Baicao Mountain

Author: Li Xiye
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: In Baicaoshan, the older-generation soldier He Jinzhu is vividly portrayed. From enlisting in the army amidst the flames of the Anti-Japanese War to withdrawing from the frontline in the mid-1980s during the massive military downsizing, his 50-year military career, along with his life story and character traits, are deeply connected to those of other iconic figures like Guan Shanshan in I Am the Sun, Li Yunlong in Liang Jian, and Shi Guangrong in Father Comes to Town. He can be considered a legendary hero who has made a name for himself. However, the author deliberately avoids the exaggerated portrayal and extreme language behavior patterns commonly seen in characterizations, opting instead for a restrained and straightforward style to introduce us to a very authentic, relatable, and ordinary hero among the older-generation soldiers. It can be said that the emergence of the character He Jinzhu not only further enriches the gallery of characters in China's military-themed long novels but also marks a deeper understanding and exploration by our military writers in grasping historical life and figures.
In Baicaoshan, the portrayal of He Jinzhu is also developed from two aspects: military life and family life. On the battlefield, He Jinzhu, like Guan Shanshan, Li Yunlong, and Shi Guangrong, is fearless and invincible, yet he possesses more strategy and cunning. In the Anti-Japanese War, the War of Liberation, and the Korean War, He Jinzhu's three remarkable military achievements—driving back a Japanese battalion with nine horses, capturing a Guomindang independent regiment with a platoon, and annihilating a U.S. reinforced company with a company—stand as the highlights of this legendary hero who grows through war. On the ever-changing battlefield, he is adept at seizing the moment, daring to use the empty fort strategy, and skillfully fighting with inferior equipment against superior forces, showcasing the distinct characteristics of a Chinese soldier.
In his family life, He Jinzhu broke off an arranged marriage with Wei Muzi's sister Wei Shulan and married the university student Zhang Min, yet he never expected the complex emotional entanglements that followed to haunt him for the rest of his life. On one hand, Wei Shulan's unforgiveness becomes a lifelong pain in his heart; on the other hand, Zhang Min's detachment from his hometown and family, as well as her growing air of a government official's wife and worldly manner, constantly provoke his vigilance and reflection as an honest and courageous soldier. In stark contrast to his cleverness and dominance on the battlefield, He Jinzhu is portrayed as someone who is deeply attached to his family life, embodying sincerity, openness, and tolerance. The work uses numerous vivid and delicate plots and details to describe how He Jinzhu, in his interactions with his hometown relatives and clashes with Zhang Min, either directly or indirectly reveals his complex yet kind-hearted inner feelings, or from different angles highlights his natural tendency to understand and communicate with others despite his high status.
Through decades of hardship and changes, He Jinzhu remains steadfast in his affection for his hometown and his warmth toward his family, while also upholding his military beliefs and work principles. It can be said that this is the most moving part of the work and the aspect of He Jinzhu's character that leaves the deepest impression. The radiance of the times and the brilliance of humanity are perfectly harmonized in the character of He Jinzhu.
In Baicaoshan, nearly one-third of the book is dedicated to depicting the half-century changes in the life of He Jinzhu's hometown, Baicaoshan, which is an extremely important subplot in the work. Baicaoshan is not grand or prominent, but it is lush with herbs, and almost every ordinary plant is a useful traditional Chinese medicine. The people of Baicaoshan are simple and unpretentious, and there are no extraordinary individuals among them. However, during the time of Japanese aggression, when the villagers were brutalized and massacred, a literate man named He Xiucai refused to flee, calling the invaders "Jap devils"; a martial artist named He Yizzi fought bare-handedly and killed two Japanese officers; and a 16-year-old girl named He Yaya resisted the enemy commander to the death. He Jinzhu's father, He Laotian, and his former wife, Wei Shulan, can be seen as typical representatives of the ordinary yet self-respecting people of Baicaoshan.
In the work, when the young He Jinzhu, in his folly, broke off his marriage with Wei Shulan, He Laotian and Wei Shulan made a decisive and resolute decision to sever ties with him in a uniquely Chinese way, a scene that is truly heart-stirring. To modern eyes, this way of settling may seem extreme and narrow, but it carries the profound resonance of our nation's spiritual traditions, serving as a lasting warning to He Jinzhu and the younger generation of Baicaoshan.
In He Jinzhu's life journey, Baicaoshan is where his roots and soul lie. Only by understanding Baicaoshan and its people can one truly understand He Jinzhu and this generation of soldiers. Works like Baicaoshan, which focus on deeply exploring a land imbued with national traditions and earnestly shaping a vivid, admirable, and legendary hero, also open new paths for the continuous deepening and broadening of China's military-themed long novels.