Wildfire in Spring, Struggling in an Ancient City -- A Collection of Contemporary Chinese Long Novels

Author: Li Yingru
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-02-01
Features: The period from the founding of New China to 1966 was a high tide in the creation and publication of Chinese long novels. Over a decade, a large number of works were produced, among which dozens had a wide impact and reached the zenith of their time. These works adhered to the principles of socialist realism, expressing with fervor and simplicity the arduous struggles and vibrant spirit of the Chinese people during different historical periods such as the War of Liberation, the War of Resistance against Japan, the War of Liberation, and the construction of socialism. They represented the highest achievements of Chinese long novel creation during that period and held an extremely important position in the history of contemporary Chinese literature. With their unique charm, they influenced generations of readers and, after being tested by time, have been passed down to this day. To present a more complete picture of the development of contemporary long novels and the state of long novel creation during that period, we have specially compiled and published the series "Collected Masterpieces of Contemporary Chinese Long Novels."
I. The series is based on the "Selected Long Novels" published by our press in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the "Red Classics" series published in the 1990s, and aims to include as many outstanding works as possible.
II. The works in the series were published roughly between 1949 and 1965, though some multi-volume works have publication processes that extend beyond this timeframe.
III. Due to various reasons, some works have had multiple revised editions. For this publication, we have selected the best versions and conducted proofreading in reference to other editions.
During the War of Resistance against Japan, comrades sent by the Party to underground work in enemy-occupied areas accepted the Party's commission with a sense of honor and responsibility. Before infiltrating the enemy lines, they harbored lofty ambitions of "shouldering truth and embracing revolution." Once in enemy territory, they maintained an open and optimistic attitude, "though under the surveillance of enemy agents, they were protected by the masses." In terms of personal conduct, they possessed the noble integrity of "not being corrupted by wealth or intimidated by power." When fighting the enemy, they embodied the heroic spirit of "though armed with nothing, their hearts were filled with a mighty army." Moreover, for the sake of the Party's cause and the victory of the revolution, they made no calculations about personal gain or loss, always ready to sacrifice everything.
For these loyal comrades who worked tirelessly for the Party, achieved great accomplishments, and left behind stories of heroism and sacrifice, no matter how skilled a singer or how eloquent a writer, could ever fully capture their essence. Wildfire in Spring is a novel that draws from the lives and struggles of such heroic figures, selecting fragments of their stories like scattered scales. Compared to actual life, it is like drawing a cup of water from a vast ocean or gathering a handful of soil from an endless plain.
Ideally, literary works should be higher, more intense, more concentrated, more typical, and more ideal than ordinary life. However, when comparing my novel to actual life, I realize that the former falls far short of the latter. This makes me deeply uneasy. Is it because I lack firsthand experience in struggles against the enemy? No! From the War of Resistance against Japan to the War of Liberation, I had some experiences in fighting the enemy and the puppet forces; from working within enemy lines to operating on the outside, I was involved in activities around cities and transportation hubs for several years. So why is the quality of my novel so low? I believe it is due to my limited artistic cultivation, and more importantly, my inadequate political and ideological level. It seems that political acumen, practical struggle experience, and artistic refinement are all essential for literary creation.
Before starting this novel, the theme was not entirely clear, and after beginning it, I did not pay enough attention to structuring and arranging the plot. Because I was quite familiar with this type of life, I kept wanting to record the struggles and events of those working within enemy lines. Later, I realized that the Party's underground work was a hidden front. On this front, thanks to the Party's strong leadership, we grew and strengthened ourselves while defeating or eliminating the enemy, just like on other fronts. This made me consciously want to portray the Party's victories on this front. Therefore, I used "wildfire" to symbolize the fierceness of the enemy and "spring breeze" to represent the Party's strength. No matter how fierce the enemy's flames, they could never burn out the vibrant life force of the Chinese revolution. Under the correct guidance of Chairman Mao, through the Party's nurturing like spring rain, the suffering Chinese people finally achieved victory in their struggles. The once devastated land of China finally cleared the clouds and fog, revealing a bright and prosperous scene.
