Editor’s note
The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held at the end of 1978 opened a new historical period in China’s reform and opening up. At the same time, many writers were paying attention to the reform and development in reality while publishing their own thoughts and thoughts on the development of the motherland in literature. Assuming, the creation trend of “reformed literature” was formed. Jiang Zilong’s “Mr. Qiao’s Inauguration”, Zhang Jie’s “Heavy Wings”, Jia Pingwa’s “Impy”, Lu Yao’s “Ordinary World”, etc. are representative works in the reform literature. Among them, “The Ordinary World” is the most influential novel with the largest sales volume. To this day, “The Ordinary World” still maintains a very high printing volume every year. According to the publisher’s data, it sells at least 500,000 sets a year. It is also the most borrowed novel in university libraries and a must-read for middle school students nationwide. Various art forms adapted from “The Ordinary World” are active in the popular cultural space. Dramas, TV dramas, and even comic strips, etc., are all warmly welcomed. In academia, a considerable number of master’s, doctoral dissertations and research monographs appear every year. In these studies, “Ordinary World” is not only analyzed as a literary work, but also often used as a literary and cultural phenomenon. discuss in depth.
Lu Yao integrated literary creation into the great practice of reform and opening up under the leadership of the party. With “The Ordinary World”, an emperor’s masterpiece of more than one million characters, it shows the great changes in the social life of my country’s urban and rural social life and the people’s thoughts and emotions, and praises the hard work and courage. The pioneering spirit of the times has inspired generations of young people to strive for the good, to strive for self-improvement, and to actively participate in the torrent of reform and opening up. It has had a wide-ranging and far-reaching social impact and is deeply embedded in the history of contemporary Chinese literature and the spirit of the Chinese. Life.
Author: Liang Hong (writer, professor of Renmin University of China)
Theme of this issue: “The Ordinary World“
In 1986, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Company published the first part of “The Ordinary World“, and in 1988 and 1989 successively published the second and third parts. “Ordinary World” centered on the two brothers Sun Shaoan and Sun Shaoping, portraying the images of many ordinary people in Chinese society from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, and deeply demonstrated the difficulties and twists that ordinary people have gone through in the historical process of the great age. path of. “Ordinary World” won the third Mao Dun Literature Award in 1991, and was selected into the “70 Novels Collection in 70 Years of New China” in 2019.
“The Ordinary World” was originally published by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Company
1. “As the son of a farmer, I am particularly concerned about the conditions of the Chinese countryside and the fate of the farmers”
In February and March of 1975, on an ordinary day, the misty rain caught a little bit of snowflakes, which was showering on the ground. The season is about to sting, and of course the snow will never stay, and often it has disappeared without a trace before it hits the ground. The cold and long winter on the Loess Plateau seems to be over, but the truly warm spring is far from coming.
Lu Yao
When the writer Lu Yao wrote this opening, he might not have thought that in the years to come, “The Ordinary World” warmed up generations and accompanied the spiritual growth of countless readers, especially young people. Readers are moved by the struggle and destiny of the two brothers Sun Shaoan and Sun Shaoping, and are also attracted by the broad social background and warm feelings in the book, which makes this long-running novel of more than one million characters a classic of contemporary Chinese literature.
However, the original publishing road of “Ordinary World” was very tortuous. When Lu Yao finished the first novel, his own expectations were high. Prior to this, the publication of the novella “Life” caused a sensation and made him a well-known writer in the country. Many literary publications asked him to write articles. After careful consideration, Lu Yao gave the first part of “The Ordinary World” to “Contemporary” for two reasons. One is that “Contemporary” has a great influence, and the other is that “Contemporary” has been adhering to the trend of realism. However, after the editor Zhou Changyi read the novel, “It feels like slow… It’s all within my expectations, it’s really hard to look down.” (In the same article, Zhou Changyi also admitted frankly that he would reread “The Ordinary World” 20 years later. “, “Suddenly discovered that it feels different from the previous year, it’s not ugly”), and decided to reject the manuscript based on this, which surprised Lu Yao very much. After that, other magazines also rejected articles. In the end, by chance, the first part of “The Ordinary World” was published in Guangzhou’s “Huacheng” magazine in November 1986.
