Tian Han's Autobiography

Author: Tian Han
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Tian Han's Autobiography is part of the Eagle Personage Autobiographical Collection published by Henan Elephant Publishing House. Tian Han was a great playwright with a tumultuous life and a history of hardships. Although his plays are rarely performed on stage today, the March of the Volunteers remains the national anthem, widely known by all. The term "autobiography" refers to a self-account or memoir, which can be oral and written by others, or personally composed. Tian Han's book is entirely written in his own words. As early as the early 1940s, Tian Han had said, "I often thought of writing something like an autobiography," but the actual text he titled "autobiography" was written much later, in the early years of the "Cultural Revolution." At that time, People's Daily had already publicly criticized him, and this autobiography was likely written out of necessity, reading it makes one feel like it is an account of one's deeds, and in the later sections, it is almost an apology. Thinking of how a generation of theatrical master ultimately failed to escape the political slander of being labeled a "traitor, counter-revolutionary, and revisionist," and suffered persecution to death, the words truly carry the meaning of the cuckoo's blood-cry. The first essay in the book, The Mother's Words, can also be considered an autobiography, but it is written in a different style—Tian Han wrote it in the voice of his mother. From spring to autumn in 1941, for seven months, Tian Han lived with his elderly mother in the Nanyue Puti Garden, reading and weaving together, and in their leisure time, the mother and son would talk, and write down their conversations. The small calligraphy on the rough paper was filled with affection, each sentence echoing the wind of the years. It was his mother's own words, and also a biography "written" for the young Tian Han by his mother. Although it has been published for over 60 years, reading it today still feels fresh and moving.
Nowadays, people often say "life as a play," but Tian Han, even if he did not claim to have a vast body of works, at least held half of the stage of modern Chinese theater. It is said that during the war years, while carving the script on steel plates and wax paper, he simultaneously printed it for the actors to rehearse, truly embodying a noble spirit and overflowing talent. Every extraordinary aspect of his life was a genuine detail of the times—how could it be called a dream of a play? It was the nightmare of the "Cultural Revolution" that struck unexpectedly. The group of articles written during his suffering left behind a cultural conscience and a spirit of integrity for the present generation. When his uncle was killed early in his life, he left behind a final testament saying, "A shocking event came from the heavens, a single heart of loyalty sinks into the depths, love for the homeland and the country have all become dreams, leaving only a lament for the next life." It is also a tragic ink of his farewell to life in these extraordinary times.
Li Hui, the editor of this collection of autobiographies, said, "Only when a large amount of authentic personal memories appear can our understanding of history come closer to the original state." The first six volumes published include Tian Han, along with Ba Jin, Wang Zengqi, Huang Chang, Jiang Zilong, and Liu Xinwu. Although it is said to be "the first to begin with the cultural circle," the "first" selection of this group remains somewhat puzzling—what was the reasoning behind it? Fortunately, readers always take what they need, and even if the series is a whole, relatively to history, it can only be considered a part.