Wildfire in Spring, Struggling in an Ancient City

Author: Li Yingru
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: From the founding of the People's Republic of China to 1966, China experienced a high tide in the creation and publication of long novels. Over a decade, numerous works were produced, among which dozens had a wide impact and reached the zenith of their time. These works adhered to the principles of socialist realism, celebrating the arduous struggles and vibrant spirit of the Chinese people during different historical periods such as the War of Liberation, the War of Resistance Against Japan, the War of Liberation, and the construction of socialism. They represented the highest achievements of long novel creation during that period and occupied an extremely important position in the history of contemporary Chinese literature. With their unique charm, they influenced generations of readers, enduring the test of time and. To present a more complete picture of the development of contemporary long novels and the creative landscape of that era, we have compiled and published the series "Collected Works of Contemporary Chinese Long Novels."
I. The series is based on the "Selected Works of Long Novels" published by our press in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the "Red Classics" series from the 1990s, striving to include as many outstanding works as possible.
II. The works in the series were published roughly between 1949 and 1965, though some multi-volume works had longer publication processes that extended beyond this period.
III. Due to various reasons, some works had multiple revised editions. For this publication, we selected the superior versions and conducted proofreading in reference to other editions.
During the War of Resistance Against Japan, comrades sent by the Party to underground work in enemy-occupied areas accepted the Party's mission with a sense of honor and responsibility. Before infiltrating enemy lines, they harbored lofty ambitions of "shouldering truth and embracing revolution." Once in enemy territory, they maintained an open and optimistic attitude, "though under the surveillance of enemy agents, they were protected by the masses." In terms of personal conduct, they possessed the noble integrity of "not being corrupted by wealth or intimidated by power." When fighting the enemy, they embodied the heroic spirit of "though armed with nothing, their hearts were full of strength." Moreover, for the sake of the Party's cause and revolutionary victory, they made no calculations about personal gain or loss, always ready to sacrifice everything.
For these loyal comrades who worked tirelessly for the Party, achieved remarkable feats, and left behind heroic stories, no matter how gifted their voices or how eloquent their pens, their deeds could never be fully sung or written. Wildfire and Spring Breeze in the Struggle Against the City is a novel that draws from the lives and struggles of such heroes, selecting scattered fragments. Compared to actual life, it is like drawing a cup of water from a vast ocean or gathering a handful of soil from an endless plain.
Ideally, literary works should be higher, more intense, more concentrated, more typical, and more ideal than ordinary life. However, when comparing this novel to reality, the former falls far short of the latter. This made me deeply uneasy. Was it because I lacked firsthand experience in struggles? No! From the War of Resistance Against Japan to the War of Liberation, I had some experiences fighting the enemy and the puppet regime; after shifting from the underground to the open front, I worked for several years around cities and transportation hubs. So why was the quality of my novel so low? I believe it was due to my limited artistic cultivation, and more importantly, my inadequate political and ideological level. It seems that political acumen, combat experience, and artistic refinement are all indispensable for literary creation.
Before starting this novel, the theme was not entirely clear, and after beginning it, I did not pay enough attention to structuring and arranging the narrative. Because I was familiar with this type of life, I kept wanting to record the struggles and events of the underground workers in sequence. Later, realizing that the Party's underground work was a hidden front, where, under the Party's strong leadership, we grew and strengthened ourselves while defeating or eliminating the enemy, just like other fronts, I consciously decided to portray the Party's victories on this front. Thus, I used "wildfire" to symbolize the enemy's ferocity and "spring breeze" to represent the Party's strength. No matter how fierce the enemy's flames, they could never burn out the vibrant revolutionary forces of the Chinese people. Guided by Chairman Mao's correct line, through the Party's nurturing like spring rain, the suffering Chinese people finally achieved victory. The devastated land of China, once trampled by enemies, finally cleared the clouds and fog, revealing a bright and prosperous scene.
