Tong Guang Da Lao

Author: Gao Yang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Gao Yang was a renowned Taiwanese writer who passed away. His real name was Xu Yanping, and he was from Zhejiang. Born into the wealthy Qiantang clan, he moved to Taiwan with the army in 1948 and served as the editor-in-chief of the Taiwan-based Zhonghua Daily and a special columnist for Zhongyuan Daily. In 1962, Gao Yang was invited to serialize Li Wa in the of the United Daily, which became a sensation and marked the beginning of his career as a historical novelist. Later works such as The Complete Biography of Empress Dowager Cixi and Hu Xueyan further solidified his status as Taiwan's foremost historical novelist. Gao Yang authored over 90 works, totaling approximately 105 volumes, making him a prolific writer. His historical novels spanned emperors, generals, scholars, and beauties, appealing to a wide readership. Additionally, his novels possessed a certain practicality, akin to motivational literature, offering readers direct spiritual or material benefits.
Gao Yang was born into the Qiantang clan, a family of scholars known for adhering to strict class norms in their behavior and conduct. These norms were reflected in his historical novels, where, apart from his fluent writing and deep classical literary foundation, his works were unembellished and meticulously grounded in historical accuracy. Every detail, from the stitching of a needle to the words and actions of his characters, was rooted in historical reality, capturing the atmosphere of the era. Moreover, his narrative techniques, though rooted in traditional Chinese storytelling conventions, had reached a high level of refinement.
Gao Yang excelled in writing about the Qing Dynasty. In nearly all his historical novels set in the Qing era, his portrayals were brilliant, making them enjoyable as engaging period histories. Not only did his works closely align with historical events, figures, developments, and frameworks, but his story details were often verifiable. Gao Yang was well-versed in Qing-era notes, unofficial histories, essays, and poetry, which he frequently drew upon for his novels. From there, he skillfully incorporated Qing-era institutions, anecdotes, local customs, and social conditions into his stories, presenting them vividly to readers.
What is particularly remarkable is that Gao Yang possessed not only historical knowledge and research skills but also historical insight, offering unique perspectives and judgments on important figures and events of the modern era, such as Empress Dowager Cixi, Li Hongzhang, Hu Xueyan, the "Hundred Days' Reform," and the "Boxer Rebellion." Whether his historical views are accepted is for readers to judge. Fiction is not history, and it must have compelling, engaging plots. Gao Yang was a master storyteller, and this was another of his great strengths.
The late Qing Dynasty was a period of complex and unpredictable events—"a tangled mess." Yet Gao Yang navigated it with ease, weaving together multiple storylines that were both separate and interrelated. Through his dynamic narrative style, the historical landscape of the late Qing era unfolded naturally. Readers, driven by their eagerness to follow the story, were unwittingly introduced to the historical facts.
Ten carefully crafted, masterpiece novels, each page a story, offer profound and vivid analyses of Qing political figures.