Chen Zishan’s new book Zhang Ailing： Interpretation of the Legend Behind the Rumors

Chen Zishan, a professor at East China Normal University, recently published the unknown Zhang Ailing by the Commercial Press, which is his latest anthology on Zhang Ailing. Since the publication of two volumes of Zhang Ailing’s Congkao in 2015, Chen Zishan has made new explorations, textual research, collation and interpretation of Zhang Ailing’s literary historical materials in five years, "thinking that he has made new discoveries".

The Unknown Eileen Chang sharing session (from left to right, Zhang Wei, Chen Zishan and Zhou Limin respectively). Image source: provided by the organizer

On July 31st, the new book launch conference "The Legend Behind the Rumor" of The Unknown Zhang Ailing was held in the flagship store of Shanghai Duoyun Academy. Chen Zishan, a professor at East China Normal University, Zhang Wei, a research librarian of Shanghai Library, and Zhou Limin, executive deputy director of Ba Jin’s former residence, gathered together to talk about the research context of Chen Zishan’s "Zhang Xue" and the style of Zhang Ailing’s works, and shared Zhang Ailing in their hearts.

She also loves to design the cover of novels.

"Among the modern writers in China, apart from Lu Xun, Zhang Ailing is the one who designs and binds most of her works." After discovering and researching many stories behind the covers designed by Zhang Ailing for her works, Chen Zishan concluded.

In the 1940s, The Legend was published in three editions, all of which were designed with the participation of Zhang Ailing. This book contains Zhang Ailing’s early representative works. At that time, she was only in her early twenties. She used this book to fulfill her wish of "becoming famous before it is too late" and established her irreplaceable position in the history of modern literature.

Among the three editions, the cover of the updated edition introduced in 1946 is the most famous. Chen Zishan introduced that the main body of the picture is a picture of a beautiful lady in Yat Sen Qing, borrowed from the famous painter Wu Youru’s "Ode to Today", and the incongruous "strange image" on the upper right is Zhang Ailing’s handwriting. Her explanation of this image is that "modern people who appear like ghosts are very curious and diligent to peek inside" and are peeking at what the people inside are doing.

"Such a scene, or the peaceful daily life of Chinese for thousands of years, has been broken by the intervention of" modern people ",so the meaning of this cover is very rich and complicated." Chen Zishan evaluation. Nightmare in the Red Chamber, the first edition of Taiwan Province Crown in 1977, is the only academic work of Zhang Ailing, and the cover design of this book was also completed by the author himself. A Dream of Red Mansions is the pinnacle of China’s classical novels, while Peking Opera is the essence of China’s plays. Zhang Ailing adopted the visual image of Peking Opera facial makeup in her design, and skillfully combined these two aspects of classics.

In people’s general impression, the relationship between Zhang Ailing and May 4th literature is alienated. However, Chen Zishan specifically mentioned that Zhang Ailing’s writing has a deep relationship with the May 4th New Literature Tradition, and the writing of the May 4th Legacy is an example. According to textual research, Zhang Ailing is quite familiar with Lu Xun’s works, and even has read some articles carefully and repeatedly, and is familiar with the inconspicuous details in the novel.

However, Zhang Ailing did not fully accept the May 4th literary creation. "She thought that the syntax of many vernacular literary works at that time was borrowed from foreign languages, and she did not appreciate this practice, so she tried to learn from China tradition and applied the writing style of A Dream of Red Mansions to vernacular writing, which proved to be quite successful." In his view, Zhang Ailing’s writing is very "genius". She combined part of the spirit of the May 4th vernacular with the traditional writing style of China’s classical novels, leaving a unique stroke in the history of modern literature in China.

Unknown Zhang Ailing. Image source: provided by the organizer

She prefers to hide herself.

