Love in 1973

Author: Ye Zhaoyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features: I must remember this novel: Love in 1937. The author is Ye Zhaoyan. The title of this book did not attract me at first—not like those poetic love sayings. The protagonist Ding Wenyu was later shot by a bullet from a Japanese ship while searching for his love, Yuanyuan, and fell silently, never to rise again. The author presented such a tragic ending in an extremely calm tone. I believe the author’s heart was also turbulent. Throughout the reading, I often felt a sense of familiarity. Later, upon closer reflection, I realized this novel shares some stylistic similarities with Qian Zhongshu’s Fortress Besieged. The humorous language, pervasive irony, light tone, and hidden meanings... make it a book that leaves readers both laughing and deep in thought. For example, the description of the "gathering" at the beginning of the novel is particularly amusing. Here is the original text:
"On New Year's Day in 1937, there were many party and state officials in the capital Nanjing. Due to attending various meetings, they all unfortunately caught colds. The meetings became a heavy burden for these officials. There were three unavoidable meetings. First, they went to Zhongshan Ling to pay respects—a tiring task. Every New Year’s Day, they had to perform the ritual with great respect, and everyone who went was panting and covered in sweat. Then they went to the Central Party Department on Hunan Road to hear Yu Youren’s New Year’s speech. After that, they went to the National Government to hear Chairman Lin Sen’s speech. The speeches were to be published in the newspapers. The three meetings together represented a certain status, reflecting a person’s position in the government. No one was willing to give them up. The officials rushed from meeting to meeting, sweating and shivering, and in the end, they all caught colds. The frail old gentlemen even sneezed before the meetings ended."
The phrase "no one was willing to give them up" reveals the mindset of all officials—no matter how tired or sick, some people would even envy those who couldn’t bear the fatigue and cold! Clearly, they are all men who are overly concerned with fame and fortune, eager for status and gain. This grand "gathering" scene, in modern terms, is like a "catwalk," and in more colloquial terms, it’s a "show off." Ding Wenyu also "gathered." His red sleep hat, red tie, suit, cane, and gray overcoat, coupled with his title as a professor in the foreign language department, made him look ridiculous. Combined with his eyes that shone unashamedly when looking at girls, he left a deep impression on the readers. Such an unconventional and seemingly "unfair" appearance—what kind of person could he be? Ding Wenyu’s age......