Difference between revisions of "Ba Jin"

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== Childhood ==  
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== Childhood ==
 +
Ba Jin (巴金), was born as Li Yaotang (李尧棠) on November 25, 1904 in Chengdu, Sichuan.
  
−
Zhou Shuren, later known as Lu Xun (his pen name) was born September 25, 1881. In his youth, Lu Xun lived comfortably in Peking (Beijing) with his family, including his grandfather [a high ranking government official]. Matters for Lu Xun and his family took a turn for the worst when his grandfather become chronically ill and needed expensive medication. In addition to illness and loss of wealth, Lu Xun's grandfather was accused of bribery and incarcerated for seven years. Once a year, Lu Xun's family was required to send money to The Ministry of Punishment to prevent his grandfather from being put to death. While in the process of being accused of bribery, Lu Xun’s grandfather became a victim to a government which encouraged it. This is where many of Lu Xun’s frustrations against the governmental workings of China began.
+
Li Yao Tang’s childhood and upbringing is much like his story, “Family”. He lived in a large estate. His parents died when he was young, so most of his upbringing was arranged by his grandfather, who was the domineering head of the house, and it was not until his grandfather’s death that Ba Jin was free to start pursuing his own goals and ambitions.[1]
 +
When he was sixteen he enrolled in the Chengdu Foreign Language Specialist School with his older brother. There he began to broaden his horizons and started writing in the school’s literary journal, called the Crescent, for which he wrote some free verse poetry. He also joined an anarchist group called  the Equality Society.
 +
 
 +
In the years following his studies in Chengdu, he first moved to Shanghai, and then to Nanjing to study at the Southeast University (东南大学).
 +
While studying in Nanjing he continued to support  the Anarchist movement and actively voiced his opinions in his writing..
 +
His first and foremost reason for leaving home to study was, I believe, not for education, although he did study. I think the primary reason was to get away from his controlling family.
 +
 
 +
In 1927 he found an opportunity to study abroad, which led him to Paris, France . Here he continued his correspondence with the anarchist movement, and branched to international correspondence to others in America. His living circumstances and a longing for home brought him back to China one year later in 1928.[2]
  
 
== Motivations ==
 
== Motivations ==
 +
Ba Jin drew his inspiration from many different sources, one of which was Emma Goldman, an anarchist writer, who started a correspondence with him which lasted for many years. He referred to her as his “spiritual mother.” [3]
 +
 +
He chose his pen name from the Chinese transliterations of Ba in  Bakunin (Mikhail), and of the last syllable of the name  Kropotkin (Pyotr), two Russian anarchist writers that he admired. [4]
 +
 +
while he was in France he heard of two Italian men, Ferdinando Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who were imprisoned in America, They were fellow members of the anarchist movement. He wrote to them, and recieved a reply, recounting their story, which touched him deeply. He kept correspondence with them until they were executed. In memory of them he wrote a short story  called “The Electric Chair” (电椅). [5]
  
−
Medicine was a special interest of Lu Xun. Partnered with the sickness of both his father and of his grandfather, and his desire to heal people, Lu Xun began to study medicine. Lu Xun’s father was made more ill by the traditional medicines which were used on him, leading to his father’s death. In 1903 Lu Xun traveled to Japan to study medicine. While in Japan, Lu Xun expanded his vision of medicine past traditional Chinese methods by adopting western techniques. This was not a popular idea at the time because of the Confucian values that were placed on tradition.
 
  
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After some time in Japan, Lu Xun decided that he was not able to make as much of a difference in the field of medicine as he could in the field of literature. Lu Xun decided that change was to be brought about in China through “spiritual medicine” aka writing.
+
Upon returning to Shanghai, he dove into his writing career, writing novels, short stories, as well as translating foreign works into Chinese.
 +
It was at this time that he wrote his most influential novel “Family” (家) which became part of a trilogy called “The Torrents Trilogy” also including “Spring” and “Autumn”.[6]
  
 +
By 1934, some of his writing received some negative attention and was blacklisted, which forced him to flee to Japan, using a fake name. He returned to China two years later, when things had cooled down.
  
−
[[File:A Madman's Diary - Lu Xun.JPG|thumb|A Madman's Diary - Lu Xun]]
+
From 1937-1941 he moved a lot, trying to escape the conflict of the war with Japan. He slowly made his way back to his ancestral home in Chengdu. There he saw the final results of his family’s traditions fade into history.
 +
When the war ended he moved back to Shanghai, where he continued writing.
  
−
While most writers focused on immediate change in the people of China, Lu Xun had different ideas. Lu Xun believed that change was to be gradual, and that it would start by teaching the children. 
 
