Biographical Stories of Founding Generals (Continuation)

Author: Wu Dongfeng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The founding generals were all people who had experienced many years of war. The rolling smoke of battlefields and the environment of blood and rain forged their ideals and spirits, tempered their will and character, and each of them had many legends and stories. It can be said that each of them is a book rich in content. Through direct interviews with more than 50 founding generals, this book sensitively captures the typical details that distinctly reflect their spiritual character and behavior, and presents them in concise literary descriptions. It allows readers to be infected and moved in a pleasant reading experience, leaving a very deep memory. These short, concise, and lyrically written narrative works, although lacking the solemnity and comprehensiveness of major works, are vivid and vivid in details, with the style of painting the dragon to highlight the big, shining brilliance, and vivid depth, strongly showing their uniqueness in the ordinary. It uncovers many real anecdotes and interesting stories of the generals while correcting some of the unverified folk legends. These figures among the founding generals are undoubtedly those with strong vitality and a brilliant history of life. Their experiences and existence are not only part of their own lives but also chapters of social history. The author of this book uses a short, bright, and lyrical expression to skillfully click on the anecdotes of each general, vividly portraying the flashes of their spirit and character. With authentic, lifelike, and typical details, it completely breaks the constraints of standardized and stereotyped conventions, creating a new method of writing about people and events, deeply satisfying and accepted by the generals and a broad readership. The works in Anecdotes of Founding Generals are a kind of aggregated expression. The author does not pursue completeness but strives to grasp authenticity, accuracy, and vividness. Therefore, the works give readers a series of close-ups of the generals' thoughts, styles, circumstances, actions, and language, but they express and interpret their essential lives and characters. Anecdotes of Founding Generals is deeply influenced by traditional historical works. The deeds of the hundred generals described in it follow the style of Records of the Grand Historian, New Tales of the World, and Ming and Qing dynasty notes, not only providing rich materials but also elegant and fresh writing. Another feature of this book is that a considerable number of the historical facts of the PLA generals recorded in it are based on the author's direct interviews or personal contacts. Due to the author's long career as a military journalist, they had the opportunity to interview the parties directly, making many anecdotes more intimate and believable, truly excellent works of historical notes. Although only a hundred generals are recorded in this book, it involves more than 500 celebrities from both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China. It not only narrates their words and deeds but also covers many important historical facts from the Xinhai Revolution to the present. Thanks to the author's timely interviews and unremitting efforts, the information about many deceased generals has been preserved. This effort of the author has actually gone beyond the scope of literature and become invaluable historical and literary materials. To write about the times and the people of the times is not an easy task. Overall, the writing framework of "hiding faults from the respected and the virtuous" still cannot be completely avoided. This seems to be a common problem in contemporary writing, and readers can judge for themselves. Anecdotes of Founding Generals also has a rare and valuable feature: after each anecdote of a general, there is a certain amount of annotation. These annotations, in addition to introducing the rank and position of the main character, mostly indicate the source of the information. This shows the author's serious and conscientious attitude in writing, speaking with evidence, and almost every event is well-documented. Comrade Wu Dongfeng uses a white-drawing technique and classical sentence structures to narrate the precious anecdotes of the founding generals to us. This is a style long gone, and it is very interesting to read. Of course, there are some awkward and unnatural sentences in classical and vernacular mixed styles in this book, as well as some stiff and awkward expressions. It is hoped that the author can correct them during proofreading to avoid affecting readability. Anecdotes of Founding Generals·Continuation continues to record the brilliant lives of 51 outstanding founding generals such as Wang Shusheng, Xu Guangda, Xiao Jinguang, Wang Zhen, Yang Chengwu, Xiao Hua, Xiao Ke, Hong Xuezhi, and Yu Qiuli with a unique perspective and engaging, witty language. Like the first volume, it is also a fine work in the literature of military and political leaders.