At the age of 12, Zhang Ailing published her first novel "Unfortunate She" in the school magazine "Fengzao" of Santa Maria Girls’ School, where she was studying at that time. Since then, there have been many words in newspapers and periodicals. Zhang Wei, who used to work in Xujiahui Library, traces the past of the legendary writer’s creation in his youth by using the few school journals that published Zhang Ailing’s works. "Now you see more, is her work on" Fengzao ". But when I was in the library, I noticed a thin booklet called Guoguang, in which her Cow and Farewell My Concubine were both published. This small publication was initiated by Zhang Ailing’s Chinese teacher Wang Hongsheng, who encouraged Zhang’s creation, even though she was only a teenager, which showed the strong literary atmosphere of the girls’ middle school at that time. "

However, Zhang Ailing’s early years really attracted public attention, starting with Dream of Genius. This is an essay written by the 19-year-old in the prize-winning essay-writing activity of Shanghai West Wind Monthly, and she finally won the "honorary prize", ranking at the bottom of all the winning works. Chen Zishan mentioned that Zhang Ailing was not satisfied with this ranking. "Until his last year’s masterpiece" Memories of the West Wind ",I was still recalling the award-winning" storm "of this article."

From the "dream of genius" at the age of 19 to "be famous before it’s too late" in the preface to Legend at the age of 24, Zhang Ailing never concealed her desire to be seen and appreciated, and her early works were rarely published under a pseudonym. However, with the changes of the world, Zhang Ailing gradually began to use a pseudonym to hide herself. According to Chen Zishan’s research, "Shimin", "Liang Jing", "Fan Siping" and "Ai Zhen" are all pseudonyms that Zhang Ailing may have used, and the latter two are related to her translation career.

Zhang Ailing once published the translation "The Old Man and the Sea" as Fan Siping, and the translation "The Long March under the Sea" signed by Ai Zhen in Hong Kong’s Zhongnan Daily. Chen Zishan explained the reason as follows: "Zhang Ailing just arrived in Hong Kong and knew almost nothing about the literary world in Hong Kong in the early 1950s. She didn’t want to reveal her real name, which was once mixed." The reason of "mixed reputation" comes from the entanglement between Zhang Ailing and Hu Lancheng, which is well known to the world today.

After moving to the United States, Zhang Ailing’s tendency to hide herself became more apparent. In 1979, she quoted Hollywood producer Galwin’s phrase "include me" and declined Taipei United Daily News’s request for her recent address and the nature of her work. Chen Zishan found Zhang Ailing’s second quotation of this statement: "When the film crew of’ Writer’s Figure’ wanted to interview her by adopting more modern technical means to’ save’ her images and sounds, she once again quoted’ include me’ and chose to decline." A year after Zhang Ailing wrote a letter to decline the request for filming, she died alone.

Zhang Ailing (1920-1995) Data Map of vision china

Good at writing about ordinary people in daily life.

"The reason why Zhang Ailing’s works can be welcomed by so many people is precisely that she has not forgotten our own existence, our desires, our tastes and our feelings after contact with the world." Zhou Limin talked about the importance of humanistic spirit in Zhang Ailing’s works. "Her works have been published for decades, but they seem to be modern people around us, telling the inner feelings of the moment."

Zhang Ailing, who is familiar to everyone, mostly writes about life in the metropolis. In Chen Zishan’s view, this has something to do with her caution in writing. She always pursues "listening, seeing and feeling". During the occupation period, she wrote about the Shanghai civilians who were devastated and hit in the war, not just bullets and gunfire; She loves to write about working people, such as maids working in cities, and describes how young rural women got a foothold in Shanghai, a big city full of foreign flavor.

Besides, she is an outstanding feminist. Chen Zishan mentioned that as early as Zhang Ailing’s time, she noticed the "toilet revolution", and she wrote about the unbearable toilet problem in the countryside in a foreign land. "It is much more difficult for women to solve the problem of excretion in rural areas than men. Zhang Ailing noticed it and wrote it out. This alone is better than many female writers, because such details are often particularly touching. "

"Look at the legend of Zhang’s jasmine scented film." Zhou Limin described this "Unknown Zhang Ailing". On the cover of the book, several purple puzzles of different shades make up a hazy silhouette. Just as this writer, who has experienced ups and downs, changed from gorgeous to dull, and finally retained a bit of mystery, gradually emerged a real and vivid side in the research of later generations.