Statue in the courtyard of Zhao Shuli's former residence.
[Red Memory]
The gray and quiet courtyard is full of the fragrance of books. Walk into the former residence of Zhao Shuli in Taiyuan, this 315.45 square meter Qingtang Tile House, is a typical northern residence of the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, where the people's writer Zhao Shuli lived from 1965 to 1970.
Zhao Shuli's former residence now preserves the writing desk, books, beds, blankets and other living and writing supplies he used during his lifetime. Precious historical pictures and concise explanatory texts vividly introduce the life story of Zhao Shuli.
After 1940, in the Taihang Mountains of southeastern Jin and northwestern Jin, there were the Federation for the Salvation of the Nation in Cultural Circles, the Association of Literary and Art Writers, the Drama Association, the Music Association, the Fine Arts Association, the Woodcut Research Society, the New Character Research Society, and the Poetry Research Society. In addition to the original cadres of the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army, most of the cultural cadres are cultural figures from all strata in major cities across the country, as well as young intellectuals who have participated in the cultural front since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. They went deep into the countryside, among the masses, and into the front line where the flames of war were raging, and created many outstanding works that reflected the fighting life of workers, peasants, and soldiers, such as novels, poems, essays, reportages, and operas. Among them, the one with the highest achievements in novel creation and outstanding contributions is Zhao Shuli, a "people's artist with a novel and original popular style". Zhao Shuli's short story "Little Two Black Marriage" written in 1943 was universally welcomed by the masses and played an extremely important educational and inspiring role.
Zhao Shuli (1906-1970), formerly known as Zhao Shuli, was a native of Weichi Village, Qinshui County, Shanxi. A famous modern novelist, people's artist, and the founder of the "Yam Egg Pie" literature. Born on September 24, 1906 in a poor peasant family in Qinshui County, Shanxi Province, he went out to study in his youth, and studied at the Shanxi Fourth Normal College in Changzhi, where he was exposed to new literature and left-wing literature. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1937. He has successively served as a standing committee member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, a director of the Chinese Writers Association, the chairman of the China Quyi Association, an editorial board member of Quyi and People's Literature, a representative of the Eighth Congress of the Communist Party of China, and a deputy to the first, second and third sessions of the National People's Congress. His works have a strong local atmosphere and fresh and lively language, which is popular with the people.
In 1943, when Zhao Shuli, who was engaged in anti-Japanese propaganda work in the Northern Bureau of the Communist Party of China, was ordered to go deep into the countryside of Zuoquan County to conduct research, he heard the tragic story of a young man and woman Yue Dongzhi and Zhi Yingxiang who were killed by Yue Dongzhi in the process of pursuing free love, due to the obstruction of their parents and so on. Therefore, Zhao Shuli, who grew up in the fertile land of Shanxi since childhood, and had a deep accumulation of life, took this as a prototype and quickly created a novel that lashed out at feudal ideas and praised the autonomy of marriage, "Xiao ErHei Marriage".
Zhao Shuli first sent the manuscript of the novel to Yang Xianzhen, president of the Party School of the Northern Bureau, for review. After reading it, Yang Xianzhen thought that it was a good work that was popular and lively and fresh in style, so he recommended it to Pu Anxiu, who worked in the Women's Committee of the Northern Bureau.
As the wife of Peng Dehuai, deputy commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army and acting secretary of the Northern Bureau of the Communist Party of China, Pu Anxiu had a special task of collecting and providing good books for her husband in his spare time. In that era of lack of good books, when Peng Dehuai saw "Little Erhei Married", he couldn't help but read it with his wife all night, and it took only one night to read it, and he was greatly praised. According to Peng Dehuai's opinion, Pu Anxiu immediately suggested to the person in charge of Taihang Xinhua Bookstore to publish the book as soon as possible, and particularly emphasized how Peng Dehuai and Yang Xianzhen appreciated and valued the book. But after that, there was no result.
Therefore, Yang Xianzhen and Pu Anxiu reported the matter to Peng Dehuai for support, and Peng Dehuai wrote an inscription for the book in person: "There are few popular stories like this written from the investigation and research of the masses. He also explained in particular that his inscription focusing on "investigation and research" may be able to start the role, for himself who does not understand literature and art, this is the first time that he has "made an axe in the class", and I hope it is the last time. Later, Peng Dehuai specially asked Li Dazhang, director of the Propaganda Department of the Northern Bureau of the CPC, to forward his inscription to the Taihang Xinhua Bookstore. In this way, "The Marriage of Little Two Blacks" was quickly published in the autumn of the same year, and its title page was printed with Peng Dehuai's inscription. This novel with a unique style immediately caused a sensation, not only distributed tens of thousands of copies in The Taihang District, but also adapted by the local people into a very popular opera and sung everywhere. Zhao Shuli became famous in one fell swoop, and "The Marriage of Little Two Blacks" has also become one of the representative works of literary and artistic creation in China's Liberated Areas.
