Mountain Rain (Part One)
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Summary
Mountain Rain (Part One) is a representative novel by Wang Tongzhao, written in September 1932 and completed in December of the same year. Published by Shanghai Kaiming Bookstore in September 1933, it was banned by the reactionary Kuomintang government shortly after its release. Only after the bookstore's negotiations and the deletion of the last five chapters was it allowed to circulate, and thus it was not widely disseminated. After the founding of New China, the author revised it, and in 1955 the People's Literature Publishing House reissued it in a new typeset edition. Mountain Rain draws directly on the realities of rural life in Shandong around 1930; through the transformations of a northern village, Chenjiazhuang, it reflects the bankruptcy of the northern countryside and the awakening of peasants in the 1920s and 1930s.
Editor's review
Mountain Rain (Part One) is Wang Tongzhao's representative novel, written in 1932 and drawn from rural life in Shandong around 1930. Through the changes in Chen Family Village, it reflects the ruin of the northern countryside and the awakening of peasants in the 1920s and 1930s. The work's value lies in carrying the shifts of the era through village daily life and individual fates; it has the texture of local life and shows the writer's observation of rural hardship and changes in the human heart. After publication it was banned and could be issued only after deletions, so it circulated narrowly. After the founding of New China, the author revised and reset it, and what readers read today is an edited version. While reading, note how relations within the village loosen under outside pressure, and how "awakening" does not happen suddenly but emerges gradually through ruin, migration, and conflict. Readers interested in rural-subject novels in modern literary history may compare it with rural writing of the same period and see how novels of the 1930s handled realistic subjects.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in rural-subject novels in the history of modern Chinese literature
- Literary readers studying 1930s regional writing and the northern countryside
- Novel readers who like seeing an era through village change
- Teachers and students who need to read novels for modern literature courses
Not a good fit for
- Readers of popular fiction who prefer fast plots and strong dramatic conflict
- Readers hoping for light pastoral village stories
- Readers impatient with Republican-era literary language and narrative pacing
Reading tips
- First learn the social background of rural Shandong around 1930, then enter the specific people and events of Chen Family Village; the pressures behind characters' choices become easier to understand.
- Take the changes in Chen Family Village as the main line and note down how relations inside the village correspond to changes in the outside environment.
- When you reach the peasants' awakening, notice how the author prepares it with everyday details rather than waiting for concentrated slogan-like passages.
- If you are reading the revised reset edition, note the transitions between chapters and consider how the history of deletion and issuance affected the text's circulation.
Contents
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 六
- 七
- 八
- 九
FAQ
What is Mountain Rain about?
It is Wang Tongzhao's representative novel, drawn directly from rural life in Shandong around 1930. Through the changes in the northern village of Chen Family Village, it reflects the ruin of the northern countryside and the awakening of peasants in the 1920s and 1930s. Read it as a work that refracts an era through a village's fate, not simply as a record of rural customs.
Why did the book once circulate narrowly?
According to sources, Mountain Rain was published by Shanghai Kaiming Bookstore in 1933 and was banned by the reactionary Kuomintang government soon after. Only after the bookstore negotiated and the last five chapters were deleted could it be issued, so it did not circulate widely. After the founding of New China, the author revised it and People's Literature Publishing House reset and published it in 1955; what readers read today is an edited version.
What background should I learn before reading this novel?
It is best to have a general understanding of the ruin and turmoil in the northern countryside around 1930 and to know that the novel is drawn from rural reality in Shandong. Then, when reading about changes among the people of Chen Family Village, it is easier to see how outside pressure enters the village. The work itself does not depend on complex allusions; background knowledge mainly helps in understanding the characters' situation and the mood of the era.
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About the author
Wang Tongzhao
Author · Chinese · 1897–1957
Wang Tongzhao (1897–1957), courtesy name Jiansan, was a native of Zhucheng, Shandong, and a modern Chinese writer and poet. One of the founders of the Literary Research Society, he advocated "art for life's sake" and focused his writing on observing social reality and exploring questions of human life. His novel Mountain Rain, set against rural life, portrays ordinary people amid social change in a restrained, grounded style and is his most representative work; A Leaf and the poetry collection Childlike Heart also reflect his sustained attention to life and emotion. His works span social fiction, classic works, classical poetry, and prose miscellanies, with a plain style and thoughtful depth. Wang Tongzhao served as chairman of the Shandong Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles and director of the Department of Chinese at Shandong University, participating in literary organizations alongside his writing and teaching.
