Zhao Shuli
Encyclopedia
Zhao Shuli was a novel
ist and a leading figure of modern Chinese literature
. Born in 1906 in Qinshui County
沁水縣, Shanxi
Province, he was originally called 趙樹禮, which, in Mandarin Chinese, was a homophone
of the name he later adopted in his adult career.
Zhao's major novel
s include 小二黑結婚 Xiao Erhei jiehun, "Xiao Erhei's Marriage"; 李有才板話 Li Youcai banhua; 李家莊的變遷 Li jiazhuang de bianqian, "Fortunes of the Li Estate"; and 三里灣 San li wan, "Three Mile Bay". The action of Zhao's novels typically takes place in the countryside of Northern China. In this setting, Zhao explores the dilemmas and conflicts of villagers who are facing growing social upheaval. Zhao was renowned for achieving nuanced portrayals of the diverse cast of human characters which were to be found in provincial life. With this objective in mind, he launched the Shanyaodan (山藥蛋派) literary movement, which took its name from a Northern colloquialism
for yams
and marked one of the most influential developments in 20th century Chinese writing.
Zhao was a member of the executive committee of the Chinese Writers Union and also served as the director of the Society of Chinese Authors, the president of the Society of Chinese Poets, and an editor of the journals 曲藝 Quyi
("Performing Arts") and 人民文學 Renmin Wenxue ("People's Literature"). He was also appointed a representative to the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China
, and a deputy in the first, second, and third sessions of the National People's Congress
.
He died in 1970, having fallen victim to the persecutions that were launched against intellectuals, artists, and countless other "undesirables" during the Cultural Revolution
.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and a leading figure of modern Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
. Born in 1906 in Qinshui County
Qinshui County
Qinshui County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Jincheng city.-References:*...
沁水縣, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
Province, he was originally called 趙樹禮, which, in Mandarin Chinese, was a homophone
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
of the name he later adopted in his adult career.
Zhao's major novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s include 小二黑結婚 Xiao Erhei jiehun, "Xiao Erhei's Marriage"; 李有才板話 Li Youcai banhua; 李家莊的變遷 Li jiazhuang de bianqian, "Fortunes of the Li Estate"; and 三里灣 San li wan, "Three Mile Bay". The action of Zhao's novels typically takes place in the countryside of Northern China. In this setting, Zhao explores the dilemmas and conflicts of villagers who are facing growing social upheaval. Zhao was renowned for achieving nuanced portrayals of the diverse cast of human characters which were to be found in provincial life. With this objective in mind, he launched the Shanyaodan (山藥蛋派) literary movement, which took its name from a Northern colloquialism
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
for yams
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
and marked one of the most influential developments in 20th century Chinese writing.
Zhao was a member of the executive committee of the Chinese Writers Union and also served as the director of the Society of Chinese Authors, the president of the Society of Chinese Poets, and an editor of the journals 曲藝 Quyi
Quyi
Quyi refers to such traditional art forms as ballad singing , story telling , comic dialogues , clapper talks and cross talks . This is one of the art category that gained momentum since the New Culture Movement...
("Performing Arts") and 人民文學 Renmin Wenxue ("People's Literature"). He was also appointed a representative to the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China
National Congress of the Communist Party of China
The National Congress of the Communist Party of China is a party congress that is held about once every five years. The National Congress is theoretically the highest body within the Communist Party of China, but in practice important decisions are made before the meeting. Since 1987 the National...
, and a deputy in the first, second, and third sessions of the National People's Congress
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and the only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China; with 2,987 members, it is the...
.
He died in 1970, having fallen victim to the persecutions that were launched against intellectuals, artists, and countless other "undesirables" during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
.