"Little Erhei Marriage" is based on the countryside of Taihang Mountain. The novel tells the story of Xiao Erhei, a young captain and hero who killed the enemy in Liu Jiajun Village, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and Xiao Qin, a handsome and intelligent girl in the village, fell in love. However, because it violated the will of the parents who were seriously feudal and superstitious, they were strongly opposed by their respective parents, Erzhu Andangi. At that time, Jin Wang, a rogue villain who served as a village cadre, also relied on his power to stir up trouble, list crimes, take advantage of the fire and robbery, and brutally persecute Xiao Erhei and Xiao Qin, almost making the love between the two lovers die. Later, the district governor of the anti-Japanese democratic district government came forward to support it, and after some struggle, he punished the rogue villain Jin Wang, educated the backward masses of feudal ignorance, and at this time, Er zhuge and Sanxian Gu also expressed support for the marriage of their children. At this point, this couple who pursue marital autonomy and yearn for a better life has finally fulfilled their wish.
Zhao Shuli's novel "Little Two Black Marriage" is unique in language, combining popularity and artistry, showing a strong sense of concern for the times, although it is based on rural daily life and family marriage as the theme, but it contains sharp realistic pertinence. Its revelation of rural problems has also become an apocalyptic to rural life.
[Feeling the original intention]
Works of landmark significance in the development of new Chinese literature
Du Xuewen, secretary of the party group and chairman of the Shanxi Writers Association
The "Speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art" is a high-level summary of our party's literary and art theory and has solved a series of extremely important theoretical issues. For example, the question of why literature and art serve, the relationship between writers and the people, the relationship between works and life, and so on. Before and after this, a number of very good works also appeared in the creation. These works are a response to the creative level of "Speech at the Yan'an Literary and Art Forum". For example, Zhao Shuli's "Little Erhei Marriage", "Li Youcai's Board Words", "Li Jiazhuang's Changes", Ma Feng and Xi Rong's "Biography of the Heroes of Lü Liang", etc., all had a very great impact at that time, and can be said to be works of symbolic significance.
So the reason why these works were able to have an important impact in that era is that I think there are several main reasons. One is to solve the problem of how to realize nationalization and popularization of new literature after the completion of the revolution from the perspective of literary creation itself. On the other hand, from the background of the times at that time, these works very vividly reflect the lives of Chinese people in that period and their pursuits and aspirations. Another important aspect is that these works show Chinese living conditions and are expressions of cultural significance. Therefore, in many ways, these works have been determined to be works of symbolic significance in the development process of new Chinese literature, forming a genre of literary creation, that is, a genre that was later named "Yam Egg Pie".
This genre is not a regional genre, but a genre that has an important influence on Chinese modern and contemporary literature, and is an important link in the history of the development of New Chinese Literature. The influence of this genre is not limited to Shanxi, but a national influence. Of course, the influence on Shanxi's literary creation and writers is very large, and I think it is at least reflected in several aspects, one is the writer's sense of mission and responsibility. They created for the people and drummed and shouted for the times. The second aspect is their description of the state of life Chinese that era, such as their language, the behaviors, details and values of their lives. The third aspect is the contribution to China's new literary language, that is, how to have more national characteristics and more vivid and vivid national language. The fourth aspect is the emotion and relationship they show with life and ordinary people. These writers have emerged from the common people, and then several generations of writers in Shanxi have paid special attention to going to life, to the common people, to the first scene of life, and to find themes, plots, details, and characters from them, which can be said to have influenced several generations of writers in Shanxi, and still have a very great impact today.
[Reporter's Note]
On March 9th, the reporter bathed in the spring breeze and came to Zhao Shuli's former residence at No. 15 Nanhuamen Road, Fudong Street, Taiyuan, to pay respects to the spiritual treasures left to us by a generation of literary masters. Zhao Shuli's former residence is a triad courtyard structure, a Qingtang tile house, a brick and wood building, which is a typical northern residence in the late Qing Dynasty and early Min. In early 1965, Zhao Shuli's family lived in this courtyard and spent the last few years of his life here until his death in the bedroom of the West Wing in 1970. In 1998, the Shanxi Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics approved the establishment of a cultural relics site in the writer's former residence. In 2004, the site was announced by the Shanxi Provincial People's Government as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit.
In 2006, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Zhao Shuli's birth, the former residence was renovated and opened. On the white jade on the north wall of the courtyard, the exhibition is engraved with Peng Dehuai, Guo Moruo, and Mao Dun's autographed evaluations and commentaries on Zhao Shuli. The East Wing Is the first exhibition hall, through historical pictures, it forms the themes of "Poor Peasants, Ping Traces Strangers", "Famous Taihang Mountain, Deying "Vientiane Building", "Love "Three Mile Bay", "Ten Mile Shop", "Cold Pine Cypress, Qing Qi Man Qiankun" and other themes, which summarize the novels created by Zhao Shuli in his lifetime, film and television adaptations from novels, painting illustrations, printmaking works and so on. The West Wing is the second exhibition hall, which is a physical exhibition of Zhao Shuli's life and writing before his death. The South Wing Room is the third exhibition hall, which is the exhibition hall of Zhao Shuli's works illustration exhibition, mainly exhibiting the original illustrations of famous painters Gu Yuan, Yan Han, Luo Gongliu, Li Qun and other works for Zhao Shuli's works.
"Little Two Black Marriage" is one of Zhao Shuli's masterpieces, which flows out of the reflection on the real society and makes great contributions to solving the problems of the times at that time. Zhao Shuli critically borrowed the technique of book commentary, opened up a new style of commentary, and achieved a form that the Chinese people liked to hear. Since its publication, the novel has been adapted into a variety of art forms such as films, Yu operas, commentaries, operas, and comic strips.
Meng Miaowen/photo of this newspaper reporter
(Editor-in-charge: Ma Yunmei, Chu Jialin)