After the publication of the work, the Shaanxi Writers Association and the “Huacheng” magazine jointly held a work seminar in Beijing, but the overall evaluation of the novel at the meeting was not high, and Lu Yao was quite hit. Even so, Lu Yao still started writing the second part. Because of the irregular life, Lu Yao greatly overdrafted his body and was seriously ill, but he did not stop, relying on a tenacious will to insist on writing, “writing is in a frenetic state, and the body is almost non-existent; life seems to be a pure The spiritual form of life, daily life becomes robot nature” (Lu Yao: “Morning Begins at Noon”). Although the writing of the first part has received many criticisms, in the second part of the writing, Lu Yao still insisted on writing according to the realistic method, which was a very brave decision. At that time, most of the popular literary thoughts in the literary world were modernist and avant-garde, and realism was considered backward. After the second part was completed, Lu Yao also found some magazines to submit articles, but no publications were willing to publish. Lu Yao didn’t stop his creative pace, and then spent the days of “morning starts at noon”, living alone in Yulin Hotel, Shaanxi, and immersed himself in writing the third part. In May 1988, the “Ordinary World” trilogy was finally completed, which lasted six years. After several twists and turns, the third volume was published in the Shanxi “Yellow River” magazine, which had little influence at the time, and critics were still not optimistic about it.
At this moment, Ye Yongmei, a reporter from China National Radio, did something of great significance. She lobbied around and tried to make “Ordinary World” broadcast on China National Radio. From March 27th to August 2nd, 1988, the “Ordinary World” program was broadcast on the “Long-length Broadcast” program of China National Radio. The performer was Li Yemo, a famous studio artist. Once it was broadcast, it caused a huge response across the country and conquered the audience. The radio received letters from readers from all over the country every day. Since then, “Ordinary World” has been broadcast on China National Radio twice, with a cumulative audience of more than 300 million people. This laid a very good foundation for the spread of “Ordinary World” in the future.
Manuscript of Lu Yao’s “Ordinary World”
In 1986, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Company published the first part of “The Ordinary World“, and in 1988 and 1989, the second and third parts were published successively.
Lu Yao (first from left) talks with miners in Yakou Coal Mine.
In March 1990, the 14-episode TV series “The Ordinary World” directed by Pan Xinxin, the China TV Drama Production Center, was broadcast on CCTV. Lu Yao also participated in the filming of this drama. He also helped the director to interview the prototypes of the characters in the book, allowing the actors to experience life in the local area. After the show was broadcast, the evaluation was mixed. Some people said that the characters in the book were highly restored, and some people thought that the story was too fast and a little rushed. This aspect has something to do with the short episode. After all, with a capacity of over a million words, it is very difficult for more than one hundred characters to be displayed in 14 episodes. In addition, the funding of the TV series was very tight at the time, which led to the TV series itself. Some problems have occurred. Although Lu Yao himself is a little dissatisfied with the show, he still gave a high evaluation overall. The play was nominated for the 10th Chinese TV Drama Feitian Award.
In March 1991, “The Ordinary World” won the third Mao Dun Literature Award. In his acceptance speech, Lu Yao deeply expressed his views on literature and life: “As a farmer’s son, I am particularly concerned about the conditions of the Chinese countryside and the fate of farmers. Needless to say, this is a kind of Strong emotional attention…. These billions of ordinary and great people living on the earth have created our history and, to a large extent, also determine our real life and future direction. The kind of focus on them Looking for the scab is a superficial vision. Whether politicians or artists, only by not losing the feeling of ordinary workers, can it be possible to grasp the mainstream of the historical process of social life and make the work we are engaged in have real value. . In my work, there may be criticism, exposure, and regret, but it is absolutely necessary to pay tribute.” This is also the last time he went to Beijing to receive an award.