One of the protagonists of the novel, Yang Xiaodong, is a mid-level cadre. Initially, I intended to portray him as having noble revolutionary qualities, creative working abilities, and an optimistic, cheerful, and enthusiastic leadership image. Later, I did not focus as much on these aspects and instead portrayed Yang Xiaodong as serious and straightforward, trying to reduce the outwardly expressive qualities and enhance the inner emotions. In some plotlines, I was constrained by real-life events and did not elevate the story to a higher artistic level, failing to transform the truth of life into the truth of art. However, as a cadre, Yang Xiaodong lived among the masses, leading a hardworking and frugal life like an ordinary laborer, and shared the same risks and hardships with his subordinates. Whenever assigned a task by the Party, he never shirked hardship and personally went to the front lines of the struggle. He personally distributed anti-Japanese leaflets, confronted the puppet governor Wu Zandong, escorted the leader through the streets with clever wit, broke into the puppet chamber of commerce at night to seize grain, and even put himself in danger to directly push the puppet commander Guan Jintao to rebel. In this way, to some extent, he also reflected the image of outstanding revolutionary cadres of our Party and army.
The character Jin Huan was sent by the author from the base area to the enemy lines. Girls with such a personality were indeed not uncommon among the young women in the villages of northern Hebei. When interacting with characters like Jin Huan, you might endure some "abuse," but more often, you would receive "treatment." In daily life, she showed no leniency toward you. If you had even a slight flaw, she would mercilessly tease and criticize you. Yet in times of danger and hardship, she was truly your family and comrade. She would even clear out her own living room for you, even if it meant sleeping outdoors. Even if she was hungry, she would make sure you were well-fed. If someone, unprepared, was surrounded by Japanese troops with nothing but their bare hands, Jin Huan would fearlessly stand among the enemy's bayonets, risking her life to argue, struggle, and pull them out, treating them as her "husband." In the novel, I intentionally portrayed Jin Huan, dedicating a special chapter to showcasing her stubbornness and fierceness, reflecting her "harsh" and sarcastic nature, highlighting her bravery and resilience in fighting the enemy, depicting the close bond between the guerrilla team and her, and even attempting to write about her depth of thought in her will.
When creating the character of Yang Laotaitai, I studied mother figures from both Chinese and foreign works, analyzing and comparing them for inspiration and nourishment. However, I realized that learning from others is merely a way to broaden one's perspective—the most important thing is to draw from rich real-life experiences for creative processing. Therefore, I focused on writing about their mother-son reunion, their meeting in the park during the New Year's holiday, their deep emotions expressed from prison, and their sacrifice on the tower for a greater cause.
Yin Huan's personality is the exact opposite of her sister's. Arranging characters with different personalities as sisters or relatives was done to facilitate the portrayal of the characters. Yin Huan treated her comrades with great enthusiasm and devoted herself entirely to Party work. Her occasional fragility and immaturity were due to insufficient training and were shortcomings in her progress. Such individuals are indispensable assistants to leaders in underground work, often being the first to learn important news, entrusted with preserving important documents, and serving as guides for meetings with key figures. I attempted to write about Yin Huan's growth and development. By the end of the novel, she was still immature. I believe that under the Party's continued cultivation and education, she will gradually become a brave and resilient fighter.
Through writing about these characters, I have come to understand the truth in what Comrade Mao Zedong once said: "Inheritance and reference must not become a substitute for one's own creation—this is absolutely not replaceable. Blindly copying and imitating the ancients and foreigners without criticism is utterly pointless and harmful." Han Yanlai, Xiao Yan, and Zhou Bo were fellow comrades I worked with during underground operations. Liang and Biaozi were colleagues who fought alongside me on the outside. Some of these characters are based on real people and events, while others are fictionalized versions of real-life situations, with many being a combination of several individuals and incidents. I wrote about these people with a sense of shared emotions and fate. I also felt sympathy for Guan Jintao and his wife, which readers can see from their very first appearance.
