Ambiguous

Author: Liu Xiaochuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: This book aims to showcase ambiguous scenes in daily life, tense, poetic, beautiful, or not-so-beautiful stories. Delve deeper into the matters, and you will find an endless array of meanings. Chengdu and Meishan are two ancient cities, one large and one small, separated by dozens of kilometers. These two cities are home to a group of men and women—Shang Nü, Qi Hong, Jiang Yun, Zhao Yu, Li Jin, and Sun Jianjun. Over the course of twenty days, something happens among this group of people. All are ordinary events, yet upon closer inspection, they are anything but ordinary: Sun Jianjun follows Shang Nü through the misty Sangu Temple; Li Jin's gaze is fixed on Qi Hong's delicate ankles; Zhao Yu's throat tightens the moment she sees Jiang Yun; Xi'er sets her sights on the red underwear fluttering in the wind on the rooftop; Yin Zhiping and Xiao Xu enter a roadside shop in the dark, as if their bodies short-circuit, sparking with every touch; Li Feng resolves to marry someone else's wife; on sunny days, Xi'er deliberately picks fights with Li Feng; Zhao Yan tells Zhao Yu, "You go through that door every day. Are you annoying or what?" Sun Jianjun finds himself torn between two beauties; Sun Qinghai returns from France and frequently asks his cousin Shang Nü out; Su Jie dances in a disco, her back as dreamlike as a fantasy. Such are the countless details of life, revealing an underlying tension. Without a deliberate narrative, the effect is nonetheless thrilling. Ambiguity is everywhere, like overflowing spring water. Ambiguity is like locusts. Ambiguity is like playing a dissonant tune. Ambiguity, in one person's eyes, may be the reason for another's heartache. The author discovers: much of the poetry and artistry in life are tied to ambiguity. Ambiguity is a patent enjoyed by humanity, a major theme in all art.