The Age of Transition

Name: The Age of Transition
ISBN: 9787520500005

Zhang HenshuiChina Culture and History Press · ChinaSep 2024

3.7

Word count: 179K words
Chapters: 21
ISBN: 9787520500005

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Summary

This novel portrays the clash and blending of old and new ideas in an age of transition. Big Niu, unable to make ends meet, asks someone to find her a job posing as a nude model at a school, where she attracts the professor Hu Dangren and the poor student Ou Huaxian, and becomes involved with both in turn. Min Zongliang teaches at a middle school and disapproves of Big Niu's modeling, admonishing her repeatedly. Min Zongliang's son Min Bugu advocates new ideas and is mutually attracted to Big Niu, yet to make a living he sides with the conservatives during a school upheaval. Min Zongliang falls for Big Niu's mother, and father and son, driven by love and livelihood, casually change their professed ideas and proprieties—such are the phenomena of the transitional age.

Editor's review

Transitional Age turns its lens on ordinary people caught in the clash of old and new ideas, using the then highly controversial profession of "nude model" as a thread that pulls out the tangled emotional and ideological conflicts among Hu Dangren, Ou Huaxian, Min Bugu, and Big Niu. The novel's greatest strength lies in refusing to paint conservatism and reform as a simple opposition: Min Zongliang admonishes Big Niu for modeling, while his son Min Bugu advocates new ideas yet, forced by circumstance, sides with the conservatives during a school upheaval; father and son casually change their professed ideas in matters of love and livelihood, precisely pinpointing the symptoms of the "transitional age"—ideas drift with circumstance, and propriety can be flexibly invoked. This ironic realism lifts the work beyond ordinary romance, giving it the depth of social observation. Readers would do well to note the gap between characters' words and their professed ideas; that is the key to understanding the book. Moderate in length, it suits readers interested in Republican-era social ethics and the mentality of intellectuals.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the clash of old and new ideas and ethical change in Republican China
Fans of Zhang Henshui's socially realistic side, beyond mere romance
Chinese literature students concerned with women's professional circumstances and the history of bodily ideas
Readers who prefer complex character relationships and ironic narrative

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking pure romantic escapism and light entertainment
Readers sensitive to plot involving bodily and professional controversy
Readers expecting clear moral judgment or a single-stance conclusion

Reading tips

While reading, list each character's public stance and actual actions, and compare the gap between them.
Familiarize yourself with the background of the Republican-era modeling controversy before reading the main text for fuller understanding.
Focus on the two lines of Min Zongliang and his son, and consider how "transition" manifests within the family.
After finishing, write a short review judging who in the book truly completes an ideological transformation, to train critical reading.

About the publisher

China Culture and History Press China · Founded in 1980

China Culture and History Press has long devoted itself to modern and contemporary literature and culture-and-history reading matter, with publishing directions centered on classic works, social novels, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy, alongside culture-and-history periodicals such as Zongheng. Among the more than 1,500 titles in the collection, representative books include Zhang Henshui's Ti Xiao Yin Yuan, Lu Xun's Complete Classic Works (10 volumes) and Wild Grass, and Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof series and the boxed set of Lao She's Classic Works (10 volumes), while its author resources are concentrated on figures such as Zhang Henshui, Lu Xun, Lao She and Sima Qian. Its publishing character lies in solid editorial work on culture-and-history source texts and in issuing famous authors' works in sets, balancing the readability of individual texts with the systematic presentation of complete collections for focused reading and collecting. Beyond these directions, public information on the press's contemporary original publishing is limited, so it is not elaborated here.

版权信息
作者简介
小说大家张恨水（代序）
第一回立业赖高邻女儿有价读书崇往哲君子怀忧
第二回冰炭分途空谈平等论声容并茂同写自由花
第三回枯燥人生读书须恋爱文明时代吃饭不牺牲
第四回降格以求花丛携画具乘风而起台下发雷威
第五回文野一言评穷斯滥矣圣贤千古事利莫大焉
第六回骨肉与思潮父父子子金钱到恋爱我我卿卿
第七回廉耻不疗贫金钱骨肉糊涂还有理菩萨心肠
第八回尴尬解囊心忘情不易凄凉摇尾态求饱真难
第九回平等有方乃求同命鸟低能难拔原是可怜虫
第十回训子振纲常一毛不拔挣钱换恋爱二者得兼
第十一回局促入门来腐儒示惠热狂倒箧去穷妇怀恩
第十二回作者要权威抓住时代攻人重腐化违背潮流
第十三回父恨子顽经济施封锁人为财死方针告变更
第十四回顺遂总因时饭碗唯大笑谈亦有地血气全消
第十五回含笑读毛诗会心不远高声谈物论得意难宣
第十六回幸有佳儿腐儒思解放自无怨偶寡妇献贞操
第十七回约法三章反帝反封建开门七件伤心伤普罗
第十八回孰能无情夫妻双独立各得其所父母半维新

FAQ

What exactly does the title "Transitional Age" refer to?

It refers to the social stage of transition between old and new ideas. The characters waver between old and new in propriety, profession, and emotion, changing their stances with their circumstances; the gap between Min Zongliang's words and deeds and those of his son is a microcosm of this era.

Which plotline does the novel mainly revolve around?

It revolves around Big Niu's work as a nude model at a school: through this she becomes involved with the professor Hu Dangren and the poor student Ou Huaxian in turn, and is mutually attracted to the new-ideas advocate Min Bugu; Min Zongliang admonishes her repeatedly, while his son sides with the conservatives during the upheaval. Multiple threads interweave to present ideological conflict.

Do I need to know Republican-era history to read this book?

Not necessarily, but basic familiarity helps. Knowing the general situation of the era's modeling controversy, school upheavals, and the debate between old and new ideas will aid understanding of the characters' choices; even without background knowledge, the plot and character relationships are enough to follow.

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About the author

Zhang Henshui Author · China · 1895–1967

Zhang Henshui (1895–1967), originally named Xinyuan, was a native of Anhui and a writer of serialized chapter fiction, recognized as a representative author of the Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies school. Over his lifetime he wrote more than a hundred novels, and this library holds as many as 436 of his works. His writing uses the traditional chapter form as its framework, with intricate plots and large casts of characters; he excels at portraying social manners and human feelings amid social change and romantic entanglements, in language that is accessible and fluent, earning him a broad readership. His representative works include Ti Xiao Yin Yuan (A Smile of Woe), Jin Fen Shi Jia (The Golden Family), Chun Ming Wai Shi, and Ba Shi Yi Meng (Eighty-One Dreams), among which the first two have circulated especially widely in many editions. His subjects center on social novels and modern romance, with some allegorical and satirical works, giving him an important place in the history of modern popular literature.