  
−
While studying literature, Lu Xun translated works from Russian, German, and Japanese into Chinese. He felt that these translations would help open the minds of his people to the outside “cures” for their political dis-empowerment.
+
'''Family'''
  
 +
The novel “Family” is a story of a broken home. The family relationship is the complete opposite of what a family should be like. It makes perfectly clear the injustices of the time, and the senile traditions of the Kao family.
  
−
Most of Lu Xun’s works were essay type writing when he first began, but after some time his ideas became unpopular, and therefore dangerous to publish so openly.
+
There are 3 main protagonists in the story. They are three brothers, Cheuh Hsin, Cheuh Hui, and Cheuh Min. They each have their own ambitions and love interests, however each is muddled up and ruined by the elders of the family, particularly the grandfather, who is the head of the house, and has the final say on everything.  
  
−
In 1918, Lu Xun wrote “Diary of a Madman,” a short story which allegorically described the barbarian culture that China had made from tradition. He described the people in his book as cannibalistic, and looking to feed off of each other at every turn. The short story was a hit, and kicked of Lu Xun’s career to new heights. “A Call to Arms” was written 4 years later, and also became an influential force in Chinese Literature.
+
The oldest brother, Cheuh Hsin, (whom I think perfectly represents Ba Jin) is very good academically, and has plans to study abroad. He also has his heart set on marrying Mei Mei. His hopes are shattered, however, when his father arranges for him to marry a complete stranger, and also his dreams of continuing his education when his father sends him to work at a local, family-owned business, to support his new family.
 +
 
 +
Cheuh Hui loves Ming Feng, a servant in their house. He feels strongly about going forward with their relationship but he can’t bring himself to tell his relatives about it. Without his knowledge, the grandfather arranges for her to become a concubine to one of the grandpa’s friends. She is so dejected and frightened by the prospect, that she drowns herself. This sends Cheuh Hui into severe depression.
 +
 
 +
Chueh Min is perhaps the only character that may achieve his own ambition. He loves Chin, a cousin who has similar goals for her education. But they are equally afraid let anyone find out about any of this.
 +
 
 +
The final blow on the characters is struck when the grandfather dies. There is a tradition in this part of china, that when a corpse is in a house, and a woman is giving birth, it causes the corpse to be desecrated and spurt blood or something like that. So, Cheuh Hsin’s wife is giving birth, and in order to keep with tradition, she is forced to go somewhere else to have her baby, in the dead of winter, all to protect the dead grandpa and she dies in childbirth.
  
 
== Controversy==
 
== Controversy==
  
 +
When the communist party assumed power in 1949, Ba Jin was hopeful for a better future. He believed communism could be the answer to the problems China was facing, However he soon began to see that life did not improve under the communist regime.
 +
In the 1950’s he still continued to write, but was compelled to write under the communist theme, which he conformed to. He stopped writing fiction, and strictly wrote nonfiction.
  
−
Aware of the Communist power in the world at the time, Lu Xun believed that he could best reach his target audience through the Communist party. He followed many communist groups but never claimed to be a communist himself. He did have some disagreements with Shanghai Communists which landed him in a life threatening position. Lu Xun wrote under many pen names due to the controversial topics of his writing.  
+
He was also forced to “edit” his past and deny all connection to the Anarchist Movement. In 1961 he said 'I am not satisfied either by the quantity or quality of my works.‘ The attention given to him, proved to be a curse, not a blessing, when he was appointed him to be vice-chairman of the official China Writers' Association.[7]
 +
 
 +
He regretted his submissive actions and when allowed to, he began expressing his true opinions and criticized the government. He even wrote a letter of support to the students of the 1989 Tiananmen protests on May 18. (before the massacre had started.)
 +
 
 +
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Terror was unleashed on all non-supporters of Mao Zedong. The Red Guards attacked many writers, including Ba Jin. They made a big fuss about his anarchist past.  They saw his independent thinking was dangerous, and claimed he was being  a traitor to his country.
 +
 
 +
For a while he was imprisoned, and was also forced to work in a Labor camp. Finally, on June 20, 1968, Ba Jin was dragged to the People's Stadium of Shanghai. It was a televised humiliating spectacle with him kneeling on broken glass, with the shouts from the crowd, accusing him of being a traitor and enemy of Mao Zedong. At the end of the demonstration Ba Jin shouted, “You have your thoughts and I have mine. This is the fact and you can't change it even if you kill me.”[8]
  
−
Also controversial at the time was the "Woman Question." Women were seen as having very little power to make change or to even have a positive place in society. Lu Xun did not see women this way. He started up a women's school and supported numerous female writers whom he saw capable of encouraging change in the flaws of society at the time. Women, for Lu Xun were just as formidable an opponent against societal or political suppression as men were. This was another revolutionary contribution Lu Xun made.
 
