Binu -- The Legend of Meng Jiangnu Weeping Over the Great Wall

Author: Su Tong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: "Retelling Myths" was initiated by the British publishing house Canongate, marking the first global cross-border publishing collaboration involving renowned publishers from over thirty countries and regions, including the UK, US, China, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. European media hailed it as "a miracle in the international publishing world." To date, the series has welcomed authors such as Nobel laureates, Booker Prize winners, and best-selling writers like Kenzaburō ōe, Margaret Atwood, Chinua Achebe, José Saramago, Toni Morrison, Umberto Eco, and the Chinese author Su Tong. Chongqing Publishing House is the sole participating institution in mainland China for the "Retelling Myths" project. Binnu—The Legend of Meng Jiangnu is the "China Edition" of "Retelling Myths" written by the renowned Chinese author Su Tong. Additionally, the celebrated Chinese writers Li Rui and Ye Zhaoyan have also joined the writing of "Retelling Myths," each interpreting different ancient Chinese myths.
In ancient Chinese legends, Meng Jiangnu was a remarkable woman who remained steadfastly loyal to her love and walked thousands of miles to deliver winter clothes to her husband. During that time, the emperor, to prevent foreign invasions, conscripted all young and strong men to build the Great Wall. Meng Jiangnu, knowing the harsh winters in the north, resolved to send warm clothes to her husband. Upon learning that her husband had been buried beneath the Great Wall and that she would never see him again, she wept so uncontrollably that the heavens trembled and the Great Wall collapsed.
In Binnu, Su Tong takes us back to a distant antiquity, using his rich imagination to recreate breathtaking and heart-stirring scenes—practicing nine different ways of crying for survival, holding a funeral for herself before delivering the winter clothes, dressing as a witch to scare away mischievous children, being paraded as an assassin in the streets, and joining a multitude of frogs in their journey to the Great Wall. In the novel, Binnu’s resilience and loyalty drive back the worldly conspiracies and the ugliness of human nature. This lowly woman, crushed under the weight of power, creates a mythic legend through her devotion and kindness in the turbulent times.