Biography of Jia Pingwa

Author: Li Xing / Sun Jianxi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Timid and humble in life, subdued and lowly, yet unrestrained, free, and daring to climb high and take risks in his works—this is a contradictory person. Because of his deep love, he is extremely sensitive, unable to tolerate even a speck of dust in his eyes, and cannot bear any filth in life, transforming into a passionate composure, a startled panic, an urgent envy, with eyes filled with tears and melancholy. Using China's traditional methods of expressing beauty, he genuinely depicts the life and emotions of modern Chinese people—this is what he pursues in his creation. —Jia Pingwa had two periods of hard struggles, which played a decisive role in shaping his later creative works. One was a 20-year struggle in life, which cultivated his spirit of striving, struggling, and never giving up, where he first had to fight for his own existence and recognition from the outside world. The other was the period of hard self-discipline during his preparation for creative work at Northwest University, which forged his unyielding and indomitable fighting spirit. As a son of the mountains, he felt psychologically inferior in the sacred hall of literature and in the face of boisterous city dwellers, unable to help but feel inferior and self-deprecating when confronted with others' superiority. He deeply understood the difficulties of literature, taking one step at a time, but with unwavering determination, his steps were slow but steady. Jia Pingwa had extensive exposure to traditional Chinese philosophy and the classics of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Although these philosophies were vastly different, he saw the "same" in them—that the vastness and complexity of the world could all be reduced to "one," to a philosophical interpretation. The philosophy embedded in these interpretations was deeply appealing, but it could not be accepted in its original form today. Thus, he began his journey to find his own "one," attempting to establish an independent worldview—his philosophy, outlook on life, and aesthetic view.
Jia Pingwa: A Critical Biography, a full-length work of 200,000 words, consists of 18 chapters that chronologically describe Jia Pingwa's creative development, his reading life, poetry, calligraphy, painting, personality, psychology, and the literary significance of his works. Through numerous vivid and meticulous details, the book allows readers to see how Jia Pingwa is a "contradictory person who is timid, humble, and subdued in life, yet unrestrained, free, and daring to climb high and take risks in his works."