Writer explores tumultuous period
Print Edition
TAIWANESE writer Jiang Xiaoyun didn’t know her first novel, published after she retired, would catapult her to such success among Chinese mainland readers.
Her book “Tao Hua Jing,” or “Peach Blossom Well,” chronicles the life of Li Jinzhou, who fled the mainland to Taiwan in 1949, leaving behind his family.
In May 1949, the Taiwan government placed the island under martial law until July 1987, thus prohibiting people from traveling to the mainland.
Li eventually gets a chance to return to the mainland in the 1990s, only to discover that things have changed beyond his wildest imagination. Though he tracks down his eldest son and marries an old widow named Dong, he fails to retrieve the life he wants in his hometown.
The difference between village and city, the generation gap between father and son, the tension between differing personalities and external pressure mean the fates of everyone are entwined. Life is but a drama for those who are powerless to shape the world.
“I meant to tell the stories of my father’s generation before, during and after that period. I practically grew up with people similar to characters in my stories. I share their passions and feel their sorrows,” the 60-year-old told Shanghai Daily.
She shares more about her book and becoming a writer.
When and how did you decide to write again?
I have always liked to write, but it is hard to make a living to write in Chinese. I started to write again when I was ready to retire from my high-tech job in 2010.
In the process of writing, you said you were often moved to tears. Please explain.
I felt very sad when I was writing the episode about the old man’s younger son, who went to his father’s hometown to see him off before his death. When the son’s vacation was at an end, the old man had not die as everyone had expected. The middle aged son felt very frustrated as he hadn’t been able to complete the main goal of his trip. But time was up and he had to leave. His family and other responsibilities were all in Taiwan waiting for him to return.
After 30 years in business shuttling between Shanghai and Taipei, what differences did you see in people?
Time and separation brought many differences. Money is only the smallest issue; how they were brought up, such as the different living styles, value of lives, etc, are the core issues.
Are you planning to write your own stories in future?
I don’t believe I’ll ever want to do that. I’d say compared to the characters I created, I’ve lived a pretty boring life so far. Many characters in my stories remind me of my parents, their friends, and that past generation born in the 1920s and ‘30s of China. They have a different way to live that is fading away with time.
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