Reflections on Masterpieces of Classical Prose by Famous Writers -- Zhu Ziqing -- Choosing a Spouse

Author: Zhu Ziqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The Choice of a Spouse reveals the bitter lives of young men and women under the feudal marriage system. The essence of the feudal marriage system is to disregard love and sexuality, denying human nature. The tragedies of marriage in the old society stem from this. In the article, the author, with his honesty and sincerity, recounts his past four attempts at choosing a spouse, humorously describing his childhood experiences in choosing a partner. Through simple and light-hearted narration, he reflects the unfortunate marriage fate of a generation of young people and criticizes the unreasonable marriage system that relies solely on the decisions of parents and matchmakers.
Zhu Ziqing (1898–1948), styled Peiyuan, achieved the highest artistic accomplishments in his prose, particularly in works such as The Back of the Father and Moonlight over the Lotus Pond, both included in collections like The Back of the Father and You and I, as well as Green, from Traces in Wenzhou. Zhu Ziqing’s prose excels not only in description but also achieves an artistic realm where scene and emotion blend seamlessly. His landscape prose holds a significant position in modern Chinese literary creation, and he masterfully employs vernacular language to depict scenes with great charm. For example, in Green, he uses metaphors and contrasts to vividly portray the texture and color of the waterfall at Meiyutan, demonstrating his exceptional skill in crafting language. His refined literary prowess is particularly evident in Moonlight over the Lotus Pond. When describing the beauty of lotus flowers under the moonlight, he compares them to pearls, stars in the blue sky, and a woman emerging from a bath. In describing the faint fragrance of the lotus, he uses the phrase "as if faint songs drifting from a distant building," comparing the scent to music and the faintness to the subtlety of the fragrance—a masterful use of synesthesia that is both precise and enchanting.
Compared to the splendid and vivid metaphors mentioned above, Zhu Ziqing also wrote prose in a different style—using simple language to convey sincere and profound emotions through plain narration. Such works often reflect the author’s integrity, passion, and progressive spirit. Representative examples include The Price of Life—Seventy Cents and The White Man—God’s Pride! Among these, The Back of the Father has had the greatest impact. This prose depicts a scene of a father and son parting at a train station. Through simple language, it describes the father’s actions as he climbs onto the platform, conveying the deep bond between father and son in the humor and clumsiness of his movements. This prose strips away the author’s usual sophistication, and through the father’s every gesture, readers seem to glimpse the dire circumstances of his family.