The Swallowing of the Phoenix--An Ancient Chinese Love Story (Chinese-English Parallel Text) ((Chinese-English Parallel Text))

Author: Xu Fei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: "The Phoenix Seeking the" is the name chosen by Mr. Zhang Minjie of New World Publishing for this book. Mr. Minjie once asked me to write a book about the love story between Sima Xiangru and Zhu Wenjun. I had long been interested in this story and readily accepted the request, but was unsure what to name the book. Mr. Minjie suggested, "Just call it 'The Phoenix Seeking the.'" And so, the book was created. Sima Xiangru was a renowned Chinese ancient prose writer, and his major prose works were included in both Records of the Grand Historian and Book of Han, reflecting the admiration of ancient philosophers for him. Records of the Grand Historian even dedicated a biography solely to Sima Xiangru, further highlighting his unshakable position in Chinese literary history. Regarding his love story, the biography contains only a few brief sentences, yet what has been most cherished by later generations are actually just phrases like "using the heart of the lute to woo her, Zhu Wenjun fled at night to Sima Xiangru." Even just the phrase "the heart of the lute" has moved countless romantic souls. In later poetry and opera, this allusion has been frequently used. The reason for this enduring appeal may not be merely the romantic anecdotes of a talented scholar and his beauty, but more importantly, Zhu Wenjun's courage and determination to defy feudal conventions for love. Although Sima Xiangru's "wooing with the heart of the lute" completely violated the moral norms of the time, and Zhu Wenjun's "fleeing at night to Sima Xiangru" was an unforgivable absurdity, it truly reflects the fundamental human need for love. In feudal society, it was quite difficult for a woman to attain true love. Merely the arranged marriages by parents and matchmakers had already completely separated marriage and love, turning it into a distorted union of clans and wealth. In such a system, women could only play the role of continuing the lineage. This superficial tranquility and harmony actually contained very little love. In this sense, the phrase "wooing with the lute" can truly be said to be a challenge from young lovers to the unreasonable feudal customs. This book ends with Sima Xiangru and his wife returning home in glory, avenging their family's, and Zhu Wangsun's repentance and reconciliation with his in-laws. This happy ending is both historically accurate and in line with the aesthetic traditions of the Chinese people, so I did not try to be overly original to break free from conventions. Instead, I followed the records in Records of the Grand Historian and Book of Han, allowing the lovers to live happily ever after.