Sichuan online reporter Xiao Shanshan Chengbo
In the 1930s, the left-wing literary movement flourished, and the Sichuan writers Sha Ting and Ai Wu became famous successively. Because of their creative mutual promotion and enduring friendship in life, Satin and Ai Wu are known as the "twin stars" of Chinese left-wing literature. Coupled with Ba Jin, who did not join the left-wing writers' union, but used his works to awaken the Chinese people to break free from the shackles, Sichuan writers personally participated in the left-wing literary movement that depicted the blueprint of the future world in the turning point of the times.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Sha Ting served as the leader of the literary circles of the whole country and Sichuan Province, and personally participated in the preparation of the Sichuan West Literary Federation and the Southwest Literary Federation, and after returning to Sichuan in 1955, he served as the chairman of the Sichuan Literary Federation and the editor-in-chief of "Grassland". Ai Wu successively served as a member of the provisional party group of the Sichuan Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the leader of the preparatory group of the Provincial Writers Association. The two literary giants, both born in 1904 and died in 1992; they set out from Sichuan and enjoyed a national reputation; and finally returned to their hometown, living in a quaint courtyard and spending their old age in peace.
Since the 1930s, Ba Jin, Satin and Ai Wu have formed a deep friendship. Their deeds of promoting each other in creation and taking care of each other in life are deeply imprinted in the courtyard of No. 19 New Alley, Section 2, Hongxing Road. The three writers, with their works and friendships, wrote immortal stories, becoming the most brilliant stars in the vast starry sky of Chinese left-wing literature, and still shine in the history of Red Star Road and contemporary Chinese literature.
Gemini returns to Red Star Road
Shock the literary world with another shot
In the history of modern Chinese literature, the left-wing writers who emerged in the 1930s maintained the tradition of "suffering writing" in their creations. Deeply influenced by the international communist movement and the current situation of domestic society and revolutionary thought, left-wing literature has made clear its own position and political attitude at the bottom from the beginning. Duan Congxue, a professor at the School of Humanities of Southwest Jiaotong University, said that the left wing is the direction of the times and the choice of the literati at that time. And in the end, he listed Guo Moruo, Ba Jin, Sha Ting, Ai Wu... Duan Congxue said bluntly: "After the founding of New China, a considerable number of young students who rushed out of the gate and headed for Yan'an returned to Sichuan after being tempered by war and revolution. "And red star road is the end of their return." Taking the establishment of the Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles as an opportunity, left-wing writers including Sha Ting and Ai Wu gathered on the Red Star Road. ”
Ai Wu
At that time, Sha Ting was not only the backbone of the strong creative force and mature literary outlook on the Red Star Road, but he also served as a leader in the China Writers Association. Sichuan writers entered Beijing, and the intersection of Hongxing Road and the capital echoed, highlighting Sichuan's status and influence in the national literary circle at that time. Work while creating. Satin has written a large number of works that truly reflect the new life and praise the new type of peasant, "Touching the Fish", "Lu Jiaxiu", "Transition"... Looking back on this creative process, Satin once said: "Sixty years have passed, and I have written not too many works, including some that I like, such as "In its Fragrant House TeaHouse", "Calling", "Breaking through the Pass" and so on. Even though working on the Red Star Road, long limited to administrative work, Satin's work was never interrupted, and he humbled himself: "I have only written more than twenty short stories and prose reports, so objectively give the impression that the creation is unsustainable." And in fact? Sha Ting continued to write three novellas, "Qinggangpo", "Muyu Mountain" and "Red Rock Beach". The first two were written about socialist agriculture, and "Red Pebble Beach" was about how the local gentry resisted the trend of the times, and Shading recalled: "Before Shi Tuo's death, he wrote to say that he admired the novel and thought it was better than "Gold Rush". ”
Like Satin, AiWu's creative path has never stopped. A number of short stories praising the new life have been published, "New Home", "Night Return"... In 1961, he revisited the old land in Yunnan and completed the "Continuation of the Journey to the South". After 1981, Ai Wu once again went deep into Liangshan and returned to the frontier of Yunnan to create a short story collection "A New Chapter in the Journey to the South". Zhang Fang, a professor at Sichuan University, recalled that when he saw Ai Wu's "Continuation of the Journey to the South" on "Sichuan Literature and Art" again, he was still excited, "The students rushed to read it, and Mr. Ai Wu returned!" Moreover, this work is concise and bright, and the fresh breath comes to the face, and the feelings of women and wanderers in it are meticulous. Portraying human nature is a wonderful one! And its 'southbound' poetry has undoubtedly reached the highest realm of the old man's lifelong literary pursuit! ”
At that time, Zhang Fang was studying at Sichuan University near the Red Star Road, and he had been eager to meet Ai Wu. This dream, which was later fulfilled on the Red Star Road, not only met Ai Wu many times, but even sat shoulder to shoulder with Ai Wu at a symposium. "No. 19, New Alley, Section 2, Hongxing Road, Sichuan Literature and Art (successively renamed "Sichuan Literature", "Modern Writers", etc.) enters the small door of the courtyard, and the inside half box is the editorial department (entering the left side), and the half box is Mr. Ai Wu's home (entering the right side). We held a symposium in the pavilion in the courtyard of the editorial office, and Mr. Ai Wu walked in the corridor in front of the opposite house, including doing some light labor, his face was clean, he was dressed in an old cloth mountain suit, and he often looked like he was thinking, and he should be less than ten steps away from us. "Later, someone beckoned Ai Wu to point out," Elder Ai smiled slightly, put down the work in his hand, hugged a teapot, smiled and paced over, sat down at the end of the bench and slowly talked to us about literature and life. Zhang Fang sighed, Ai Wu is very simple, unpretentious, not good at arguing, very low-key.