On November 17, 1992, Lu Yao, who was tortured by illness, passed away. In order to write “The Ordinary World“, Lu Yao was tired for many years. After he got liver disease, he still insisted on overwork for more than ten hours every day. In the end, his fingers could hardly be stretched out, and his spasms made it necessary to use a hot water bottle to continue writing. When the second book was written, the doctor concluded that he was in the late stage of liver disease and advised him to take a year off before working. Lu Yao did not tell the outside world about his condition, and still insisted on writing. In his belief, in any case, he must finish the novel before his life disappears. Therefore, Jia Pingwa wrote in an article commemorating Lu Yao: “He is Kuafu, and he fell on the road of thirst. Although he has passed away His works are still read by readers, and his stories are still being eulogized.”
Stills of the drama “Ordinary World” created by Shaanxi People’s Art Theater
In 1995, the “Ordinary World” comic book adapted by Zhang Chunsheng and painted by Li Zhiwu was published by Shaanxi Normal University Press. In 1999, the book won the Bronze Award of the Ninth National Art Exhibition.
In 1998, in the “Survey on Changes in Popular Reading Life from 1978 to 1998”, investigators found that “Ordinary World” ranked higher and higher. From 1985 to 1989, “The Ordinary World” ranked 17th and was the only contemporary “new era” novel selected. From 1990 to 1992 and 1993-1998, “The Ordinary World” ranked 13th and No. 7th place. Finally, in the overall ranking, “Ordinary World” won the 6th place for “the book that has had the greatest impact on readers so far.”
With the passage of time, the influence of “Ordinary World” among readers has not diminished, on the contrary, it has shown more and more important significance.
Since entering the 21st century, the influence of “Ordinary World” has become more extensive. In July 2000, “The Ordinary World” was named one of the “One Hundred Years of Excellent Chinese Literature Books (1900-1999)”. From 2002 to 2003, in the questionnaire survey on “faith status of college students” in seven domestic colleges and universities, “The Ordinary World” ranked first in the column of “Books that have the greatest impact on you”. In October 2008, in the survey of “Readers’ Favorite Mao Dun Literature Award Winning Works” on Sina.com, “Ordinary World” ranked first with 71.46% of votes. In 2015, when Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua University recommended a book to freshmen for the first time, he recommended this book “The Ordinary World“. He said: “The writer Lu Yao wrote this book with his life’s hard work. The struggle of life, The pursuit of ideals is similar in different eras. I hope that you will use your vacation to read this book carefully before coming to Tsinghua Park.”
In 1995, the “Ordinary World” comic book adapted by Zhang Chunsheng and painted by Li Zhiwu was published by Shaanxi Normal University Press. In 1999, the book won the Bronze Award of the Ninth National Art Exhibition.
In 2019, “The Ordinary World” was selected into the “New China’s 70-year 70 Novel Collection”. As a result, “The Ordinary World” is not only a bestseller, but also a long-selling book, thus entering the sequence of classic literature.
2. “The performance of realism in literature is not just a question of creative methods, but mainly a kind of spirit.”
In the process of preparing for creation, Lu Yao studied a large number of novels at home and abroad, as well as books on theory, politics, philosophy, economics, history, and religion. In addition, I found some specialized books on agriculture, commerce, industry, and science and technology, and collected a large number of knowledge pamphlets, such as fish farming, beekeeping, fertilization, taxation, finance, meteorology, calendar, afforestation, soil improvement, customs, folklore, UFO (UFO) and so on. On the other hand, in order to fully understand what happened in Chinese society from 1975 to 1985, Lu Yao found the “People’s Daily”, “Guangming Daily” and local newspapers in the past ten years to read page by page, not only watching some big politics Incidents also look at the social and people’s livelihood incidents that occurred in the local area at that time. With such sufficient preparation, “Ordinary World” constructs the background of the times in which the story happened with a nearly rigorous scientific attitude. The author’s analysis and narration are very true and reliable. When unfolding the fate of the two brothers Sun Shaoan and Sun Shaoping, whether it is rural life or urban life, the author’s description is extremely delicate and clear, and every detail is solid and firm, which can withstand readers’ scrutiny. On this basis, The shaping of the characters finally stood firm.
