Sad Green

Author: Dongfang Desheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Some say Zhang Ailing's writing is part of the "New Yuehu School" because she possesses a unique refined and delicate sensibility. Those who followed and imitated her grew in number, and it was felt that Dongfang Desheng was the closest imitation, almost like a disciple of Zhang Ailing. The small details in his "Zhang-style" writing were fully emulated. — Lan'er: Ever Since Zhang Ailing (1946)
A writer who combines popular and avant-garde qualities, especially Dongfang Desheng, with just one book, The Gents and Ladies, he uses rich and elaborate language to depict the decline of old families on the bustling Shanghai streets and the difficulty of finding a new spiritual home. His style blends elegance and popular appeal, resembling Zhang Ailing, with a touch of desolation amidst prosperity. — Wu Fuhui: Thirty Years of Modern Chinese Literature (1998)
Dongfang Desheng is only two years younger than Zhang Ailing. It is more accurate to say that his novel writing shares the same spirit as Zhang Ailing rather than calling him her "disciple," inheriting her style. His novels, like Zhang Ailing's, are at the same time. Writers like Dongfang Desheng, who are considered part of the "Zhang-style" school, should be reevaluated. Dongfang Desheng's novels are also among the most beautiful achievements of the 1940s Shanghai literary scene and the history of modern Chinese literature. — Chen Zishan: Don't Forget Dongfang Desheng (2004)
Dongfang Desheng, Zhang Ailing's disciple, a Shanghai-style writer who closely resembles her, one of the most beautiful achievements of the 1940s Shanghai literary scene and the history of modern Chinese literature. This series, The Dongfang Desheng Novel Series, includes The Gents and Ladies, Heartbroken Jade, and all discovered short stories and novellas outside of his collected works. Dongfang excels at depicting the love and daily lives of the middle and upper classes in Shanghai during the 1930s and 1940s, with a particular focus on the decline of old family splendor and the difficulty of finding a new spiritual home. His short stories and novellas blend elegance and popular appeal, with rich and delicate language, showing a remarkable similarity to Zhang Ailing. Dongfang Desheng has long been absent from the history of modern literature. Publishing the outstanding works of this important 1940s novelist not only fills the gaps in modern literary history but also further validates the historical status of "Zhang-style" novels.