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Xu Tongcun Presents His Novel “Years” at Nanjing Zhengrui
Release Date:
2023-04-25 10:10
Shakespeare once said, “Books are the best nourishment for the whole world.” Du Fu also penned the timeless line, “When one has read ten thousand books, one’s writing flows with divine inspiration.” And Maxim Gorky had his own insight: “Books are the ladder of human progress.” Today, Mr. Xu Tongcun brought his work “Years” to Zhengrui and hosted a book-sharing session.
“Years of Youth” is a sprawling narrative that weaves together the threads of rivers and seas, traverses urban and rural landscapes, spans military and civilian spheres, and leaps across time and space. At its core, the novel meticulously crafts the archetypal figure of the male protagonist, Yu Tonghua, set against the sweeping backdrop of China’s reform and opening-up, tracing his journey of growth and self-discovery. The story centers on Yu Tonghua, a young man from the countryside, and follows nearly four decades of his professional life, daily existence, and emotional experiences, rendered with a starkly realistic style. Through his eyes, we witness the lived realities of numerous characters—primarily those born in the 1960s—and are drawn into the major social and cultural events that unfolded during this period. Over the course of the novel, Yu Tonghua assumes a succession of roles: a lowly soldier, a budding “literary youth,” a platoon leader, a junior administrative officer, head of the political work section, secretary, poet, and writer. Throughout it all, he harbors an unquenchable dream and a steadfast vision for the future—and that, in essence, is all there is to it. Smallness does not equate to mediocrity; smallness means being as fragile as a blade of grass, as isolated and powerless as a lone leaf in the wind. Yet Yu Tonghua breaks free from his rural roots and presses forward in pursuit of his dreams, starting with nothing but sheer determination and grit. By today’s standards, one might say he has stayed true to his original aspirations and made the most of his youthful years. His encounters with a kaleidoscope of figures within the military serve as a vivid testament to the transformation of military life in the era of reform and opening-up, as well as to the dazzling, often bewildering metamorphosis of both urban and rural society. With its expansive scope, the novel lays bare the value systems, modes of behavior, aspirations, and worldviews of diverse groups—including soldiers, government officials, entrepreneurs, freelancers, farmers, and ordinary citizens—during a time of profound social transition. Through a series of vivid, lifelike tales that at first glance seem mundane and trivial yet are, in truth, deeply mired in the messy complexities of everyday life, the novel paints a contemporary ukiyo-e—a snapshot of our times.
Mr. Xu Tongcun shared many personal experiences behind the creation of “Years of Youth.” The very first sentence of the book—“All people have similar limbs and facial features, yet each person’s destiny is unique”—strikes a profound chord: indeed, we all have two eyes, a nose, two ears, and a mouth; our physical appearances may resemble one another, but every life is utterly different. It is always you who shapes your own destiny and seizes the opportunities that define it. Just as the protagonist in the book demonstrates, even a single spark can ignite a prairie fire—only by constantly creating and innovating can we become the best versions of ourselves. By co-building and growing together with enterprises, we can forge lives of extraordinary value and create truly remarkable organizations.
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