Fortress Besieged

by Qian Zhongshu

Book Overview

Set on the eve of the Sino-Japanese War, our hapless hero Fang Hung-chien ( la Emma Bovary), with no particular goal in life and with a bogus degree from a fake American university in hand, returns home to Shanghai. On the French liner home, he meets two Chinese beauties, Miss Su and Miss Pao. Qian writes, "With Miss Pao it wasn't a matter of heart or soul. She hadn't any change of heart, since she didn't have a heart." In a sort of painful comedy,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811215520
• ISBN13: 9780811215527
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Miscommunication and the Logic of Chance

This breathtaking novel about China in the 1930s during the Japanese occupation is characterized by miscommunication. At least in love, everyone in this novel misunderstands others, leading to serious failure in relationships. Another characteristic is how trivial things - the products of chance - end up having immense consequences and becoming pivotal events. Things like the arguments between husband and wife, the books about Communism, etc. all translate into major changes. Critics attribute this to the main character - Hung Chien's lack of drive and his willingness to let events take control of him, but aren't we all? Few are made of steel. Isn't it human nature to have bad moods, to give up sometimes, or to go with the flow? We end up in situations no one could have predicted, and nothing really matters. Further it is not like we can stand in the face of circumstances no matter what. Sometimes events are beyond our control - nothing can change them. His criticism of the academic world is very funny - surely extends beyond the borders of 1930s China. So are his criticism of social ills. Indeed I see many parallels between his time and our culture under Israeli occupation: the degree from the "West" becoming a mark of status, the photo in the newspaper upon return of the student from abroad, or people going to the West to study their own language and literature. I suspect the fact that Hung Chien's being torn between two cultures contributed much to his passivity. He couldn't decide clearly what he wanted from life. With new eyes, he saw many things he didn't like about his culture, but he couldn't accept the Western model in full either. His expectations became different from that others [parents, wife, colleagues] had in store for him.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fortress Besieged (Simplified Chinese: Χ³Ç; Traditional Chinese: ú³Ç; Pinyin: w¨¦i ch¨¦ng) is a comedy of manners written by Qian Zhongshu, published in 1947, and is widely considered as one of the masterpieces of twentieth century Chinese literature. The novel is a humorous tale about middle-class Chinese society in the 1940s. It is also one of the most well-known contemporary Chinese novels in China, and has been made into a popular television series during the early 1990s. Origin and History The book was begun while Qian Zhongshu and wife Yang Jiang were living in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation. According to Yang Jiang, the successful production of several of her plays inspired Qian to write a full length novel. The novel was begun in 1944, and completed in 1946. Much of the characters and plot are taken from the experiences of Qian and Yang abroad and in China. For example, the opening scene at sea reflects their journey from France to China onboard the ship Athos II. The title is based on a French proverb: Marriage is like a fortress besieged: those who are outside want to get in, and those who are inside want to get out. The novel is known for its acerbic asides, such as describing one young lady in the following way: At first, they called her "truth" because "the truth is naked". But then, she's not actually completely naked. So they amended it to "partial-truth". The novel was published in Shanghai in 1947. The second edition was published 1948. The third edition in 1949. After the Communist Revolution, the book was not printed again in mainland China until 1980. In the mean time, it was also banned in Taiwan because of its satire of the Nationalist government. The novel has been translated into many languages. These include the Russian version which appeared in 1979, the American English version in 1979; and the German version in 1982. Plot Summary Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. Set in the 1930s it follows the misadventures of Fang Hung-chien (Fang Hongjian), a bumbling everyman who wastes his time studying abroad, and secures a fake degree when learning he has run out of money and must return home to China. The first part of the novel is set on the boat home, where Fang courts two young ladies. Fang was the son of a country gentleman. A marriage had been arranged for him while at university, but the intended wife died before he could see her. After completing a degree in Chinese literature, he went to Europe where he studied at several universities without pursuing a degree. After being pressured by his family, he bought a fake degree from an American Irishman. The year was 1937, and Fang was returning to China from Europe along with other graduating Chinese students. One fellow traveller was Miss Su, in her late 20s. She is quite pretty in a thin and pallid style, but her choosy attitude towards men means she is still unattached and getting slightly desperate. Another young lady on board was Miss Bao,

Famous Chinese novel and a lot of similes.

