Liu Xinglong's long essay "If you come to Japan for a long time"
Panelists: Liu Xinglong, Wang Xueying
In the creative process of Mao Dun Literature Award-winning writer Liu Xinglong, the 200,000-word long documentary essay "If you come to Japan is long" is a text of special significance. The main body of writing and the object of writing have special characteristics, the writer in the way of "presence", from the perspective of an ordinary Wuhan person, with a gentle and tenacious brushstroke, records the anti-epidemic days spent by three generations and six families in 2020, narrating the specific details of relatives, neighbors, colleagues, friends, doctors and the decisive battle against the epidemic, and then extending to the "desperate" spirit of Wuhan people fighting the epidemic together. His writing is not only the "presence" experience of the "individual", but also leads to the vast social beings, the life of Wuhan during the anti-epidemic period, he uses the deep connection between personal experience and public reality, and the individual writing practice and the evolution of the times constitute a true correspondence, exploring a unique way to narrate the wuhan anti-epidemic experience for contemporary literature.
Through the dialogue between critics and writers, we can review the creative path of writers, so that readers can get closer to the anti-epidemic experience of the people of Wuhan, and more truly understand why Wuhan is a "heroic city" and why the people of Wuhan are "heroic people".
The epidemic is a very special mirror that reflects the state of the world
Wang Xueying: "This year's daffodils are not blooming... The mother's dream was shocking, and the father's wine was only half a glass. You love me so much, I love you so much, if you, if I come to Japan for a long time, everyone is a miracle angel flying. Turning over this long documentary prose, I am greeted by this "lyrics", which is a kind of self-lyricism, a kind of intimate telling, but also a kind of strength in the flexibility and warmth, a blessing after facing the difficult situation, such language and emotion have become the guide to open this book, please tell me under what circumstances, you wrote lyrics for the war "epidemic" song "If you come to Japan for a long time"? And use this as the title of the book.
Liu Xinglong: On the fourteenth day of the Wuhan lockdown, after a friend called and asked "are you okay", he quickly cut to the right topic, saying that it was the original team of "For Whom", wanted to launch a song like "For Whom" to show the "epidemic" in Wuhan, felt that the lyrics creation was none other than me, I did not dare to promise on the phone, after putting down the phone, thinking of Wuhan, Hubei, everyone was desperately trying to fully agree. These 16 sentences, before and after took 20 days to change back and forth, as long as the two words are written desperately, either tears or choking.
In 2019, the daffodils at home bloomed extremely well, and the flowers were both numerous and regular, and the aroma was also impressive. In 2020, the daffodils in the same location at home not only did not bloom, but even the leaves were not green. "This year's daffodils do not bloom" was the first sentence I wrote during that difficult day, and I also gave myself the courage to rely on natural energy and fight for my life. The lyrics of "Father's wine is only half a glass" is inspired by the experience of a friend. His daughter was a doctor, and he was going to the front line, and he took the wine glass and gave his daughter a grand walk, and after only one sip, he could no longer drink it, and turned his back, and he shed more tears than he drank. Under the epidemic situation, flowers and spirits, let alone people. The friend's family was all okay afterwards. A doctor at Union Hospital made a short video of the song along with various images taken during the "epidemic" for an activity of his own medical team. She said on WeChat that colleagues think the song is really good.
Wang Xueying: You are a witness to the defense of Wuhan, you have experienced the thrilling anti-epidemic process in Wuhan, you have witnessed how you and your relatives, friends, colleagues, neighbors and people in the same city have fought to the death against the epidemic, you have witnessed the process of reality generating history, and you have witnessed the process of human nature facing a harsh test. A famous historian said: "She likened her writing to enlarging the size of a map, both to be faithful to the "original map" and to make trade-offs. In order to highlight the most important historical facts with the highest relevance to the theme and look at it for a long time... "As a writer who has experienced a major epidemic, you do not need to sort out and dig out from the vast sea of research materials, so what do you need to consider in your documentary writing?" How do you choose from what you see and hear and what you really experience?
Liu Xinglong: To follow the principle of honesty, we can understand it at the first time, and we can confirm it one hundred percent, not false, not false, but the situation of the family and family within the doors and windows. In this time period, there is really no "vast sea" of information to be processed. Seventy-six days ago, I naturally cherished some of the details of life in the family that were completely different from the past. Usually, I don't notice the sound of a nine-year-old reading. During the lockdown, the environment was particularly quiet, until the school online class, listening to the children sitting there alone and reading, found that the childish reading sound was so moving. Without thinking much about it, I subconsciously wrote it down. No matter what kind of writing, I will insist that I would rather not attract the attention of others, than listen to the massive rumors and ruin my own eyes.
Wang Xueying: You are a novelist who is good at fiction, this time facing the major epidemic of Wuhan lockdown, facing your own special life experience, the writing status and writing experience of this documentary work must be different from your previous novel creation, how long did it take from writing to completing the book manuscript? What was your biggest takeaway from this prose creation?
