"Loving Township" Novels And Modern Chinese Image

Modern Local Literature, which flashbacks duality of modern Chinese culture, is a key tointerpret Chinese cultural development and composition. According to its intrinsic culture,modern local novels can be divided into "Hating Township" novels,"Watching Township"novels and "Loving Township" novels."Hating township" novels are critical of the nationalcultural heritage, and "Watching Township” hold alienated attitude. While "Loving Township"novels keep recognition attitude. Among them "Loving Township" novels obtained a directlink to the modern national culture image due to its unique category features. In the currentcontext of globalization, it is necessary to refine a clear and reliable modern national cultureimage, i.e., the concept of "modern Chinese image" in this dissertation, to identify the nationalculture and via this work to reflect the personality characteristics and individual values ofChinese culture. On the premise of synchronous affirmation of tradition and modernity, thisdissertation will dispel the traditional culture dross and absorb the modern culture essence.Meanwhile, the characteristics of Chinese culture and form of excellent root will be retained inthe process of modernization transformation, and their significance to "modern" will beexplored. Based on the dual positions of tradition and modern both subjectively andobjectively for "Loving Township" novels, with the profound cultural metaphor,"LovingTownship" novels are considered as the cradles of modern national culture image whichneeded urgently in this dissertation. Four "Loving Township" novels "The Bridge","BorderTown","The Four Corners of the Land" and "A Tale of Big Nur" are selected as typical sampleworks to read in detail for extracting the modern Chinese image. These four novels havedrawn different aspects of modern Chinese image."The Bridge" proved soundly the rootedcomposition of the Buddhist culture in the national culture. In the texting dimension, a richBuddhist imagery was invoked and the language full of Zen was utilized. An empty, silent, andfar Zen State and Buddhist rhyme were created, also Buddhist thought such as empty, bitter,“really all over” were expressed by the concrete content. Modern transformation of traditional Buddhist culture was achieved in "The Bridge" from a modern perspective. Chosen Zenconsciously, it catered to the demands of modern appeal and highlighted the modernconsciousness which is intrinsic in Zen about equality, subjective initiative, anti-authority, etc.The "human awakening" and other humane spirit purified Buddhist culture and expanded themeaning of Zen. These made it an important element of the modern Chinese image."BorderTown" is a window to consider the modern existing form of Confucian culture. Its ideal socialorder and human relations embodied and expressed the core idea of "ritual" and "benevolence"and the performance of "goodness" theory in Confucianism of modern Chinese literature.Meanwhile, it inherited humanistic character of Confucianism. The social responsibility forreconstruction of social order and national character was hidden under the veil of "facing theworld". In the modern filtration of Confucian culture,"Border Town" discarded the ideologyof Confucianism and got rid of the depression of ideological hijack by etiquette and fame.Then it broke the reliance of "emperor" and "groups" in traditional Confucian culture andreturned to the emphasis on the individuals. It emphasized on individual accomplishmentrather than economic and official career to achieve human imagination in Confucianism.Based on human nature, it tried to construct an ideal society from the roots. Freedom, equalityand the nature of "human” were placed at the center of theory and practice and the essence ofConfucian concept was implemented."The Four Corners of the Land" figured out natureworship, equality of things,"happy" life forms and inaction, nameless human nature in Taoistwhich emphasizes syncretism between heaven and man. Based on "ghostly" feature of Taoistculture,“human" was given the colors of "God"."The Four Corners of the Land" filtered thenegative factors of traditional Taoist culture out. With its modern transformation, the coreposition of human was emphasized, and the divinity factor of human was stimulated andpromoted. Modern authors expressed the pursuit of human autonomy and noble nature basedon this idea. Meanwhile, with the rebellion and skepticism intrinsic in "Tao", modern authorsexpressed "anti-mainstream","anti-authority", the pursuit of "individuality","freedom" and"equality" and provided spiritual support from the traditional culture. In addition, thetransformed Taoist culture was still a tool against the "modern alienation". Full of intentions,physical tour and regression to nature, Taoist spirit dispelled confrontation between human and objects and human slavery from objects. Doing nothing against the negative effects of doingeverything was the most effective anti-alienation way that the author believed. As a window of"Loving Township" novels,"The Four Corners of the Land" showed how to get a new born offreedom in Taoism during modern transformation. And internally born modern ideologyprovided nationally rooted soil for modern culture derived from Western civilization."Ordained" showed the meaning of "harmony" as the core elements of the traditional culturefrom three aspects that meant the harmony inside subject and between subjects, and theharmony between subject and object. It proved that "harmony" is the national cultural traditionand characteristics. The sublimation of modern harmony concept was shown by concreteliterary content which focused on people’s nature, constructed ideal humanity and performedhumane care. The pursuit of "harmony" shaped the unique literary style of modern Chineseliterature, which has a lyrical and moderate literary character."Harmony", through areinterpretation of modern literature, set a worldview benchmark of the modern nation andprovided a unifying ideological basis for the ideal personality and rational social order. It alsospecified the highest aesthetic goals, spiritual quality and external appearance for modernliterature. It was significant and could not be ignored for the poetic realization of "LovingTownship" novels, contribution of modern Chinese novel form and "artful survival". Acomplete image of a modern national culture has been constructed in the text analysis. It is amethod to achieve national cultural identity for the modern nation, also foundation andprerequisite for Chinese literature dialogue with the world and participation in pedigreedrawing of world literature. It inherits the Trinitarian cultural structure of traditional culturecombined by Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Modernity is its background and purpose,while the essence of purified traditional culture acts as foundation. And the concept ofharmony with new cultural context severs as its spiritual nature and aesthetic pursuit. It isinclusive, balanced, deep, national and modern. It is a metaphysical unifying value system,with practical and cultural significance. It determines both the spiritual core and attractiveform of the modern national literature. As a reference value for the concrete literary activities,it has unquestionable significance for reconstruction of cultural authority, introduction toelegant and harmonious modern national literature and construction of national criticism discourse.