Mao Dun
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| Mao Dun | |
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| Traditional Chinese: | 茅盾 |
| Pinyin: | Máo Dùn |
| Wade-Giles: | Mao Tun |
| Real name: | Shen Dehong (沈德鴻) |
| Courtesy name: | Yanbing (雁冰) |
| Pseudonyms: | Shen Yanbing |
Mao Dun (July 4, 1896–March 27, 1981) was the pen name of Shen Dehong, a 20th century Chinese novelist, cultural critic, and journalist.
He adopted 'Mao Dun' (矛盾), meaning "contradiction", as his pen name to express his sigh for the contradicting revolutionary ideology in China in the unstable 1920s. His friend Ye Shengtao changed the first word from 矛 to 茅, which literally means "thatch", to prevent him from political persecution.
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Early life
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Mao Dun was born in Tongxiang County, Zhejiang Province, China. His father Shen Yongxi (沈永錫) taught and designed the curriculum for his son, but he died when Mao Dun was ten. Mao Dun's mother Chen Aizhu (陳愛珠) then became his teacher. He mentioned in his memoirs that "my first instructor is my mother". Through learning from his parents, Mao Dun developed great interest in writing during his childhood.
Mao Dun had already started to develop his writing skills when he was still in primary school. In one examination the examiner commented on Mao Dun's script: '12 year old young child, can make this language, not says motherland nobody'. There were other similar comments which indicate that Mao Dun had been a brillant writer since his youth.
While Mao Dun was studying in secondary school in Hangzhou, extensive reading and strict writing skills training filled his life. He finished reading Illustrious Definite orders (《昭明文選》), Shi Shuo Xin Yu (《世說新語》) and a large number of classical novels. These novels influenced his writing style and his idea of writing.
Mao Dun entered the three-year foundation school offered by Peking University in 1913, in which he studied Chinese and Western literature. Due to financial difficulties, he had to quit in the summer of 1916, before his graduation.
The trainings in Chinese and English as well as knowledge of Chinese and Western literature provided by the fifteen years' education Mao Dun received had prepared him to show up in the limelight of the Chinese journalistic and literary arena.
Journalistic career
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After graduation, Mao Dun soon got his first job in the English editing and translation sections of the Commercial Press (商務印書館), Shanghai branch. At the age of 21, he was invitied to be the assistant editor of Xuesheng Zazhi (學生雜誌) (Students' Magazine) under the Commercial Press, which had published many articles about the new ideologies that had emerged in China at that time.
Apart from editing, Mao Dun also started to write about his social thoughts and criticisms. To some extent, he was inspired by the famous magazine New Youths. Like in 1917 and 1918, he wrote two editorials for Xuesheng Zazhi: Students and Society (學生與社會) and The Students of 1918, those were significant in stimulating political consciousness among the young educated Chinese.
In 1920, he was invited to edit a new column: Xiaoshuo Xinchao (小說新潮) (The Fiction-New-Waves) in Xiaoshuo Yuebao (小說月報)(Fiction Monthly). He even took up the post of Chief Editor of the Monthly in the same year and was obliged to reform it thoroughly, in response to the New Cultural Movement (五四運動/新文化運動). His young writer friends in Beijing supported him by submitting their creative writings, translating Western literature and their views on new literature theories and techniques to the magazines. Wenxue Yanjiuhui (文學研究會) (Literature Study Group) was formed partly because of this. The reformed Monthly was proved to be a success. It had facilitated the continuation of the New Cultural Movement by selling ten thousand copies a month and more importantly by introducing 'Literature for life', a brand new realistic approach to Chinese literature. In this period, Mao Dun had become a leading figure of the movement in the southern part of China.
On the notion of content reformation, both the innovative and conservative parties in the Commercial Press could not make a compromise. Mao Dun resigned from the Chief Editor of Fiction Monthly in 1923, but in 1927 he became the chief columnist of the Minguo yuebao. He wrote more than 30 editorials for this newspaper to criticize Chiang Kai-shek, and to support revolutions.
Political life
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Inspired by the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, Mao Dun took part in the May Fourth Movement in China. In 1920, he joined the Shanghai Communist Team, and helped to establish the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. At first, he worked as a liaison for the party. He also wrote for the party magazine 'The Communist Party' (共產黨).
At the same time, Mao Dun participated in Chiang Kai-shek's Northern Expedition (1926-1928), the main purpose was to unite the country. He quit, however, when Chiang's Kuomintang broke with the Communists.In July 1928, he went to Japan in order to take refuge. As he returned to China in 1930, he joined the League of the Left-Wing Writers. Later, China went to war with Japan and he actively engaged in resisting the Japanese attack in 1937. In 1949, the communist government took over and he was responsible for working as Mao Zedong's secretary and Culture Minister until 1964.
As a literary man
Xiaoshuo Yuebao Reform was first contribution of Mao Dun to Chinese literature. The magazine then became a place where "New Literature" circulated. Many famous writers like Lu Xun, Xu Dishan, Bing Xin, Ye Shengtao, had their works published through it. Mao Dun started to support "New Literature" and "New Thinking". He believed that Chinese literature should have a place in the world.
