Marriage Chronicle

Author: Zhu Ziqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Classics are the treasures left behind by time, portraits and annotations of human nature. The significance of classics lies in their freshness with repeated readings, remaining an unchanging landscape on the bookshelves of readers through the ages. In the ever-changing flow of time and life, where nothing can be repeated, classics are the words, sounds, and expressions that have conquered time. Those sincere statements, those fearless cries, those reflections on the human spirit awaken our past hopes, inspire our present courage, and free us from vanity and doubt about the future. The images of these wise people and their timeless words purify our souls, shake our spirits, and teach us what can be missed but not erased, what is fleeting yet precious. Indeed, every era should have its own literature. But classic literature belongs not only to its own time but also to later generations of readers who can appreciate and share the artistic sensibility it offers. The Story of Choosing a Spouse reveals the hardships faced by young men and women under the feudal marriage system. The essence of the feudal marriage system is to disregard love and sexuality, denying human nature. The tragedies of marriage in the old society stem from this. In the article, the author, with his honesty and sincerity, recounts his past four attempts at choosing a spouse, humorously describing his childhood experiences in choosing a partner. Through a simple and light-hearted narration, he reflects on the unfortunate marriage fate of a generation, criticizing the unreasonable marriage system that relies solely on the wishes of parents and matchmakers.
Zhu Ziqing (1898–1948), styled Peiyuan, achieved the highest artistic success in his prose, particularly in works such as The Back and Moonlight over the Lotus Pond, included in collections like Behind the Scene and You and I, as well as Green, from Traces of Wen Zhou. Zhu Ziqing’s prose is not only renowned for its vivid descriptions but also achieves a harmonious blend of scenery and emotion. His landscape essays hold a significant place in modern Chinese prose, where he masterfully employs vernacular language to depict scenes. For example, in Green, he uses metaphors and contrasts to intricately and deeply portray the texture and color of the waterfall at Meiyutan, demonstrating his exceptional skill in language. His refined mastery of language is particularly evident in Moonlight over the Lotus Pond. When describing the beauty of lotus flowers under the moonlight, he compares them to pearls, stars in the blue sky, and a beauty emerging from a bath. When describing the faint fragrance of the lotus, he uses the phrase, "as if a distant song drifting from a high-rise," comparing the scent to a melody and its faintness to the subtlety of the sound, showcasing his skillful use of synesthesia. Compared to these brilliant and vivid metaphors, Zhu Ziqing also wrote prose in a simpler style, conveying sincere and profound emotions through plain narration. These works often reflect the author’s integrity, passion, and progressive spirit, such as The Price of Life—Seventy Cents and The White Man—God’s Pride! Among these, The Back has had the greatest impact. This prose depicts a scene of a father and son parting at a train station. Using simple language, it describes the father’s actions as he climbs onto the platform, conveying the deep bond between father and son through his clumsy and humorous movements. This essay strips away the author’s usual pretense, and through the father’s every gesture, readers seem to glimpse the family’s difficult circumstances.