Fortress Besieged

by Qian Zhongshu

  Despite the seriousness and success of the courtship and marriage theme, the crowning achievement of Fortress Besieged is the creation of the hero, Fang Hung-chien. It is in Fang that Ch’ien Chung-shu is able fully to suggest the idea of besiegement, and thus make his comment on the condition of modern man. Fang is not a hero in any sense of the word. At best, he is comical, bumptious, often self-contradictory, and occasionally roguish in the first half of the novel and self-pitying in the second. As a typical twentieth-century Chinese born into a traditional family, the die has been cast for him from birth. He is expected to go to college, to study abroad, and to attain social prominence, which means official position and wealth. He finds a constant reminder of what is expected of him in his pedantic and moralistic father. Obviously his father has measured up to those standards with great vigor, having passed his academic examinations at an early age and being a much respected man in his hometown and the head of a large and traditional family in which three generations live together under one roof. No less demanding of Fang Hung-chien are his “in-laws,” the Chous. They not only demand that he be a good investment for them by bringing home a diploma from abroad; they also expect him to be at their beck and call. When they find him falling below their expectations, they invite him to leave. Similarly, his wife’s relatives expect the same from him, and when he fails them, his wife’s aunt calls him a man of “no ability” but with a “terrific temper” (p. 355).

  If his relatives are less than understanding, others are much more callous and unsympathetic. Heading the list is the president of San Lü University, who is much more menacing than his father or his “father-in-law” or his wife’s aunt. While his father and “father-in-law” have not been able to probe into his false credentials, President Kao has no such difficulty. Kao first demotes him and then refuses to renew his contract for the next academic year. Moreover, Fang’s colleagues at San Lü University make his life miserable; his every word and deed is monitored and misinterpreted to his disadvantage. His boss in the Shanghai newspaper office is only too willing to see him sacrifice his job as a gesture of support for the outgoing boss himself.

  In short, everywhere Fang turns, he finds his options narrowing. The open space on the deck of the Vicomte de Bragelonne finally contracts itself to Fang’s tiny apartment in Shanghai. After his wife has abandoned him, he opens the door to the bedroom, he stands there in a daze, mind and body too dulled to feel angry or upset. “‘All right,’ he said spitefully, ‘you’re free to go off and leave me. Get the hell out, your mother’s egg! All of you, get the hell out of my sight!’” (p. 361). What is left is the old ancestral clock, which begins chiming away as though it has stored up half a day’s time for the still of night to carefully ring it out, counting, “one, two, three, four, five, six.” Fang is alone.

  The aloneness of Fang is Ch’ien Chung-shu’s statement about the condition of modern man. What Fang has finally achieved out of his personal failures is debatable—perhaps nothing at all. The inability of Fang to learn much from his experience is a testament to Ch’ien’s art. Had Fang learned as much as other protagonists in traditional initiation stories, this whole novel would have lost much of its credibility. Fang, to the very end, remains in character. His inability to comprehend his wife’s desertion is much akin to his puzzlement over Miss Pao’s behavior in chapter one. Just as he went to look for other means of pleasure in the person of Miss Su in chapter one, he will go to find Chao Hsin-mei in the interior as a means of forgetting his unpleasant past. What Fang demonstrates is insensitivity and the animal instinct to survive as best he can, while not understanding what he’s trying to do.

  Despite Fang’s unattractiveness as a hero (having failed to achieve illumination from his own tragedy and denying us a neat analysis of his character), the author’s sympathy is clearly with him, for Ch’ien Chung-shu feels a man is responsible neither for the evils the world puts in his path nor for the weak nature heredity may have given him. By portraying Fang without idealization, Ch’ien has given us a real person, one with whom many of us can identify, and it is precisely the creation of such a vulnerable, pitiable, average man that makes Fortress Besieged a sobering commentary on what it means to be an ordinary twentieth-century educated Chinese living in a time of war, in a time when old and new ideas and concepts clash, and besieged by forces which he cannot fully understand. Fang Hung-chien is not merely Fang Hung-chien himself, he is contemporary man. The pressures he faces are those that were faced by his contemporaries in the 1930s. In this sense, Fang is not only an individual but also a representative of his class.

