Appreciation of "Border City"

The pearly "Border City" is one of Mr. Shen Congwen's masterpieces. The novel mainly describes the fate of the old boatman's grandson and grandson, the love story of the small town in western Hunan and the beautiful scenery of the local area.

The story takes place in a small mountain town called Cha Tong on the border of western Hunan Province, and there is an isolated white pagoda by a small stream, under which a single family lives, an old man, a girl, and a yellow dog.

The old man was a boatman who managed a public ferry crossing the creek. He started this job at the age of twenty, and did it for fifty years. Because it is a public office, he does not want anyone who takes a boat to give money, so his popularity is excellent. Some people did not want to go, and when they left, they suddenly threw a handful of copper money to the ship, and the old boatman was helpless, so he took it to buy some tea and tobacco for the passing passengers to enjoy. This is called taking it from the people to the people, which is very fair. It can be seen that the local folk customs are simple.

The girl is the granddaughter of the old man, and seventeen years ago, her mother fell in love with a soldier stationed at chaga, and the two of them carried the old boatman on their backs. Having a child but not being able to get married, eloping and damaging the honor of the soldier, the soldier committed suicide by taking poison. The girl's mother also committed suicide after giving birth to her. The girl miraculously grew up, and the old man named her "Cuicui", and the two have been dependent on each other ever since. The yellow dog is their loyal companion, no matter the cold or the heat, whether rich or poor, always never give up.

The local shipmaster Shun Shun is also a highly respected person, the two sons Tianbao and Wu Zhi are also very prominent, such a superior family situation, let many people envy and respect, but these two brothers are partial to Cuicui.

Grand Duke Tianbao liked Cuicui and asked someone to talk to him, but Cuicui did not react. Tianbao was confused, he didn't know that Cuicui actually had a crush long ago. The second son did not want the mill to ferry, just to marry the beloved girl. He sang for Cuicui all night, but his brother died.

Living in the mountains, walking on the water, the brothers are good sailors. The boss took the name Tianbao, but unfortunately drowned. Tenbo's death was related to Cuicui, and when he learned that his brother also liked her, he voluntarily quit. Unexpectedly, when leaving by boat, there was an accident and fell into the whirlpool. Originally, the relationship between the two families was good, but now that things have changed suddenly, the shipmaster Shun Shun and Wu Fu have since resented Cuicui. In fact, Cuicui is innocent.

One night in a thunderstorm, the White Tower fell and the old boatman died. The old boatman's life can be described as conscientious and loyal to his duties, and after his death, he was treated favorably and won a good reputation. Poor Cuicui lost her dependence, and the kind ship always planned to accept her as a daughter-in-law.

Because he did not want to accept the family's arranged affairs, and resented Cuicui, he also went out. He was not there, and the nameless Cuicui only stayed in his own home, fortunately cared for by the old boatman's friends.

If they can come back, then their business will come to an end. When will KeFu be sent back? Maybe never come back, maybe tomorrow. Such an ending, although not perfect, is still hopeful, and it leaves the reader with room for imagination, which is really clever.

The book also describes the customs of local festivals such as dragon boat races, duck catching in the water, dragon dance lion dances in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and fireworks. In China at that time, the border city of Chatong was undoubtedly a paradise, people lived in an orderly manner, and everything seemed so peaceful. With a poetic tone, the author depicts for us a beautiful Xiangxi full of hope.

Xiangxi is Shen Congwen's hometown, and most of his novels are vernacular themes. Through his novels, we can understand the customs and customs of Western Hunan at the beginning of the last century and the changes of the times. He is one of my favorite modern writers, his literary activities were mainly in the first half of the last century, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he engaged in the study of cultural relics. Because of this, his work was not influenced by later political movements. He was once one of the nominees for the Nobel Prize in Literature, which shows the depth of his influence in the world literary world.

The novel has a delicate structure, ups and downs, delicate descriptions, and vivid characters, which is a rare masterpiece, and can also be said to be a bright pearl in the gallery of modern Chinese literature.