Liu Xinglong: After the "lockdown" of Wuhan, I wrote some texts scatteredly, interviews, essays, and the lyrics of this song "If you come to Japan for a long time", after being composed into a song, the response was good. Then he reconsidered some intermittent words into a long essay of 200,000 words. From the old mother who was seriously ill at the peak of the epidemic to the death of the second uncle because of the secondary disaster of the epidemic, I tried my best to start from the subtleties to show a Wuhan family under the "lockdown", men and women, young and old, within their ability, the life feelings of what they could, and the nostalgia of the rivers and seas was carefully circulated.
The epidemic is a very special mirror, and none of the changes in the human world are special. Nearly a year before and after, I wrote this "If I Come to Japan for a Long Time", the most important experience is these two words: companionship! Scientific problems can not be solved by ordinary people, economic problems can not be solved by ordinary people, psychological and spiritual pain, what is needed is always the simplest way to be the most effective: companionship!
Unforgettable memories carry the life and death of Wuhan
Wang Xueying: "How stoic does a person have to be in order to save himself from being physically and mentally shattered in the face of the reality of jade burning?" "When Tan Xuan, chief nurse of the Ophthalmology Department of Wuhan Union Medical College Hospital, read this sentence you wrote, she expressed her special touch." Fear has become a form of life, but fear is not the same as submission, and fear is not equal to surrender. "When I read this sentence, as well as the real details of your relatives, colleagues, doctors, volunteers in the fight against the epidemic, I felt emotional and thought of Mandela's famous words: bravery is not without fear, but persistence, overcoming fear... Dare to face the truth of reality, face the truth of your own heart, is particularly important in writing, right?
Liu Xinglong: In the middle of January 2020, in order to treat eye diseases, for many consecutive days, I did not wear a mask, soaked in the hospital, I don't know how many times I rubbed shoulders with the new crown virus, and afterwards I learned that I sweated from head to toe. Also because of eye diseases, after the lockdown, it is impossible to go to the hospital for treatment, causing a lot of psychological pressure. At the same time, I was secretly glad that I had done some good things and cultivated some merits over the years. Especially in the days when the "lockdown" began, I concentrated on asking writers and friends outside the "lockdown" to support several white-clad angels point-to-point, and also helped a family of four who had never known each other to get out of danger. After seeing the clouds, Lang Lang Qiankun has his own arrangements, which is the so-called: people are doing, and the sky is watching.
In the "epidemic" of the Wuhan war, people endured different difficulties in their daily lives, while at the same time helping each other to alleviate their worries. Eleven million tears are scattered, all of them are still tears, and when eleven million tears are gathered together, it is not just tears. No matter what role you are in, where you are, everyone is doing their best to fight a virus that has never been seen before, an epidemic that has never been seen before.
From the moment of the 'lockdown', the people of the whole country worked together to give their support. Chinese New Year's Eve evening, I saw from the TV news that the 'Yun 20', as a heavy weapon of a big country, landed at Wuhan Tianhe Airport with a full load of medical personnel and ambulance supplies, and the shock was not difficult for military fans to fully understand.
Wang Xueying: At 00:00 on April 8, 2020, the bells of Wuhan Jianghanguan, as the network rang throughout the motherland, we finally won the victory in the defense of Wuhan, and this historical moment remained in the memory of Chinese. You recorded the joy and excitement of that night with simple pen and ink, and this unforgettable memory carries your life and death dependence with Wuhan, which is a family and a city, and it is also the affectionate watchful eye of thousands of families and Wuhan.
Liu Xinglong: At 00:00, the family hugged each other tightly with open arms, and everyone did not feel sleepy at all. At about 00:30, the idea of going to Jianghanguan suddenly began to see. When we arrived at Jianghanguan, it was already 0:50 a.m., and there were many young people on the side of the street along the river, where they jumped up again and again... For us, the three towns of Wuhan on the two rivers and four banks, in the past, life and existence, and now it is the intersection of life and death.
In the spring of 2020, more than 10 million Wuhan people stayed at home and fought with every cell of life! The beauty of Wuhan, the beauty of the world is the misery of the world on the head, the sadness of the world is piled on the body, the danger of the world is blocked at the door, and the pursuit of a bowl of hot dry noodles can also be used to state the strength of the city. Everyone is still so fond of life and good at life, and no matter how much pressure is, they will not lose the pursuit and enjoyment of the joy of life.
Wang Xueying: More than a year later, the global epidemic in 2021 is still not optimistic, these major complexes in life will affect your future creation, how do you evaluate the writing of this long essay? Will this non-fiction work be the "prologue" to your future fictional work? Are you currently preparing to write the second part of the "Bronze Trilogy"?
