Red Rose, White Rose (Eileen Chang)

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Red Rose, White Rose
AuthorEileen Chang (Zhang Ailing)
CountryChina
LanguageChinese
SubjectsFiction, Literature
GenreNovel
PublisherPenguin Books Ltd
Publication date
15 February 2011
ISBN9780141196145

Red Rose, White Rose (Simplified Chinese: 红玫瑰与白玫瑰; traditional Chinese: 紅玫瑰與白玫瑰), is a widely circulated novella written by Eileen Chang, a well-know women writer in Chinese literature. The novel first published in 1944 and later included in her short-story collection Chuanqi (1944; "The Legend").[1] In 1994, by Hong Kong director Stanley Kwan (Simplified Chinese: 关锦鹏, born October 9, 1957), the novel was adapted into the movie of the same name Red Rose White Rose, which was widely acclaimed and entered into the 45th Berlin International Film Festival.[2]

Set in the 1930s and 1940s Chinese society, the story focus on the tangled love between Tong Zhenbao and two important women in his life, one he called his white rose, the other his red rose, which respectively represent his spotless wife Yanli and passionate mistress Jiaorui.[3] With finely detailed writing, the novel explores the women's survival status and tragic fate and loss of self-conscious in a patriarchal society and describes the ordinary people's emotions and marital status under the collision of traditional Chinese culture and Western culture.[4]

Plot summary[]

" Maybe every man has had two such women-at least two. Marry a red rose, and eventually she'll be a mosquito-blood streak smeared on the wall, while the white one is "moonlight in front of my bed." Marry a white rose, and before long she'll be a grain of sticky rice that's gotten stuck to your clothes; the red one, by then, is a scarlet beauty mark just over your heart. "[3] As the most eye-catching quote in this novella, from the very beginning, a simple classic metaphor is used to portray men’s greedy desires for women. However, Tong Zhenbao thinks he is different. Returning from studying in France with excellent grades, Zhenbao was hired by a famous foreign trading company in Shanghai as a senior staff. In his respect, he is an ideal modern Chinese man.[3] For the convenience of transportation, he rents a room from his classmate Wang Shihong. Shihong has a beautiful charming wife named Jiaorui.

On the day Zhenbao moved into the room and met her, he was deeply fascinated by this rose-like woman. He picked up her stray hairs from the floor tiles and twisting them together, then "stuffed it into his pocket. His hand stayed there, and his whole body tingled."[3] Once, Shihong went to Singapore on business. After several spiritual and physical struggles, on a rainy day, they broke the moral bottom line and fell in love. However, when Jiaorui told Zhenbao that she confessed to her husband and was planning to divorce to marry him, Zhenbao flinched. He hesitated, annoyed, and eventually fell ill.[5] In the ward, he explained to her that their love can only be the love of friends; he cannot give up his entire life, his family, and his friend because of what happened between them. After hearing these hypocritical words, Jiaorui wiped her chaotic teardrops, without looking at him once,[3] walk out of his life from then on.

Under the arrangement of Zhenbao's mother, he met his white rose and got married soon. Different from Jiaorui, Yanli is a traditional and gentle Chinese woman. Nevertheless, shortly after marriage, Zhenbao thinks her was insipid and dull, so he starts to going prostitutes.[5] What makes the situation more horrible is when he discovered his wife was carrying on a clandestine love affair with a tailor who was inferior to him, he became more unscrupulous in his philandering outside. One day, he happened to meet his "red rose" Jiaorui, she remarried and had a child in her arms, seemingly old and withered. Finally, one night, Zhenbao was conscious of that time waits for no one. The roses, whether red or white, become the phantom of reality. The next day Zhenbao rose and reformed his ways. He made a fresh start and went back to being a good man.[3]

Main Characters[]

Tong Zhenbao[]

Tong Zhenbao (佟振宝) is a model of modern Chinese men. He rises from poverty and got a degree from abroad. With excellent performance, he became a senior staff in a foreign trading corporation. In these years, he works conscientiously, raises his mother, supports his brother; and even gained a great reputation as "Lucia Hui" for rejecting his first lover Rose's sex temptation during the time of study away in France. However, a man who looks so perfect has failed in the emotional world.[6] On the one hand, he loves the spirit and flesh of the red rose Jiaorui, but for the secular obstacles and traditional views on marriage, he has to refuse to marry her; on the other hand, he loves the white rose Yanli's unsullied reputation but extremely dislikes her vapidity after marriage. Therefore, whether in love or marriage, he feels very painful and tortured.