  
−
[[File:Shanghai - Lu Xun statue.jpg|thumb|Shanghai - Lu Xun statue]]
 
  
 
== Legacy ==
 
== Legacy ==
  
 +
He was happily married to Xiao Shan from 1944 until she died in 1973
 +
They had two children, A daughter and a son, both of whom had the freedom filled upbringing he wanted himself to have. They each choose their own careers and their own spouses.  His daughter is now a leading member of the editorial department of a big Chinese literary magazine while his son is a rising novelist. [9]
 +
 +
His wife, Xiao Shan died  of cancer in 1973, which affected him deeply. He said, "When I lose my ability to work, I hope there will be several copies of fictions translated by Xiao Shan on my sickbed. After I close my eyes, please let my ashes be mixed with hers." [10]
 +
In 1983 he contracted Parkinson’s disease, which in his final years left him mute and unable to walk. He spent most of that time in a hospital in Shanghai, where he died in 2005 at the age of 100.
 +
 +
He left behind a vast amount of writing and shared the wealth of experience from the century of his life. That legacy was the legacy of learning from your mistakes, and choosing to be a nonconformist. He saw both sides of the spectrum, conformity and rebellion, and he chose at last to stay a rebel forever.
 +
 +
== References ==
 +
1,5- A giant of Chinese literature <http://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/a-giant-of-chinese-literature/2005/10/20/1129775897723.html>
 +
 +
2- Literary witness to century of turmoil 2003-11-24  China Daily <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-11/24/content_284041.htm>
 +
 +
3,7,8- Ba Jin: From Rebellion to Endurance <http://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/4xgxxt>
  
−
Lu Xun died in Oct. 19 1936 of tuberculosis, and is still known as China’s most influential Fiction writer.
+
4- Ba Jin, 100, Noted Novelist of Prerevolutionary China, Is Dead, DAVID BARBOZA
−
+
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/18/books/18BA.html?_r=1&>
−
To me, Lu Xun stood out as having incredible character. It has been stated in class many times that there is a person that comes along every once in a while that is just a genius (Einstein, Goethe, so on) and Lu Xun was one of those men. Lu Xun adjusted his tactics for reaching the people by finding the places where he could most effectively affect change, such as becoming a government official, changing from medicine to writing, and finding a niche in the communist community (although he never confessed believing in communist ideals). He knew where to reach the people. His empowerment of woman was seen in Zhang Ailing, one of the most influential modern writers in China.
 
  
−
Because Lu Xun was able to reach the heart of China, enormous changes were made to Chinese ideals. For people around the world, including Germany and Japan, his works have become well known (mainly because Lu Xun translated into these languages as he was multilingual). Most have heard of ''Madmans Diary''. Unfortunately, his works are not as well known in the United States. The power of Lu Xun's writing is one that touches the soul enough to have power in any translation. His passion in writing is one which is difficult to find elsewhere. Any who have not read his works, are missing out on a motion motivating intellectual experience.
+
6- Ba Jin (Paper Republic) <http://paper-republic.org/authors/ba-jin/>
 +
 
 +
9,10- Noted Contemporary Chinese Literary Giant - Ba Jin <http://www.chinesecultureonline.org/literature.jsp?catName=contemporary&centerName=bajin>
  
 
== Sources ==
 
== Sources ==
  
−
Lau, S.M. Joseph, and Goldblatt, ''Howard. The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature'' 2nd Edition. Columbia University Press. New York. Print
+
Ba Jin Powerpoint [[File:Ba_Jin.pptx]]
 +
 
 +
"Ba Jin." Ba Jin. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://paper-republic.org/authors/ba-jin/>.
 +
 
 +
Barboza, David. "Ba Jin, 100, Noted Novelist Of Prerevolutionary China." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Oct. 2005. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/18/books/18BA.html?_r=0>.
 +
 
 +
"China, Chinese Literature & Philosophy : Contemporary :." China, Chinese Literature & Philosophy : Contemporary :. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.chinesecultureonline.org/literature.jsp?catName=contemporary&centerName=bajin>.
 +
 
 +
"Literary Witness to Century of Turmoil." Literary Witness to Century of Turmoil. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-11/24/content_284041.htm>
 +
 
 +
"A Giant of Chinese Literature" The Sydney Morning Herald. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. <http://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/a-giant-of-chinese-literature/2005/10/20/1129775897723.html>
 +
 
 +
"Ba Jin: From Rebellion to Endurance." Ba Jin: From Rebellion to Endurance. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. <http://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/4xgxxt>
  
−
Denton, A. Kirk. ''Lu Xun Biography''MCLC Resource Center. 2002. Web http://mclc.osu.edu/rc/bios/lxbio.htm
+
Ba Jin. Digital image.巴金. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin>.

