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 Canongate Publishing Company and is the first global cross-border publishing collaboration involving renowned publishing houses from over thirty countries and regions, including the UK, US, China, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. European media have called it "a miracle in the international publishing world." So far, the series has included 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 writer Su Tong. Chongqing Publishing House is the only participating institution in mainland China for the "Retelling Myths" project. Binnu—The Legend of Meng Jiangnu is the "China Chapter" of "Retelling Myths" written by the renowned Chinese author Su Tong. Additionally, the famous 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 loyal to her love and walked thousands of miles to deliver warm clothes to her husband. At that time, the emperor had conscripted all young and strong men to build the Great Wall to prevent foreign invasions. Knowing that winter in the north would be harsh, Meng Jiangnu resolved to send her husband winter clothes. Upon learning that her husband had been buried beneath the Great Wall and that she had never seen him again, she wept so heartbreakingly that the sky darkened and the Great Wall collapsed.
In Binnu, Su Tong takes us back to ancient times, using his rich imagination to recreate dazzling and thrilling scenes—practicing nine different ways of crying for survival, holding a funeral for herself before delivering the warm clothes, dressing as a witch to scare away mischievous children, being paraded as an assassin in the streets, and joining a group of frogs on their journey to the Great Wall. In the novel, Binnu's resilience and loyalty repel the conspiracies of the secular world and the ugliness of human nature. This lowly woman, crushed by power, creates a mythical legend in the turbulent times through her devotion and kindness.