"They make a living and make love" and the new work "What kind of love is not riddled with holes".
Since the publication of "What Kind of Love is not riddled with holes", it has aroused a heated discussion among readers, especially Zhang fans. Hong Yan, the author of Sina Reading Connection, listened to the author's creative ideas about this book.
Hong Yan: Although I am the editor of a newspaper, headlines are not my specialty. There is no way to name it "Zhang Ailing's Lover". That's what I wrote. But in the process of combing the people she loves, I found that her love is "full of holes". It's not just her, we are all like this. I am deeply touched by such a sigh. Just like the title of my other book, "They make a living and seek love", I am happy to have it on the cover of my book.
Sina Reading: In your new book, you talked about many relatives and friends around Zhang Ailing. Based on your understanding of Zhang Ailing, who do you think has the greatest influence on her life and creation? Hong Yan: Personally, I think it should be Zhang Zhiyi, Zhang Ailing's father. He is that kind of old-school talent, with good classical Chinese and well-written old-style poems. He also formed a poetry club with a group of fans, known as Little Du Mu in the circle. His knowledge of English is also quite good. He subscribes to English newspapers for a long time at home, and has a rich collection of books, which has a benign influence on Zhang Ailing. When Zhang Ailing recalled the past, she often said that she had "dragged" her father's books one by one. Needless to say, Zhang Ailing's early works were first affirmed by him. She wrote a very meaningless modern dream of red mansions, Zhang Zhiyi drafted a "decent" reply for her, and her father and daughter also had an in-depth discussion on Gao E's sequel. These are all important accumulations of Zhang Ailing's future creation.
In addition to the guidance of literary creation, their special father-daughter relationship is also very beneficial for Zhang Ailing to see human nature clearly and understand life. As an old-school gifted scholar, born in such an earth-shaking era, all his talents are out of date before they are used, and a bitter taste of untimely life makes his character gloomy. Zhang Ailing, who longed for a new era, had a rift with him. The feelings of two people are intertwined with love and hate, full of grievances. In her later works, Zhang Ailing is very good at describing that kind of riddled feelings. What is different from other contemporary female writers is that in the process of describing this kind of riddled feelings, she embodies the texture of life and feels real and tangible when reading.
Studying at Sina: There are many places in the book that show contempt for Hu Lancheng, especially an article entitled "Who hasn't loved a handful of scum", which can be said to express the voices of many female netizens? Hong Yan: Hehe, I saw some friends simply use this as their signature. I think this sentence is popular because it gives us a reason to forgive ourselves. Who hasn't loved a bunch of scum, even Zhang Ailing, then I don't have to worry about those old sesame seeds and rotten millet.
Girls with rich imagination are particularly prone to fall in love with scum, because they are sensitive and eager for love, but those who don't like it and those who like it don't appear. As women, they can't find opportunities to show their charm. In desperation, they can only use their own imagination to package the seemingly nice person into a favorite look and fool themselves.
Therefore, I think there is no right person, only the right time and place. When the time is right, even the scum looks right. It turned out to be scum, because the time and place were wrong and the people were wrong.
But Hu Lancheng also has his advantages. He is smart, considerate and willing to express himself. Although these words look ordinary, most women, including myself, especially like this sentence. Men in China are used to looking up at the sky and thinking about great things. Only Hu Lancheng can sit down and listen to your comments on a string of glass beads with great interest. Such a man can not only bring out a woman's maternity, but also restore a woman's little daughter's modality. Sometimes it is really hard to refuse.
His existence is not a complete disaster for women. He is at least better than those slow people. There are many women, unfortunately, all they meet in life are rigid and boring men. Life is short, and the pursuit of truth may be a bit redundant. If there is a certain tolerance for "falsehood", Hu Lancheng in life may be a lovely man.
Sina Reading: You also wrote an article "Who should Zhang Ailing marry" in your blog. In your feeling, where does Zhang Ailing and Hu Lancheng not match? Who should Zhang Ailing give it to? Hong Yan: Their mismatch lies not in their personality or background or anything else, but in the fact that Zhang Ailing is a real person, and Hu Lancheng is even more fake. Although he pretends to be frank and is willing to say all the dirty things, his "fake" is reflected in his attitude. Let's just say that even if he is caught stealing his wallet one day, he may tell people everywhere, but he will claim that it is a kind of performance art, and it is too vulgar for others not to appreciate him.
I am joking in this article, just to express the view that Zhang Ailing is a real person, and only when she meets another real person can she last for a long time. But this truth can't be too cold. For example, Mr. Lu Xun, who is "not afraid to speculate on China people with the worst malice", is obviously inappropriate, because Zhang Ailing also has cold elements in her bones. If they are cynical all day, they will not live that day.
It must be real and warm. Personally, I think Qian Zhongshu is more in line with this standard. Mr. Qian is also mean, but he is naive and mean and harmless. He loves his wife and daughter even more.
But this is all theoretical. The Qian family is a big family, and Zhang Ailing has long been unable to adapt to the life of that big family. Qian Zhongshu didn't adapt it himself, and satire in Fortress Besieged was enough, but his wife adapted it, and Zhang Ailing didn't have the ability.
I also saw a friend say that he was shocked to see little reunion, but I didn't feel this way. Maybe I never regarded Zhang Ailing as an out-of-touch fairy, and I always knew that she also had a body. Little reunion added some details, but there is no essential difference between her and me.
Sina Reading: You are engaged in editing, mainly responsible for editing articles on women, marriage and family, and your job is word processing. How much do you think your usual job has to do with your creation? Hong Yan: I am a homesick person. My job is an important window for me to understand life. On the other hand, it also provides me with a stable income, so that I won't be eager for quick success when writing.
Sina Reading: Do you think Zhang Ailing has a great influence on your creation? Is Zhang Ailing your favorite writer? Hong Yan: Of course, Zhang Ailing's greatest influence on me is to remove all obstacles and look directly at human nature, including myself. Most women writers have a problem. They like to whitewash and beautify their lives, not to say how beautiful they are, but to write in a legendary way, which is also a kind of plastic surgery. The people described by Zhang Ailing are not like people on paper, but like people in life. Even if some works are not well written, the characters in them can still hold up.
Studying in Sina: In your work "Misreading the Red Chamber", you let readers appreciate a brand-new dream of red mansions from the delicate and sensitive perspective of women. What do you think is the most noticeable misunderstanding about the Red Chamber?
Hong Yan: I am the kind of person who will make mistakes today. I have no feeling about what has been published. In Misreading the Red Chamber, you can also read Qin Keqing's article. It is from the perspective of "desire and destruction" that Jia Yucun's articles are created, which restore Jia Yucun's true colors and seek his mental journey from clues. I'm quite satisfied myself. What friends generally appreciate is the article about Jia Rui, which tells the story of the original capital held by the seducer. Women will feel at ease when they read it.