Wang Jiaorui[]

Wang Jiaorui (王娇蕊) was an overseas Chinese from Singapore, when she was studying in London, was quite a party girl. She and Wang Shihong, Zhenbao's classmate, got married in London.[3] Like a red rose, she is ebullient, bright, and charming. The appearance of Zhenbao lets her understand the meaning of love. Then she summoned up all her courage, told the truth to her husband and filed for divorce to marry her true love. However, her bravery was cruelly rebuffed by Zhenbao with some hypocritical explanations. Even so, she did not shrink back from betrayal but leave Zhenbao's world without looking back.[5] Years later, she remarried and has a child, leading a stable life like an ordinary woman. When Zhenbao met her by chance, she was no longer as dazzling as a red rose as before.

Meng Yanli[]

Meng Yanli (孟烟鹂) is Zhenbao's wife, also is the white rose in his life. Coming from a traditional Chinese family, she is innocent, obedient, and well-behaved. Although she has been to university, there is no change in her rigid mind or conservative ideas. All these conditions just meet Zhenbao's requirements for a wife.[4] For Yanli, her husband is her God, and she always says "Wait and ask Zhenbao about it" or "Better take an umbrella, Zhenbao said it's going to rain."[3] Due to her dull personality, Zhenbao feels increasingly bored and goes out to visit prostitutes. Besides, her mother-in-law also gradually disliked her because she only gave birth to a daughter. To find an outlet in the unbearable family life, she has an affair with a tailor. However, after the adultery was revealed, she felt ashamed and being more humble to ask her husband's forgiveness.

Themes of the novella[]

Feminine tragedy[]

The novel portrays the love story between a man and several women. As it happens, from the plot of the novel, it can be seen that the women who had relationships with Zhenbao all ended in tragedy. For example, facing the temptation of the first love Rose, Zhenbao seems to be a gentleman, refuses without hesitation. However, it is actually because he is unwilling to take the responsibility, and he believes "marrying her, then transplanting her to his hometown-that would be a big waste of time and money, not a good deal at all. "[3] As for the Jiaorui and Yanli, there is no doubt that they are miserable in this love story. In fact, at that time, women with such tragic fates are not a special case in the Chinese society dominated by traditional feudal culture. Regarding white rose Yanli, growing up from a rotten way of life, is well contented with humiliation and lowliness. Even red rose Jiaorui, who has been affected by the May Fourth Movement and can pursue self-liberation and true love bravely, is regarded by man as a plaything and a woman who cannot be married with.[5] Therefore, through Eileen Chang, this is a common tragedy of women under that specific time and specific class. Whether it is the delicate red rose or the pure white rose, under the cruel society, they cannot escape the tragic fate.

Morbid marriage[]

The marriage depicted in the novel is distorted and abnormal. From the plot of the novel, the marriage of Wang Jiaorui and her first husband Shihong has nothing related to love, but a product of the exchange of benefits. Therefore, she indulges in love games and does not hesitate to ask her husband for divorce after meeting her true love Zhenbao. In Zhenbao's conception of marriage, the wife is the subordinate of the husband. All the time, he was "determined to create a world that was "right," and he was the master of his own world."[3] That's why he chose Yanli as his wife instead of Jiaorui. However, their marriage was also flawed, purposeful, and unreasonable. The matrimony lacking an emotional foundation left them with little happiness and harmony.[4] Soon after the wedding, the couple became reticent and taciturn and which led to the occurrence of derailment, affair, and going prostitutes. Hence, Zhenbao, Yanli, Jiaorui and Shihong are all victims in their morbid marriages.

Background of the novella[]

Historical background[]

Old Shanghai real scene
Shanghai in the 1930s

The novel was first published in the year of 1944. Setting in the 1930s and 1940, Shanghai was still under Japanese occupation. As an imperialist colony, various old values were shaken by the collision of new ideas here.[7] Among them, the values of marriage and love bore the brunt of the impact. Traditional values of marriage have been broken, and people began to pursue freedom and liberation. However, the incomplete ideological revolution disconcerts people's choices of marriage. At the same time, under the influence of the feminist movement around the world, the call to promote equality between the sexes has been continuously strengthened. Although the objective fact of a male-dominated society has not changed in China, this also gave birth to a small group of women with independent ideas. Therefore, in the context of this era, the love between men and women described by the author Eileen Chang is always rebellious, failing and sophisticated, and the novel Red Rose, White Rose is also considered as one of her responses to the feminist consciousness.[1]

