“Dreams” and “Reality” in Shen Congwen’s Wartime Works : with special focus on “Dreams and Reality” (1940), “Plucking Stars” (1943), and “Gazing at Rainbows” (1943)
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doi:10.4324/9781351253727-15

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“Dreams” and “Reality” in Shen Congwen’s Wartime Works

ABSTRACT

As is well known, the 1940s was an era of conflict for China. After the Japanese occupation, the capital was relocated to Chongqing for the duration of the eight-year-long Sino-Japanese war, and citizens fled to the Southwest. This large-scale migration created many refugees, upending daily life entirely; amid this chaos, the population experienced an inexpressible bitterness and hardship.