Beijing, 1912

Name: Beijing, 1912
ISBN: 9787550260078

穆儒丐Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. · ChinaJan 2016

3.6

Word count: 170K words
Chapters: 21
ISBN: 9787550260078

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Summary

Ning Boyong, a young Manchu who spent six years studying in Japan, returns to China amid the Xinhai Revolution. Hearing that a former classmate runs the Dahua Daily outside Qianmen, he goes there seeking work and becomes a journalist. Moving from the Beijing suburbs into the city, he witnesses a Beijing in constant change. At Longquan Temple he meets Bai Mudan, a young bangzi opera actress, and with Peishang Yimin and others forms a group to champion her. Bai Mudan gradually rises to fame, but is later taken as an exclusive prize by Second Lord Wei, who spurns Ning Boyong and his friends. Ning then meets the courtesan Xiu Qing. Cold and cutting toward high officials and wealthy merchants, she treats Ning Boyong differently, and the two gradually fall in love. Xiu Qing falls ill, and on her deathbed entrusts her mother and younger brother to Ning Boyong...

Editor's review

Beijing, 1912 is a novel written in 1923 by Mu Rugai, a Manchu writer of the Republican era, and reissued in 2015 by Iron Gourd Books, an imprint of Beijing United Publishing Company. Set in Beijing in the early years of the Republic after the 1911 Revolution, the novel uses the experiences and perspective of its protagonist, Ning Boyong, to paint a panoramic portrait of a society in flux, caught between the old and the new. It recounts not only one man's rise and fall in the tide of history but also, in finely wrought prose, the customs and human texture of old Beijing and the real conditions of life across its social strata—bannermen, officials, intellectuals, opera performers, rickshaw pullers, and others—making it a veritable urban memory and chronicle of manners for early Republican Beijing.

A work recovered after nearly a century of obscurity, its literary and historical value is especially precious. The author, Mu Rugai (1884–1961), a member of the Plain Blue Banner of the Manchu Eight Banners, lived through the fall of the Qing and the founding of the Republic, and his writing bears the mark of deep personal experience and observation of his people. His work blends the narrative style of the traditional serialized novel with the realist spirit of modern fiction; the language is vivid and expressive, rich in Beijing flavor. This is not a rousing revolutionary narrative but a calm, restrained, even faintly desolate record of ordinary people's bewilderment, endurance, and struggle after the collapse of the traditional order, offering readers a unique and profound vantage point on a complex era. Reading this book is not merely to read a story but to step into a sealed historical scene alive with detail.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of social transformation in the late Qing and early Republic
Those drawn to old Beijing culture, customs, and urban memory
Literary enthusiasts interested in modern Chinese literature, especially neglected Republican-era writers
Readers who wish to understand individual fate and choice within great historical upheaval through fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking fast-paced, plot-driven entertainment fiction
Readers with no knowledge of or interest in the specific historical background of the late Qing and early Republic

Reading tips

While reading, consult a map of Beijing or old photographs and compare them with the places described to heighten the sense of time and place.
Pay attention to the author's distinctive perspective and sensibility as a Manchu descendant, and to his complex feelings about the passing of tradition.
Read it alongside other contemporary works about Beijing (such as Lao She's early writing) to compare narrative styles and focal concerns.

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

版权信息
题词
自序
奇人·奇书·奇史
第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
第五章
第六章
第七章
第八章
第九章
第十章
第十一章
第十二章
第十三章
第十四章
第十五章
原书序跋
跋

FAQ

Is this book historical reportage or a novel?

It is a historical novel. It is built on a real historical background and social milieu; the characters and story are fictional, but the social scenes and customs it depicts have considerable value as historical reference.

Who was Mu Rugai, and why was his work forgotten?

Mu Rugai was a Manchu writer and journalist who studied in Japan in the late Qing and, after returning home, worked in writing and newspaper editing. Because of his banner identity, his subject matter, and historical circumstances, his literary achievements long went underrecognized in mainstream literary history. In recent years, as scholars have explored the diversity of Republican-era literature, the value of his work has been rediscovered.

How difficult is this book to read?

The novel is written in vernacular Chinese but carries a certain Republican-era style and touches of Beijing dialect, so it may take some getting used to at first. The plot advances through character portrayal and the depiction of social manners rather than strong dramatic conflict, so readers need some patience to immerse themselves in the specific historical atmosphere.

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About the author

穆儒丐 Author

Mu Rugai is a Chinese author about whom relatively little is known; publicly available information is limited, with no clear records of nationality, dates of birth and death, or educational background, and his English name is unknown. Two of his works are currently held in the collection, mainly in the genre of social fiction, with Beijing, 1912 as a representative title. Judging from the genre and title, his writing focuses on the social landscape of Beijing during a particular historical period, with an approach oriented toward everyday urban life and realistic human relations, showing a realistic tendency characteristic of social fiction and presenting the ways of the world amid historical change through characters and ordinary scenes. The title Beijing, 1912 also suggests that the narrative may be closely related to Beijing society in the early years of the Republic of China. Because verifiable biographical information is insufficient, an assessment of his literary standing and influence still depends on the organization of more historical sources and textual materials, and readers may appreciate his narrative style and thematic orientation through his extant works.