In “Morning Begins at Noon,” Lu Yao wrote: “This decade has been a period of great transformation of Chinese society, which is full of intensive and important historical events; these events are interlocked and mutually cause and effect. It is impossible for this work to be structured in a certain degree of breaking latest news to avoid them. My basic idea is to observe survival and living conditions in this social background (or conditions) with the eyes of history and art. The attitudes to political events under certain historical backgrounds that will be revealed in the work seem to be the attitude of the author, but in fact, it should basically be the attitude of the characters under that historical condition. The author should stand on the height of history and truly embody Balza. The function of what Ke said is a’secretary’.”
It is precisely because of this that “The Ordinary World” is still an epic history of social history, political history, and the history of changes in rural social customs, and it is highly informative. Readers are not only reading stories and fate, but also going back to the 1980s. They can understand the utensils and objects used by people during that period, and can observe their dressing habits, ways of speaking, work scenes, etc., even Even specific working methods, such as digging in coal mines and working in the fields, are described in great detail by the author. The reader seems to be in that real scene, working with the characters in the book, and experiencing various events together. Such an encyclopedic writing allows readers to have an “immersive” experience, which is very easy to resonate, and then have a true understanding of the characters and the times. Scholar Yang Qingxiang believes that it is precisely this that makes “The Ordinary World” allow readers to read it again and again-“It happens that it is not these stories, but Lu Yao’s novels that entrap us in a strong desire to read or even reread it again and again. The expansive social landscape and historical content displayed, as well as the ubiquitous’narrator”s attitudes, emotions, and arguments towards social history have broadened the aspect and capacity of the novel.”
Against the background of the prevailing trend of modernist literature at that time, Lu Yao had the courage to choose the classic realist method to create, which is directly related to his creative purpose and values. He believes: “The expression of realism in literature is not just a question of creative method, but mainly a kind of spirit.” In Lu Yao’s concept, “The Ordinary World” is an eulogy to ordinary workers and Literary works of ordinary people, Sun Shaoan, Sun Shaoping and their friends and relatives around them are the most ordinary characters in life. They face various difficulties, but they are not overwhelmed by the difficulties and sufferings, but turn them into one. Kind of spiritual power to move forward. “The greatest talent of a writer should be to be able to deduce huge content that makes people’s soul tremble in the daily life.” What Lu Yao wants to write is the strong will and perseverance of ordinary people in difficult living conditions. This It is the overall value tendency and aesthetic orientation of “Ordinary World“. There is no doubt that the writing of realism can best present such a literary concept.
Yang Qingxiang believes that Lu Yao’s long essay “Morning Begins at Noon” is like a plea for “Ordinary World“. “Life and subject matter determine the method of expression I should adopt. I cannot experiment with new-fashioned literature and techniques with works of this scale and the life represented by the works. That is an irresponsible adventure…. My film The work is not written for some experts, but for ordinary readers. After publication, the work may be coldly received, but it doesn’t matter. The prosperous moment may not be durable, I hope it can withstand the scrutiny of history “Obviously, these words of Lu Yao are justifying why he should use realism to write, and once again affirm his writing purpose.
3. “He goes deep into life, roots in the people, integrates literary creation into the great practice of reform and opening up, and expresses the story of reform and opening up with heart and emotion.”
In recent years, “The Ordinary World” has set off a new wave of upsurge in Chinese society. In February 2015, the 56-episode TV series “The Ordinary World” directed by Mao Weining was aired. The social response was very enthusiastic and the ratings were also high. “Many young people who have just finished the Spring Festival from their hometown even watch the first few episodes of “The Ordinary World” with their mobile phones and tablets, and embark on their own way back. In the first class of the new semester, teachers and students have classroom discussions, During the break between classes, the students talked about the first episode of “The Ordinary World“…Netizens rated this drama as the “most beautiful rural idol drama” and “the most beautiful rural drama”!” (Zhang Zuqun: “The Shocking Sky of the Loess Plateau” Boring: Written in the first 10 episodes of the broadcast of “Ordinary World“) The script respects the original work very much. The character and fate of the protagonist in the play have a very high degree of conformity with the original work. Moreover, because the series is longer, there are many details of the novel. , Including some minor characters are fully displayed. The play won a number of awards including the “Five One Project” Award for the Construction of Spiritual Civilization, the Flying Award, and the Golden Eagle Award.
