The Literature Book

222

See also: Quan Tangshi 46

T

he Baihua literary and

cultural movement in

China, initiated in 1917

by the scholar and intellectual Hu

Shi, went hand in hand with the

May Fourth Movement—a political

and cultural crusade that grew out

of a student uprising in Beijing in

1919 and spearheaded a new sense

of Chinese nationalism.

Followers of the movement

rejected traditional beliefs, and

promoted a shift toward Western

ideas of democracy and modern

science. They also encouraged a

move away from writing in classical

Chinese (understood by only a tiny

minority) and toward the use of

“baihua”: a written vernacular

language that was understood by

everyone. Baihua language was

soon used in Chinese newspapers

and textbooks, revolutionizing the

education of the peasantry.

New ways of thinking

Lu Xun (1881–1936) was the first

modern author to write in the

vernacular script. His work was

championed by the Communist

Party, which he supported, though

he never became a member. Call

to Arms is Lu Xun’s first collection

of writing, and brings together

his two earliest and most famous

stories: “Diary of a Madman” and

“The True Story of Ah Q.”

An ironic attack on traditional

culture, “Diary of a Madman” tells

of a villager—the “madman”—who

believes that his friends and family

are practicing cannibalism, and

also becomes convinced that the

classic Confucian texts contain

encouragement of the practice.

“The True Story of Ah Q” is

a novella about an ignorant and

deluded peasant who considers

himself to be wise, and shows the

backwardness and complacency

of the old generation.

Both these stories mark the

beginning of Baihua literature,

embodying it not only in their use

of vernacular language but also

in addressing concerns of the May

Fourth Movement, such as the

outdated strictures of Confucian

thought and the unthinking

acceptance of rusty traditions. ■

WHEN I WAS YOUNG

I TOO HAD MANY

DREAMS

CALL TO ARMS (1922), LU XUN

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

Baihua literature

BEFORE

1917 Hu Shi publishes “A

Preliminary Discussion of

Literature Reform” in New

Yout h magazine, calling for

a new approach to literature

that does not rely on old forms.

1918 Lu Xun publishes “Diary

of a Madman,” considered the

first modern Chinese story.

1921–22 Lu Xun’s “The True

Story of Ah Q” (later included

in Call to Arms) is serialized

in Beijing Morning News.

AFTER

1931–32 “Turbulent Stream,”

by Ba Jin, is published in serial

form, later appearing as a

single volume, The Family. A

novel about the clash of old

and new ways, it was hugely

popular with Chinese youth.

1935 Lu Xun publishes Old

Tales Retold, recasting popular

Chinese myths.

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