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[About the Author]
Ye Guangqin was born as a descendant of the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty in Beijing and grew up in Shaanxi. Surnamed Yehenara in Manchu， Ye is called “Princess Writer”. Ye is good at describing the life of big clans in Beijing. She has written many novels themed on family life including Born in a Same Clan， Who Sings the Sad Yuefu Poems， Coptis·Officinal Magnolia Bark and full-length novels including Happy Family， Inside Qianqing Gate， A Fallen Clan and The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking.
The phenomenon of “Two cities” is commonly seen in China’s modern literature. When talking about Shanghai， people will naturally mention Beijing. Parker， an American scholar explained in his article City that a city is not only a physical structure but also a kind of mentality， moral order， a set of attitude， a series of ritualized activities， a network connecting people， a series of customs and traditions. Two cities breeding different utterances and feelings cultivated two totally different literary forms.
When talking about books themed on stories happening in Beijing， people always think of Lao She. He described life of common people in Beijing as well as the rise and decline of aristocratic families in the Qing Dynasty in vulgar and humorous diction， depicting the vivid life in Beijing and the characteristics of this city. He was really a master of Beijing style literature. Although writing Beijing style works is indeed complicated， ultimately， it can be summarized as describing stories happening in Beijing in Beijing style utterance. The special cultural mentality and life style of Beijing people constitute the fundamental features of this kind of literature. And the language used in these works is simple， vivid and humorous which are the prominent characteristics of Beijing dialect. The contents of Beijing style works are various but living arts based on the leisure attitude of “Chinese gentlemen" such as cooking， having meals， drinking， singing Beijing Opera， growing flowers， painting， writing calligraphy， practicing Wushu and collecting antiques can be seen throughout the novels.
After Lao She and Liang Shiqiu， Beijing style literature once was in downturn due to some historical reasons. Until the 1980s， Beijing style literature became popular again. Deng Youmei， Wang Zengqi， Lin Jinlan， Liu Xinwu， Chen Jiangong， Zhao Danian， Han Shaohua etc. wrote a large number of Beijing style literary works of similar aesthetic style. Then， this kind of literature gradually declined again till the publication of Ye Guangqin’s works. Some people said that they saw Beijing style literature reviving in her works. Ye Guangqin was born in a fallen noble Manchu family. Her Manchu clan family is Yehenara. It was a noble and large clan and was famous for its several empresses. In her clan， there are 14 children of the same generation with her. In her short story Born in a Same Clan finished in 1994， her clan was frequently mentioned. The rise and decline of a noble clan in the Republic of China and following decades， together with sceneries， customs and manners of Beijing were vividly presented in this novel.
In fact， Ye left Beijing as early as 1968 and lived in Shaanxi for more than 40 years. But it didn’t affect her drawing people’s attention with her Beijing style novels featuring a special style. She describes Beijing in a prose language and her works are full of traditional charm. In her full-length novel A Fallen Clan， we see Beijing as the capital of a federal dynasty reflected in the stories of a large clan and the rough life of a group of people who lost themselves in the development of history.
Last year， she finished another full-length novel titled The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking. The story begins with the Peking Opera selection The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking： Liu Chunlin， the last Zhuangyuan （the first of the imperial examination） of the Qing Dynasty acted as a matchmaker to promote the marriage of the protagonist's father and mother who were a descendant of the imperial clan and common people respectively. In this situation， the story of a clan began. All chapters in this novel were titled after traditional Peking Opera selections， such as Dadengdian， Sanchakou， and Xiaoyaojin.