One of the protagonists, Yang Xiaodong, is a mid-level leader. Initially, I intended to portray him with noble revolutionary qualities, creative working abilities, and an optimistic, cheerful, and lively leadership image. Later, however, I did not focus much on these aspects and instead depicted him as serious and straightforward in some aspects of his life, trying to reduce the outwardly expressive qualities and enhance the inner emotions. In certain plotlines, I was constrained by real-life events and did not elevate the narrative to a higher artistic level, failing to transform the truth of life into the truth of art.
As a leader, Yang Xiaodong lived among the masses, leading a simple and hardworking life like an ordinary laborer, and shared the same risks and hardships with his subordinates. Whenever assigned a task by the Party, he never shirked hardship and personally went to the forefront of the struggle. He personally distributed anti-Japanese pamphlets, confronted the puppet governor Wu Zandong, escorted the leader through a clever battle against Lan Mao, broke into the puppet chamber of commerce at night to seize grain, and even risked his life to directly push Guan Jintao, the puppet division commander, to rebel. In this way, to some extent, he reflected the image of outstanding revolutionary cadres of our Party and army.
The character Jin Huan was sent by the author from the base area to the underground. Girls with such personalities were indeed not uncommon among the young women in the villages of North China. When interacting with someone like Jin Huan, you might endure some "abuse," but more often, you would receive "treatment." In daily life, she showed no leniency toward you. If you had even a slight flaw, she would mercilessly mock and criticize you. Yet in times of danger, she was truly your family and comrade. She would even clear out her own house for you, even if it meant sleeping outdoors. Even if she was hungry, she would make sure you were well-fed. If someone, unprepared, was surrounded by Japanese troops with nothing but their bare hands, Jin Huan would fearlessly stand among the enemy's bayonets, risking her life to argue, struggle, and pull them out, treating them as her "husband."
In the novel, I intentionally portrayed Jin Huan, dedicating a special chapter to her stubborn and fiery personality, reflecting her "harsh" and sarcastic nature, highlighting her bravery and resilience in fighting the enemy, depicting the close bond between the guerrilla team and her, and even attempting to write about her depth of thought in her will.
When creating the character of Yang Laotaitai, I studied mother figures from both Chinese and foreign works, analyzing and comparing them for inspiration and nourishment. However, I realized that learning from others only broadens one's perspective; the most important thing is to process and create based on rich real-life experiences. Therefore, I focused on writing about their mother-son reunion, their meeting in the park during the New Year's holiday, their deep emotions from prison, and their sacrifice on the balcony for a greater cause.
Yin Huan's personality is the exact opposite of her sister's. Arranging characters with different personalities as sisters or relatives was done to facilitate character portrayal. Yin Huan treated her comrades with great enthusiasm and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the Party's work. Her occasional fragility and immaturity were due to insufficient training and were shortcomings in her progress. Such individuals are indispensable assistants to leaders in underground work, often the first to learn important news, the keepers of important documents, and guides for important meetings. I attempted to write about Yin Huan's growth and development. By the end of the novel, she was still immature. I believe that under the Party's continued cultivation and education, she will gradually become a brave and resilient warrior.
Through writing these characters, I have come to understand the truth in Chairman Mao's words: "Inheriting and learning from others must not replace one's own creativity—this is absolutely not replaceable. Blindly copying and imitating ancient and foreign figures without criticism is utterly pointless and harmful."
Han Yanlai, Xiao Yan, and Zhou Baobao were comrades I worked with during underground operations. Liang and Biaozi were fellow fighters during open-front battles. Some of them were real people, some were fictionalized based on real events, and many were a combination of several individuals and incidents. I wrote about them with a sense of shared emotions and fate. I also felt sympathy for Guan Jintao and his wife, which readers can see from their very first appearance.
