By Guo Jia

The Undercurrent The spy literature of Hai Fei

By Guo Jia

Sparrow， a new spy drama that made its TV debut on September 5， 2016， turned out an instant hit. It took only a few years for the scriptwriter Hai Fei to prove the barb of his stunning creativity in fctional literature in a stellar list of works represented by such widely acclaimed stories as Qipao， From General to Soldier and Legends of Sui and Tang. The softhearted Zhejiang native describes his encounter with the screenwriting world as “accidental”， but his literal passion seems to be inherent and instinctive， as manifested in his mastery of words that creates a magic fusion of tenderness and sharpness in many of his works. The success of Sparrow also shows the writer is reaching a new high in his career.

The Undercurrent

Hai Fei has the sensitivity and subtlety that rivals that of a woman. His sense of propriety is instinctive. Like an adept kite fyer， he always knows how to tame the line in the game against the fickleness of the wind and takes great delight in calculation and accuracy. Maybe it is such a trait that makes the man an expert in writing spy stories. He stays calm and collected， and enjoys stormy undercurrents.

The writing of Qipao started in 2010. The release of the story's TV adaptation came in 2011 on seven TV channels across the country. It is an exquisite piece about the complexity of human nature， and has a solid structure that presents the intricate interaction between characters in a neat way， summed up by Hai Fei when looking back on the process of creation. “Faith is no doubt the soul of the story，making the whole thing soul-stirring，” he remarks proudly.

Also set in Shanghai， Sparrow is about “redemption”， and again， about the insurmountable power of “faith”. The radiant morning sunshine pierces through the window bar into the broken hearts and reaches the depths of the soul. Underneath the seemingly impassive and peaceful tempo and behind the nonchalant normality of life is the atrocity of war and the darkness of human nature that is in a life-and-death struggle.

The defning difference between Sparrow and Qipao is that the former features the performance of TV heartthrob Li Yifeng who plays the role of Chen Shen. Hai Fei clarified time and again that choosing Li Yifeng as the leading role does not mean the TV presentation falls into the trap of what may be dismissed by critics as a“fashion show”. On the contrary， Sparrow is “a serious drama”， and is “more thrilling”than Qipao in more ways than one and has a unique quality， according to Hai Fei.

The writer seems to be reluctant to wake up from his spy dream. TV adaptation of two of his new works is underway.

Once upon a time in Shanghai

Hai Fei has a weakness for Shanghai， as shown in most of his works. His three new spy novels （Autumn Breeze， The Informer and Suzhou River）， are also set in Shanghai.

“I am haunted by my childhood Shanghai memories all the time，” confessed the writer. “I feel homeless when seeing the place where I spent my childhood years is replaced by a forest of high-rise buildings.”In this sense， his obsession with Shanghai as an important common thread in his writing suggests his wish to offset his frustration and futility.

Sparrow is a story about immortality entangled with the vicissitudes of a city that is as lithe and graceful as Guan Luping in Qipao and as brave and fervent as Chen Shen. Shanghai is the muse of the screenwriter.

For Hai Fei， the line between fictional writing and screenwriting can be crossed with ease. In his eye， a novelist who enjoys using details to create the desired atmosphere makes a good scriptwriter. “Fiction writers tend to be more artistic when it comes to giving life to a character.”

（Photos provided by the author and Da Feilang）