White Night Annotated Edition

Author: Jia Pingwa
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 urban residents who rise and fall in the business world based on property conditions; migrant workers and vegetable vendors who have come from rural areas to the city to make their way in the world; archaeologists, police officers, actors, paper-cutting artisans, fashion models; nouveau riche, old-timers, descendants of aristocrats, and many others. The novel, with its simple yet vivid brushwork, weaves through the various scenes and corners of life in Xijing, recreating the living conditions 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 machinations in the officialdom, and the gambling and humor in the slums. White Night, while primarily using realistic brushwork, is also heavily tinged with elements of the magical. Examples include the reborn who are resurrected only to die again; the peculiar premonitions of an elderly paper-cutting woman; a ghostly key that causes someone to suffer an incurable night-wandering disorder; and the feminization and silkworm transformation of an official who has fallen on hard times after a stroke. Especially the mysterious and enigmatic performance of the ghost opera, which blurs the lines between humans and gods, casts a thick, pervasive sense of mystery over real life and also gives rise to metaphysical reflections on the yin and yang of the universe. The title of this book itself reveals the author's intention to bridge the realms of yin and yang. 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 can actually be seen as clearly as in the daytime; yet some actions that occur in broad daylight can be as unrestrained as if 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 urban residents who rise and fall in the business world based on property conditions; migrant workers and vegetable vendors who have come from rural areas to the city to make their way in the world; archaeologists, police officers, actors, paper-cutting artisans, fashion models; nouveau riche, old-timers, descendants of aristocrats, and many others. The novel, with its simple yet vivid brushwork, weaves through the various scenes and corners of life in Xijing, recreating the living conditions 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 machinations in the officialdom, and the gambling and humor in the slums. White Night, while primarily using realistic brushwork, is also heavily tinged with elements of the magical. Examples include the reborn who are resurrected only to die again; the peculiar premonitions of an elderly paper-cutting woman; a ghostly key that causes someone to suffer an incurable night-wandering disorder; and the feminization and silkworm transformation of an official who has fallen on hard times after a stroke. Especially the mysterious and enigmatic performance of the ghost opera, which blurs the lines between humans and gods, casts a thick, pervasive sense of mystery over real life and also gives rise to metaphysical reflections on the yin and yang of the universe. The title of this book itself reveals the author's intention to bridge the realms of yin and yang. 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 can actually be seen as clearly as in the daytime; yet some actions that occur in broad daylight can be as unrestrained as if in the dark.