Latest revision as of 23:44, 6 December 2012

Ba Jin. Click here for original source


Childhood

Ba Jin (巴金), was born as Li Yaotang (李尧棠) on November 25, 1904 in Chengdu, Sichuan.

Li Yao Tang’s childhood and upbringing is much like his story, “Family”. He lived in a large estate. His parents died when he was young, so most of his upbringing was arranged by his grandfather, who was the domineering head of the house, and it was not until his grandfather’s death that Ba Jin was free to start pursuing his own goals and ambitions.[1] When he was sixteen he enrolled in the Chengdu Foreign Language Specialist School with his older brother. There he began to broaden his horizons and started writing in the school’s literary journal, called the Crescent, for which he wrote some free verse poetry. He also joined an anarchist group called the Equality Society.

In the years following his studies in Chengdu, he first moved to Shanghai, and then to Nanjing to study at the Southeast University (东南大学). While studying in Nanjing he continued to support the Anarchist movement and actively voiced his opinions in his writing.. His first and foremost reason for leaving home to study was, I believe, not for education, although he did study. I think the primary reason was to get away from his controlling family.

In 1927 he found an opportunity to study abroad, which led him to Paris, France . Here he continued his correspondence with the anarchist movement, and branched to international correspondence to others in America. His living circumstances and a longing for home brought him back to China one year later in 1928.[2]

Motivations

Ba Jin drew his inspiration from many different sources, one of which was Emma Goldman, an anarchist writer, who started a correspondence with him which lasted for many years. He referred to her as his “spiritual mother.” [3]

He chose his pen name from the Chinese transliterations of Ba in Bakunin (Mikhail), and of the last syllable of the name Kropotkin (Pyotr), two Russian anarchist writers that he admired. [4]

while he was in France he heard of two Italian men, Ferdinando Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who were imprisoned in America, They were fellow members of the anarchist movement. He wrote to them, and recieved a reply, recounting their story, which touched him deeply. He kept correspondence with them until they were executed. In memory of them he wrote a short story called “The Electric Chair” (电椅). [5]


Upon returning to Shanghai, he dove into his writing career, writing novels, short stories, as well as translating foreign works into Chinese. It was at this time that he wrote his most influential novel “Family” (家) which became part of a trilogy called “The Torrents Trilogy” also including “Spring” and “Autumn”.[6]

By 1934, some of his writing received some negative attention and was blacklisted, which forced him to flee to Japan, using a fake name. He returned to China two years later, when things had cooled down.

From 1937-1941 he moved a lot, trying to escape the conflict of the war with Japan. He slowly made his way back to his ancestral home in Chengdu. There he saw the final results of his family’s traditions fade into history. When the war ended he moved back to Shanghai, where he continued writing.


Family

The novel “Family” is a story of a broken home. The family relationship is the complete opposite of what a family should be like. It makes perfectly clear the injustices of the time, and the senile traditions of the Kao family.

There are 3 main protagonists in the story. They are three brothers, Cheuh Hsin, Cheuh Hui, and Cheuh Min. They each have their own ambitions and love interests, however each is muddled up and ruined by the elders of the family, particularly the grandfather, who is the head of the house, and has the final say on everything.

The oldest brother, Cheuh Hsin, (whom I think perfectly represents Ba Jin) is very good academically, and has plans to study abroad. He also has his heart set on marrying Mei Mei. His hopes are shattered, however, when his father arranges for him to marry a complete stranger, and also his dreams of continuing his education when his father sends him to work at a local, family-owned business, to support his new family.

Cheuh Hui loves Ming Feng, a servant in their house. He feels strongly about going forward with their relationship but he can’t bring himself to tell his relatives about it. Without his knowledge, the grandfather arranges for her to become a concubine to one of the grandpa’s friends. She is so dejected and frightened by the prospect, that she drowns herself. This sends Cheuh Hui into severe depression.

Chueh Min is perhaps the only character that may achieve his own ambition. He loves Chin, a cousin who has similar goals for her education. But they are equally afraid let anyone find out about any of this.

