Chronicles of Shuilan Village (1949)

Author: Wang Zhenzhong (Author), Li Yuxiang (Photographer)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: A common village boy, accidentally finds himself at the edge of history and geography, with his vivid personal life testifying to the pulse of history and the vicissitudes of life. It provides a folk record beyond the traditional historical chronicles. "History is like a play, and geography is the stage." In a moment of reflection, life always evokes countless emotions. The interpretation of the diary of the young man Zhan Qingliang may stem from my inseparable affection for Huizhou culture, but how this thin diary from the depths of the mountains to my desk, and how I met the owner of the diary during an incidental journey, led to a dramatic scene. I believe this was truly a coincidence of fate. Perhaps, in the unseen forces of the universe, it was destined that the boy's natural talent would stir a chain of tranquil harmonies in this noisy and chaotic world.
Parts of this book were previously published online under the title "At the Edge of History and Geography: Shuilan Village in 1949" on the "Century China" website. On the day of its release, a reader wrote a review titled "The Days of Such Times Are Gone." The reviewer, who signed as "A Person from Shuilan Village," wrote: "Perhaps we don’t care about all the worldly events in this world. Perhaps we don’t care about all the wars in this world. Perhaps we don’t care about all the love stories in this world. Because we are uninvolved in the world. We only want to carve our hearts finely under this sky, and we only want to enjoy our lives under this sky, letting them slowly walk toward death. When death comes, I will just wash the dirt off my body and lie down quietly. Naturally, I will just walk away." Such days may no longer exist. Without such days, perhaps they never truly existed, and perhaps they will never exist again. What remains is the peaceful and tranquil mindset of the distant little village, "Shuilan Village." I wonder if it captures the living conditions of the elderly Zhan Qingliang—willing to be a water plant at the bottom of a river in the flow of time, swaying gracefully amidst the surging undercurrents. I believe I am not the only one who feels deeply when reading others' destinies.
Afterward, thanks to the kindness of Lu Hao, my article was formally published in the fourth volume, ninth issue (September 2002) of Wangbao. The essay titled "Shuilan Village Chronicle: 1949," spanning over 20,000 words, almost occupied one-third of the issue, making it the longest article in the history of Wangbao's creation. For this book, in addition to parts of the original, I added my observations and reflections from a revisit to Shuilan in spring 2002. Thus, the book is divided into three parts: , and the second part. In these parts, I attempt to narrate the main content reflected in the diary in a literary style, meticulously interpret the life landscape of the village boy, and peer into the fleeting joys and sorrows of folk society. I also strive to outline the regional cultural background of Wuyuan, a geographical edge, and the projection of China's social changes around 1949 in Shuilan, reflecting my overall understanding of Huizhou regional culture. With the consent of the elderly Mr. Zhan, I have included the punctuated and organized diary, along with signed notes, as an appendix in the third part of the book. To preserve its original form, only a few annotations have been added.
Although the book is titled "Shuilan Village Chronicle: 1949," I still strive to provide as detailed an explanation as possible of the social customs and cultural phenomena mentioned in the diary, and to deeply depict the inheritance and transformation of Huizhou's social culture. While 1949 is merely a turning point in the long river of history, I hope through my interpretation to conduct a diachronic analysis of the changes in various social phenomena before and after liberation, revealing the chaotic contemporary scene on this poor yet beautiful land and uncovering the lineage from tradition to modernity. In addition to the narrative, I also offer a batch of new historical documents to the academic community.
The diary of the village boy Zhan Qingliang once portrayed life dreams amidst green trees and red flowers. It truthfully depicts the social life of the remote mountainous areas around 1949, recording the inner experiences of the people in specific historical contexts: the simplicity of rural life, unique local traditions, the confusion and alarm caused by natural disasters and wars, the anxieties and disappointments of the lower classes, the joys and sorrows of the youth, and the ordinary yet touching personal world, all meticulously detailed. What is dramatic is that over fifty years later, the boy's diary somehow found its way to Shanghai and, by chance, fell into the hands of an avid collector. Originally, I did not expect to find the owner of the diary, but when people traced the threads and found the small village deep in the mountains, the person they met at the village entrance turned out to be the owner of the diary from half a century ago. The youthful vigor of the past now lies in the weathered farmer of the fields. The interplay of time evokes endless thoughts; the boy's dreams, like spring flowers, bright and vivid. Reflecting on the present, it feels like continuing a dream or visiting a past life, with all traces shrouded in the hazy and dimming light. What memories did he leave behind in his old age? Has knowledge truly changed people's destinies, or is it fate itself that grants different opportunities?