"Bailuyuan" - the roaring Qin Opera, the painful history
On the title page of Mr. Chen Zhongshi's novel "White Deer Plain" is printed a sentence that Balzac once said - "Novel is considered to be the secret history of a nation." Such a sentence also laid the foundation for The novel strives to restore the realist tone of love, hatred and hatred on that piece of yellow land. Different from thousands of realist novels, the realism of "White Deer Plain" is based on the premise of romanticism. First of all, Chen admitted the theory of ghosts and gods in "White Deer Plain". For example, Bai Jiaxuan deceived Lu Zilin's Feng Shui treasure land, Tian Xiao'e possessed Lu San, and the many descriptions of Bai Lu in the article all confirm this view. And I think this is the subtlety of "Bailuyuan" - using the most simple, rustic, strong Guanzhong flavor, and even feudal superstition to tell the story of Bailuyuan that is full of hunger. A history of plagues, life and death, and revolutions.
While reading "White Deer Plain", a romantic word was deeply imprinted in my heart - destiny. Just like what is said in the novel, "A family is just a few ghosts tossing back and forth." This is also true. When the predestined family characteristics of the "White" and "Deer" families collide with that turbulent era, legendary and A tragic fate arises all over the place.
Speaking of writing techniques, I think the countless flashbacks and interludes are what makes the novel so fascinating. The novel begins with "Bai Jiaxuan later prided himself on marrying seven women in his life." Then Bai Jiaxuan's legendary story was told, and a magnificent Guanzhong ink painting also unfolded in front of us. The novel ends with the death of Lu Zilin, spanning half a century, which is not very sad.
The novel aims to use the changes in the original world to reflect the half-century history of blood and tears of the entire Chinese nation, which is very similar to "A Dream of Red Mansions". It can be said that in this regard, what Chen did was successful. And I think the most successful part of the novel lies in the portrayal of the characters. The characters in the novel are all very representative, but they don't feel intentional. All the stories happen in a bizarre but logical way.
Bai Jiaxuan is the clue of the whole book, which runs throughout. Undoubtedly, he was a practical practitioner of feudal ethics, a model praised by everyone in that era, and a patriarchal figure. The author uses Hei Wa's words to say, "His waist is too straight and too hard." Maybe it's praise, or it's sadness. Even though he was later beaten. He became rickety, but it still did not affect his decency. The author said in his notes, "Bailuyuan is Baijiaxuan, and Baijiaxuan is Bailuyuan, the embodiment of Bailuyuan." Then let us tentatively think of him as the "lonely guardian" of feudal ethics.
Exactly opposite to Bai Jiaxuan is Lu Zilin, another soul character in the book. Many people say that Lu Zilin is a complete bad guy and a villain. He is selfish, unscrupulous, promiscuous, and will be punished. But I don't think so. I think he and Bai Jiaxuan are like yin and yang, complementing each other. They have been fighting openly and secretly all their lives, but in the end, when Lu Zilin went crazy and dug out the goat's milk and handed it to Bai Jiaxuan, and said, "Here you go, eat it, we are good together!", the sadness in my heart actually rose. I want to believe that this is Lu Zilin's innermost thoughts. "We are good friends." This is the trace of kindness and innocence hidden under Lu Zilin's cunning villain appearance. In fact, Lu Zilin is beside us, you are, he is, and I am too. We are all Lu Zilin, and none of us are - living a real life, sometimes a little selfish, a little evil, a little more realistic.
If you want to read "White Deer Plain", the character Tian Xiao'e is insurmountable. Some people say she is a slut, others say she is the tragedy of the times and a product of feudal ethics. Both are correct, and both are incorrect. Compared with ordinary women, she can indeed be called a slut, but she has a soul. The fact that she peed on Lu Zilin's face is the best proof. In that era when having a full meal had become a luxury, perhaps she thought it was worthwhile to exchange her body for a few white steamed buns.
The characters in the novel each have their own characteristics, and my favorite is Mr. Zhu. He is a deified figure, a pioneer of the times, and a practitioner.
"Establish a heart for the heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the living and the people, carry forward the unique knowledge of the past saints, and create peace for all generations." I am talking about people like Mr. Zhu. He pursues feudal ideas, but he is not obsessed with feudalism or foolishly follows feudalism. His life was magnanimous. In his words, he was "confident that he had no regrets in his life, and he would dare to face the sky after death."
Of course, the book is also full of irony and thought-provoking places. The relationship between Bai Ling and Lu Zhaohai Such is death. Let's just think of them as pathetic revolutionaries.
Unlike everyone else in the original, Heiwa Lu Zhaoqian performed an alternative life. I think he is happy - he fell in love with Tian Xiao'e, so he ignored everyone's objections and lived with him in a broken kiln. He stirred up waves of "wind and snow" on the plain, and he happily became a bandit. After being recruited, he spontaneously learned to be a good person like Mr. Zhu. It can be said that he is the most genuine and magnanimous person in the world. Perhaps it was such a magnanimous person that the sad times did not allow him to die a good death.
What kind of book is "White Deer Plain" and what does he want to express? This is the question that lingered in my mind after reading the entire novel. Is it a description of human nature, a metaphor for politics, or a microcosm of history? Perhaps, only Mr. Chen Zhongshi himself knows this issue. Opening "White Deer Plain" is like unfolding a magnificent picture of Guanzhong, a roaring Qin opera, and a painful history.