Great Waves (Part Three)

Li JierenFeb 2022

4.1

Word count: 55K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

This volume shifts its narrative focus to the upper bureaucracy and historical figures, recreating with grandeur the 1911 Railway Protection Movement in Sichuan and depicting the surging revolutionary movement and the customs and popular life it influenced, with a strong local flavor. The book reflects a turbulent era of restless hearts and portrays a panorama of people caught in the upheaval, and it is of great value for the study of dialect literature. The novel successfully creates typical characters such as Chu Yong, Hao Yousan, and Huang Lansheng, blending their personal experiences with historical change, and delicately describes daily life, commercial activity, clothing culture, and local specialties of the time, rich in Bashu cultural color.

Editor's review

Continuing Li Jieren's broad narrative scope, Volume Three of Da Bo focuses on the upper bureaucracy and historical figures, unfolding the later stages of the 1911 Sichuan Railway Protection Movement with calm, meticulous strokes. Its value lies not only in advancing historical events but in embedding a changing era in the texture of daily life: the fates of Chu Yong, Hao Yousan, Huang Lansheng, and others intertwine with the currents of history, so that readers feel both the restless atmosphere of the times and the warmth of Bashu culture in details of daily life, commerce, clothing, and local products. Li Jieren's language carries a distinct dialect flavor and local color, making it especially useful for the study of dialect literature. Readers are advised to understand this volume within the arc of the trilogy, noting how relationships shift from the first two volumes and how the author presents grand history from a local perspective. For readers who enjoy modern literature and regional cultural narrative, this volume offers a reading experience both documentary and literary.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy modern Chinese literature and historical novels
University teachers and students studying Li Jieren's work and dialect literature
Readers interested in the Sichuan Railway Protection Movement and Bashu customs
Readers willing to read a multi-volume work patiently and follow the characters' changing fates

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced, plot-driven stories and lack patience
Beginners completely unfamiliar with Sichuan dialect and historical background
Readers who want only a single volume and do not intend to enter the trilogy's arc

Reading tips

Read the first two volumes first, or at least learn the character relationships before entering this volume's narrative of bureaucrats and historical figures.
Keep a brief timeline of the 1911 Railway Protection Movement to help follow the sequence of events.
Pay attention to details of daily life, commerce, and clothing, and take notes on Bashu customs.
When dialect words do not affect the main thread, do not stop; read through first, then return to appreciate the language.

第30章
第31章
第32章
第33章
第34章
第35章
第36章
第37章
第38章
第39章
第40章
第41章

FAQ

Can I read Volume Three of Da Bo without having read the first two volumes?

You can, but the character relationships and plot lines continue from earlier volumes, so starting here may make the situations of Chu Yong, Hao Yousan, Huang Lansheng, and others feel remote. It is better to learn the main characters of the first two volumes and the basic outline of the Railway Protection Movement before reading this volume.

How is this novel different from a history book?

It does not chronicle events year by year; instead, it weaves historical change into the characters' experiences and daily life, closely portraying the period's daily living, commerce, clothing, and local products. Readers gain a literary historical picture colored by Bashu culture rather than a systematic account of historical sources.

There is a lot of dialect in the book. Will it hinder understanding?

Dialect flavor is an important feature of the book and part of its scholarly value. Most dialect does not affect understanding of the main thread; when a word is hard to understand, skip it first and return to it in context after reading through. If you are doing linguistic research, mark and organize such words separately.

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About the author

Li Jieren Author · Chinese · 1891–1962

Li Jieren (1891–1962), originally named Li Jiaxiang, was a native of Chengdu, Sichuan, and a modern Chinese writer and translator of French literature. In his early years he studied and worked in France; after returning to China, he devoted himself to writing, translation, and industry, and served as vice mayor of Chengdu and vice chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles. His writings are set in Chengdu and focus on the social changes of the late Qing and early Republican periods. His representative River Trilogy—Ripples in the Stagnant Water, Before the Storm, and The Great Wave—portrays local customs and the turmoil of the times with delicate detail, combining the realistic depth of social fiction with a strong regional flavor. The collection includes 23 of his works, covering classic novels and literary collections. His parallel careers in translation and writing make him a notable figure in modern Chinese–foreign literary exchange.