Zhang Ailing's love for the country

Zhang Ailing is a writer who has been dead for a long time and can continue to publish new books, because someone constantly sorts out her manuscripts and teaches them to the publishing house. Every year, there is about one or even two new books coming out, and I don't know when it will come out.

The Young Marshal is a "new book" published in 2014. The young marshal is, of course, Zhang Xueliang. We all know the story of Zhang Xueliang, his father is Zhang Zuolin, who was assassinated by the Japanese. Zhang Xueliang was arrested by Chiang Kai-shek and taken to Taiwan after the Xi'an Incident and placed under house arrest for decades.

Zhang Ailing's original manuscript was in English, probably only 23,000 words in English, with seven chapters. In fact, Zhang Ailing began to plan to write Zhang Xueliang as early as 1956 when she was in the United States, so she started writing. In the United States, Hong Kong, looking up information everywhere, and even going to Taiwan to collect materials. Finally, I wrote a first draft and sent it to a publishing house in the United States to show them if it could be published.

Americans feel that it is too complicated to understand or understand without feeling. Of course, this is not the first time, Zhang Ailing went to the United States, almost all of her life's works were rewritten in English and handed over to the publishing house, as a result, most of them could not be published, and some could not be sold. These include "The Golden Lock" and "The First Incense" that are popular in China. Cultural differences are of course an important reason, and another reason is that Zhang Ailing's English is as stubborn and cold as her own. For example, her translation of "Flowers on the Sea" had to be translated as "Xiansheng Girl in Shanghai", because the girl in "Flowers on the Sea" was called Mr. Foreigners who care about this, just say, how good your name is "Flower in Shanghai", and a pun. Zhang Ailing is biased.

"The Young Marshal" is even more troublesome. Zhang Ailing mainly wrote from 1925, wrote to 1930, there are too many characters, big warlords, small warlords, and warlords' wives, 1234567890 aunts and wives... Add to that the entanglement of the characters with each other, and the part of the historical tradition. So publishers feel that the confusion is too confusing. Made people dizzy and suggested she change.

As Zhang Ailing's new life experience and personal circumstances changed, she stopped writing around 1966 and 1967. Zhang Ailing later corresponded with Mr. Song Qi (Zhang Ailing's friend and custodian of the manuscript) that she had actually put it down and had no interest at all.

Later, in the 1970s and 1980s, Song Qi suggested that she continue to complete the book. Even in the 1990s, Song Qi wrote to her to tell her whether it was possible to write the "Young Marshal" that had not yet been written. But she was not interested at all.

Today's "Young Marshal" in English comes from Zhang Ailing's original text, and then translated into Chinese, such a Chinese-English version. Of course, Zhang Ailing did not write all the history into it, because this is a novel, a fictional literature. Some fragments in "The Young Marshal" actually appear in Zhang Ailing's other Chinese works or English works, such as "Little Reunion". In fact, many fragments of "Little Reunion" include the relationship with Hu Lancheng, especially the feeling of male and female love in the "Young Marshal" is very similar to the word expression, and some are even exactly the same.

From this book, we can see how Zhang Ailing understands the love in the big era of 1920 and 1930. The love between Zhang Xueliang and Miss Zhao Si, we all know that Zhang Xueliang is very affectionate, but later because he was raised by Chiang Kai-shek, he couldn't change his wife.

So Miss Zhao Si told him: If it weren't for this relationship, maybe I wouldn't have been able to stand you a long time ago. Maybe Zhang Ailing originally wanted to write like this, it seems a bit like the feeling of "Love in the Fallen City", the whole era changes, the Xi'an Incident later they went to Taiwan, lost their freedom, but achieved the two of them inseparable looks. Just like in "Love in the Fallen City", Bai Liusu and Fan Liu were finally combined because of the fall of Hong Kong, so the book "Young Marshal" should be called "Love of the Country".

There are beautiful people in the north, unique and independent.

One look at the city of the people, and then look at the country of the people.

Ning does not know the fall of the city and the fall of the country, and it is difficult for beautiful people to get it again.

Since ancient times, it has been a man's perspective on the rise and fall of the country, and beauty or love can be the reason for "falling into the country". Because it is the city and country of men that pour out, and it is also men who get or do not get beauty. However, Zhang Ailing re-examines it from a woman's point of view. Therefore, this fall of the city has become an opportunity, a price, because the city has fallen into the country, and the woman may get her love. Of course, the price is a bit big, but there is no way, because it is not the woman's fault, the woman just happened to catch up. Although, maybe that's the outcome she wanted.

Of course, Zhang Ailing did not finish writing, if she continues to write, it is difficult to say whether she really wants to express this meaning.