Voice of the Masses

Su Tongs latest translated collection offers English-speaking readers a window into one of Chinas best-known modern writers

《群眾來信》小說集：蘇童筆下的人性與宿命

By Tan Yunfei （譚云飛）

Su Tongs works are not for the faint-hearted. In the first tale ofMissives from the Masses， a newly translated collection of 11 short stories from across the writers 40-year career， the protagonist goes into surgery knowing she will die from it. In another， an elderly zookeeper is forced to kill his animals for a biology teacher who helped get his grandchild into school.

Fans of the renowned writer will not be surprised by the darkness pervading the works inMissives. One of Sus best-known works， the 1989 novella “Wives and Concubines，” which gained international fame asRaise the Red Lantern—the title of Zhang Yimous Oscar-nominated film adaption—tells the story of 19-year-old Songlian.?She becomes the concubine of a wealthy merchant after her father goes bankrupt and commits suicide. She faces loneliness， cruelty， and despair in the perverse fight for her “masters” favor before descending into madness.

“Im dedicated to the twisted destiny of characters since Ive been so often awed by the uncertainty of life and history，” Su， whose real name is Tong Zhonggui， wrote in the preface to his 1992 novelMy Life as Emperor. Over 30 years later，Missives carries on that dedication with stories that see mundane lives cast into disarray and fates upended by often trivial events. Rare?respite from the depressing tone lies only in the dark beauty of grimy industrial factories or polluted outlets loaded with bamboo rafts， moss， dead fish， and garbage.

Su， born in 1963， is part of a generation of Chinese novelists who rose to fame in the 1980s. Su and peers like Ma Yuan and Yu Hua emphasized individual experiences， emotions， and fantasies while taking an absurdist turn away from traditional narratives based on reason， characters， and plot. They also experimented with new narration forms under the influence of postmodernism in the West. Later， in the 1990s， Su and others returned to more conventional characters and plot-driven narratives.

Sus works featured in this new volume translated?by Josh Stenberg span from the 1990s to 2010s?and offer English-speaking readers a new?perspective from which to understand China?over the last century. The stories here encompass?both rural and urban settings and chronicle?lives in fictional Chinese communities that Su?modeled after his hometown of Suzhou in Jiangsu?province. Its a welcome chance to read more?from one of Chinas most famous recent writers，?and experience the darker sides of humanity he?reveals against the backdrop of the countrys?tumultuous political and social changes during the?20th century.

The title story “Missives from the Masses”?（1998） introduces Qianmei， a retired candy shop?employee， who has spent her entire life informing?on her colleagues and neighbors， and calling?for their “rectification.” Now， even with deadly?cancer spreading in her stomach， she continues?to write letters of complaint and to report the?hospital for maltreating her. The doctors know?Qianmeis illness is terminal but， with the higherups?taking her complaints seriously， they agree?to operate once more—a death sentence for the?elderly woman.

This twisted， tragic tale sets the tone for the?rest of the collection， where every story seems?destined for death， disappearance， or dispute，?and there are few satisfying conclusions. In “Early?One Sunday Morning” （2008）， for instance，?teacher Mr. Li dies in a traffic accident while?pursuing a butcher for a two-maorefund for?selling him poor quality fatty meat instead of the?pork knuckle his wife had demanded. “Cousins”?（2004） tells a striking story of neighborhood?competition and vanity through multiple?generations in Maple-Poplar Village. As one?family builds higher， uses higher quality materials，?and cooks better meals， another household falls?deep into debt and trauma trying to keep up. In?these， and several of the other stories inMissives，?the tragedies that befall Sus protagonists stem?from their obsessions and pride.

Sus characters do absurd， sometimes cruel?things， but they are rarely unambiguous. “There?is no need to draw a clear distinction between?the good and the bad， or the kind and the evil;?you can hardly tell them apart，” Su explained in?a 2012 interview with ifeng.com. In “The Most?Desolate Zoo on Earth” （1996）， biology teacher?Mr. Zhang， a self-proclaimed animal lover who?turns fauna into “beautiful， perfect” objects for?his study， helps get the zookeepers grandson into?his prestigious school. In return， the zookeeper?forgoes his belief that “monkeys are just like?people” and kills his animals to help with Zhangs?specimen collection.

Several of the stories are from the perspective?of children， often neutral observers of the grubby?world of adults around them. In “The Most?Desolate Zoo on Earth，” the narrator is a student?who stumbles across the biology teachers trade?with the zookeeper and witnesses the latters?internal struggle between repaying a favor and?protecting animals. “[Children] understand the?world solely from their feelings， which are pure…and the world presents its real face，” Su told ifeng.com in 2012.

Missivesalso brings Sus writing of female?characters to English-speaking audiences. While?many of his male contemporaries， Yu Hua and Jia?Pingwa for example， have been criticized for their?one-dimensional or even misogynistic portrayal?of women in their stories， Su has largely escaped?that fate. A 2021 op-ed by the literary platform?Douban Reading praised Su as one of Chinas?“best writers on women，” saying he depicted them?as fully-realized protagonists with their “own?survival logics， desires， and nature，” instead of?giving them only supporting roles such as subjects?of male protagonists desires for sex or other?needs （which Jia has been notorious for）. “The?Western Window” （1992） and “Kitty” （1995），?in particular， are two powerful women-centered?narratives inMissives.

Though best known for his novels—such asThe Boat to Redemption（2009） andShadow of theHunter（2013）， both of which have been translated?into English—Su has always defended the?novella medium， lamenting on many occasions?that publishers prioritize long-form works. He?has written some 200 short stories， arguably?containing his most cutting and powerful works.?In his 1999 essay “Short Stories， Some Elements，”?Su wrote that “short stories are bedtime stories for?adults，” just like fairy tales to children， “which can?give ones dull day a brilliant end.”

Through Missives， English-speaking readers can?now look forward to their bedtime reading， despite?the sometimes depressing subject matter.

Missives from the Masses was published by Sinoist Books onFebruary 23.

Cover image designed by Wang Siqi;?design elements from VCG?and Sinoist Books

Su has lived in Nanjing， Jiangsu province， since the late 1980s （VCG）

Still fromJasmine Women（2006）， one of several films adapted from Sus works