Split

After the archaeological excavation of the Wuwangdun Tomb in my hometown of Huainan, as an editor, I sorted out a large amount of information related to the Chu Kingdom. Those lacquered tables, bronzes, and musical instruments from more than 2,000 years ago gradually pieced together a distant and vivid world in front of my eyes - the Chu State that once aspired to dominate the Central Plains and dominated the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, its glory, its collapse, and its lingering sounds. At that time, an idea took root in my heart: write a novel about the period of King Chu Kaolie. After I retired from my job, the first thing I did was to think about it. From "joining in the fun" to "writing seriously" At first, I wanted to take a shortcut. Let's write about time travel, it's lively and easy to get started with. I lay down on the table and wrote more than 20,000 words, but I couldn't write anymore - I couldn't stand it anymore, it was too empty. Those characters are like pieces of paper, and those emotions are like duckweeds, floating and unable to fall to the ground. So I started over. Look through history books, look up papers, look at catalogs of cultural relics, and "find feelings" from the pile of old papers bit by bit. This process is very slow, but every time I find a real piece of the puzzle, I feel more at ease. Three people who make me attracted Li Yan - the queen of King Chu Kaolie. There are very few records about her in historical materials, but there are many unofficial histories, with mixed reviews. Some people say she is a disaster, others say she is a pawn. Reading those words, I felt a deep sympathy. A woman who was given away as a gift by her brother, how many choices does she have in the men's chess game? How many people can't help themselves? Huang Xie——Chun Shenjun. I have lived near his tomb since I was a child. Chun Shenjun is not a distant historical symbol to me, but a familiar existence. I wrote him into the novel as a symbol of Chu's spirit - that man who used his talents to benefit Chu, but was squeezed out by power. What ideals and struggles did he have? Zhu Ying - the wise man next to Huang Xie, the retainer who once warned Chun Shenjun of the "unexpected disaster". There are only a few words about him in the history books, but I always feel that he is like the key that can unlock the dilemma of fate. So, I made him the hero of the story. The Chu culture that is integrated into the blood I incorporated many elements of Chu culture into the novel: the waterside exorcism on the Shangsi Festival, the countryside sacrifices on Sheri, the drumming of the Dragon Boat Festival... Some of these customs from more than 2,000 years ago are still echoing in our lives today. I discovered that the Chu State did not really end because of its subjugation. Its words, its beliefs, its rituals and music are like seeds, buried in the soil of time, and will sprout in a certain spring. This is what I want to write about - the inheritance and protection of culture.