ABSTRACT
Nothing in the corpus of modern Chinese literature conveys a richer native cultural flavor than the works of Shen Congwen. Awash in the tides of globalization as we are, when we look back to try to find historical accounts bearing the special traits of Chinese native culture, what first comes to mind is a literary world unparalleled in the richness of its local color: West Hunan, as described by Shen Congwen. A realm settled for generations by the Miao and Tujia peoples, West Hunan is a territory not yet thoroughly assimilated to Confucian literati culture or modern civilization; weighing the way of life of the inhabitants on this patch of land, one finds that it has its own ethical values and standards. What made Shen Congwen unique was his effort to present that world through a genuine and authentic West Hunanese vision, embodying his desire to serve as a “recorder of the local terrain.” With some of the stubbornness of a “country person,” he doggedly created rural landscapes: “whatever condition [the people] may develop into in the future, the visual features and sounds, the fears and hopes, of West Hunan’s old society have been preserved in the native-soil literature of Shen Congwen.” Hence the West Hunanese world he depicted has created a template of local rural culture, “helping us to understand the particularities of local culture as a social force in Chinese history.” 1 At a time when 20th century Chinese literature unavoidably underwent homogenization with world literature, Shen Congwen with his stubborn “country person’s” vision has preserved for us one last look from behind at our foundational culture.
