Moment in Peking

Moment in Peking (simplified Chinese: 京华烟云; traditional Chinese: 京華煙雲; pinyin: jīng huá yān yún) (also translated as simplified Chinese: 瞬息京华; traditional Chinese: 瞬息京華; pinyin: shūn xī jīng huá) is a historical novel originally written in English by the Chinese American author Lin Yutang. The novel covers the turbulent events in China from 1900 to 1938, including the Boxer Uprising, the Republican Revolution of 1911, the Warlord Era, the rise of nationalism and communism, and the origins of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945.

The author tries not to be overly judgmental of the characters because he recognizes that too many issues were involved in the chaotic years of the early twentieth century China. There are no absolutely right or wrong characters. Each character held a piece of truth and reality and a piece of irrationality. In the preface, Lin writes that "[This novel] is merely a story of... how certain habits of living and ways of thinking are formed and how, above all, [men and women] adjust themselves to the circumstances in this earthly life where men strive but gods rule."

While the author does not display hatred toward the Japanese, he does let events and situations affecting the novel characters to let the reader clearly see the reason the Chinese are still bitter about Japan's military past. The novel ends with a cliffhanger, letting the readers hope that the major characters who fled from the coastal regions to the inland of China would survive the horrible war.

Lin wrote the book in English for a U.S. audience. He originally wanted the poet Yu Dafu to do the Chinese translation, but Yu had only completed the first section when he was killed by the Japanese in World War II. Lin didn't particularly like the first complete Chinese translation, which was done by 1941.

In 1977 Zhang Zhenyu, a translator from Taiwan, created what is the most popular translation today. It was not available in mainland China until a publisher in Jilin issued a sanitized version in 1987. The current political climate permits Shaanxi Normal University Press to publish the full translation. Yu Dafu's son Yu Fei (郁飞) finished his own translation in 1991, but his version is not widely read.

Main Characters

Many characters in Moment in Peking are from three wealthy families: Yao, Tseng (Zeng), and New (Niu). However, there are additional characters not from these families that play an integral part in the story, such as Lifu.

• Yao Mulan (姚木兰)

The protagonist of the story, Mulan was from the wealthy Yao family. However, during the Boxer Rebellion, she was kidnapped by bandits and rescued by the Tseng family, who thereafter became close friends of the Yao's. Mulan was lively, intelligent, and generous, as well as extremely responsible. Her father always encouraged her interests. In addition, Mulan was extremely interested in "bone characters," or studying ancient Chinese characters written on bones, and singing Chinese opera. Her intelligence, along with her kindhearted nature, caught the interest of a young man named Kung Lifu. Though Mulan had the same sensation with Lifu, she married Sunya, and their marriage was mainly harmonious. They had three children together. The first daughter, Aman, died in the student protest.

• Tseng Sunya (Zeng Sunya, 曾荪亚)

Mulan's husband, Tseng Sunya, who was called "Fatty" by Mulan. As the youngest son of his family, Sunya was arguably the least responsible one, but had the "round character". He and Mulan got to know each other very when Mulan was rescued by his parents from the kidnapper. They were kids then. As time went on, the two family became increasingly close, and their engagement was planned happily.

• Kung Lifu (Kong Lifu, 孔立夫)

A scholar and Yao Mochow's husband. He originally fell in love with Mulan, but he married Mochow.

• Yao Mochow (Yao Mochou, 姚莫愁)

Yao Mulan's sister, also very clever and attractive. She was in love with Sunya but a misunderstanding with Lihua separate them. She went out with Niu HuaiYu and finally got married with Lifu

• Yao Sze-an (Yao Si'an) (姚思安)

He was a playboy when he was young. But he became a great Taoist later. He influenced Lifu very much. He was interested in "bones characteres"

• Mrs. Yao (姚太太)

A traditional Chinese woman. She loved her oldest son, Tijen, best. She opposed Tijen and Silverscreen's love, and caused their death. She was sad and very unhealthy in her later life.