The experience of political conflict broadened his horizon in literature, therefore the theme of his later writing was mostly based on this. He then helped to found the League of Left-Wing Writers in 1930. After that, he worked together with Lu Xun to fight for the right of the society and the revolutionary movement in literature. The harvest period of Mao Dun's writing is considered to have been from 1927 to 1937. In 1927, he published his first novel, Disillusion (幻滅). His most famous and important novel, Midnight (子夜), was published in 1933. It is a naturalistic novel exploring the commercial world of Shanghai in detail. In addition, his fiction offered a sympathetic portrayal of working-class life and praise of revolution.
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When the People's Republic of China was established by the Communist Party of China in 1949, Mao Dun became the Minister of Culture. Mao Dun was dismissed and cruelly treated in the Cultural Revolution. After the Cultural Revolution, he became an editor of a children's magazine, and died in 1981. His influence in Chinese literature continues to the present day because he used his savings to set up a fund called the Mao Dun Literature Scholarship to promote an atmosphere for writing fiction.
Mao Dun's achievements in literature were also seen at his 50th birthday, which was also the 25th anniversary of his literary life. More than five hundred guests came to celebrate with him. Russian and American friends also joined the celebration. Wong Roufei wrote an essay as congratulations on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. Mao Dun's influence and achievements in the literary field were witnessed. On the other hand, he was twice elected as the chairman and then once elected as the vice-chairman of the China Literary Arts Representative Assembly. His status in the literary field has been highly recognized. Although he suffered great pain from illness in his old age, he still kept writing his memoirs, called The Road that I Walked (我走過的路).
Besides his achievements, Mao Dun also had great influence on Chinese literature. The Mao Dun Literature Prize(茅盾文學獎 (http://www.chinawriter.org/zyjx/mdwxj.asp)) was created due to Mao Dun's wish that outstanding novels should be encouraged and communist literature should be promoted. It is one of the most honorable literature awards in China. Many famous modern Chinese literary authors like Wei Wei (魏巍) and Zhou Ke-qin (周克芹) have received the prize.
Publications
Mao Dun has over 100 publications throughout his life, which includes Short stories, Novels, Theories etc. Some of his most famous works include:
Short Stories
- 《野薔薇》 YeQiangWei (1929)
- 《煙雲集》 YanYunJi(1937)
Long-short stories
- 《幻滅》 HuanMie [Disillusion] (1928)
- 《三人行》 SanRenXing [Three people walking] (1931)
- 《林家铺子》 LinJiaPu [The Shop Of the Lin Family]
- 《春蚕》 ChunChiJi [Spring Silkworms] (1956)
- 《秋收》 QiuShou [Autumn Harvest]
Novels
- 《虹》 Hong [Rainbow] (1930)
- 《子夜》 JiYe [Midnight] (1933)
- 《獻給詩人節》 XianGeiShiRenJie [Giving to the poet festival] (1946)
Theories
- 《茅盾近作》 MaoDunJinZuo [The recent works of Mao Dun](1980)
- 《茅盾論創作》 MaoDunLunChuangZuo [Mao Dun's Comment on Creativity] (1980)
Essays
- 《蘇聯見聞錄》 SuLianJianWenLu [Travelling Diary of USSR](1948)
- 《雜談蘇聯》 JiTanSuLian [Talks on USSR](1949)
Drama script
- 《清明前後》 QianMingQianHou [Front and rear Pure Brightness] (1945)
Translation
- 話劇《俄羅斯問題》(Modern drama "Russian Question")(1946)
- 中篇小說《團的兒子》(Novelette "Group's Sons")(1946)
Others
- 《茅盾全集》 MaoDunChuanJi [Works of Mao Dun] (vol. 1-15, 1984-1987)
- 《茅盾書簡》 MaoDunShuJian [Introduction to the books of Mao Dun] (1st edition, collection of letters, 1984) later changed the name into《茅盾書信集》 MaoDunShuXinJi (1988)
External link
- Mao Dun, Master Craftsman of Modern Chinese Literature (http://www.chineseliterature.com.cn/modernliterature/author/maodun/maodun1.htm) by Fan Jun
Further reading on Mao Dun
- Chen, Yu-shih. Realism and Allegory in the Early Fiction of Mao Dun. (1986)
- Galik, Marin. Mao Tun and Modern Chinese Literary Criticism. (1969)
- Galik, Marin. The Genesis of Modern Chinese Literature Criticism. (1980)
- Hsia, C.T. A History of Modern Chinese Fiction. (1961)
- Li Pin. (李頻) Bianji jia Mao Dun pingzhuan (編輯家茅盾評傳) Kaifeng (開封): Henan University press (河南大學出版社), 1995. Available in HKU FPS library.
- Shao Bozhou, et al. ed. Mao Dun de wenxue daolu. (1959)
- Wang, David Der-wei. Fictional Realism in the Twentieth-Century China. (1992)fr:Mao Dun