"Declaration of Love, also known as Orange Is Yellow" is a realistic novel with an extramarital affair as the shell and the exploration of true love as the core. Through the male protagonist Jiang Zi's tragic life from repressed marriage to unforgettable love, to dying for love, it deeply interrogates the nature of love and the meaning of marriage.
The story revolves around three main lines: the first is the loveless marriage between Jiang Zi and his wife Lu Su; the second is the love between the souls of Jiang Zi and his intern Lu Wei; the third is the tragic trend after the extramarital affair is exposed.
The brilliance of the novel lies in its delicate portrayal of human nature and emotions: for example, in the chapter "Tasting Oranges", the different reactions of four couples to the same basket of oranges accurately metaphorize the four forms of marriage - sour, plain, sweet, and bitter; details such as Lu Wei giving up an important exam to take care of Jiang Zi who had a high fever, and Jiang Zi staying up all night to protect Lu Wei who was ill for three days and three nights, make this "untimely" love particularly sincere and touching.
The educational significance of the work lies in: it tears apart the truth about loveless marriage and reveals the simple truth that "a marriage without love is a bitter orange". Through the definition of love in Jiangzi's suicide note - "True love is to care for the lover like a baby, with loyalty as the foundation, love as the cherishment, and affirmation as the light" - it warns the world: marriage needs love as the cornerstone, and the essence of love is the compatibility of souls and unreserved tenderness.
