MCLC: Following the Soul to Realize the Dream

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: Following the Soul to Realize the Dream
***********************************************************

Source: Global Times (5/6/14)：
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/858761.shtml

60 years of New China
By Lu Qianwen 

Over the past 60 years quite a few books, both positive and negative, have
been written about modern China. However, when a fictional novel spanning
this period written by a retired Chinese general comes along, that's a
rare thing. This may be the reason that despite being published several
months ago, Following the Soul to Realize the Chinese Dream: A Story of
New China from the Pen of an Old Soldier ［魂牵梦园：老兵笔下新中国故事］ is
still highly talked about by readers interested in China's modern history
and current social climate.

Through the eyes of a soldier

Written by retired People's Liberation Army General Zhang Li, the
three-volume work took the 71-year-old soldier a whole year to sketch out
a story line connecting the nation's 60 years of history and another year
to complete writing it.

Born in 1943 in a poor village in Shandong Province, Zhang lived through
many of the profound changes the country experienced since its founding in
1949. After working at machinery and paper-making factories in Shandong
during the Great Leap Forward between 1958 and 1961, he joined the army in
1964. From that point on he was transferred to different military areas
across the country up until his retirement in 2009, after which he became
a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. During
this period he conducted extensive research into social and economic
development in different parts of the country.

Zhang's rich life experience enabled him to produce this massive work,
which offers his observations on the country's achievements, mistakes,
problems and prospects over the past 60 years from a balanced perspective.

"When I visited foreign countries, there were always people whose
impression of people's lives in China were very negative; always talking
about famines, the drawbacks of a one-party system, corruption and the
predicament of migrant workers," said Zhang in an interview with Global
Times. "They made it seem like we're still living in a backward age."

"When asked where their impressions had come from, they told me that it
was mainly from TV and works of literature," he added. "In fact, it isn't
just foreigners, some of our own people are also unclear about our history
and current social progress," said Zhang.

A controversial 30 years

Spanning an over 60-year period, the novel follows the lives of three boys
from the fictional village of Guzhou from their time at school through
their military careers, and then on to joining the Communist Party of
China, getting married and starting a new career as civilians. By
following the boys through their lives, significant events including the
Anti-Rightist Movement of 1957, the Great Leap Forward, the later
decade-long Cultural Revolution that began in 1966 and finally the
opening-up of the late 1970s are depicted in great detail.

As one of the three boys, Jiezhou, is based on Zhang himself, many of the
stories in the book are actually derived from his personal experiences.

The nearly 30 years between 1949-78 is a relatively sensitive period to
approach for literary works since it involved numerous political movements
that are still controversial even today. Works that do touch upon this
time period, such as works belonging to the Scar Literature movement,
usually only reflect one side of the story.

Scar Literature, which prevailed during the late 1970s and early 1980s in
the Chinese mainland, mainly focuses on the harm inflicted on people by
the Cultural Revolution.

It's difficult and rare for any author who has personally lived through
these times of upheaval to take a step back and examine the causes and
effects of these political movements from an objective standpoint.
However, this is where Zhang feels he has succeeded, "I gave the book to
those who had been labeled as rightists and also those who labeled others
as rightists during the Anti-Rightist Movement, they both felt it was real
and objective," said Zhang, adding that "Scar Literature is much too
extreme."

In the book, the author compares the Anti-Rightist Movement in China with
the McCarthyism prevalent in the US in the 1950s. He feels it unfair that
although both occurred during the same period and involved the labeling
and purging of innocent people, the former has long been the focus of
global discussion while the latter has been neglected by many, be it in
academic studies or literature.

In the novel, this comparison is delicately made through the chance
encounter of victims of both movements. Liu Hanqing, a local government
official in the novel, is labeled as a rightist during the Anti-Rightist
Movement. After he is sent to a village to herd sheep as punishment, he
meets his old schoolmate Yao Zifang, a victim of McCarthyism that had been
forced out of the US.

Looking back on this political movement that affected the fate of an
entire group of people in China, the writer affirms the original
intentions behind the movement while also pointing out how the movement
went overboard. According to the book, inertia inherited from the earlier
period of class conflict, during which time leaders were highly sensitive
to hostile forces, was one of the main causes that led to things getting
out of hand.

"The 30 years prior to 1978 was an arduous process of exploration for the
country; we achieved much, but also made mistakes," said Zhang.

Realizing the 'Chinese Dream'

After delving into the country's weighty first 30 years, the book
continues its intensive study into the nation's most recent 30 years by
placing direct focus on the most controversial and urgent issues facing
China today, including corruption, air pollution and an aging population.

Different from many books that merely reflect social problems, the author
attempts to offer solutions to the many issues it touches upon. For
example, to cope with an aging society, the author suggests a
multi-pronged strategy that establishes pension funds on one hand, while
building and promoting residential communities for the elderly on the
other.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the concept of the "Chinese
Dream" in late 2012, it has become a cohesive social glue strongly
influencing Chinese from all walks of life. While individuals may have
their own various interpretations of this concept, ensuring the welfare of
each individual is a broader dream shared by all.

To realize this dream, the book also proposes a solution: staying true to
the "soul" of China. This "soul" refers to a famous remark by Chairman
Mao: Seeking truth from the facts, and concretely analyzing concrete
problems are the living soul of Marxism. "That's also where the book's
name comes from," explained Zhang.

"We need to adopt a matter-of-fact attitude when reviewing our
achievements and problems. Despite shortcomings and defects, China as a
whole has flourished," Zhang stressed.