Prairie Flames -- A Collection of Contemporary Chinese Novels

Author: Xu Guangyao
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-02-01
Features: From the founding of New China to 1966, it was a peak period for the creation and publication of Chinese long novels. Over a decade, a large number of works were produced, among which dozens had a far-reaching influence and reached the height of their time. These works adhered to the principles of socialist realism, expressing their enthusiasm and simple yet profound style to celebrate 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 Liberation War, and the construction of socialism. They represented the highest achievements of long novel creation during that period and occupied 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 "Collected Works of Contemporary Chinese Long Novels" series.
I. The series is based on the "Selected Long Novels" published by our press in the 1950s and 1960s and the "Red Classics" series published in the 1990s, striving to include as many outstanding works as possible.
II. The works in the series were published roughly between 1949 and 1965. Some multi-volume works have a longer publication process that extends beyond this period.
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.
In May 1942, the entire Jizhong Anti-Japanese Base Area underwent a complete upheaval. Okamura Nishiji sat in an airplane, directing the five hundred thousand Japanese troops in a large "sweeping campaign." Brutal battles broke out everywhere, with flames raging and black smoke billowing into the sky. Japanese cars crushed the golden wheat fields on the ground, cavalry encircled the villages, setting them ablaze, and the fierce flames sent smoke soaring upward. Infantrymen brandished bayonets, pursuing and driving the anti-Japanese masses from east village to west village and back again. Gunshots echoed everywhere—"gag gag gu gu gu"—women and children screamed, and countless heroes fell in the blood, many soldiers sacrificed under the bullets, and local workers threw themselves into rivers, some even breaking their own heads with the last bullet. Many young and strong men and village cadres were captured, sent to coal mines, taken beyond the borders, and transported to the Japanese islands.