MCLC: Under the Hawthorn Tree sensation (1)

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: bob eng <robert_eng at redlands.edu>
Subject: Under the Hawthorn Tree sensation (1)
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Chinese language sources provide more information on Under the Hawthorn
Tree, its author & the woman whose story inspired it.

Under the Hawthorn Tree《山楂树之恋》 is said to be written by Ai Mi (艾米)
based 
on the 1977 memoir of its heroine Jing Qiu (静秋), with dialogues based
mostly on the original memoir but narration added by Ai Mi. Jing Qiu had
submitted the memoir for publication to a provincial press in 1977, but
the publisher returned it with suggestions for rewrite on the ground that
the characters lacked "fighting spirit" (斗争性). Jing Qiu abandoned the
book 
project, feeling that it was intended to honor the memory of her love Lao
San (老三), and changing the text to suit the publisher would make the Lao
San in the memoir not true to his self. Later, Ai Mi's father joked that
had the publisher been a little less timid, Jing Qiu's memoir might have
entered the annals of modern Chinese literature as the book that
inaugurated scar literature, rather than Lu Xinhua's 1978 story Scar.

Ai Mi is a prolific writer whose many novels (some autobiographical) have
appeared online, first in 2005 on the overseas site www.wenxuecity.com
<http://www.wenxuecity.com/> (文学城). Under the Hawthorn Tree is one of the
most successful novels which first gained a popular audience online before
going into print. The first run of Under the Hawthorn Tree was a record
800,000 copies, as compared to 100,000-200,000 copies for similar works
that made the transition from online serials to printed books. Her blog,
located at <http://aiyuan.wordpress.com/>, links to her writings and
interviews, including for example a 2010 interview with Southern Weekend
<http://www.infzm.com/content/42975> on Zhang Yimou's adaption of Under
the Hawthorn Tree.

The real Jing Qiu is said to be Xiong Yin (熊音), currently teaching at a
Canadian university.

Sources: 

http://happy.hustonline.net/ebook/content.aspx?id=421
http://baike.baidu.com/view/872964.htm
http://baike.baidu.com/view/3348730.htm

Bob