Fortress Besieged by Zhongshu Qian Facing a precarious looking rattan footbridge without railings & "afraid he'd only make a mess out of it if he tried to help her" all Fang Hung-chien "could do was smile ruefully" at the young lady---whom he'd earlier characterized behind her back as "a delicate little Shanghai girl"---and say "that leaves just us two cowards." To which she countered: "Mr. Fang, are you scared? I am not. Would you like me to go in front. If you follow me you won't have to look at the void below and you won't have the feeling that the bridge is endless. This way you would have more confidence." (Aside: try re-reading the above after substituting the word "life" in lieu of "the bridge.") Once the pair were safely across Mr. Fang's pal Chou Hsin-mei smilingly asked of the lady (whom I'm not going to name for your benefit) "were you leading him from the front or was he looking after you from behind?" Good question. And this is what this book is about, such questions on the subject of courtship---but not relating to any and all Chinese. No, this novel by a Chinese intellectual---whose first names can be translated as "book-lover"---primarily concerns & satirizes the foibles and pretensions of other intellectuals; particularly Chinese students who have journeyed abroad seeking foreign degrees. The story thus conveniently commences aboard a steamship making its way back to China, peopled by a number of Chinese students (among them Fang Hung-chien) returning from Europe. The year is 1937 and the characters' lives are set amidst a backdrop of European hegemony and increasing Japanese aggression vis-a-vis China. For the author Chinese students who go abroad to study are more often mere pretenders, hollow intellectuals, trying to surmount some sort of self-perceived Chinese inferiority complex. Needless to say, such folk in this book do not fare well when it comes to having successful relationships. Chou Hsin-mei comes out of it better than most in the end, but only after experiencing much turmoil over a number of years, having presumably married (we aren't actually told) a "simple honest country girl"---his earlier declared goal upon his having been jilted by "a city-girl with a college degree." Likewise, we aren't told much about how other rather prominent characters' choices turn out for them in the end either. Only Fang's degree of happiness enjoyed is elaborated on to the extent that one may draw conclusions on the subject of marriage; and whether it's cracked up to be all that some imagine it to be. P.S & word to the wise: Fang's character writing to a woman in the novel cautiously admits that "I can only use cliches which have been worked to death for thousands of years to express my feelings." For my taste, the author's writing style parallels this comment far too closely. If you are annoyed by an over usage of similes then "Fortress Besieged" (what the author likens a marriage to be akin) is going to grate on your nerves at

A review by a Chinese reader

I read the Chinese (original) version by Qian Zhongshu many times, but not the English translation yet. So I would be more than willing to rate the book a 5 star, it's not a review about the English version of it. Neither my Chinese nor English language skill could be adaquate to comment on the translation of such a masterpiece in Chinese modern literature though. So I will just say this: while reading this book, if you suddenly start laughing till tears come out, then, I guess, you really come to understand large part of the Chinese people, as well as the society. It won't be easy for foreign readers, you need some background, history, etc to reach that stage. But if your interest in Chinese people goes beyond "cheap labour that flood WalMart with competing products", this book opens a path towards the heart of those (our) people and their (our) society. Not a quick and easy path, but a lasting one.

That's totally briliant

The first literature work I had read is >.It took 3 or 4 night to finish it.Actually in that situation the stress of competion did not allowed me to spend extra time on "useless hobbies", what I did was ,waiting for 1 hour on the bed till all people in my family asleepe already.Then,Iturned a flashlight on,covered myself under the comforter,read the small printings hardly;Wasn't it funny?I usually falling sleep during my reading,and waken up at 5:45 in morning,started a normally borning day.......<<Fortress Besied>> had take me into the kingdom of Chinese elite literature,caused by Qian's witty tone, I entered another world in 1930's.It used to be ashamed for all Chinese ruled under Janpanese occupants,Goverment was also moved to safe place to avoid attacks.Certainly,elitists left their good life in big cities,followed the wave of "immigration",in someway ,become refugees.Even for those who newly back to China dreamed to be high class intelligentists were find a job in a brand new university in somewhere far away the city.Therefore,the characters such like Fang Hongjian were met each other, started a paradoxically embarracing journey to San lujian University......His way of life,reflected the most darkness inside a person with WEstern background.Since I opened this book,I couldn't to quit it,especially those fantastic details and WEster nhumors,In addition,the most remarkable part is the conflict between diffirent cultures. However this masterpiece was listed on forbidden books for many years when China ruled by Natioalist,because it scorned the rotteness of the rulers.Surely I enjoyed this book,I'd try to find the best fanciest words to describe the brilliance of Qian's writting.But I am not good at boasting. Instead,I sharing my <<Fortress Besieged>>complex with you.This might be helpful for you to judge it in a special view point.My crazy reading started at age 12,and now I am 15,continually taste any flovors of literature,<<fortress Besieged>> seems like an old friend,standed on tne highest level of the bookshelf,very easily to connect with my remeberanceof things past,it mentioned me a theme more complicate than life itself.