The final blow on the characters is struck when the grandfather dies. There is a tradition in this part of china, that when a corpse is in a house, and a woman is giving birth, it causes the corpse to be desecrated and spurt blood or something like that. So, Cheuh Hsin’s wife is giving birth, and in order to keep with tradition, she is forced to go somewhere else to have her baby, in the dead of winter, all to protect the dead grandpa and she dies in childbirth.

Controversy

When the communist party assumed power in 1949, Ba Jin was hopeful for a better future. He believed communism could be the answer to the problems China was facing, However he soon began to see that life did not improve under the communist regime. In the 1950’s he still continued to write, but was compelled to write under the communist theme, which he conformed to. He stopped writing fiction, and strictly wrote nonfiction.

He was also forced to “edit” his past and deny all connection to the Anarchist Movement. In 1961 he said 'I am not satisfied either by the quantity or quality of my works.‘ The attention given to him, proved to be a curse, not a blessing, when he was appointed him to be vice-chairman of the official China Writers' Association.[7]

He regretted his submissive actions and when allowed to, he began expressing his true opinions and criticized the government. He even wrote a letter of support to the students of the 1989 Tiananmen protests on May 18. (before the massacre had started.)

During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Terror was unleashed on all non-supporters of Mao Zedong. The Red Guards attacked many writers, including Ba Jin. They made a big fuss about his anarchist past. They saw his independent thinking was dangerous, and claimed he was being a traitor to his country.

For a while he was imprisoned, and was also forced to work in a Labor camp. Finally, on June 20, 1968, Ba Jin was dragged to the People's Stadium of Shanghai. It was a televised humiliating spectacle with him kneeling on broken glass, with the shouts from the crowd, accusing him of being a traitor and enemy of Mao Zedong. At the end of the demonstration Ba Jin shouted, “You have your thoughts and I have mine. This is the fact and you can't change it even if you kill me.”[8]


Legacy

He was happily married to Xiao Shan from 1944 until she died in 1973 They had two children, A daughter and a son, both of whom had the freedom filled upbringing he wanted himself to have. They each choose their own careers and their own spouses. His daughter is now a leading member of the editorial department of a big Chinese literary magazine while his son is a rising novelist. [9]

His wife, Xiao Shan died of cancer in 1973, which affected him deeply. He said, "When I lose my ability to work, I hope there will be several copies of fictions translated by Xiao Shan on my sickbed. After I close my eyes, please let my ashes be mixed with hers." [10] In 1983 he contracted Parkinson’s disease, which in his final years left him mute and unable to walk. He spent most of that time in a hospital in Shanghai, where he died in 2005 at the age of 100.

He left behind a vast amount of writing and shared the wealth of experience from the century of his life. That legacy was the legacy of learning from your mistakes, and choosing to be a nonconformist. He saw both sides of the spectrum, conformity and rebellion, and he chose at last to stay a rebel forever.

References

1,5- A giant of Chinese literature <http://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/a-giant-of-chinese-literature/2005/10/20/1129775897723.html>

2- Literary witness to century of turmoil 2003-11-24 China Daily <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-11/24/content_284041.htm>

3,7,8- Ba Jin: From Rebellion to Endurance <http://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/4xgxxt>

4- Ba Jin, 100, Noted Novelist of Prerevolutionary China, Is Dead, DAVID BARBOZA <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/18/books/18BA.html?_r=1&>

6- Ba Jin (Paper Republic) <http://paper-republic.org/authors/ba-jin/>

9,10- Noted Contemporary Chinese Literary Giant - Ba Jin <http://www.chinesecultureonline.org/literature.jsp?catName=contemporary&centerName=bajin>

Sources

Ba Jin Powerpoint File:Ba Jin.pptx

"Ba Jin." Ba Jin. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://paper-republic.org/authors/ba-jin/>.

Barboza, David. "Ba Jin, 100, Noted Novelist Of Prerevolutionary China." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Oct. 2005. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/18/books/18BA.html?_r=0>.

"China, Chinese Literature & Philosophy : Contemporary :." China, Chinese Literature & Philosophy : Contemporary :. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.chinesecultureonline.org/literature.jsp?catName=contemporary&centerName=bajin>.

"Literary Witness to Century of Turmoil." Literary Witness to Century of Turmoil. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-11/24/content_284041.htm>

"A Giant of Chinese Literature" The Sydney Morning Herald. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. <http://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/a-giant-of-chinese-literature/2005/10/20/1129775897723.html>

"Ba Jin: From Rebellion to Endurance." Ba Jin: From Rebellion to Endurance. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. <http://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/4xgxxt>

Ba Jin. Digital image.巴金. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin>.

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