Liu Xinglong: In the land of China in 2020, which one is not sharing with Wuhan, With Hubei, with our country and nation, this has never been more difficult! The more unusual the moment is encountered, the more we can't be discouraged by emotion, chaotic liver fire, indiscriminate use of brute force, too rude is not literature. A few days ago, I also lamented that this year was not easy, and wrote a piece of my old saying into calligraphy. Gengzi went, Xin Ugly came, Spring and Autumn had taken turns, and the world was still sinking and floating in the sea of epidemics. Because the scenery is unique, it is even more necessary to know that it is not the mission of literature to record the various evils of this world, but the mission of literature is to describe the conscience, conscience, great goodness and great love that people display when evil occurs; the task of literature is to show the pain, groaning, shame and struggle experienced by man before the glory comes. After the epidemic, what I most want to do is of course to cure the eye disease first, so far, I have done two surgeries, dozens of acupuncture, and more than two hundred chinese medicines, although ophthalmologists said that there is only a 20% cure probability, I am still quite optimistic. I also don't allow myself to be unoptimistic. Yes, the second part of the "Bronze Trilogy" that I have always wanted to do is waiting for me to write.
The "epidemic" fights the fireworks in the world, and guards the streets and alleys of the city
Wang Xueying: This is the gateway to human beings, but also to face the self, this is the experience of Wuhan, this is also a personal memory, reading "If you come to Japan for a long time", my heart flows with such thoughts, this is a particularly rich text, with "personal experience" as the starting point, the writing viewpoint quickly switches to form a multi-faceted and multi-clue development, entering the wuhan anti-epidemic life, writing real life experience and historical events; you show the days and nights of Wuhan's anti-epidemic from real individuals and real details with warm and meticulous brushstrokes Those who bravely move forward in the arduous process from lockdown to restart, you use the "Wuhan War" epidemic to fight the fireworks in the world, and guard the streets and alleys of the city", exploring the unique way of Chinese literature to tell the story of the fight against the epidemic.
Liu Xinglong: In this long essay, although I write about several medical friends who "self-promoted" in the line of fire and assume great responsibilities in a humble capacity, I still feel that this is just us in the line of fire, using relatively one-handed literary elements to prepare for a certain literary genius in the future. So, I write about a person or a thing as completely as possible.
As long as a person works hard to cut off the epidemic, as long as a person stays healthy and unharmed, it is a powerful fighting force to fight the "epidemic"! Ten million people are shouting wuhan to cheer, but they are actually cheering for themselves. Ten million people love hot dry noodles, but in fact, they are collecting thousands of pampered oneself. A person's abilities come in all directions, and I deeply trust these medical friends and peers who do everything well, just as great works are never written with big words. Doing the small things within your ability and writing about the small people who can handle the talent is the only way to go steady and far. If you always can't forget your position in society, you can't write like a green bud on frozen soil and a cup of fresh water in the Gobi.
Wang Xueying: After experiencing the historical process of the national fight against the epidemic, what kind of responsibilities do you think writers and writers have? How to understand the meaning of writing for life? After this "experience", are there any differences in your thinking about the meaning of writing?
Liu Xinglong: In fact, the human life and life have always been changing, but the epidemic has magnified this change, so that everyone can clearly see the difference between the past and the present. I once said that literature does not directly stand on the tide to make the tide, but retreats from the tide and retreats half a body, does not compete with the news of instant reporting, and reconstructs the artistic image of this tide with thicker observation and more systematic experience. There is a saying that no one can extinguish the starry sky. Literature can't do the moon, nor can it do the sun, and it can do the starry sky.
In the "epidemic" of Wuhan, the country is there, the government is there, the people are there, literature is also there, and literature itself is also there. After this epidemic, the world should understand that literature is not created as a writer, but must be recreated as a human being. Literature is not a special tool in the hands of writers, it must be the presentation of the human soul.
Wang Xueying: Mr. Yang Dai compares reading to "going to the homes of the most outstanding people in the world to visit the door." Reading is the process of discovering and enriching oneself in potential conversations. Reading is the norm in your life, please tell me about your reading experience, how to have more gains in reading? If you only take 3 books to a desert island, what is your choice?
Liu Xinglong: Very coincidentally, in the middle of June, I went to the South China Sea, and I went up to six or seven islands before and after, some of which had people on the islands, and some of which had no one on the islands, and we also witnessed the most beautiful island of Quanfu, which had just grown a grass. On those islands, the love and hate under the heavens, I have thought about everything, but I have never thought of reading three books on such an island. In an environment of abundant food and clothing, reading is a common and sacred thing. On a desert island, survival comes first. If there were three books, I hope they were all made of gold leaf, and I would exchange the first book with God for a bottle of fresh water, the second with the Sea Dragon King for a piece of food, and the third with the Hundred Flowers Fairy for a green leaf, shielding the sun that would dry out the skin in just an hour over the desert island. If I could get out of the desert island alive, then I wouldn't have to read three books, but I would have to write three. This time to the South China Sea, there is no shortage of fresh water, no shortage of food, and third, there is a five-hundred-ton fishing boat from beginning to end as a guarantee, so I can't write three books, only a pamphlet of tens of thousands of words. Although it is a pamphlet, the connotation is the sum of a hundred or a thousand books I have read in the past.
Author: Liu Xinglong, Wang Xueying
Editor: Tong Weijing