My era, 1979!

Chapter 91 Our Era Sounds the Drum in the Back (710, Seeking First Subscription)
It truly touched upon the core issues that "The Fitting Mirror" brought to the literary world, and also sparked a real discussion about realist literature, truly pushing "The Fitting Mirror" to the forefront of public attention.

Comment summary:

"The soul of realism is rooted in the reality of collective life, rather than imitating the idealistic fantasies of Western modernism. 'The Fitting Mirror' uses a writing style that is detached from reality, such as 'developing images in the fitting mirror,' to avoid the mainstream narrative of working people creating value in the collective."

It adds a "bright spot" to speculative fabric vendors and gives a "halo of awakening" to acts that defy discipline; in essence, it spreads individualism under the guise of so-called "exploration of human nature."

If the formalistic playfulness of Western modernism replaces the gravitas of realism, allowing young people to find resonance in mirrored illusions rather than seeking strength in collective labor, then literature will stray from its proper path of serving the people.

This proposition is so sharp that if Xu Chengjun is not careful, he will be crushed by the current storm in the literary world!
It is worth noting that it was not until 1985 that Xu Xing's collection of short stories, "Variations Without a Theme," and Liu Suola's "You Have No Choice" were hailed as the "Twin Peaks of Chinese Modernist Literature," pioneering narrative experiments in avant-garde fiction.

It was just an experiment.

Although "The Fitting Mirror" only touched on the flavor, it was far from being an experiment.

But it is now 1979.

But what did Xu Chengjun have to fear?
Me: Learned from
In fact, from the perspective of later generations, contemporary Chinese literature has been interrupted, and many people even believe that it is beyond saving. The reasons include: after so many years of urbanization, the confusion and struggle of urban people, the demise of rural culture, the changes in the thinking of Chinese people during China's development, and the cultural collision between China and other countries, etc., no one writes about them.

It started again in 1979.

If Xu Chengjun doesn't write it, who will?
Subsequently, a commentary published in the Peking University Journal by Hong Zicheng, a professor in the Chinese Department of Peking University, once again brought the incident to a climax.

"From the perspective of writing style, the narrative of 'The Fitting Mirror' suffers from obvious technical imbalance. The work attempts to construct a metaphorical system with the 'fitting mirror' as the core image, but falls into the abuse and superficiality of symbolism—the repeated appearance of the phantom in the mirror lacks the support of realistic logic, and the excessive description of the fabric's texture and the curve of the waistline becomes a mere accumulation of sensory experiences. This deliberately enhanced 'psychological reality' actually dissolves the detailed authenticity of the realistic narrative. Its language rhythm is also more disjointed, lacking both the narrative tension of traditional realism and the implicit tension of modernist imagery, ultimately forming a half-baked expressive style."

Hong Zicheng is an expert in contemporary literature. His evaluation starts with writing techniques and then moves on to saying that the work has a certain charm.

Xu Chengjun: It's not black enough to be red!
Ah, no, that wasn't harsh enough, keep going!
The most ruthless blow came from a professor at Nankai University.

The gist is as follows:
"From the perspective of the lineage of literary schools, the work's departure from the realist tradition and its borrowing from modernist techniques are both blind. It severs the core principle of 'typical environment and typical characters' in the realism of the 'Seventeen Years' period, simplifies the collective life scene into the opposite of individual desires, and makes the department store, as a space of the times, lose its sense of social and historical weight."

Meanwhile, the imitation of Western modernist narratives that "turn inward" remains merely superficial, failing to digest their philosophical exploration of the depths of human nature. The so-called "awakening of individual consciousness" degenerates into a one-way venting of private emotions, neither rooted in the realities of Chinese society nor adhering to the core spirit of realism—the unity of historical rationality and humanistic concern. This experimental exploration, lacking aesthetic foundation, cannot constitute an effective breakthrough in literary tradition.

The evaluation aligns perfectly with the conservative mindset of contemporary literature researchers in this era. They recognize the modernist and avant-garde elements in "The Fitting Mirror," and therefore they are more vigilant.

In fact, in the 80s, the voice of the North was louder in the entire field of literature and literary studies. Literary studies were due to Peking University, whose contemporary literary studies were second to none.

And literature!

Nearly half of the nation's publishing houses are in Beijing. More than half of the serious literary magazines are based in Beijing. The China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the National Writers Association, and the vast majority of industry associations are located in Beijing. A writer needs to find a way to eat; they need to communicate with others during the creative process; and they need to handle publicity and promotion after the work is completed…

The implications are self-evident.
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December 7, 28pm.

Xu Chengjun's trip back to his hometown has arrived as scheduled.

This day was extraordinary for him, and for this era as well.

On this day, Chi Youzhang, a "godfather" figure in Taizhou and even Zhejiang's private enterprises, founded Huangyan County Limin Leather Shoe Factory, which later became one of the first private enterprises in the province with an output value exceeding 100 million yuan. Although the company suffered unexpected setbacks during its operation and was on the verge of bankruptcy, it was a beacon for private enterprises at that time.

The emergence of this company also made people realize that the atmosphere in 1979 had really changed.

From the pilot reform of state-owned enterprises in May 1979, when Shougang Group stood out, to Lu Guanqiu leading Xiaoshan Agricultural Machinery Plant to transform into producing automotive universal joints, the output value of which exceeded 3 million yuan that year.

This tells the world one thing: as long as you give up your stage, a talented person will rise to the top. That year, Bei Dao wrote a poem called "Post," which contains the line, "Our era is beating a big drum in the background."

The drums of time are beating loudly.

"Remember to write to me!"

"I'll be back in a month! I reckon I'll be there by the time the letter arrives."

Xu Chengjun shook his head helplessly.

"That won't work either."

Su Manshu's eyes curved into crescents, her mischievous glint impossible to conceal. "They said—"

Who is that person?

"Even the commune secretary has more to do than you."

spread hands.jpg
"Who cares who they are!"

Su Manshu patted his arm gently, but her voice softened.

“You said it yourself, ‘Seeing a letter is like seeing the person, seeing a letter is like seeing the person in person.’ I’ve been relying on your letters to keep me entertained these past month since you left, otherwise my eyes would be crossed from staring at documents all day.”

Men are born to show off, and die from talking too much.

So, I'm just someone you use to relieve your boredom?

“Not only that.” Su Manshu leaned closer and lowered her voice. “You have to write clearly in the letter how the wheat in Fengyang is doing? Has the wheat in Xujiatun been dried? And has Xinghua’s polyester jacket been finished? I’m waiting to hear the follow-up.”

Xu Chengjun sighed, regretting mentioning apricot blossoms when discussing the background of "The Granary" with the girl.

Women! Women of every era are all like this!

"Are you checking up on me or just listening to a story?" Xu Chengjun raised an eyebrow. "Besides, do you think writing this will pass the post office's inspection?"

“Why not?” Su Manshu said confidently. “Just write an ‘Agricultural Production Observation Diary,’ and I guarantee no one will stop you.”

Just as Xu Chengjun was about to reply, the station's public address system suddenly blared, urging passengers to have their tickets checked.

"I have to go." He picked up his cloth bag and glanced back.

The girl stood there gracefully; she looked absolutely gorgeous today.

Today I wore a modified black and white dress with very fine stripes or floral prints, paired with white ankle socks and black "slippers".

This design borrows the puff sleeve element from Soviet dresses, but shortens the sleeve length to the elbow, changes the neckline to a more subtle square or round neck, and uses an A-line cut for the skirt.

It's also a favorite among artsy young women of this era.

(End of this chapter)