{"id":15189,"date":"2020-09-07T07:00:19","date_gmt":"2020-09-07T11:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=15189"},"modified":"2020-09-06T18:19:41","modified_gmt":"2020-09-06T22:19:41","slug":"a-chinese-book-review-chronicle-of-a-blood-merchant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/a-chinese-book-review-chronicle-of-a-blood-merchant\/","title":{"rendered":"A Chinese Book Review: Chronicle of a Blood Merchant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

\u8bb8\u4e09\u89c2\u5356\u8840\u8bb0<\/strong> (X\u01d4 S\u0101ngu\u0101n M\u00e0i Xi\u011b J\u00ec) is a 1995 novel by the Chinese writer\u00a0Yu Hua. Translated to English by the name Chronicle of a Blood Merchant<\/em>, the book tells the story of Xu Sanguan who finds a way to augment his meager salary. A way that changes his life.<\/p>\n

Xu Sanguan lives in the city and works as a cart-pusher in a silk mill. His family believes that selling blood considers as proof of a strong body. \u5728\u8fd9\u5730\u65b9\u8eab\u5b50\u9aa8\u7ed3\u5b9e\u7684\u4eba\u90fd\u53bb\u5356\u8840<\/strong> (z\u00e0i zh\u00e8 d\u00ec f\u0101ng sh\u0113n zi g\u01d4 ji\u0113 shi de r\u00e9n d\u014du q\u00f9 m\u00e0i xu\u00e8, t<\/em>he strong people in our village sell blood<\/em>), his uncle says. Selling blood not only presents you as healthy, but also earns you quite a sum: \u5356\u4e00\u6b21\u8840\u80fd\u6323\u4e09\u5341\u4e94\u5757\u94b1\u5462<\/strong> (m\u00e0i y\u012b c\u00ec xu\u00e8 n\u00e9ng zh\u0113ng s\u0101n sh\u00ed w\u01d4 ku\u00e0i qi\u00e1n ne, y<\/em>ou can earn 35 Yuan for selling blood<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Xu Sanguan joins the villagers in their visit to the city hospital to sell blood. He wishes to use the money to find a girl to marry: \u6211\u60f3\u627e\u4e2a\u5973\u4eba\u53bb\u7ed3\u5a5a\u4e86 <\/strong>(w\u01d2 xi\u01ceng zh\u01ceo g\u00e8 n\u01da r\u00e9n q\u00f9 ji\u00e9 h\u016bn le). With the blood money, he invites the beautiful Xu Yulan to eat dumplings. Soon after, he proposes, but Xu Yulan has a boyfriend. Xu Sanguan doesn\u2019t accept her refusal, and convinces her father to let his daughter marry him.<\/p>\n

In five years Xu Yulan gives birth to three sons: \u8bb8\u7389\u5170\u5728\u4e94\u5e74\u65f6\u95f4\u91cc\u751f\u4e0b\u4e86\u4e09\u4e2a\u513f\u5b50<\/strong> (X\u01d4 Y\u00f9l\u00e1n z\u00e0i w\u01d4 ni\u00e1n sh\u00ed ji\u0101n l\u01d0 sh\u0113ng xi\u00e0 le s\u0101n g\u00e8 er zi). Xu Sanguan named his sons Yile, Erle and Sanle: \u8bb8\u4e09\u89c2\u7ed9\u4ed6\u4e09\u4e2a\u513f\u5b50\u53d6\u540d\u4e3a\u8bb8\u4e00\u4e50\uff0c\u8bb8\u4e8c\u4e50\uff0c\u8bb8\u4e09\u4e50<\/strong> (X\u01d4 S\u0101ngu\u0101n g\u011bi t\u0101 s\u0101n g\u00e8 \u00e9r zi q\u01d4 m\u00edng w\u00e8i X\u01d4 Y\u012bl\u00e8, X\u01d4 \u00c8rl\u00e8, X\u01d4 S\u0101nl\u00e8).<\/p>\n

As his eldest son grows up, people begin to talk. This kid doesn<\/em>\u2019t look like Xu Sanguan at all<\/em>, they said: \u4e00\u4e50\u8fd9\u4e2a\u5b69\u5b50\u957f\u5f97\u4e00\u70b9\u90fd\u4e0d\u50cf\u8bb8\u4e09\u89c2<\/strong> (Y\u012bl\u00e8 zh\u00e8ge h\u00e1i zi zh\u01ceng d\u00e9 y\u012b di\u01cen d\u014du b\u00f9 xi\u00e0ng X\u01d4 S\u0101ngu\u0101n). It seems that Yile looks like his mother\u2019s former boyfriend, He Xiaoyong. Yile\u2019s eyes, nose, and big ears seem more and more similar to He Xiaoyong: \u4e00\u4e50\u7684\u773c\u775b\uff0c\u4e00\u4e50\u7684\u9f3b\u5b50\uff0c\u8fd8\u6709\u4e00\u4e50\u90a3\u4e00\u5bf9\u5927\u8033\u6735\uff0c\u8d8a\u957f\u8d8a\u50cf\u4f55\u5c0f\u52c7\u4e86<\/strong>(Y\u012b l\u00e8 de y\u01cen j\u012bng, Y\u012bl\u00e8 de b\u00edzi, h\u00e1i y\u01d2u Y\u012bl\u00e8 n\u00e0 y\u012b du\u00ec d\u00e0 \u011br du\u01d2, yu\u00e8 zh\u01ceng yu\u00e8 xi\u00e0ng H\u00e9 Xi\u01ceoy\u01d2ng le).When Xu Yulan admits their relationship wasn\u2019t innocent, Xu Sanguan believes his eldest could be He Xiaoyong\u2019s child.<\/p>\n