  Fortress Besieged is a book of many things. It makes us laugh at its dense populace of every social type imaginable. But beyond the mirth and liveliness, Ch’ien Chung-shu also wants us to see the follies, vices, and stupidities of men everywhere; and when we do, the laughter that has been evoked is abruptly silenced. The surface of the book is comic, but at its core we find a relentless satire of twentieth-century Chinese intellectuals, a sobering commentary on the true nature of courtship and marriage, and the sympathetic portrayal of one man, in whom we find a little bit of each of us.

  NKM

  Notes

  CHAPTER ONE

  1. A reference to the French Concession in Shanghai, an area outside the jurisdiction of the Chinese.

  2. A game usually played by four persons with 144 dominolike pieces or tiles marked in suits, counters, and dice. The tiles are drawn and discarded until one player secures a winning combination of four sets of three tiles and a pair.

  3. The Chinese dress refers to ch’a-p’ao, which has a high collar that usually fits close to the neck.

  4. A popular saying which indicates that those destined to be married to each other, though a thousand li apart, are drawn together by a single thread. Li is a measure of length reckoned at 360 paces or about 1,890 feet English measure.

  5. Su Tung-p’o (1036–1101): a celebrated Chinese poet, essayist, painter, and calligrapher of the Sung dynasty. His sister, Su Hsiao-mei, probably a legendary figure, is reputed to have been equally talented.

  6. The traditional Chinese civil examination system offered three academic degrees, which were conducted at three different levels—the county (or prefecture), the province, and the national capital. Successful candidates at these three levels were known respectively as hsiu-ts’ai, chü-jen, and chin-shih. For a quick reference, see Y. W. Ma and Joseph S. M. Lau, eds., Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes and Variations (New York: Columbia University Press, 1978), p. xvi.

  7. The land south of the Yangtze River in eastern China is known as the cultural and political center of China, noted for the glitter of its cities and the lush green of its countryside.

  8. Literally, “Turn-to-gold-at-a-touch Bank.” From the Taoist story of a man who could turn stones to gold by a touch of his finger, comparable to the “Midas touch.”

  9. A festival (“Clear and Bright”), usually around April 5, during which the Chinese worship at the graves.

  10. Literally, to lament the autumn—to regret the passing of the summer of life. An allusion from Songs of the South (Ch’u tz’u), a collection of poems associated with the state of Ch’u to the south in the Yangtze Valley. The earliest of the Ch’u poems are probably not any older than the third century B.C.

  11. Literally, to harbor the amorous thoughts of spring. An allusion from the Book of Odes (Shih ching), a collection of 305 songs dating from about 1100 to 600 B.C. The arrangement is attributed to Confucius, who considered the book a model of poetic expression.

  12. Literally, “just like the old frontiersman losing a horse, who knows but that which seems a misfortune may be a blessing in disguise.”

  13. A huge collection of manuscripts dating from before A.D. 1000, found in rock caves near Tun-huang in China. Many of the manuscripts were acquired by the British archaeologist Aurel Stein, who took them to London in 1908. The French sinologist Paul Pelliot took another batch of them to Paris later in the same y
ear.

  14. A compendium of over 11,000 volumes containing excerpts and complete works on the Confucian canon, history, philosophy, and the arts and sciences, compiled from 1403 to 1408 under the commission of the Ming emperor Ch’eng-tsu.

  15. Records related to the T’ai-p’ing rebellion in the middle of the nineteenth century. The rebellion was led by Hung Hsiu-ch’uan (1813–1864), who in 1851 proclaimed the T’ai-p’ing Heavenly Kingdom and took for himself the title of emperor. He captured Nanking on March 8, 1853, and was not defeated by the Manchu government until the summer of 1864.

  16. The original incident as recorded in the Analects (Lun yü) is as follows: “Ju Pei wanted to see Master K’ung [Confucius]. Master K’ung excused himself on the ground of ill health. But when the man who had brought the message was going out through the door, he took up his zither and sang, taking good care that the messenger should hear.” See The Analects of Confucius, translated and annotated by Arthur Waley (New York: Vintage, 1938), p. 214. The Analects is one of the cardinal books of Chinese literature and thought, memorized and studied for many centuries.

