Mountains and rivers enter the dream

Author: Ge Fei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: This novel inherits the narrative tradition of traditional Chinese fiction while incorporating the techniques of Western modernist novels, making it a major highlight. "I am not merely borrowing the shell of a traditional serialized novel or a storytelling tale; I am creating something entirely new within the novel itself," Ge Fei believes. For those who are merely curious, the book should be readable, especially for female readers who hope to empathize. However, the hidden rich details, such as anonymous letters, may only become clear to readers upon a second reading. Ge Fei argues that the linear narrative tradition of Chinese fiction has a significant drawback: many plotlines cannot be addressed simultaneously. While Western novelists' synchronic narrative has achieved horizontal expansion of the story, it often halts its vertical development. Therefore, in his new work, he attempts to use bold text to represent the aimless yet important inner thoughts of characters. This approach allows him to achieve a narrative similar to "synchronic" while avoiding disrupting the overall flow of the story.
The motivation behind a novel often stems from a simple metaphor. While writing Human Face, Peach Blossoms, I unintentionally thought of ice. The ice flower melting rapidly in a pot is the past and future of Xiumi. This metaphor became my guardian angel, guiding me throughout the writing process, determining the rhythm and tone of the language, and bringing me comfort and confidence. So, what is the metaphor for The Mountains and Rivers Dream? I thought of an endless field of purple vetch under the sun. Imagine, in this field, stands a solitary camphor tree; imagine, the shadow of a floating cloud covers it. Gazing at this shadow, Yao Peipei makes a wish in her heart and closes her eyes. No matter how much Yao Peipei struggles, that shadow will never move, for it is engraved in her heart. Why is my heart so dark, yet others' faces are bright with sunshine? This is Yao Peipei's question, and it is also my question.
After winning the Chinese Literature Media Award and the Ding Jun Biennial Literature Award following Human Face, Peach Blossoms, the renowned writer Ge Fei presents his new full-length novel, a powerful work of pure literature that upholds the path of literary excellence! The story unfolds in a Jiangnan rural area between 1952 and 1962. The female protagonist, Yao Peipei, faces a family tragedy and moves from Shanghai to Meicheng. She sells bath tickets in a bathhouse and encounters Tan Gongda, the county magistrate of Meicheng, becoming his secretary. Although Tan Gongda admires her, his feelings are merely emotional and restrained by propriety. Later, Yao Peipei is raped and, in anger, kills her attacker, beginning to flee. Meanwhile, Tan Gongda's idealistic plans for Meicheng are repeatedly thwarted.
After being sidelined and sent to Huajiashu, he astonishingly discovers that his dream of a "Peach Blossom Spring" has already been realized here. On the very day he decides to find Yao Peipei, she is arrested and executed by a gunshot. He, too, dies in Meicheng prison, convicted of complicity and counter-revolutionary crimes.