• Cassia (Aunt Gui, 桂姨)

She was the concubine or maid at the Tseng household. She had two daughters Ailien and Lilien, who became modern ladies and married doctors. However, she was very interest in the Tseng heritage.

• Tseng Wenpo (曾文伯)

He was a typical old Manchuria officer, incorrigible and fossil. He hated everything about foreign countries.

• Mrs. Tseng (曾太太)

The leader of the Tseng family. She held the family together, and she liked Mulan and Mannia, but hated Suyun. She had a very strong character trait.

• New Suyun (Niu Suyun, 牛素云)

Her parents thought Jinya was a man who had the right characters to be a successful officer, so Suyun married Chinya. During their marriage, she bossed and ordered him around like a busboy. Suyun later became a friend of Inging who was her second brother's concubine. She divorced Chinya, and became an officer's concubine and also the infamous Japanese-controlled heroin dealer known as the "White Flour Queen". Years later, she finally recognized her mistake. She was killed by the Japanese.

• Sun Mannia (孙曼娘)

Married to the Tseng's eldest son, Pingya. She became a widow the day after her wedding. Aunt Gui wanted her to get married again with a doctor. In order to avoid this, she went to the temple and adopt a child and had to stay in the Tseng family forever. She was killed by the Japanese during the war.

• New Huaiyu (牛怀玉)

The second son of the New family. He left his wife and four children, and married a singsong girl named Inging (莺莺). He became a betrayer of his country, and was nearly killed by his eldest son.

• Tseng Chinya (Zeng Jinya, 曾襟亚)

The second son of the Tseng family. He was a coward and ask just to have a peaceful life. He was kind to everybody. He fell in love with Dimfragrance

• Tseng Pingya (曾平亚)

The eldest son of the Tseng family. He loved Mannia very much, however, he died the day after his wedding.

• Dimfragrance (暗香)

She was kidnapped when she was a child, and met Mulan. When Mulan was saved by Mr. Tseng, Dimfragrance was sold to other family. She became a nursery maid of Mulan's child some years later. She finally found her family, and became Jinya's second wife.

• Tsao Lihua (Cao Lihua, 曹丽华)

A young art student. She met Sunya in Hangzhou, and fell in love with him. Sunya lied to her that his wife was an old and fat country woman. When she met Mulan, she was surprised, and eventually became her friend.However, she gave birth to a babyboy. Sunya'mother take the baby and did not want to give it back to Lihua. Finally, she died in front of the Tseng House.

• Yao Tijen (Yao Tiren, 姚体仁)

Mulan's older brother. He was a typical foppish man. His father sent him to England to study, but he spent all of the money in Hongkong. He fell in love with his servant girl Silverscreen, and had a son with her. Their love was against by his mother. After Silverscreen's suicide, he died in an accident.

• Afei (阿非，姚非)

Mulan's younger brother. He was taught well by his father.

• Tung Paofen (Dong Baofen, 董宝芬）

A Manchuria princess. Her family once owned the garden which became Yao's later. Her family believed that there were much treasure buried in the garden, and sent her to Yao family to work as a servant girl to find the treasure. She married Afei after Redjade's death.

• Redjade (红玉)

Mulan, Mochow, and Afei's cousin. She was madly in love with Afei, and admired Lin Daiyu from the classic Red Chamber Dreams (红楼梦). When she misunderstood a conversation and thought that Afei didn't love her, she committed suicide by drowning herself.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

The novel has been adapted twice into a television drama, including the most recent version in 2005, starring Zhao Wei.

References

• Martinsen, Joel. "Beijing Bestsellers: Moment in Peking and other TV hits". http://www.danwei.org/trends_and_buzz/beijing_bestsellers_moment_in.php. Retrieved 2006-12-23. 

External links

• A 1939 Time Magazine review of the novel