  17. Mencius was Confucius’ most famous follower and lived from 372 to 289 B.C. Mencius’ sayings, entitled simply Mencius, concur with most of Confucius’ basic ideas, such as the importance of the people and the concept of the humane and righteous king as the fundamental answer to all questions of government. Moreover, Mencius believed that human beings had a tendency to do good, and that anyone might become a Sage Yao or Shun, a perfect man. The incident referred to in the text is from Mencius. King Hsüan of Ch’i asked Mencius if the latter would come to see him, since the king was indisposed. Mencius said he could not, because he was not well himself (this was a lie).

  18. In Manchu times (Ch’ing dynasty) government officials were selected from holders of academic degrees. But it was also possible to purchase an academic title; for those who did, the title was important because it “admitted them to gentry status and privileges and was an opening for further advancement and official position.” For details, see Chung-li Chang, The Chinese Gentry (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1967).

  19. Miss Su’s dissertation. Eighteen Colloquial Poets of China, is an imitation of The Anthology of Eighteen Poets (Shih-ba-chia shih-ch’ao), an impressive collection of the works of such eminent poets as Li Po, Tu Fu, Li Shang-yin, and others.

  20. The author implies that the Japanese are highly imitative people, and hence the Japanese have no culture of their own to speak of.

  21. A standard description of a woman who appears cold and stern. It usually describes a virtuous maiden or widow.

  22. Mandarin heavily marked with the Cantonese accent. Cantonese people are known for their inability to speak Mandarin well.

  23. An affectionate form of address among friends, usually older to younger.

  24. Literally, “someone beautiful enough to be eaten.”

  25. When a person is dismissed from his employment in a shop or store, he has to pack his own bedding. Hence, “packing the bedding” is synonymous with dismissal from work.

  26. Victoria Peak on Hong Kong island is noted for its spectacular view of Hong Kong harbor.

  27. An area in Hong Kong noted for its sandy beaches and the old Repulse Bay Hotel. It was formerly an exclusive area for the rich.

  CHAPTER TWO

  1. The original reads “p’o-p’o ma-ma,” an expression which describes a fastidious “granny-type” person, very much interested in minor or unimportant details.

  2. “Kan nü-erh” is an adopted daughter. A daughter can be “adopted,” however, without going through any of the complicated legal process, and this type of adoption carries no legal or financial obligations.

  3. “Kan-ma”: adopted mother. “Adoption” can take place as described in note 2.

  4. Literally, “ears that catch the wind.” Metaphorically, the expression describes someone who hears all the gossip.

  5. One of the most prestigious universities in China.

  6. Literally, “the throat and tongue of the people.” Metaphorically, the expression refers to a newspaper that represents the best interests of the people.

  7. Literally, “a straight pen counsels.” A conventional phrase used to describe a newspaper.

  8. A Collection of Ambiguous Chinese Words: a book about Chinese words by Sun Hsing-yen (1753–1818).

  9. Miscellaneous Manuscripts of Kuei-ssu: a work by Yu Cheng-hsieh (1775–1840) printed in the Kuei-ssu year (1833), containing a selection of the author’s miscellaneous works on history, anthropology, folklore, geography, and the classics.

  10. A Collection of the Seven Classic Tower: “Seven Classic Tower” is the studio name of the Manchu scholar Chiang Hsiang-nan. Presumably, this book is a collection of his works.

  11. A Record of Talks by the Sea: a sketch by Yüan Tzu-chih (1827–1898). After returning from Europe, Yüan wrote this record of his observations.

  12. Literally, “clasp the feet of Buddha.” The idiom means that when someone gets into trouble through lack of due preparation, he seeks help at the last critical moment.

  13. Cheng Ho (1371–1433): a eunuch who distinguished himself as a military officer. In 1405 he sailed from China with a large fleet to cruise along the coasts of Cambodia and Siam. His mission was to demand tribute from those countries, but others say he undertook the journey to search for the vanished Emperor Hui Ti. In 1408 and 1412 he led expeditions to many other countries of southeastern Asia, going as far as Ceylon, and persuaded those countries to send envoys back with him to China. In 1425 he was appointed chief commandant in Nanking. In 1430 he and his lieutenants visited seventeen countries, including Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.