Writing inspiration[]

Portrait of the author Eileen Chang
Eileen Chang 1946

Reflecting the decline of the old culture in this novel, Zhang's original intention is not to criticize and lash out, but to show the real tragedies and comedies of ordinary people on the stage of the times.[1] In 1971, Zhang Ailing mentioned the novel Red Rose, White Rose in an interview with the Taiwan writer Shuijing, saying, "After writing this story, I feel very sorry for Tong Zhenbao and White Rose. I have met both of them. But of Red Rose, I have only heard of her."[8] Later, she also introduced to a friend: "The hero is a friend of my mother. He told my mother and aunt about this matter. At that time, I was a child, and he thought I didn’t understand. Who knows that I'd remember it all?"[9] According to Zhang, it can be seen that the original idea of this novel may come from the true story that she has heard. Then, based on her rich imagination and exquisite writing, the novel was born. As for the prototypes of the characters, it is beyond investigation now.

Literary critiques[]

According to the Chinese contemporary female writer Zhang yueran (Simplified Chinese: 张悦然, born 7 November 1982, " In Red Rose, White Rose", in the end, Tong Zhenbao met Wang Jiaorui again on the bus. Through the rearview mirror of the car, he saw that he was crying, then he was surprised and ashamed of it. For the readers, compared with seeing Zhenbao crying directly, this scene will be far more percussive. The reason is, in Zhenbao's perspective, instead of losing that love, the greatest tragedy is he finally understood the meaning of that lost love to him. "[10]

The novel Red rose, White rose were somehow thought to be a reflection of story of Chang and Hu Lancheng (Simplified Chinese: 胡兰成, Feb 28, 1906 – July 25, 1981). For example, from the perspective of unscrambling Chang, the Chinese writer Cong Qian mentioned in her book, "The novel Red Rose, White Rose is her classical descriptions of the true meaning of love. She was 24 years old when she wrote this manuscript. Maybe she saw this from Hu, just as she later explained that Zhenbao is not a bad guy, to a certain extent, this is also her defend for Hu lancheng."[11] Similarly, the writer Yu Bin once compared Zhenbao and Hu Lancheng in his book: "With his (Hu Lancheng) self-centeredness and male chauvinism, the most wishful thinking is just the secret wish of all men in the world. --That is, Tong Zhenbao's thoughts in the novel Red rose, White rose. Possessing both an ideal woman and a secular woman, and they are in order without violation. If so, he is naturally willing to mark a place in his heart for Chang and treat her as a fairy."[12]

Regarding the writing style of the novel, according to writer Liu Chuan E: " Eileen Chang wrote several places in Red Rose, White Rose about Zhenbao and Jiaorui's flirting styles, such as the temptation to 'break the law', the conversation of heart is like an apartment, anyone can live in, and the details such as over-skilled kissing are so brilliant. "[13]

Notable quotes[]

  • "Maybe every man has had two such women-at least two. Marry a red rose and eventually she'll be a mosquito-blood streak smeared on the wall, while the white one is "moonlight in front of my bed." Marry a white rose, and before long she'll be a grain of sticky rice that's gotten stuck to your clothes; the red one, by then, is a scarlet beauty mark just over your heart."
  • " And yet the average man's life, no matter how good, is only a "peach blossom fan." Like the loyal, beleaguered beauty in the story, you bang your head and blood drips on the fan. Add a few strokes of ink, and the bloodstain becomes a peach blossom. "
  • "Jiaorui hid her eyes with her hand. "Actually, it doesn't matter. My heart's an apartment." "So-is there an empty room for rent? " Jiaorui didn't answer. "I'm not used to living in an apartment. I want to live in a single-family house." She gave a little grunt of disbelief. "Well," she said, "let's see if you can tear one down and build the other!"
  • "Once you've learned to do something, you can't just put it aside and give it up."
  • " The mind of a child and the beauty of a grown woman: the most tempting of combinations."
  • " The next day Zhenbao rose and reformed his ways. He made a fresh start and went back to being a good man."[3]

Adaptations[]

Movies[]

Red Rose White Rose, a 1994 Hongkong movie directed by Stanley Kwan (Simplified Chinese: 关锦鹏, born October 9, 1957), starring Joan Chen, Winston Chao and Veronica Yip, entered into the 45th Berlin International Film Festival.[2]

Music[]

In 2006, inspired by the novel Red Rose, White Rose, lyrics were written by Li Zhuoxiong (李焯雄) and composed by Liang Qiaobo (梁翘柏), the mandarin song "Red Rose" and the Cantonese song "White Rose" were included in Eason Chan's (陈奕迅) 2007 album What's Going On...?.

