A laughable and tearful fate

Author: Zhang Henshu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Mr. Zhang Henshu's works blend simplicity with elegance, combining wit and charm, appealing to both the refined and the masses. Whether in character development, psychological portrayal, plot arrangement, or linguistic style, his works inherit the essence of classical Chinese novels, embodying a strong sense of the era. They are rare artistic masterpieces since the birth of Dream of the Red Chamber. The characters in A Love of Many Colors are distinct in their personalities. Besides the protagonist Fan Jiashu, who has his own unique traits, figures like Shen Fengxi, Guan Xiugu, and He Lina are entirely different in speech, actions, and thoughts, never overlapping. Other important supporting characters, such as Guan Shoufeng and General Liu, also possess special personalities, making readers feel as if they are witnessing their behaviors and hearing their voices firsthand, filled with endless charm. One of the masterpieces of the "pop literature maestro" Zhang Henshu.
A young scholar, Fan Jiashu, meets martial artist Guan Shoufeng and his daughter Guan Xiugu while visiting Tianqiao in Beijing. He falls in love at first sight with Shen Fengxi, a Beijing opera singer, and his cousin arranges a marriage between him and the daughter of the Minister of Finance, He Lina. Later, warlord General Liu takes Fengxi as his concubine, and Guan Xiugu disguises herself as a maid to infiltrate Liu's mansion, luring him to the Xishan Jile Temple to assassinate him.
The story revolves around a love triangle involving one man and three women. The young Beijing scholar Fan Jiashu meets Guan Shoufeng, a street performer, at Tianqiao. Shoufeng's daughter, Xiugu, secretly harbors feelings for Jiashu. Later, Jiashu encounters Fengxi, a young girl singing the dugu (a traditional Chinese narrative song), and they fall in love. Jiashu helps Fengxi escape her singing career and supports her education. Although Jiashu is favored by the wealthy He Lina, he remains devoted to Fengxi.
Fengxi's third uncle, for wealth, arranges for her to get close to General Liu, who then forces her to become his concubine. Desperate, Fengxi agrees tearfully under Liu's threat to kill Jiashu. When Jiashu and Fengxi reunite, their lingering affection leads to a secret rendezvous, which is discovered by General Liu. Fengxi is beaten to the brink of insanity. Shoufeng and Xiugu risk their lives to rescue Fengxi and kill General Liu, but Shoufeng is shot and dies, entrusting Xiugu to Jiashu before his final moments.
The elegance of A Love of Many Colors lies in the author's storytelling skill and the seamless interlocking of the theme "fate" (). Its melancholy stems from the lingering aftertaste of the story and the haunting strains of the sorrowful dugu song that echoes in the mind. The episodic structure of the novel adds an ancient charm to the work.