Satin stared at the literary world in the small courtyard
Ai Wu stepped out of the discharge door and walked out of the "Ai Wu Route"
Zhang Fang mentioned no. 19 new alley in the second section of Hongxing Road, which is the most intriguing place on Hongxing Road. In the memory of the writer Yan Ning, it was a small and exquisite old mansion, "In the late 1970s and early 1990s, it was the residence of the Sichuan Literature magazine, and it also housed the famous writers Sha Ting and Ai Wu, who were proud of Sichuan. In the minds of me and many literary youths, this small courtyard, which is always open with white lilacs and pink moons, is always so quiet and peaceful, like an open line-bound book, emitting a faint fragrance of books, which is fascinating. ”
At that time, Satin was already an old man in his 70s, "This tall, thin, thin and innocent seems to have little spirit, and when it comes to talking, especially when it comes to literary topics, the old writer who looks at him is shining, and he often laughs with a kind of childlike innocence and innocence." The Satin family lived in the innermost rooms of the courtyard, and he often took a thoughtful look, moved slowly, and slowly walked out, passing by the editorial office to greet a few of our young people with their eyes. Sha Ting, who had served as the chairman of the Sichuan Writers Association, was already the head of the Founding Committee of the China Writers Association at that time, not only paying attention to the literary creation of the whole country, but also paying great attention to the new works of the Sichuan newcomers, writer Zhou Keqin and female writer Bao Chuan, mentioning Sha Ting with respect and sincere gratitude. Yan Ning recalled that in his later years, Sha Ting was very concerned about the creation of Sichuan writers, when Zhou Keqin published a long novel "Xu Mao and His Daughters", whenever he came to chat with Sha Ting, when it came to talk about excitement, Sha Ting could not help but dance, and suddenly stopped his eyes slightly closed to the sky for a long time, like a statue.
Also in the small courtyard of Hongxing Road, there is Ai Wu. A generation of literary heroes who spent their old age here wrote this road into a diary and into life. In addition to writing novels, Ai Wu has always insisted on writing a diary. It can be seen from the "Complete Works of Ai Wu" launched by the Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House that writing a diary is a compulsory course for Ai Wu for decades, basically writing every day, including daily observations, thoughts, literary manuscripts, travels, living and eating, correspondence, relatives and friends moving around, book accounts, etc., as well as interview transcripts, reading notes, etc., the longest single article is thousands of words. These diaries have never been disclosed, carefully turned over, year by year month by month day through the tense of Mr. Life, scrutinizing the walking of a generation of wandering literary heroes in the south and north of the Sea, the behavior of the rivers and lakes temples, the consideration of people's actions, and the triviality of living at home... It's a very special reading experience. And it is also between these words and lines that the long time between Ai Wu and Hongxing Road is precious - living in Chengdu in his later years, Ai Wu walked every day, forming a "Ai Wu Route", starting from No. 19 of the new alley in the second section of Hongxing Road, "from Mengchai Bay all the way along the newly built main road, turning into the Shuinian River, going west, until Hongxing Road, and then going home." "While walking, I look at the street scenery and buy tofu, vegetables, bread and the like." Suddenly remembering some stories, I rushed home early to write them down...
