A laughable and crying fate

Author: Zhang Henshu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Zhang Henshu (1895–1967) was a modern Chinese writer. Originally named Zhang Xinyuan, he used the pen names Zhounian Heshui Sheng and Henshu. Born in Guangxin, Jiangxi, he was of Qianshan, Anhui descent. From a young age, he enjoyed reading both Chinese and foreign literary works. During his youth, he primarily studied at private academies in Jiangxi. At the age of 16, he returned to Qianshan to study independently. Later, he enrolled in the Mongolian-Tibetan Colonization School but had to return home when the school disbanded. In 1918, he became an editor for the Wuhu "Wanjiang Daily," marking the beginning of his writing career. In 1919, he published his first novel, "Nanguo Xingshipu." That same year, he moved to Beijing, where he worked as a proofreader for the "Yibao," an editor for the Shanghai "Shanghai Daily" bureau, and an editor for the Beijing World News Agency. In 1924, he became the chief editor of the "World Evening News" supplement "Yeguang," after which he wrote a large number of social romance novels. In 1935, his family moved to Shanghai, where he edited the "Lida Daily" supplement "Huaguo Shan." The following year, he moved to Nanjing to co-found the "Nanjing Renbao" with Zhang Youlan and edited its supplement "Nanhua Jing." After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he moved to Chongqing, where he served as the chief writer for the "Xinmin Daily" and edited its supplements. He was elected as a council member of the China Association for Promoting National Defense Through Literature and Art and wrote many novels and essays. In 1946, he became the general manager of the Beijing "Xinmin Daily" and edited its supplement "Beihai." In 1948, he resigned from his position at the "Xinmin Daily," ending his 40-year career in journalism. In early 1949, he published "Writing Life Oral Records," a memoir of his life and creative career. Afterward, he served as an advisor to the Ministry of Culture, a member of the Central Research Institute of Chinese History and Culture, and a council member of the Chinese Writers' Association. His long novels, such as "Qiujiang," "The Peacock Flying to the East," and "Feng Qiu Huang," were published in newspapers and periodicals in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and other places.
Zhang Henshu's novels drew from a wide range of sources, were highly topical, and sought to create intricate plots with vivid and engaging stories. He emphasized clear and accessible language, paying attention to readers' aesthetic psychology and reading habits. He used the traditional Chinese serial narrative form to depict modern life. Mao Dun once said, "In the past three decades, Zhang Henshu is the first to skillfully adapt and revitalize the serial narrative form, giving it a new lease on life." ("On 'Lüliang Heroine,'" Zhonghua Luncong, Vol. 2, No. 1, September 1, 1946)
Throughout his life, Zhang Henshu wrote approximately 30 million words, including over 100 novels and novellas. He was a representative writer who bridged the gap between the old-style romance novels influenced by the "Swallow and Butterfly" school and modern fiction. His romance novels, such as "Chuming Wai Shi," "Golden Dust Family," and "Laughter and Tears," reflected the dark realities of warlord rule through tragic love stories. "Laughter and Tears" was particularly popular, blending romance with legendary elements and incorporating Western novel techniques into the traditional serial narrative form, attracting readers across all social strata.
After the "September 18th Incident," he wrote "national crisis novels" centered on the war of resistance, such as the short stories collected in "Biangongji," which aimed to "boost national morale" ("Preface to Biangongji"). His novella "Night of Street Warfare" directly depicted the patriotic resistance of Tianjin's people against invasion and their bloody struggle, broadening his artistic vision and adopting a more heroic tone. His long novels, "Eighty-One Dreams" and "The Five Sons Climb the Science Exam," written during and after the war, were satirical works exposing the corruption of the Kuomintang regime. They were cleverly constructed, rich in imagination, and sharp in satire, with a stronger realistic element.
Other influential works include the long novels "Sunset and Solitary Duck," "Silver River Twin Stars," "Man Jiang Hong," "Deep Night," "The Hard Road to Shu," "Water Margin New," "Eastward Flow of the Great River," "Outside the Stone City," "Flowers of Passion," "Drunken in Gold and Mist," and "World of Demons." He also wrote the classical literary critique "On the Characters of Water Margin," the prose collection "Small Pieces from the Mountain Window," and numerous essays and poems.