Taoshu Memory: Thinking of Guo Xiaochuan

When I think of Guo Xiaochuan, the first thing that comes to my mind is his once popular poem "Sugarcane Forest - Green Yarn Tent". "The sugar cane forest in the south, the sugar cane forest in the south!" / Why are you so sweet and why are you so severe? / The green yarn tent of the north, the green yarn tent of the north! / Why are you so distant and why are you so close? / Our green yarn tent is as thick as the sugarcane forest, / The long leaves that swing with the wind also play the loud piano; / Our green yarn tent, like the sugarcane forest, is as deep as the veins, / The dewdrops that carry the sun also illuminate the morning of the earth. More than 30 years ago, as a model text in a middle school textbook, the teacher let us recite it sentence by sentence. It was then that I became aware of Guo Xiaochuan, a famous "warrior poet."

Later, as I grew up day by day, I gradually came into contact with more of Guo Xiaochuan's poems- "Autumn in Tuanbowa", "Looking at the Starry Sky", "One and Eight", "The General Trilogy", "Deep Valley". In my eyes, reading Guo Xiaochuan's poems can always give people a kind of passionate and high morale and pride. Whether it is "the warrior has his own warrior's character: not afraid of slander, not afraid of intimidation; / All merciless blows will only make people's waist straight and youthful." / The warrior has his own ambitions: to transform forever and start from zero; / All shameful decline can only make people regard them as enemies and step into the mud. / The warrior has the courage of a warrior: he does not believe in rumors, he is not deceived; / All unfounded accusations will only make people sober and their minds developed. / The warrior has his own warrior's love: faithful, new and picturesque; / All the extra greed can only make people feel bored and numb. This inner monologue from "The Autumn of Tuanbowa" is still "We want to extend the lights on Chang'an Avenue to the distance; / Let the cloudless night sky, / Appear thousands of suns." / We want to turn the vast desert dome into a bustling Tiananmen Square, / Let the sky be full of stars, / All become the hometown of mankind. "Zheng Zheng's oath from "Looking at the Stars" has made me excited and even more heroic.

However, with the change of the times, I unconsciously stayed away from the poet Guo Xiaochuan, who had a strong color of the times.

In fact, re-recalling this memory is purely accidental. Not long ago, I went to the municipal library to borrow books, and I came across this "Biography of Guo Xiaochuan" (by Zhang Enhe, Hubei People's Publishing House, January 2008, 1st edition), and the 32-folio "Biography of Guo Xiaochuan" is not too thick, and together with the "Afterword", it is only 233 pages. In terms of content, although it is not very informative, it can basically be called a combination of pictures and text. Coupled with the full support and concern of Guo Xiaochuan's widow, Ms. Du Hui, its historical value and authority are naturally impeccable.

Unlike many of the biographies of well-known Chinese modern and contemporary writers I have read, Mr. Zhang Enhe's Biography of Guo Xiaochuan clearly abandons the penchant of "recording in detail before liberation and downplaying the post-founding period" and objectively and truthfully focuses on the 27 years from the founding of the People's Republic of China to the unexpected death of Guo Xiaochuan at a guest house in Anyang, Henan. Of course, the reason for this arrangement, I think, may be that the author believes that Guo Xiaochuan, as an outstanding poet in modern and contemporary times, his creative peak period is exactly after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and he entered the 27 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China. This cannot be avoided in any way. Therefore, following this main line, it is divided into nine chapters (excluding the "outer chapter" that introduces the storm after Guo Xiaochuan's birth), including six and a half chapters, including "The Thick Years of Zhengrong" (half a chapter), "The Age of Fire", "In the Center of the Vortex of Struggle", "From Shooter to Target", "Rare 'Free Body'", "The Disaster That Cannot Escape (I)", and "The Disaster That Cannot Be Escaped (II)", which are inked after the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is no exaggeration to say that through the account of "The Biography of Guo Xiaochuan", I really saw that whether it was in the Literature and Art Department of the Central Propaganda Department, the China Writers Association, the People's Daily, or the Hubei Xianning Cadre School in adversity, the Tianjin Jinghai Tuanbowa "May Seventh" Cadre School, which ran through the life of the singer of the times, Guo Xiaochuan, was willing and loyal. This is not only reflected in his usual words and deeds, but also directly reflected in the poetry that has distinct characteristics of the times, full of heat and passion.

Immersing myself in the smooth brushstrokes of "The Biography of Guo Xiaochuan" not only gave me a more comprehensive understanding of Guo Xiaochuan's 57-year life context, but also made me more and more deeply understand the value and significance of Guo Xiaochuan's poetry through many comments, including the evaluation of many of Guo Xiaochuan's poems, as well as the comments on some events and characters. As far as personal preferences are concerned, I really appreciate the "biography + commentary" style of "Guo Xiaochuan's biography", because it is more conducive to eliciting thinking rather than just general understanding. Later, it was learned from the book's "Afterword" that the original "Biography of Guo Xiaochuan" was actually born out of a "Commentary on Guo Xiaochuan" (Chongqing Publishing House) published by the author in 1993. The perfect combination of biography and commentary constitutes the "Biography of Guo Xiaochuan" in front of us.

Of course, the harvest of reading "The Biography of Guo Xiaochuan" also lies in some thoughts and ideas that have sprouted in my mind. It is particularly worth mentioning here that in 1961 and 1962, Guo Xiaochuan visited the Xiamen front line twice in a row and wrote many poems praising Xiamen, such as "Xiamen Style", "Egret", "A Small Island in the Vast Sea", "The Storm of Papaya Trees" and "Walking Xiamen", especially the poem "Xiamen Style". "Look, the phoenix tree blossoms red a city, the kapok tree blossoms red in mid-air / Listen, Lujiang sings and sings the fishing fire, and the South China Sea sings and sings the stars! / But see that - full of trees and flowers, a street of lights, the wind of the four seas ... / But see that - a hundred kinds of fairy postures, a thousand wonders, ten thousand kinds of tenderness ...". Reading Guo Xiaochuan's enthusiastic poems, it is not difficult to imagine the beauty of Xiamen, which was the front line of coastal defense at that time. There is no more detailed record of Guo Xiaochuan's experience in Xiamen, including his residence in Xiamen, the people he contacted, the places he visited, and so on. I think that if someone can do some sorting and excavation work in this regard, whether it is Guo Xiaochuan's research or the establishment of Xiamen Cultural City, it will be more or less beneficial.

From the current point of view, As a poet, Guo Xiaochuan's short life of 57 years cannot but be said to be a tragedy. But who can blame for such a tragedy? Maybe it's worth thinking about.