Scholar Zhang Xiaomin is the author of "The Biography of Ai Wu", and the first time he met Ai Wu was also in the courtyard of No. 19 in Xinxiangzi on Hongxing Road. "On January 10, 1981, a classmate and I knocked on the door of the old man Ai Wu in the courtyard of No. 19, Xin alley, Hongxing Road. The person who opened the door was a tall, thin and kind old man, it was Ai Lao. This was the first time I met Ai Wu, a well-known old writer, a very easy, peaceful and wise old man. ”
Barkin's persistent gaze
Achieve the most sincere thoughts of the Red Star Road
In 1992, Satin and Ai Wu died one after another. The most mournful friend on the Red Star Road, his name is Ba Jin. I have to say that the fairy friendship between the three of them not only made the achievements of the three in the literary world, but also made the literary heart on the Red Star Road shine brightly. It is understood that in the world, Satin consciously takes Barkin's words and deeds as a reference, he reveres BaJin, appreciates Barkin, and directly writes in his diary: "In recent months, I have indeed changed a lot, and I am not willing to argue with others, nor do I like to give opinions." Moreover, for some things that may have quarreled and jumped up in the past, I can also say, like Lao Ba, 'It doesn't matter!' Or: 'It doesn't matter' and pulls it down. Not only did he influence Satin in his dealings with the world, Butkin also had the wisdom to see pearls and published many of Satin's excellent works. Ba Jin admired Satin, and Satin's novel collection "Dirt Cake", "Route", "Suffering", "Gold Rush", and "Homecoming" were all published by Ba Jin's hand. Barkin even wrote to Satin, bluntly saying: "I hope you often write, if there are any new works, don't forget to send me a copy, I like what you write." In addition to his literary affection, Barkin was also very caring for Satin's material and spiritual aspects. He urged Satin to pay royalties and alleviate the dilemma of life; Mrs. Satin was ill, Ba Jin wrote to comfort him, and mailed relevant precious drugs, when Satin hoped to buy a new drug in Japan, "mitomycin", Ba Jin immediately went to Japan to help, entrusting them to airlift the medicine to Shanghai and then send it to Satin in Sichuan.
For Aiwu, Ba Jin is a friend, but also a Bole. In 1935, Ba Jin's Cultural Life Publishing House published his most important representative work "Journey to the South" for Ai Wu, and Ai Wu became famous in one fell swoop. Ba Jin and Ai Wu also began a friendship that lasted for decades. The following year, Ba Jin began to compile Ai Wu's short story collection "Escape from the Wilderness", and also wrote "Afterword" specifically for this collection. In the decades that followed, Ba Jin and Ai Wu lived apart, and there were not many opportunities to get together, but their hearts were connected. In the early 1950s, Ai Wu went deep into Angang Steel to experience life and created a long novel "Hundred Refining into Steel". Out of friendship with Barkin, he gave the novel to Ba Jin's editor-in-chief Harvest for the first time. In April 1980, a delegation of Chinese writers headed by Ba Jin visited Japan, and Ai Wu, as a member of the delegation, had the opportunity to spend two weeks together during the trip. It was an extremely precious time for this old friend, adding an unforgettable page to the annals of their friendship.
After 1980, fewer letters sent from Satin's home and from Red Star Road were sent directly to Barkin. Satin wrote the letter to Ba Jin's younger brother Li Jisheng, but greeted Ba Jin in each letter. If the two had the honor of meeting at the meeting of the Writers' Association in Beijing, they would have had a very pleasant conversation until late at night. In 1987, Ba Jin returned to Chengdu from Shanghai, did not participate in any meetings and discussions, did not accept reporters, and only saw old friends. Therefore, Ba Jin, Zhang Xiushu, Ai Wu, Sha Ting, Ma Zhitu, and the "Five Elders of Shuzhong" were happy to get together. That time, Ba Jin also went to Ai Wu's hometown Xindu to admire the osmanthus flowers.
In December 1992, Ai Wu died. Ba Jin immediately asked his daughter to send a condolence telegram to Sichuan, which was the first condolence telegram received by Ai Wu's family; after Sha Ting heard the news, he spoke for the first time, mentioning himself, mentioning Ai Wu, and mentioning Ba Jin. "How can you bear to let go of the hand we have held for more than half a century and go before me?" You, me, Ba Jin three people with geng, we once agreed to celebrate the ninetieth birthday in Chengdu next year, but you can't wait, which makes me how not to feel pain and sadness! In the same month, Satin also died.
The successive deaths of the two made Barkin sad. On December 18, 1992, Ba Jin wrote a letter to his nephew Li, saying: "This month I am in a bad mood, Ai Wu and Satin have passed away one after another, especially the sudden death of Satin, which makes me very sad, he can still write, and he is ready to write a lot of works, so it is a pity that he passed away!" You're not in Chengdu, and I can't know their last moments. ”
After that, Ba Jin could no longer look at the Red Star Road, because there were no longer his fellow travelers on the road.