August osmanthus blooms everywhere

Author: Xu Guixiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: Military writer Xu Guixiang has been called the "aggressive offensive faction" in the field of military-themed novel creation, with a series of works such as Traceless Ballistics, Decisive Battle, and The Sky of History. His novel The Sky of History has been adapted into a TV series and is being broadcast on multiple stations. Xu Guixiang fought in the southern border in his youth, gaining more experience of the iron and smoke of war than others. However, this does not mean that life experience determines everything: even among military writers, those who have an innate interest in war and military themes are not the majority. Those skilled in flirting with the fairer sex are no fewer than in the outside world. Perhaps only certain genetic and bloodline traits can explain it. Xu Guixiang's August When Osmanthus Blossoms Everywhere is an attempt to "get close to the historical truth and interpret that war from the perspective of humanity and human nature." If Xu Guixiang's The Sky of History won numerous readers and viewers by showcasing the personalities and humanity in war, then August When Osmanthus Blossoms Everywhere elevates the creative purpose to the level of forging national character and national spirit. These grand war stories reveal the national pride and confidence hidden in the blood, bones, and deep memories of the Chinese people, promoting our national pride and the spirit of perseverance. Set against the backdrop of the Anti-Japanese Struggle in the Jianghuai region, the book depicts a turbulent war scene. Standing at the height of history, the author examines the historical conditions of both sides in the game with a unique perspective. Through the smoke of war and the clash of armies, he faces the political, economic, cultural, and historical differences between the two nations and two ethnic groups, striving to make the work stand out from the one-sided and stereotypical understanding of that war. In this work, Xu Guixiang writes about Shen Xuanyuan, a strange protagonist: he is both the leader of the underground work of our Party and the Administrative Special Commissioner and Major General of Luanzhou, entrusted with a critical mission. To achieve the great plan, he also gains the trust of the Japanese Major General Matsukawa by assuming the identity of a well-educated and dignified Jiangnan scholar, becoming the Mayor of the pro-Japanese regime in Luanzhou. Meanwhile, Shen Xuanyuan's secret assistant, Fang Suowa, the head of the pro-Japanese armed group Taohuayu Self-Defense Corps, is even "special." His "collaborator" behavior, "rooted in his faith," not only serves as a foil to Major Matsukawa, who boasts of deeply understanding the Chinese mentality and wants to "govern the Chinese with the Chinese," but also allows readers to see a more thrilling "undercover hero." Under the efforts of Shen Xuanyuan and others to demonstrate their talents, organize the masses, and split and disintegrate the enemy, a situation is finally formed where the Kuomintang, Communist Party, pro-Japanese forces, bandits, and civilians all unite to fight against the enemy. Here, the utilitarian narrative based on ideology is elevated to a higher perspective, yet it gets closer to the truth of history from a deeper level; and the complexity of the ideological consciousness of the social class in Chinese society, which has long been simplified by class perspectives, is examined and depicted here in a delicate manner. If Shen Xuanyuan indeed had a solid life foundation during the second Kuomintang-Communist cooperation and the formation of the national united front, and Fang Suowa's story was based on a real case of "feigned surrender" in the history of the New Fourth Army—then it is more accurate to say that Shen Xuanyuan and others are legends carefully chosen and crafted by Xu Guixiang in the gaps of history. Through these special characters, Xu Guixiang places all the Chinese people on a platform that is both colorful and inspiring. The second feature of August When Osmanthus Blossoms Everywhere is the effort to portray the enemy well, making them lifelike, authentic, and profound. Major General Matsukawa, the commander of the garrison in Luanzhou, is more familiar with traditional Chinese culture than many Chinese. He often puts down his sword, wears Chinese silk robes, and walks in the garrison city of Luanzhou, visiting local gentry and discussing Song poetry or tea. He needs a servile Chinese around him, but he despises them in his heart; he needs to make friends with a dignified, independent, and nationally proud Chinese, and when he is mocked and belittled by a proud and unyielding Chinese like Xia Hou Shucheng, he not only does not make Xia Hou Shucheng "die a death," but instead becomes even more respectful. This Japanese major who loves Chinese culture is also a ruthless and loyal believer in militarism. In his soul, seemingly unrelated things are harmoniously unified rather than mechanically pieced together, and his various "strange" behaviors are consistent with his personality, spiritual beliefs, and current policies. Xu Guixiang, like a fascinated "experimenter," writes more than ten Japanese soldiers with real names and ranks in this novel, from the commander of the expeditionary force, the liaison commander of the garrison, officers to corporals and ordinary "recruits." In addition to Matsukawa, through the meticulous portrayal of "cadet officer" Arakawa and second-class soldier Iwabu, readers see two typical images of those who have beenly alienated by the "Bushido" spirit and are struggling on the edge of human nature. The solid and rich brushwork makes the author, who has met Japanese veterans who came to China to apologize and has studied various war memoirs of Japanese veterans, deeply moved. Xu Guixiang prefers the theme of August Osmanthus, those small flowers scattered across the mountains and fields seem fragmented, but they bloom and fragrance with a burning passion, containing infinite power. Xu Guixiang "hopes that his conscience, the blood of his nation, and his sense of responsibility as a person can turn into this August blooming Osmanthus."