February

Author: Rou Shi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The charging warrior, the innocent orphan, the widow of the yearbook, the passionate woman, the new-style gentlemen with various ideologies, the lifeless and whispering old society—though it is not like a spider's web, solely waiting for the flying traveler, but in the eyes of the young seeking tranquility, it turns into great anguish. This great anguish is the pitiful salt and pepper of society, together with the warrior and orphan, it gives some flavor to the boring society, making them continue to exist in boredom.—Lu Xun
Rou Shi's outstanding work is February. It can be said that February is both Rou Shi's representative work and a classic of modern literature. Written in 1929, February reflects the frustration and confusion of young intellectuals who lost their way after the failure of the Great Revolution. As the protagonist, Xiao Jianqiu, yearns to make a difference, filled with passion, upon arriving in Furong Town, he gets entangled in a vortex of pain upon encountering the two women, Tao Lan and Wen Sao. The reality, like a trap and a dark hole all around, makes him unable to take a step forward, let alone stand firm. He sympathizes with Wen Sao's tragic fate and does his utmost to help her family, yet rumors spread. The death of her child and Wen Sao's suicide shatter his desire for a humane life. The intelligent and beautiful Tao Lan loves him, and he could have accepted this arrangement from heaven, but the dissolute Qian Zhengxing, who covets Tao Lan, relentlessly harasses him. The fragile Xiao Jianqiu falls into a state of sorrowful confusion.