Pipa Music in the Deep Alley (100 Essays by Lu Wenfu)

Author: Lu Wenfu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: The Feminization of Suzhou People
Suzhou people are often feminized, associated with beauty, gentleness, quietness, and elegance; girls are praised as "little jade blossoms" or "gentlewomen of high birth," and those who don't qualify as "jade blossoms" are still called "older sisters." The reason Suzhou people are feminized, I believe, is due to language—the dreaded soft and melodic Wu dialect. When spoken by quiet and elegant ladies, the Wu dialect is indeed beautiful, gentle, and melodious. I once accompanied an American writer on a tour of the Suzhou Embroidery Factory, where the renowned embroidery artist Zhu Feng explained the exhibits. Zhu Feng was beautiful and elegant, speaking fluent Wu dialect, and the American writer listened to her attentively without translation. I was a bit puzzled and asked if he understood. He laughed, saying he wasn't listening to an introduction but to music, describing Zhu Feng's speech as "like music, like a beautiful symphony." However, when men speak the Wu dialect, it can sound a bit "effeminate." That year, I met the elderly writer Zhang Tianxi, who had been involved in revolutionary activities and imprisoned in Suzhou during his youth. He jokingly told me that when Suzhou people demonstrated, their slogans were weak and soft, and he even imitated the Suzhou accent. His imitation wasn't very authentic, but I had to admit that if someone spoke the Wu dialect and shouted "Down with"