Tian Yanning - Exquisite Short Essays

Author: Times Literature Press
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-01-01
Features:
Excerpt: Once renowned for the verses of Li Bai and Du Fu, it has been deeply moved by the descriptions of Ba Jin, Li Jieren, and Guo Moruo. Its lush trees, clear rivers, red buildings, and flower walls, along with the shining bronze radiance of the Sanxingdui and the sorrowful, affectionate cries of the Wangcong Temple, form a unique and remarkable city in Southwest China, even the entire nation. The stories of the Three Kingdoms are told here, and the legends of Bashu gather. For thousands of years, the Min River and the Jin River have flowed endlessly, shaping this city nestled in the central Sichuan Plain into a bustling cultural center. Even Zhang Daqian, the master of Chinese painting, was so exhilarated upon arriving in Chengdu that he painted the grand "Night Banquet in Shu Palace" overnight, praising its ancient elegance and magnificence.
A city dominated by migrants, it is proud yet vulnerable. The people of Chengdu are industrious, intelligent, and know how to live and have fun, so it is no surprise that a relaxed, leisurely atmosphere often lingers in the city, with teahouses and taverns thriving. Some Chengdu locals call outsiders "county relatives," but decades ago, they might have been considered "village bumpkins" too. On one side is the openness of the plain, and on the other, the narrow streets—a contradiction that defines Chengdu. It is scholarly yet not bold; if it truly "stands tall," the world will surely take notice.
I have long aspired to Chengdu and sensed that this city would be an important stop in my life. So I moved my family here and made myself a Chengdu resident. Chengdu has settled in my life and will accompany me through many more years. Only after truly understanding Chengdu did I begin to love it. The above words about Chengdu were written for the preface to the third volume of my collected works. At the time, I had just completed about half of a new long, and as I stood before Chengdu—a city I had lived in for nearly a decade but was still gradually becoming familiar with—I spoke with such emotion. It was then that I truly realized how important a writer's childhood homeland is to their creation. It is the source of a river, the foundation of a mountain, and can even determine whether the fish in the river can swim to the sea or whether the eagle in the mountain can spread its wings. I also understood why Pushkin's, Faulkner's Oxford, Lu Xun's Shaoxing, and Shen Congwen's Fenghuang were so significant to their literary careers.
Only with the nourishment of one's homeland can a literary tree grow strong and tall, attracting the world's attention, and can literary water merge into the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, eventually flowing to the sea and reaching the world. Thus, the homeland is the source of a writer's creation, and the best part of a writer's work originates from their homeland.
Afterword: Yan Ning's Big Dinner Table and "Big Poster" (as Postscript) I first met Yan Ning eleven years ago in Xiamen. He came with his beautiful and petite wife and three-year-old son to attend a literary conference. At the time, Yan Ning wasing his "Snow Melly" series and spoke so passionately that my husband and I found it hard to believe. Later, "Snow Melly" indeed covered every city in China, and while my husband and I were at a book stall in Shanghai, we heard a bookseller raving about how well "Snow Melly" was selling. When we mentioned that we were friends with "Snow Melly," the bookseller gave us a dirty look, thinking we were exaggerating. If it were only "Snow Melly," Yan Ning would have been just that. During our time in Xiamen, Yan Ning firmly declared that after establishing a solid financial foundation to provide a good life for his beloved wife and children, he would return to the pure literary flag and vowed to write better than his work that had won the National Excellent Short Story Award. I greatly doubted whether he would return.
In 1994, I saw Yan Ning's new work "Unable to Be Sad" in every bookstore in Fuzhou. He had indeed returned as promised! However, it was also the time when many self-proclaimed literary elites had jumped into the commercial sea, never to return to literature. In early 1996, I moved to Chengdu and, upon learning of Yan Ning's new address, immediately paid him a visit. As soon as I entered, I saw a large dining table surrounded by chairs, which revealed why Yan Ning was extraordinary. At every meal, there were people dining at this table, including not only relatives from Yan Ning and his wife's families but also people from all over the world. It seemed that anyone could enjoy the delicious Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine prepared by his wife and nanny at Yan Ning's home. Gradually, my husband and I also became regulars at this dinner table, though Yan Ning himself never sat at it, always saying, "I'll eat while standing." His wife remained beautiful, and Yan Ning used his pen to ensure she lived a life of luxury. She would always say to friends, "Come to our house for dinner."
From this dinner table, one could see Yan Ning's success, which lay in his exceptional personality—his great inclusiveness. A home that hosts people for meals all year round—how many can match that? This is not just about money but also about character. A person who tolerates and enjoys hosting, using sumptuous meals every day to welcome anyone who steps into his home, shows great magnanimity. It is this character that allows Yan Ning to be inclusive in literature and to always offer selfless help to all talented individuals he believes are worth supporting. Even after these people achieve success, they may never return to Yan Ning's dinner table, but he still buys their excellent works and praises their talent. Yan Ning is inclusive but not foolish; if he does something wrong, he will candidly admit it and is willing to listen to advice. He does not defend himself or prove others wrong. He is actually very simple, which is why he leads a healthy life, maintains a strong body, and remains an unshakable writer.
The key to writing success is not "inspiration" but a good mood, and a good mood comes from a good personality—one that can tolerate the intolerable. Over the past decade, the Chinese literary world has seen battles and retreats, with many figures passing through quickly and never returning, while others have fallen in battle. Among the Sichuan writers who rose after the Cultural Revolution, it is Yan Ning, a former youth worker from the in eastern Sichuan, who has published a collected works. This man, with his extraordinary diligence, has nurtured his character's strengths.
When Yan Ning published his collected works, I went with him to a computer company to see the cover and advertising brochure. Yan Ning posted his full-page advertisement on the wall for all to see. I couldn't help but say, "This is a big poster!" The advertisement was unprecedented—densely packed with text. I could only quote a few segments:
A writer whose "Snow Melly" works once swept the Chinese book market.
A writer whose "Green Lotus" martial arts series once dominated the literary world.
A writer whose "Urban Cattle Rustlers" once captivated TV audiences.
A writer whose exquisite works have won national awards multiple times.
He is one of the most criticized, controversial, yet also bravest, honest, talented, and passionate young writers in contemporary Chinese literature.
One thing is certain: he is one of the most beloved and watched writers among readers in the past two decades, and also a famous best-selling author whose works have been pirated the most in the domestic book market. This is the "big poster" of Tian Yanning's eighteen-year literary journey. However, in this poster, there is no mention of "Snow Melly" or "Green Lotus," but rather a five-volume set of pure literary masterpieces. This is also Yan Ning's character, a character I greatly admire.
Tang Min
January 28, 1997