China 1957: New Classics Library · Novel Series

Author: You Fengwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: The publication of the "New Classics" series aims to address the phenomena we criticize. A common judgment is that "modern literature" has never and will never end the new possibilities for modern Chinese writing. Therefore, we refer to the creations of the past two decades that have provided new possibilities and qualities for Chinese writing as "new classics." The series "Panoramic Views of Contemporary Chinese Writers" has already published four volumes. As some scholars argue, it actually forms an annalistic literary history through the selection of literary works. These selected writings are no longer monolithic critiques of writers and their works; instead, writers, critics, and editors interpret and record the development of literature, creating a multi-faceted interactive narrative of literary history. This book series is part of the New Classics series, featuring "China 1959"! Compiled by the renowned writer Mr. You Fengwei! This book truly reflects some new aspects. It is not just a selection but a comprehensive work synthesized from research, documents, and classic texts. You Fengwei has written "Night Talks at Stone Gate" and has been involved in a copyright dispute with director Jiang Wen over the film "The Ghosts on a Bridge." Readers are no longer unfamiliar with him. However, what truly made an impact on the literary world was the recent publication of his long novel "China 1957." "China 1957" is a valuable read for both those who experienced the Anti-Rightist Campaign and those who did not, as it effectively restores the memories we must retain. You Fengwei, who has written about bandits and war, has now turned his attention to intellectuals. In 1957, China's Anti-Rightist Campaign labeled 570,000 intellectuals of all sizes as rightists, marking another large-scale purge of the intellectual class in China following the "Hu Feng Counter-Revolutionary Group Case" in 1955. "China 1957" is based on this event, telling the story of a man named Zhou Wenxiang who was labeled a rightist while studying at Beijing University, sentenced to forced labor, enduring 22 years of physical and mental torment, transforming from a passionate young man into "an almost hollow shell, like an empty gourd floating listlessly on the water's surface."