In December 2017, the drama “The Ordinary World“, written by Meng Bing, directed by Gong Xiaodong, and performed by the Shaanxi People’s Art Theatre, officially premiered, and has since toured in many cities across the country.
On January 4, 2018, “The Ordinary World” landed at the National Centre for the Performing Arts and performed a three-day drama performance in the theater. As early as a month before, 3108 tickets had been sold out, and the popularity was comparable to the Spring Festival. A ticket is hard to find.
On September 27, 2018, the selection of the most influential novels for the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up organized by the Chinese Writers Association “Fiction Selection” magazine, the Chinese Fiction Society, and the People’s Daily Overseas Network, and organized by the Qingdao Writers Association, was announced in Qingdao. “The World” was selected.
On December 18, 2018, at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, Lu Yao won the honorary title of “Reform Pioneer”. The character introduced: “He went deep into life, rooted in the people, and integrated literary creation into the great practice of reform and opening up. Expressing the story of reform and opening up with emotion…. Especially his courage to reform the literary atmosphere, created the novel “The Ordinary World“, which shows the great changes in the social life of our country’s urban and rural social life and people’s thoughts and emotions, and praises the hard work and courage to be the first The spirit of the times has inspired generations of young people to strive for the good, keep improving themselves, and actively participate in the torrent of reform and opening up, which has produced a wide-ranging and far-reaching social impact.”
Previously, on December 7, the Chinese Writers Association and the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department hosted the “Reform and Opening Up and Lu Yao’s Creative Path” seminar. Qian Xiaoqian, then Secretary of the Party Group and Vice Chairman of the China Writers Association, said: “Reform and Opening Up It provides new opportunities and motivation for the development of Chinese literature. Lu Yao’s creative path is inseparable from the background of the great practice of reform and opening up.”
From today’s perspective, one of the reasons why “Ordinary World” has been selling for a long time is that the author has a very accurate and profound grasp of the impact of reform and opening up on China’s reality. Lu Yao wrote in a letter to the critic Yan Gang: “Our contemporary society is like the newly built grade crossing bridge in Beijing, layered on top of each other, and complicated. In the “intersection area” of the rural and urban areas, it can be said to be a grade crossing bridge. The three-dimensional crossing bridge……. With the change and development of the city and the countryside itself, the impact of urban life on rural life, the impact of rural life on urban life, the pursuit of urbanization of rural life; modern and ancient lifestyles Conflicts, civilization and backwardness, conflicts between modern ideology and traditional moral concepts, etc., constitute some extremely important aspects of contemporary life. All these contradictions are manifested in the political, economic, cultural, ideological, spiritual and moral aspects of our society. It’s so prominent and complicated.” “Urban-rural intersection” and “urban-rural conflict”-it can be said that Lu Yao keenly grasped the core contradiction of Chinese society in the process of reform and opening up, as well as the common Chinese in this contradiction. The fate of man. Just as the scholar Xie Zhixi said: “The Ordinary World” can be read as a literary breaking latest news of reform and opening up.”
4. “Only by being a laborer and not taking misfortune as a burden can you be the master of life and experience it with your sincere heart. After all, life belongs to us only once.”
According to the statistics of critic Zhao Xueyong, from 1993 to 2019, there were 34 research works on Lu Yao, more than 1,000 related papers, and a large number of other essays, essays, and reminiscence articles. Even when modernist literary thoughts are generally popular in the literary world, the research on Lu Yao has not stopped.
