Look at Zhang

Author: An Yiru
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Dedicated to this book as a memorial for the 10th anniversary of Eileen Chang's passing! That night, I stood on the streets of Shanghai, gazing at the flickering, dreamlike neon lights, and suddenly realized that I was still in the same era, the same years as her. She was the beginning of the end, while we were the end of the beginning. This process was so long that I couldn’t see it clearly. I only saw—Eileen Chang, waiting for me ahead. The more I stared, the more distant I felt from her. This distance had begun in the distant years and continued to stretch forward. Generations of high walls had been built by the barriers of time and space, separating us by a century. When I looked up at her, I had a sense that all my efforts would turn to ashes in despair. In September 1995, Eileen Chang quietly passed away in her residence. A dazzling, golden-sand-filled era came to a complete end. Her life was more legendary than her novels. In that era, no one dared to shout the slogan, "Fame should be sought early; if it comes too late, joy is not as sweet" as she did. Yet, after the brilliance, she could instantly return to simplicity, like the cold, stunning beauty left in the heart after a fireworks display. And her love—so brief yet so intense, two years of it requiring a lifetime to forget. Her death was also so mysterious. She lay quietly in that small apartment, unknown to anyone.