Some people argue that Guan Jintao's uprising lacked voluntary spirit, while others believe there was insufficient external pressure on him during the uprising. I think Guan Jintao's rebellion was born from a combination of voluntary will and external coercion. On the enemy side, I wrote about characters like Wu Zandong and Gao Dacheng, representing different types. Initially, I planned to make Wu Zandong the main antagonist, but as the story progressed, I abandoned the portrayal of the puppet governor and replaced him with Fan Dachang. This was because I did not have a complete outline before writing, my mind was filled with fleeting images, and I hastily began writing. As a result, some characters were "overused," and some important events were omitted. Once the pot was cooked, it was no longer suitable to add more ingredients. It seems that writing long works requires careful preparation, thorough imagination and planning, and at the very least, a detailed outline or a general storyline.
If Gao Dacheng, the puppet army commander, appears more vivid, it is not only because I had many interactions with former high-ranking Kuomintang officials before the liberation of Beijing, but also thanks to the comrades who worked in the puppet army during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Many of the vivid anecdotes about Gao Dacheng came from their casual conversations after completing their missions. I realized that portraying negative characters cannot be done carelessly; they must be skillfully crafted. Writing about negative characters is not only to contrast and highlight the positive, but these characters themselves also have their own necessity.
On one hand, there is still the influence of bourgeois thought in our country, and abroad, imperialism is preparing for war while constantly allying with reactionaries and extending their secret agents' hands. Portraying real-life negative characters can serve as a cautionary lesson, raising everyone's vigilance. On the other hand, as the Chinese people wholeheartedly build socialism today, it is important for the youth to reflect on history, understand how many historical "garbage" the Party has swept away under its leadership over the decades, and thus cherish the past struggles, trust and love our Party, and dedicate themselves to the socialist cause with greater enthusiasm and speed, building our socialist country with higher efficiency.
This novel is set in a historical context. Writing about historical themes (specifically, the revolutionary history of the nearly four decades after the founding of the Communist Party of China) is similar to writing about modern themes—it must reflect the Party's leadership and the mass line, as well as class struggle and the fate of classes. Historical works must adhere to historical truth; deviating from it or arbitrarily altering it is not permissible. More importantly, when writing historical works, we must focus on the present, serve the workers, peasants, and soldiers, contribute to socialist revolution and construction, choose content that is educationally meaningful to today, and imbue the work with thoughts and emotions that reflect the spirit of the times.
The spirit of the times and thoughts and emotions that align with it, in today's common parlance, refer to the selfless collectivism that emerged under the correct leadership of Chairman Mao, the spirit of "giving convenience to others and taking difficulties upon oneself," "meeting challenges head-on and yielding to honor," and the supreme communist style nurtured by the Party among the people. If historical works do not shine with the light of communism, their ideological depth will inevitably be affected.
Unfortunately, Wildfire and Spring Breeze in the Struggle Against the City falls far short in this extremely important aspect. During the revision, I added some plotlines and enriched the descriptions, giving the underground struggle multiple layers and avoiding solo operations. I also revised certain unsuitable romantic entanglements and altered some coincidental and serendipitous plotlines. If the revised version shows progress compared to the original, I owe it to the comrades who helped and cared about me. They tirelessly published commentaries, organized discussions, encouraged and criticized, providing valuable and pertinent advice from the smallest to the largest details. Taking this opportunity to publish the revised edition, I express my sincere gratitude to these comrades.
Whenever I think of expressing gratitude to comrades, I must first thank our dear Party. Writing this novel was entirely due to the Party's cultivation and the inspiration of its policy. The content of the book reflects the achievements created by the Party leading the people. Today, with everyone's help, it is only possible because of the society led by the Party. Without the Communist Party, there would be no revolutionary literary works, and without the Communist Party, there would be no New China. Living in the great Mao Zedong era, as an ordinary worker, peasant, or soldier, is a source of great honor and pride. Under the Party's leadership, doing any work should bring joy and a bright future.
For many years, I have been nurtured by the Party like a strict but loving father and cherished by it like a caring mother. My whole being has been blessed by the Party's, like being nourished by its rain and sunshine. In this era of great transformation, I am determined to strive to write better works to repay the Party's cultivation and the comrades' care.