Selected Prose Works of Wang Tongzhao

Author: Wang Tongzhao Wang Jinquan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: Wang Tongzhao (1897-1957), styled Jian San, once used the pen name Wang Xunru, and also went by names such as Jian Xian, Jian Xian, Jian Xian, Ronglu, Xunzi, Hongmeng, Tixi, Aijian, and TC. He was a native of Xiangzhou Town, Xiangzhou Village, in Shoucheng City, a renowned writer and poet. Born into a landlord family, Wang Tongzhao lost his father at the age of seven. His mother hired a teacher to educate him, and at thirteen, he entered the county's higher primary school, where he began studying mathematics, history, geography, and other modern subjects. In his spare time, he enjoyed reading novels such as Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods), Jin Gu Qi Guan (Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio), and Liao Zhai Zhi Yi (Strange Tales of Liao). After graduation, he enrolled in Jinan Yuying Middle School in 1913. In 1916, to commemorate the first anniversary of the overthrow of the monarchy and the restoration of the republic, he wrote and directed the play Yunnan Uprising, playing the role of Cai E himself. That same year, his short story Remnants of Hair was published in The Women's Magazine, marking his first published work. In the summer of 1918, Wang Tongzhao came to Beijing and enrolled in the Department of English Literature at China University, where he began reading progressive publications like New Youth and met figures such as Zheng Zhenduo and Geng Jizhi. During the May Fourth Movement, he participated in the patriotic actions of burning Zhaojialou and beating traitors, and actively engaged in the New Culture Movement. In January 1921, he co-founded the Literary Research Association with Zhou Zuoren, Shen Yanbing, Zheng Zhenduo, Qu Shiyi, Jiang Baili, Ye Shaojun, Zhu Xizu, Geng Jizhi, Guo Shaoyu, Sun Fuyuan, and Xu Dishan, serving as a key member from the beginning. He poured his political enthusiasm for opposing imperialism and feudalism into his works. In The Novel Monthly and Literary Weekly, the association published short stories like Echoes of the Past and The Fire of Life and Dreams of Youth as new poems. In 1922, he published poems such as Shadows of the Future and A Turbulent Heart River in the Poetry magazine founded by the Literary Research Association. That same year, he graduated from China University and published his first full-length novel, A Leaf, in October. In January 1923, he published his second full-length novel, Twilight. In January 1924, he published the short story collection Spring Rain at Night. His novels were known for their delicate prose and were well-received by readers, though they did not offer readers a clear path forward. Nevertheless, they strongly opposed the old society and old system and had a certain influence in the early stages of the New Culture Movement. That same year in August, he became a professor at China University and served as the head of the publishing department. In January 1925, he published his first full-length poetry collection, Childlike Heart. In July 1926, Wang Tongzhao resigned from Beijing and returned to his hometown due to his mother's illness. In 1927, he moved to Qingdao, where he taught at Qingdao Railway Middle School and Shizhi Middle School. In March 1931, at the invitation of friends, he traveled to Northeast China, which was on the brink of the "September 18th Incident." Witnessing Japanese imperialist aggression, he wrote the reportage collection Spring in Northeast China, describing the suffering of the people under the enemy's iron hooves. In 1933, his masterpiece and one of the most famous novels of the New Culture Movement, Mountain Rain, was published, followed by the poetry collection This Era. After its publication, Mountain Rain was well-received by readers and critics but also drew the attention of the reactionary Nationalist Party, which warned him that the book "contained class struggle consciousness" and ordered a ban on its distribution. Wang Tongzhao was also listed as an "dangerous person" on the blacklist. In 1934, Wang Tongzhao traveled abroad to Europe. He first went to London, where he read and copied materials at the British Museum, then studied literature at Cambridge University, and later traveled to Africa, visiting Egypt before returning to Italy. Later, his travel writings were compiled into Notes on a European Journey and published in 1937. In the spring of 1935, Wang Tongzhao returned to China after his European tour. In the autumn of 1936, he went to Shanghai to take over as the editor-in-chief of the major literary journal Literature. That same year in October, as the situation in North China worsened, Wang Tongzhao, along with Ba Jin, Mao Dun, Guo Moruo, and Lu Xun, signed a declaration calling for solidarity against aggression and freedom of speech. In December, he joined the Shanghai Cultural Salvation Council. That year, he published the full-length novel Spring Flowers. In June 1937, he edited and published A Collection of Wang Tongzhao's Short Stories. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Wang Tongzhao continued his literary activities alongside Xu Guangping, Zheng Zhenduo, and Tang Tan. In 1938, he taught at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and served as a professor in the Chinese Department of Jinan University, while also editing the supplement July for the British Evening News and writing for the supplement Century Wind of the Wen Hui Po. In December 1941, with the outbreak of the Pacific War, Japanese troops stormed the Shanghai concession in the morning of December 8th. Wang Tongzhao gave his students their last lesson, urging them to "have ambition and the spirit to break through the darkness." From then on, he hid in Shanghai under the pen name Wang Xunru, closing himself off to translate and write, living a humble life. In 1945, he returned to Qingdao and served as the editor-in-chief of the supplement Yi Wen for the Min Yan Newspaper. In August 1946, he became a professor and the head of the Chinese Department at Shandong University. In 1947, he was dismissed for openly supporting students' struggles against hunger, civil war, and persecution. In July 1949, he attended the National Congress of Literary Workers in Beijing and was greeted by central leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, later being elected as a member of the National Federation of Literary and Art Workers and a council member of the Literary Association. In September, he attended the first conference of representatives from all sectors of society in Qingdao and was elected as a member of the presidium and the standing committee. That same autumn, he was appointed as a professor and the head of the Department of Literature at Shandong University. In 1950, he became the deputy director of the Shandong Provincial Department of Education and a member of the Shandong Provincial People's Government. In 1951, he was elected as the chairman of the Shandong Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Workers, and in 1952, he became the director of the Shandong Provincial Bureau of Culture. He was also elected as a member of the first and second National People's Congress, a member of the National Federation of Literary and Art Workers, a council member of the National Writers' Association, a central committee member of the Democratic League, and the director of the Jinan branch of the Democratic League. Wang Tongzhao passed away on November 29, 1957, in Jinan. His main works after the liberation include the poetry collection A Collection of Poems from and the literary criticism collection Literary Talks by the Hearthside. This book selects and compiles twenty-seven essays written by Wang Tongzhao from the early 1920s to the late 1940s.