"heroes, Shandong" Literary Memory

Shandong, which is the hometown of both Confucius and Mencius, is the birthplace of Confucian Culture. However, people would directly think of the figure with strong body, exceeding capacity of liquor, expansive character and simple bravery rather than the gentle cultivated scholar whenever they mentioned the literature figure about Shandong people, and this interesting phenomenon is closely related to the book Shui Hu Zhuan which is one of four legend books. With the background of peasant uprising, Shui Hu Zhuan sculptured a whole group of figures called"Liangshan Hero"that combined external bravery and inherent character quite perfectly. These literature figures as"archetype"have already permeated common people's deep psychological layer, it also became the common aesthetic judgement for people to imagine Shandong people and important vehicle about regional culture image construction and figure identification of"Shandong hero". Shui Hu Zhuan not only carved out a new field but also formed a unqiue tradition about hero narration in Shandong, of which deeply influenced the development of narration works in Shandong for almost hundred years. This article strive to start with Shui Hu Zhuan's influence to hero narration in Shandong, sum up the artical pneuma and the aesthetic characteristic of hero narration in different periods of history, and reveal its important function in constructing regional culture image process. The article mainly devides into four parts:Part I: Shui Hu Zhuan and Hero Narration in ShandongFirstly, as the model work of hero narration literature, Shui Hu Zhuan sculptured the aesthetic figure of"Liangshan hero"with eternal artical fascination. This group of heroes are provided with not only powerful physique, brave straightforward apperance, exceeding strength and feat, but also the inherent character of kindness, uprightness and bravely revolting. They became to a type of figure archetype, as well as the important model of"Shandong hero"culture image and regional cultural personality construction. Writers in different periods newly sculptured different types of character figures by imbibing the element that answered for the times demand, such as"resisting violence hero","revolution hero","wilderness hero"and so on. Secondly, Shui Hu Zhuan conceived of a Utopia world, Moor Liangshan, which was the opposite of the dark reality world. The world the writer fancied wasthe model of ideal political idea, living condition and life type. Later many ideal lands in different works, such as"Yan'an","new China","northeast of Gaomi village", are the anamorphosis of Moor Liangshan which hold the Utopia dream of"Liangshan hero"though share different contents. Lastly, by way of sculpturing Liangshan hero, the writer put characters into vehement conflict in order to exhibit their complicated inner beings. Therefore these are the important resources for writers to succeed and consult. Part II: Turbulent Village and Resisting Violence Narration The village of 1920s or 1930s in Shandong, which appeared in many works by pioneer writers such as Wang Tongzhao, Yan Zhensheng and Wang Si dian, is as dark as the actuality of Northern Song described in Shui Hu Zhuan: heavy taxes, too many brigands, and straving common people. The peasants straving around the edge of death rebelled like Liangshan hero to strive for their living privilege. Those resisting violence heroes, such as Xu Li, Wan Sheng, Xiang Sheng, Mu San, all shared characters of Liangshan hero for abhorring evil, no fear of violence and bravely resistance. They are the very heroes to be the main force in following revolutions though their resistance hold the spontaneity and blindness. Part III: Signal Fire of Revolution and Legendary Hero Narration The history came into 1930s. As the flames of war increasing stronger, the literature production of this period quickly turned as the battle with the invention of a series of novels which encircled, reflected and cooperated the battle, such as A Jar of Blood and Ensanguining Huai River. Because of the tensional literature producing environment and the maximal propaganda emphasis, these works were relatively quite hurry and crude, and also low in artical effort. But works like Railway Guerrilla, Woods in Snowfield, Broadword after the foundation, successfully referred to the experience of character image-building, the scenario setting and the overall configuration, and successfully portrayed many legendary hero figures such as Liu Hong, Yang Zirong and Liang Yongsheng. These heroes put up an edition of modern Shui Hu hero story under the legal revolutionary coverture. It fits people's reading expection, meanwhile arouses people's literature anamnesis of Liangshan hero and strengthens regional literature image about"Shandong hero".Part IV: History Fortune and Wilderness Hero NarrationThe history came into 1980s. After the disaster of Civilization Revolution, under the literary stimulation in Latin America and the literary thought arising background for seeking root, new-period writers like Miao Changshui and Li Cunbao, sculptured a series of civilian hero figures with traditional spirit of fortitude, kindness and lenience such as Li Shan, Run'er, Liang Sanxi and so on.However writers like Mo Yan and You Fengwei chose the"brigand"image as their cut-in point to explor the humanity. These wilderness heroes, such as Yu Zhan'ao and Er Ye, held both the obstinate and unruly brigand character and the heroic spirit to defend justice and revolt aggression. These fully revealed the complicated content of humanity, and also implied the complexity of regional literature in Shandong. On one hand, there's official literary image represented by traditional Confusian civilization. On the other hand, there's also civilian literary image represented by"Shandong hero". These civilian literary images were both the rebellion and avail complementarity to the official literary image.