Border Town Notes on a Journey in Hunan

Author: Shen Congwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: His writing is like the stars, and his nature is like an innocent child. Shen Congwen is one of the most unforgettable writers in modern literary history. In the gentle and dreamlike scenery of Western Hunan, he created ideal characters that shine with a divine light, reflecting both the solemn, healthy, beautiful, and devout aspects of human nature, as well as his own romantic and classical sentiments. His Border Town was listed among the 100 Best Chinese Novels of the 20th Century by Asia Weekly; Journey on the Xiang River is considered his best prose collection (Shi Zhecun). Most of Shen Congwen's works can be seen as beautiful yet sorrowful paintings of the customs and people of Western Hunan. His stories break from conventional norms, experimenting with various styles and structures, making him one of the rare "stylistic" writers in modern literary history. His prose also possesses unique charm, adding artistic brilliance to modern prose. Shen Congwen created ideal characters that shine with a divine light, reflecting both the solemn, healthy, beautiful, and devout aspects of human nature, as well as his own romantic and classical sentiments. When I first read Border Town, what captivated me the most was its simplicity and the innocence of a child. Recently, reading Shen Congwen's literary theories, I found a sentence that perfectly summarizes Border Town: "I have been in Beijing for nearly six decades, my life nearing its twilight, yet my emotions remain suspended in an infant state." — Cao Wenxuan, Border Town: Shen Congwen's masterpiece, which presents readers with a harmonious life form in Western Hunan. Published in 1934, the novel depicts the love story between Tianbao and Nuosong, the two sons of the local boat captain in the mountain town of Chadian, and the boatman's granddaughter, Cuicui. Green mountains, clear waters, the old boatman by the river, the 16-year-old Cuicui, Tianbao on the wooden rafts floating down the river, and Nuosong in the spirited dragon boat—everything in Border Town is pure and natural, showcasing a poetic natural environment and human society. Yet, the most beautiful things can only remain in memory: Tianbao and Nuosong, one dead and the other leaving, and their grandfather passing away in a stormy night. A natural love story ends in tragedy. The novel uses the beautiful brushwork of both lyrical poetry and prose to depict the beauty of nature, folk customs, and human nature, portraying the scenery and customs by the water and on the boats. It is a lyrical and pastoral painting of Western Hunan, filled with folk colors and forming a unique lyrical rural novel. "For farmers and soldiers, I hold an indescribable tenderness, a sentiment that can be seen throughout all my works. Yet, the scenic beauty of the poetic Western Hunan Fenghuang County. With blood flowing from the Miao, Han, and Tujia ethnic groups, he wandered as a youth, experiencing life. The intersection of the soul and nature creates a flowing melody, an endless portrayal of the cruelty of society, the resilience of life, and the colorful customs, leaving behind a mysterious and ethereal image." Journey on the Xiang River: In early 1934, Shen Congwen returned home due to his mother's illness. Before leaving, he promised his wife, Zhang Zhaohuo, to write daily letters reporting his observations along the way. These letters, along with the illustrations attached to them, were not published during his lifetime. In 1991, they were compiled and edited by Shen Hucui as Letters from the Xiang River Journey, with the preface consisting of three letters from Zhang Zhaohuo to Shen Congwen, the epilogue one letter from Shen Congwen to Shen Yunliu, and the rest letters from Shen Congwen to Zhang Zhaohuo upon returning to his hometown. "Two thousand years ago, if the Chu exile Qu Yuan had not been exiled, had he come to this place filled with strange brilliance, witnessed these thrilling scenes firsthand, readers of the 2,000 years might not have been fortunate enough to read works like Nine Songs. I will describe in simple terms the anxieties of ordinary people in this nation as they advance toward an unknown fate, the struggles and desires born from a lack of nourishment—'how to live' and 'how to survive.'"