Some people argue that Guan Jintao's willingness to rebel was insufficient, while others believe that the external pressure exerted on him during the uprising was not strong enough. In my view, Guan Jintao's rebellion was a result of a combination of voluntary action and external coercion. On the side of the enemy, I wrote about characters like Wu Zandong and Gao Dacheng, representing different types. Initially, I planned to make Wu Zandong the main antagonist, but as the story progressed, I had to abandon the character of the puppet governor and replace him with Fan Dachang. This was because I did not have a complete outline before writing, my mind was filled with fleeting images, and I hastily began writing. As a result, some characters were "overused," and some important events were omitted. Once the pot was cooked, it was no longer suitable to add more ingredients. It seems that writing a long novel requires more than just haste—it demands mature preparation, thorough imagination and planning, and at the very least, a detailed outline or a comprehensive story synopsis.
If it is said that Gao Dacheng, the commander of the puppet army, is portrayed more vividly, it is not only because I had numerous interactions with former high-ranking Kuomintang officials before the liberation of Beijing, but also thanks to the comrades who worked in the puppet army in secret during the War of Resistance against Japan. Many of the vivid anecdotes about Gao Dacheng were shared with me during casual conversations after their work was completed. I realized that portraying negative characters cannot be done carelessly—such characters must also be skillfully crafted. Writing about negative characters is not just to contrast and highlight the positive ones; negative characters themselves also have their own necessity. On one hand, there is still the influence of bourgeois thought in our country, and abroad, imperialism is preparing for war while constantly allying with reactionaries and extending their secret police hands. Portraying real-life negative characters can serve as a cautionary lesson, raising everyone's vigilance. On the other hand, in today's era of full enthusiasm for building socialism, it is important for the younger generation to reflect on history, understand the kinds of historical garbage swept away under the Party's leadership over the past decades of revolutionary struggles, and thus cherish the past hardships, trust and love our Party even more, and dedicate ourselves to the socialist cause with greater vigor and speed to build our socialist country.
This novel is set in historical times. Writing about historical themes (specifically, the revolutionary history of the nearly four decades after the founding of the Communist Party of China) is just as important as writing about modern themes—it requires highlighting the Party's leadership and the mass line, as well as class struggle and the fate of classes. When writing about historical themes, it is essential to adhere to historical truth—violating or arbitrarily altering history is not permissible. More importantly, when writing about historical themes, we must focus on the present, serve the workers, peasants, and soldiers, contribute to socialist revolution and construction, select content that is meaningful for today, and imbue the work with thoughts and emotions that reflect the spirit of the times.
The spirit of the times and thoughts and emotions that align with it, in today's common parlance, refer to the selfless collectivism that emerged under the correct guidance of Chairman Mao, the spirit of "giving convenience to others and taking difficulties upon oneself," "meeting difficulties head-on and yielding to honor," and the supreme communist style cultivated among the people under the Party's leadership. If a historical-themed literary work does not shine with the light of communism, its ideological depth will inevitably be affected. Regrettably, Wildfire in Spring falls far short in this extremely important aspect.
During the revision, I added some plotlines and enriched the descriptions, giving the underground struggle forces a secondary line to avoid isolated operations. I also revised certain unsuitable romantic entanglements and altered some coincidental and serendipitous plotlines. If the revised version has made progress compared to the original, I owe it to the comrades who helped and cared for me—they patiently offered comments, organized discussions, encouraged and criticized, and provided invaluable and pertinent suggestions, from the broad to the specific. Taking this opportunity of the revised edition's publication, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to these comrades.
Whenever I think of expressing gratitude to comrades, I must first thank our beloved Party. Writing this novel was entirely due to the Party's cultivation and the inspiration of its policy of "letting a hundred flowers bloom." The content of the book reflects the achievements created by the Party in leading the people. Today, we have received everyone's help because we live in a society led by the Party. Without the Communist Party, there would be no revolutionary literary works, and without the Communist Party, there would be no New China. Living in the great era of Chairman Mao, as an ordinary worker, peasant, or soldier, and as an ordinary laborer, is an honor and a source of pride. Under the Party's leadership, doing any work should bring joy and a sense of ease, with a bright and expansive future ahead.
For many years, I have been nurtured by the Party like a strict but loving father and cherished by it like a caring mother. My entire being has been blessed by the Party's kindness, like being nourished by its rain and sunshine. In this era of great transformation, I am determined to strive to write better works to repay the Party's cultivation and the comrades' care.