The evaluation of “The Ordinary World” has been divergent for a long time. On the one hand, it has been widely recognized by readers for a long time. On the other hand, its artistic value has not been favored by researchers for a long time. This has a lot to do with Lu Yao’s estrangement from the literary world in the 1980s, as well as the different demands of professional readers and ordinary readers. Some professional readers think that “The Ordinary World” is “like a plate of cherries, half ripe and half green”, and that its language art and storyline are not well-rounded, and these issues are just not taken care of by ordinary readers. Moreover, such an easy language and straightforward way of narration eliminates dyslexia.
Lu Yao’s readership is very wide, most of them are ordinary young students, ordinary workers from all walks of life, and people who are constantly struggling to change their destiny. Some later become successful entrepreneurs, and some later become well-known writers.
“People, no matter where they are, no matter how poor, as long as a fiery heart is present, as long as they can love life, God is equal to him. Only by being a laborer and not taking misfortune as a burden can he live a life. The master of, use your sincere heart to experience, after all, life belongs to us only once.” This is a sentence in “The Ordinary World“, which can also be regarded as the core idea of the whole novel. What Lu Yao sings and writes is the inner spiritual quality of human beings, which is the most essential existence of human beings. No matter what era, class, and life situation you are in, what ultimately determines the value of your life is not your wealth or success, but whether you live it with a “sincere heart” and whether you “love life”. , And ultimately can be the master of life. From this sentence, we can experience equality, dignity, love, and the value of life, which transcends the era written by Lu Yao, even transcends national boundaries, and applies to the entire human life. In this sense alone, “The Ordinary World” has the power of transcendence and has become a part of the classic literature in the history of world literature.
Lu Yao attaches great importance to the moral image of the characters. The touching place of Sun Shaoan and Sun Shaoping lies not only in their suffering and destiny, but also in their persistence and improvement of their personalities. Tian Fujun’s pursuit of official career is not only for power, but also has a strong family. National sentiments and sense of responsibility, the common characteristics of these characters are those personality factors that conform to traditional ethical standards. Not only can they easily arouse the resonance of readers, but they also contain inspirational functions.
Judging from the feedback from various reading surveys, what the readers most impressed and moved by “The Ordinary World” is still concentrated on the protagonist’s inspirational struggle experience and warm overall emotions. Sun Shaoping’s neither humble nor overbearing, indomitable, his high requirements for himself and his tenacity to ideals, the warmth brought by family, friendship, love and mutual support have deeply moved readers. A Douban reader said that he and his friends read this book when they were in the most difficult time in their lives. They felt the warm humanity and affection in the book, were greatly encouraged, and slowly walked out of life’s predicament. A reader said: “The Sun Shaoping in my heart is a’smart’ person. In ordinary life situations, he is still meticulous about his spiritual world.” This is a “living individual”, a “round figure”, Sun The difference between Shaoping and the characters portrayed in many previous literary works is that he has a clear personal goal. He may not fully dedicate himself to the collective like Liang Shengbao did, but as an individual, he is fully and deeply written. “Individuality” does not affect the height and purity of the ideal, and even, in a sense, his existence just proves the overlapping relationship between “individual” and “collective”. A pure individual can just represent the most powerful force within a collective and the era. On the contrary, it can promote the healthy development of the nation and cultivate a healthy humanity.
“After Lu Yao, we never saw the epic masterpiece that described the present life in a three-dimensional, panoramic, and instantaneous way… The man has passed away, and it is too late to pay tribute to Lu Yao, but it is too late to read the posthumous writings. It’s never too late. An “Ordinary World” will eventually redraw the territory of contemporary Chinese literature.” Scholar Gao Yuanbao’s evaluation reveals the feelings of many people. The narrative time and space, characterization and meaning of this novel have made excellent records and annotations for Chinese life during the reform and opening-up period. At the same time, its understanding of life and human nature is transcendent and universal. Make “Ordinary World” passed on from generation to generation as a literary classic.
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“Guangming Daily” (July 28, 2021 15 edition)
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