  14. Collected Statutes of the Ming: a compendium of administrative lore, presented in 1510 to the Ming dynasty.

  15. Hsü Chih-mo (1895–1931): generally recognized as the greatest Chinese poet of the early twentieth century. In the ten years of his productive life he espoused a total liberation of man’s soul, man’s pursuit of beauty and of love. He was much influenced by Swinburne, Rossetti, and Thomas Hardy.

  16. Cheng-te period (1506–1521): title of the period of the reign of Emperor Wu-tsung of the Ming dynasty.

  17. A campaign by Chiang Kai-shek to bring about the moral regeneration of China during the years 1934–1937 in order to oppose Communism and achieve national unity. He urged the people to practice the four traditional virtues: politeness, integrity, self-respect, and righteousness.

  18. One of the fiercest battles between the Chinese and the Japanese during the second Sino-Japanese War. On August 13, 1937, the fighting began in Shanghai. The Chinese forces valiantly defended the entrenched positions until their flank was exposed by a surprise Japanese attack in Hangchow Bay in early November; the Japanese later captured Shanghai and rolled on toward Nanking.

  19. Literally, “that this person should have this disease.” It suggests inevitability.

  20. A reference to the Japanese attack on Shanghai on January 28, 1932. Chapei, a suburb of Shanghai, was the first target, and the battle lasted for six weeks.

  21. An expression which describes superlative beauty; it is equivalent to Helen of Troy in Western literature.

  22. Friedrich von Logau (1604–1655): a German epigrammatist whose epigrams appeared in two collections (1638, 1654).

  23. A reference to the cities in the interior of China, as distinguished from the coastal cities.

  24. People noted for their righteousness and moral rectitude.

  25. A broker or middleman, held in contempt by the intellectuals in Chinese society in the early part of the twentieth century.

  26. English words in the original novel are italicized throughout.

  27. When a person does not have a son, he may have his son-in-law live with him and his family. When such a situation occurs, he usually provides room and board and other incidental expenses to his son-in-law.

  28. Ch’-eng-hua (1465–1487) and Hsüan-te (1426–
1435): titles of the reigns of Emperors Hsien-tsung and Hsüan-tsung of the Ming dynasty. K’ang-hsi (1662–1722): title of the reign of the second emperor of the Ch’ing dynasty. The first two reigns span a significant period in the development of Chinese porcelain. The third, K’ang-hsi, is the period during which Chinese porcelain is considered to have reached its full glory.

  29. Incantation appealing to the White Goddess of Mercy, also known as Kuan Yin, the protectress of women and children, the bestower of children, and the all-compassionate mother-goddess. There are numberless Chinese legends and stories about her origin, life, and activities.

  30. Most intimate friends. In the tradition of Chinese knights-errant, those who are sworn brothers pledge loyalty and dedication to one another. Naturally, not all those who claim to be sworn brothers actually live up to these ideals.

  31. A total of 32 games. Four games constitute a round. Within each round, each of the four players will have a chance to be the banker, except when the banker himself has won the game. When that happens, he remains as banker and additional games are played until another player wins the game.

  32. A colloquial expression for job.

  33. An expression which means a good-for-nothing, a person who does no more than consume rice.

  34. A play on the expression, “Raise the tray to the eyebrows,” which connotes mutual respect between husband and wife.

  35. Titles of the most famous early Chinese novels. Romance of the Three Kingdoms (San-kuo chih yen-i) is probably the most popular historical narrative in China. It describes the conflicts between the kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280), and it is attributed to Lo Kuan-chung (1330–1400). At about the same time that the earliest surviving version of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms appeared, the Tale of the Marshes (Shui-hu chuan) became available. Attributed to either Lo Kuan-chung or Shih Nai-an and written in a far more colloquial language than the Romance, the Tale of the Marshes deals with the exploits of a band of outlaws of the early twelfth century. In addition to the Romance and the Tale of the Marshes, there is Journey to the West (Hsi-yu chi), known to English readers as Monkey. The work is attributed to Wu Ch’eng-en (1506–1582). It recounts the pilgrimage of the famous and revered monk Hsüan-tsang (596–664), also known as Tripitaka, who journeyed to India in the seventh century to bring back 657 items of Buddhist scriptures.