Everyone’s life is a lonely journey
The structure of The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking consists of several Peking Opera selections which imply corresponding characters’ fates to some extent. When talking about the reason why Ye adopted Peking Opera element in the novel， she said： “I started the first chapter Opening Dance with ‘Operas reflect life， life is like operas’.” In fact， reviewing on the past， we find that every one of us is living under the rules of life concluded by our ancestors. Tradition Chinese operas explained these rules in a simple way that even a village woman can understand. These operas presented kindness and beauty. In the past， most people learned moral ideas from speaking and singing in operas. Therefore， in my opinion， traditional operas are an indispensible part of Chinese culture and an important way to inherit our traditional moral and aesthetic idea. That’s why I add Peking Opera elements in my novel. Besides， I like Peking Opera. When I was a little child and knew little about the world， I could sing simple Peking Opera pieces. A Fallen Clan and The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking both mainly described the fates of characters. When talking about their differences ， Ye said that： “A Fallen Clan mainly tells stories of the 14 children of the Jin Clan while The Best Scholars Matchmaking further describes the society at that time. The social background and the fates of common people in Beijing in the past are fully presented. I think The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking has a wider perspective than that of A Fallen Clan and the writing skills in the former one is more mature. In A Fallen Clan， I sometimes used written language but in The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking， I used only spoken language. The contents of the book are stories just told by an old woman. The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking was written in such language and point of view. It is in popular style.
Most characters in The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking had unfortunate fates. But the stories were described in humorous diction from time to time. About this contrast， Ye explained that， “I always tell people that everyone’s life is a lonely journey. Although we are loved by our family members and spouses， no one but ourselves can understand something in the depth of our heart. Sometimes， when waking up in midnight， we think of various unsolved， unavoidable problems related to our leaders， spouses， children， colleagues and even our bodies. This is， indeed， a war of one’s own. You need to fight until you die. Sometimes， even when having meals in a happy atmosphere with close friends， I feel lonely. I think everyone has this feeling and it becomes stronger when we grow older. Therefore， most characters in my novels have sad endings. However， according to our characteristics， we don't like sadness. I mean we could smile at life when we try to understand life from the point of a man simply.
Stories themed on Beijing are heavy for me
Ye Guangqin has tried many different writing styles and themes. When mentioning stories themed on Beijing， she said those are heavy for her. “The themes are concerned with my perceptions， my clan and my friends. I wrote in another kind of mood and writing style when writing stories happening in other places. Now I’m writing a story about the experience of a Shaanxi peasant. The style of this novel is totally different from the imperturbable， calm style of my novels themed on the clans in Beijing. It is in a lively， humorous or even a ridiculing style.”
Ye mentioned that in the system of Beijing style novel writing， Lao She influenced her most. She said， “I bought two sets of Lao She’s works. One of them is in Xi'an and the other is in Japan. Before 1949， Lao She was once the president of Fangjiahutong Primary School and I was a student of that school. I think that's destiny. Lao She mainly influenced me in two aspects in writing. First， the language and narration mode adopted in writing， the unhurried storytelling way. Among all his works， Under the Plain Red Banner influenced me most. I like the narration mode which is also familiar to me. The writing style of my new book is close to that of Lao She’s works to some extent. The second is Lao She’s cultural perspective. He wrote things which were familiar to him. For example， Under the Plain Red Banner could almost be called as an autobiographical novel. But he also wrote stories which were unfamiliar to him such as Crescent Moon and Divorce. They were stories happening in Beijing but not around him. He heard those stories and processed them in his novels. This cultural perspective is what writers should have in my opinion. It also influenced my writing. Besides Lao She， Ye likes some other Beijing style novel writers such as Deng Youmei and Zhao Danian. “And among the younger writers， I like Wang Shuo most. His works impacted me a lot at that time. I saw active thoughts and flexible writing skills in his works. He uses leaping， vivid， humorous language which embodies the free and easy characteristics of Beijing people. His works are really Beijing style novels. Xu Kun also wrote many novels themed on Beijing. I like her works too. Her works reveal the modern life in Beijing， such as the achievements of modernization construction which I know little. I’m not able to write novels as sensitive and humorous as Wang Shuo's works or serious works similar to those of Xu Kun.”