At the age of nine, Yile gets into a serious fight, and injures the other kid badly. Xu Sanguan is required to pay the hospital fee of the battered kid, but refuses. \u4e00\u4e50\u53c8\u4e0d\u662f\u6211\u7684\u513f\u5b50<\/strong> (Y\u012b l\u00e8 y\u00f2u b\u00f9 sh\u00ec w\u01d2 de \u00e9r zi, Yile is not my son<\/em>), he says, I\u2019ve raised him for nine years, and I will keep<\/em> fostering him <\/em>(\u4ee5\u540e\u4e00\u4e50\u8fd8\u7531\u6211\u6765\u629a\u517b <\/strong>y\u01d0 h\u00f2u y\u012b l\u00e8 h\u00e1i y\u00f3u w\u01d2 l\u00e1i f\u01d4 y\u01ceng), but this time He Xiaoyong has to pay the money<\/em>. Xu Yulan then goes to her ex boyfriend, promising him that Xu Sanguan will waive his debt for raising his son for nine years, if only He Xiaoyong will pay the hospital fee. The father of the hospitalized kid asks He Xiaoyong to pay the bill for the sake of these nine years. Even Yile is sent to appeal to He Xiaoyong. All in vain. Having no other choice, Xu Sanguan returns to the hospital. Ten years after he sold blood for the first time, he sells his blood again.<\/p>\n

In 1958, the Communist Party of China leads The Great Leap Forward campaign, aiming to accelerate the industrialization process of China. Furnaces are built in every corner. Wearing red armbands, people go from door to door to collect every family\u2019s pots and bowls, making cooking at home impossible. People are invited to eat in the new canteens. But when the canteens are being shut down one after the other, the days of famine begin. After 57 days of eating only porridge, Xu Sanguan goes to city hospital once again. His body weak, he can barely speak, but he is determined to sell his blood again, so he can take his wife and kids to eat noodles. He doesn\u2019t want, though, to spend his blood money on He Xiaoyong\u2019s child. Before they go to the restaurant, Xu Sanguan gives Yile five Jiao to buy himself a roasted sweet potato from the stall down the street for dinner. Can\u2019t you treat me like your biological son and take me to eat noodles, too? <\/em>(\u4f60\u80fd\u4e0d\u80fd\u628a\u6211\u5f53\u4e00\u56de\u4eb2\u751f\u513f\u5b50\uff0c\u8ba9\u6211\u4e5f\u53bb\u5403\u4e00\u7897\u9762\u6761\uff1f<\/strong>, n\u01d0 n\u00e9ng b\u00f9 n\u00e9ng b\u01ce w\u01d2 d\u0101ng y\u012b hu\u00ed q\u012bn sh\u0113ng \u00e9r zi, r\u00e0ng w\u01d2 y\u011b q\u00f9 ch\u012b y\u012b w\u01cen mi\u00e0n ti\u00e1o?), asks Yile. But Xu Sanguan refuses, leaving hungry Yile behind.<\/p>\n

Years later, the days of famine passed, Xu Yulan\u2019s ex-boyfriend unfortunately passes away, and Xu Sanguan finally accepts his eldest son as his own. But then comes the Cultural Revolution. Big character posters cover the walls, criticizing counter-revolutionists. Mass parades on the streets condemn capitalists and landlords. High-ranking officials and civilians are all targeted. People use the revolution to avenge past deeds, and no one is safe, including XuYulan. One day, Sanle returns home and tells his parents about the poster he saw, in which Xu Yulan is portrayed as a whore \u7834\u978b<\/strong> (p\u00f2 xi\u00e9, literally means worn-out shoe). She is then taken to be judged at an assembly, and returns back with half of her head shaven. She is also ordered to stand on a small stool in the middle of the street with a wood board hanging on her neck declaring that she is a prostitute. Curious to know what the Xu family did? I will let you read the rest by yourself. You can listen to the audio book here<\/a>, and watch this video clip summarizing the movie based on the book:<\/p>\n