The Funeral of Muslims

Author: Huo Da
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: In the spring of 1981, Mr. Mao Dun bequeathed 250,000 yuan of his manuscript fees to the Chinese Writers' Association, establishing a fund to create a long award to recognize the best long novels each year. This marked the origin of the Mao Dun Literature Prize. Over the following two decades, this highest award in contemporary Chinese literature has always attracted widespread attention and had a significant impact. To date, the Mao Dun Literature Prize has held five sessions, with 22 long novels winning the prize (with two additional works receiving honorary awards). Our publishing house has been publishing the "Mao Dun Literature Prize Awarded Works Series" since the spring of 1998, initially including 11 works published and awarded by our house. Subsequently, many authors, readers, and relevant individuals expressed the desire to see the complete collection of all awarded works of the Mao Dun Literature Prize; they believed that fully reflecting the achievements of the highest award in contemporary Chinese literature was necessary and beneficial. With the strong support of authors, their families, and relevant publishing organizations, the "Complete Collection of Mao Dun Literature Prize Awarded Works" has finally been published. The "Complete Collection of Mao Dun Literature Prize Awarded Works" now being edited and published has undergone textual proofreading for all works. For some multi-volume works that won awards in part, the entire series has been included this time. The novel tells the story of three generations of a Muslim family over more than half a century, praising the indomitable national character of the Hui people. Liang Yiqing, the owner of the old jade shop "Qizhenzhai" in the ancient capital of Beijing, was originally a low-level jade carver from the Hui ethnic group. He had two daughters: the eldest, Junbi, was clever and cunning, while the younger, Bingyu, was petite and willful. One day, an elderly man brought a young boy to Mecca for a pilgrimage and passed by Liang's house. The boy was captivated by the exquisite jade pieces and decided to stay and become an apprentice, becoming the protagonist of this book, Han Ziqi. The master and apprentice were working on an order, a "Zheng He Navigating Ship" commissioned by the "Huiyuanzhai" for foreign trade. Zheng He was a hero of the Hui ethnic group, and they were determined to create a work that would glorify the national spirit. Three years of meticulous carving were to be completed by the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, Liang Yiqing suddenly fainted on the rotating jade sphere, destroying the treasure ship and causing his death. To settle the debt, Han Ziqi became an apprentice at "Huiyuanzhai" and, after three years of hardship, became an expert. He returned to Qizhenzhai, married Junbi, and resolved to revitalize the family business. Ten years later, he became renowned in Beijing and had a son named Tiansheng, living a happy life. However, with the outbreak of the Japanese invasion of China, Han Ziqi feared that the precious jade pieces would be destroyed and followed British businessman Hunter to London. Bingyu, his wife's younger sister, defied her sister's objections and secretly left home to accompany her husband on the journey. In London, Bingyu fell in love with Oliver, the son of Hunter, but Oliver in the London bombing. Han Ziqi and Liang Bingyu relied on each other for ten years in overseas, and finally, the long-separated lovers married and had a daughter named Xinyue. After the war, they returned to China together. The sister took Xinyue as her own daughter, while Bingyu left for an unknown destination. Xinyue grew up and excelled academically, eventually enrolling in the Western Languages Department of Peking University. After starting university, she fell in love with her class teacher, Chu Yanchao. However, as Chu was Han, the family opposed their relationship, which only made their love grow stronger in the face of obstacles. Yet, tragedy struck—Xinyue died of severe heart disease, leaving Chu Yanchao heartbroken and devastated.