See also[]

References[]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Sang, Deborah Tze-lan (2016-10-13). "Eileen Chang and the Genius Art of Failure". The Oxford Handbook of Modern Chinese Literatures. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199383313.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199383313-e-39#p765. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  2. ^ a b "Programme 1995". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Zhang, Ailing; Kingsbury, Karen S (2011). Red rose, white rose. ISBN 978-0-14-197050-9. OCLC 931694306.
  4. ^ a b c Yang, Chun (May 2016). "Deep Structure of Red Rose and White Rose". Journal of Shandong Women's University. 127 (3): 73–78.
  5. ^ a b c d Cui, Yinghui (Aug 2010). "The Feminine Tragedy in Red Rose and White Rose by Zhang Ailing". Journal of Luoyang Normal University. 29 (4): 88–90.
  6. ^ Sun, Ruixue (2003). "Fantastic Amour-propre- Symptomatic Analysis to ZhangAiling's Red Rose and White Rose". JOURNAL OF SHANDONG NORMAL UNIVERSITY (Humanities and Social Science). 48 (4): 48–51.
  7. ^ Zhang, Juan (Sep 2011). "Aesthetic Values of Modern Citizen Novels in the 1930s and 1940s Shanghai". 南通大学报（社会科学版）. 27: 79–83.
  8. ^ Shui, Jing (2000). The Art of Eileen Chang's Novels. Taiwan: 台北大地出版社. pp. 21–30. ISBN 9789578290198.
  9. ^ Song, Yilang (2018). 张爱玲私语录(Zhang Ailing's Private Sayings). Beijing: 北京十月文艺出版社. pp. 47–53. ISBN 978-7530215036.
  10. ^ "张悦然：论张爱玲晚���的文学观念--文史--中国作家网". www.chinawriter.com.cn. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  11. ^ Cong, Qian (2016). 张爱玲：她比烟花寂寞 （Zhang Ailing: She is lonelier than fireworks). Shanghai: 中国纺织出版社. pp. 126–128. ISBN 9787518025275.
  12. ^ Yu, Bin (2012). 张爱玲传. Beijing: 人民文学出版社. ISBN 9787020095124.
  13. ^ Liu, Chuan E (2000). 张爱玲传. Beijing: 北京十月文艺出版社. pp. 89–101. ISBN 7530206036.

Bibliography

  • Sang, Deborah Tze-lan (2016-10-13). "Eileen Chang and the Genius Art of Failure". The Oxford Handbook of Modern Chinese Literatures.
  • Cui, Yinghui (Aug 2010). "The Feminine Tragedy in Red Rose and White Rose by Zhang Ailing". Journal of Luoyang Normal University. 29 No. 4: 88–90.
  • Liu, Chuan E (2000). 张爱玲传. Beijing: 北京十月文艺出版社. pp. 89–101.
  • Shui, Jing (2000). The Art of Eileen Chang's Novels. Taiwan: 台北大地出版社. pp. 21–30.
  • Yuera, Zhang：论张爱玲晚期的文学观念—文史--中国作家网". www.chinawriter.com.cn. Retrieved 2021-04-17
  • Yu, Bin (2012). 张爱玲传. Beijing: 人民文学出版社.
  • Sun, Ruixue (2003). "Fantastic Amour-propre- Symptomatic Analysis to ZhangAiling's Red Rose and White Rose". JOURNAL OF SHANDONG NORMAL UNIVERSITY (Humanities and Social Science). vol. 48 no.4: 48–51.
  • Yang, Chun (May 2016). "Deep Structure of Red Rose and White Rose". Journal of Shandong Women's University. 127 no.3: 73–78.
  • Song, Yilang (2018). 张爱玲私语录(Zhang Ailing's Private Sayings). Beijing: 北京十月文艺出版社. pp. 47–53.
  • Cong, Qian (2016). 张爱玲：她比烟花寂寞 (Zhang Ailing: She is lonelier than fireworks). Shanghai: 中国纺织出版社. pp. 126–128.
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