Gaolaozhuang
by Jia Pingwa
About This Novel
University professor Gao Zilu returned to his hometown of Gaolaozhuang with his remarried wife in order to commemorate the third anniversary of his late father. The former farm boy now returns home in rich clothes. Gaolaozhuang is a pure-blooded Han village. Most of the ancestors of the Gao family were outstanding warriors. However, over the past few generations, most of the villagers have become poor and conservative, and even their stature has become smaller with each generation. After returning to his hometown, Gao Zilu began to become as cowardly, conservative, greedy, and selfish as the villagers in Gao Laozhuang when he came into contact with the stereotypes and old customs from the source of life. Gao Laozhuang seems to be a mirror that can reflect human nature, and the well-dressed Gao Zilu immediately reveals his true colors. In the story, the author uses the method of judging ugliness to create characters and unfold the plot. The decline of Gao Laozhuang expresses the author's lament for the degradation and demise of traditional culture. In the novel, ugliness wins the victory in reality, and the victory of ugliness ultimately expresses the desire for beauty.
What Readers Think
Rating
Community(0)
Official(3)Scraped 6d ago
The impact of old culture and new culture is worth thinking about for everyone. In today's busy world, Gao Laozhuang is witnessing the collision of two cultures. Its future makes people think even more.
The rich local colors in Gao Laozhuang can quite show the traditional Chinese rural pattern. No matter which character has their own distinctive characteristics, Zilu's return to his hometown is not only a physical return, but also a spiritual return.
The spiritual homeland should not be abandoned. However, in such an era, Zilu, as a young intellectual, had to face such helplessness and confusion about losing the roots of spiritual culture.
Rating
Community(0)
Official(3)Scraped 6d ago
The impact of old culture and new culture is worth thinking about for everyone. In today's busy world, Gao Laozhuang is witnessing the collision of two cultures. Its future makes people think even more.
The rich local colors in Gao Laozhuang can quite show the traditional Chinese rural pattern. No matter which character has their own distinctive characteristics, Zilu's return to his hometown is not only a physical return, but also a spiritual return.
The spiritual homeland should not be abandoned. However, in such an era, Zilu, as a young intellectual, had to face such helplessness and confusion about losing the roots of spiritual culture.
