Teacher Wang Wai Shi

Author: Wang Xinhua
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: This is a long novel depicting the bitter survival state of middle-aged intellectuals. The protagonist, Wang Fu, is a university lecturer in his forties. Due to his difficult-to-pronounce name, he is jokingly called "Professor Wang." The whimsical and unpredictable nature of fate makes it hard for him to advance in both his career and life. To obtain a promotion, he is forced to pretend to be obsequious to the powerful. By chance, he develops ambitions to leave teaching for politics, hoping to secure a position that would give him some dignity. However, the complexities and cruelty of the officialdom push him back into the teaching field. His failed application for a promotion again leads him to make a bold yet foolish decision—to block the path of Zhang, the Deputy Provincial Governor, during an inspection visit. The department head and the newly appointed are infuriated, and the terrifying consequences leave him in constant anxiety. Unbeknownst to him, the associate professor title falls into his lap by sheer chance. Professor Wang and his wife, Liu Ying, are in the midst of a emotional crisis due to their clashing personalities, temperaments, and lifestyles. His wife's cleanliness and her almost demands on him lead to sexual dysfunction, leaving their intimate life in extreme awkwardness. Eventually, Liu Ying falls in love with someone else, leaving him heartbroken and empty. In his loneliness, he endures the emotional and physical torment of a man left desolate. Later, he becomes close friends with his colleague, Zhang Hui. He finally realizes that Zhang Hui, who is beautiful, gentle, and caring, is the woman he truly desires. Their dates at the Blue Dream Bar bring them closer together. Just as love, long overdue, is about to blossom, late-stage liver cancer takes him down as he collapses on the lecture stage. On a late-night hospital bed, in a dream of marrying his beloved, Professor Wang passes away quietly. At his funeral, the arrival of two foreign unexpected visitors sparks a commotion. For some reason, a sudden frenzy of studying and promoting Professor Wang erupts, turning him overnight into a renowned expert. Two years later, it becomes clear that it was all a ridiculous farce. With the passage of time, the hustle and bustle of life returns to its quietude.