By Night: An Annotated Edition

Author: Jia Pingwa / Chen Ze
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: White Night is a work very close to reality, depicting the real-life scenes of Xijing in the 1990s. The characters in the book span various social strata, including high-ranking administrative leaders of the city, other administrative officials who are either successful or frustrated; long-time residents whose fortunes rise and fall with real estate conditions in the business world; migrant workers and vegetable vendors who have come from the countryside to seek their fortunes; archaeologists, police officers, actors, paper-cutting artisans, fashion models; nouveau riche, old scholars, descendants of aristocrats, and so on. The novel weaves its narrative through the various scenes and corners of life in Xijing with simple yet vivid prose,ing the living states and desires of these characters, as well as their hatred, love, betrayal, and mutual assistance. There is the tragic love between a roamer and a noble, the wandering activities of a ghost opera troupe, the manipulations in the officialdom, the gambling and humor in the slums. White Night, while primarily using realistic brushwork, is also richly tinged with elements of the magical. For example, the reborn person who dies again; the peculiar premonitions of the elderly paper-cutting woman; a ghostly key that causes an incurable night-walking disorder; the feminization and silkworm transformation of a disillusioned official after a stroke. Especially the mysterious and enigmatic ghost opera performances that blend humans and deities, create a heavy, pervasive sense of mystery around real life, and also evoke metaphysical reflections on the yin and yang of the universe. The title of this book itself reveals the author's intention to bridge the understanding between the yin and yang worlds. The staging of the ghost opera and the lively drama of human life make one feel the worldly human nature of the ghost world, as well as the treacherous and ghostly characteristics of human society. The things and activities that take place in the dark night can actually be seen as clearly as in the daytime; yet some behaviors that occur in broad daylight can be as unrestrained as in the dark. White Night is a work very close to reality, depicting the real-life scenes of Xijing in the 1990s. The characters in the book span various social strata, including high-ranking administrative leaders of the city, other administrative officials who are either successful or frustrated; long-time residents whose fortunes rise and fall with real estate conditions in the business world; migrant workers and vegetable vendors who have come from the countryside to seek their fortunes; archaeologists, police officers, actors, paper-cutting artisans, fashion models; nouveau riche, old scholars, descendants of aristocrats, and so on. The novel weaves its narrative through the various scenes and corners of life in Xijing with simple yet vivid prose,ing the living states and desires of these characters, as well as their hatred, love, betrayal, and mutual assistance. There is the tragic love between a roamer and a noble, the wandering activities of a ghost opera troupe, the manipulations in the officialdom, the gambling and humor in the slums. White Night, while primarily using realistic brushwork, is also richly tinged with elements of the magical. For example, the reborn person who dies again; the peculiar premonitions of the elderly paper-cutting woman; a ghostly key that causes an incurable night-walking disorder; the feminization and silkworm transformation of a disillusioned official after a stroke. Especially the mysterious and enigmatic ghost opera performances that blend humans and deities, create a heavy, pervasive sense of mystery around real life, and also evoke metaphysical reflections on the yin and yang of the universe. The title of this book itself reveals the author's intention to bridge the understanding between the yin and yang worlds. The staging of the ghost opera and the lively drama of human life make one feel the worldly human nature of the ghost world, as well as the treacherous and ghostly characteristics of human society. The things and activities that take place in the dark night can actually be seen as clearly as in the daytime; yet some behaviors that occur in broad daylight can be as unrestrained as in the dark.