Ye's writing has added color to Beijing style novels. When referring to characters of Beijing style novels， she said， "My works are distinctive because of my knowledge of the past. My writing language still preserves the traditions of old Beijing in the 1950s or 1960s. It even retains some Beijing style humor reflected in Beijing people’s dialogues and also the perspective of people living peacefully in Beijing hutongs.
Regions are very important for cultivating writers
Talking about her understanding towards Beijing style novels and its changes， Ye said， “Beijing style novels are greatly related to Beijing people. Beijing people nowadays are divided into several groups. The first group consists of Beijing people born and living in Beijing. The second group consists of people working in Beijing. The third group consists of peasant workers such as steamed bun and thin pancake vendors. I think Beijing style novels are changing. In our opinions， they are still limited to special novels written in Beijing dialect such as Lao She’s works. But， isn’t there a novel about a think pancake vendor’s life in Beijing a Beijing style novel？ Beijing style novel is not just limited to the novel written in Beijing dialect. It covers a wide range. In my opinion， novels about migrant workers struggling in Beijing written in mandarin are also Beijing style novels.
In the postscript of The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking， Ye said that once she overlooked Beijing in a building， she suddenly fell into a trance. At that time， she couldn't tell which city she was in， Xi’an， Shanghai or Tokyo. Although cities become more and more similar， Ye still believes that Beijing will breed Beijing style novels. “There are many excellent writers in Beijing， they continuously explore and make efforts. I think writers live in urban Beijing can comprehensively present the spirit code of language including changes of language of this city. A novel about current Beijing life written in the language of past days must be weird. But they are able to create fine works in proper language. “
When talking about Shanghai style literature and the relation between regions and literature， Ye said， “I know little about Shanghai style literature but the region is really important for cultivating a writer. I ever lived in Japan， where people are undemonstrative. They behave politely and gently. However， in their heart， they are passionate. Therefore， due to the characteristics of Japanese people and regional elements， diction and narrative mode of Japanese literature are flat but with lasting appeal. It’s worth carefully reading. But works of writers grow up in Beijing always express a carefree lifestyle of Beijing people. That’s really interesting.”
Ye Guangqin was born as a descendant of the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty in Beijing and grew up in Shaanxi. Surnamed Yehenara in Manchu， Ye is called “Princess Writer”. Ye is good at describing the life of big clans in Beijing. She has written many novels themed on family life including Born in a Same Clan， Who Sings the Sad Yuefu Poems， Coptis·Officinal Magnolia Bark and full-length novels including Happy Family， Inside Qianqing Gate， A Fallen Clan and The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking.
The phenomenon of “Two cities” is commonly seen in China’s modern literature. When talking about Shanghai， people will naturally mention Beijing. Parker， an American scholar explained in his article City that a city is not only a physical structure but also a kind of mentality， moral order， a set of attitude， a series of ritualized activities， a network connecting people， a series of customs and traditions. Two cities breeding different utterances and feelings cultivated two totally different literary forms.
When talking about books themed on stories happening in Beijing， people always think of Lao She. He described life of common people in Beijing as well as the rise and decline of aristocratic families in the Qing Dynasty in vulgar and humorous diction， depicting the vivid life in Beijing and the characteristics of this city. He was really a master of Beijing style literature. Although writing Beijing style works is indeed complicated， ultimately， it can be summarized as describing stories happening in Beijing in Beijing style utterance. The special cultural mentality and life style of Beijing people constitute the fundamental features of this kind of literature. And the language used in these works is simple， vivid and humorous which are the prominent characteristics of Beijing dialect. The contents of Beijing style works are various but living arts based on the leisure attitude of “Chinese gentlemen" such as cooking， having meals， drinking， singing Beijing Opera， growing flowers， painting， writing calligraphy， practicing Wushu and collecting antiques can be seen throughout the novels.
After Lao She and Liang Shiqiu， Beijing style literature once was in downturn due to some historical reasons. Until the 1980s， Beijing style literature became popular again. Deng Youmei， Wang Zengqi， Lin Jinlan， Liu Xinwu， Chen Jiangong， Zhao Danian， Han Shaohua etc. wrote a large number of Beijing style literary works of similar aesthetic style. Then， this kind of literature gradually declined again till the publication of Ye Guangqin’s works. Some people said that they saw Beijing style literature reviving in her works. Ye Guangqin was born in a fallen noble Manchu family. Her Manchu clan family is Yehenara. It was a noble and large clan and was famous for its several empresses. In her clan， there are 14 children of the same generation with her. In her short story Born in a Same Clan finished in 1994， her clan was frequently mentioned. The rise and decline of a noble clan in the Republic of China and following decades， together with sceneries， customs and manners of Beijing were vividly presented in this novel.
In fact， Ye left Beijing as early as 1968 and lived in Shaanxi for more than 40 years. But it didn’t affect her drawing people’s attention with her Beijing style novels featuring a special style. She describes Beijing in a prose language and her works are full of traditional charm. In her full-length novel A Fallen Clan， we see Beijing as the capital of a federal dynasty reflected in the stories of a large clan and the rough life of a group of people who lost themselves in the development of history.
Last year， she finished another full-length novel titled The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking. The story begins with the Peking Opera selection The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking： Liu Chunlin， the last Zhuangyuan （the first of the imperial examination） of the Qing Dynasty acted as a matchmaker to promote the marriage of the protagonist's father and mother who were a descendant of the imperial clan and common people respectively. In this situation， the story of a clan began. All chapters in this novel were titled after traditional Peking Opera selections， such as Dadengdian， Sanchakou， and Xiaoyaojin.
Everyone’s life is a lonely journey
The structure of The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking consists of several Peking Opera selections which imply corresponding characters’ fates to some extent. When talking about the reason why Ye adopted Peking Opera element in the novel， she said： “I started the first chapter Opening Dance with ‘Operas reflect life， life is like operas’.” In fact， reviewing on the past， we find that every one of us is living under the rules of life concluded by our ancestors. Tradition Chinese operas explained these rules in a simple way that even a village woman can understand. These operas presented kindness and beauty. In the past， most people learned moral ideas from speaking and singing in operas. Therefore， in my opinion， traditional operas are an indispensible part of Chinese culture and an important way to inherit our traditional moral and aesthetic idea. That’s why I add Peking Opera elements in my novel. Besides， I like Peking Opera. When I was a little child and knew little about the world， I could sing simple Peking Opera pieces. A Fallen Clan and The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking both mainly described the fates of characters. When talking about their differences ， Ye said that： “A Fallen Clan mainly tells stories of the 14 children of the Jin Clan while The Best Scholars Matchmaking further describes the society at that time. The social background and the fates of common people in Beijing in the past are fully presented. I think The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking has a wider perspective than that of A Fallen Clan and the writing skills in the former one is more mature. In A Fallen Clan， I sometimes used written language but in The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking， I used only spoken language. The contents of the book are stories just told by an old woman. The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking was written in such language and point of view. It is in popular style.
Most characters in The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking had unfortunate fates. But the stories were described in humorous diction from time to time. About this contrast， Ye explained that， “I always tell people that everyone’s life is a lonely journey. Although we are loved by our family members and spouses， no one but ourselves can understand something in the depth of our heart. Sometimes， when waking up in midnight， we think of various unsolved， unavoidable problems related to our leaders， spouses， children， colleagues and even our bodies. This is， indeed， a war of one’s own. You need to fight until you die. Sometimes， even when having meals in a happy atmosphere with close friends， I feel lonely. I think everyone has this feeling and it becomes stronger when we grow older. Therefore， most characters in my novels have sad endings. However， according to our characteristics， we don't like sadness. I mean we could smile at life when we try to understand life from the point of a man simply.
Stories themed on Beijing are heavy for me
Ye Guangqin has tried many different writing styles and themes. When mentioning stories themed on Beijing， she said those are heavy for her. “The themes are concerned with my perceptions， my clan and my friends. I wrote in another kind of mood and writing style when writing stories happening in other places. Now I’m writing a story about the experience of a Shaanxi peasant. The style of this novel is totally different from the imperturbable， calm style of my novels themed on the clans in Beijing. It is in a lively， humorous or even a ridiculing style.”
Ye mentioned that in the system of Beijing style novel writing， Lao She influenced her most. She said， “I bought two sets of Lao She’s works. One of them is in Xi'an and the other is in Japan. Before 1949， Lao She was once the president of Fangjiahutong Primary School and I was a student of that school. I think that's destiny. Lao She mainly influenced me in two aspects in writing. First， the language and narration mode adopted in writing， the unhurried storytelling way. Among all his works， Under the Plain Red Banner influenced me most. I like the narration mode which is also familiar to me. The writing style of my new book is close to that of Lao She’s works to some extent. The second is Lao She’s cultural perspective. He wrote things which were familiar to him. For example， Under the Plain Red Banner could almost be called as an autobiographical novel. But he also wrote stories which were unfamiliar to him such as Crescent Moon and Divorce. They were stories happening in Beijing but not around him. He heard those stories and processed them in his novels. This cultural perspective is what writers should have in my opinion. It also influenced my writing. Besides Lao She， Ye likes some other Beijing style novel writers such as Deng Youmei and Zhao Danian. “And among the younger writers， I like Wang Shuo most. His works impacted me a lot at that time. I saw active thoughts and flexible writing skills in his works. He uses leaping， vivid， humorous language which embodies the free and easy characteristics of Beijing people. His works are really Beijing style novels. Xu Kun also wrote many novels themed on Beijing. I like her works too. Her works reveal the modern life in Beijing， such as the achievements of modernization construction which I know little. I’m not able to write novels as sensitive and humorous as Wang Shuo's works or serious works similar to those of Xu Kun.”
Ye's writing has added color to Beijing style novels. When referring to characters of Beijing style novels， she said， "My works are distinctive because of my knowledge of the past. My writing language still preserves the traditions of old Beijing in the 1950s or 1960s. It even retains some Beijing style humor reflected in Beijing people’s dialogues and also the perspective of people living peacefully in Beijing hutongs.
Regions are very important for cultivating writers
Talking about her understanding towards Beijing style novels and its changes， Ye said， “Beijing style novels are greatly related to Beijing people. Beijing people nowadays are divided into several groups. The first group consists of Beijing people born and living in Beijing. The second group consists of people working in Beijing. The third group consists of peasant workers such as steamed bun and thin pancake vendors. I think Beijing style novels are changing. In our opinions， they are still limited to special novels written in Beijing dialect such as Lao She’s works. But， isn’t there a novel about a think pancake vendor’s life in Beijing a Beijing style novel？ Beijing style novel is not just limited to the novel written in Beijing dialect. It covers a wide range. In my opinion， novels about migrant workers struggling in Beijing written in mandarin are also Beijing style novels.
In the postscript of The Best Scholar’s Matchmaking， Ye said that once she overlooked Beijing in a building， she suddenly fell into a trance. At that time， she couldn't tell which city she was in， Xi’an， Shanghai or Tokyo. Although cities become more and more similar， Ye still believes that Beijing will breed Beijing style novels. “There are many excellent writers in Beijing， they continuously explore and make efforts. I think writers live in urban Beijing can comprehensively present the spirit code of language including changes of language of this city. A novel about current Beijing life written in the language of past days must be weird. But they are able to create fine works in proper language. “
When talking about Shanghai style literature and the relation between regions and literature， Ye said， “I know little about Shanghai style literature but the region is really important for cultivating a writer. I ever lived in Japan， where people are undemonstrative. They behave politely and gently. However， in their heart， they are passionate. Therefore， due to the characteristics of Japanese people and regional elements， diction and narrative mode of Japanese literature are flat but with lasting appeal. It’s worth carefully reading. But works of writers grow up in Beijing always express a carefree lifestyle of Beijing people. That’s really interesting.”