Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 plor20:

Recently, a discussion has popped up in the Vietnamese LYF FB group about a particular article that was written in 2013, followimg the release of LYF that has ideas and ideas that maybe be the real source of  many deabted subjects mainly the fact the LYF is not a tradegy...and those ideas maybe have been wrrien off as Tong Hua perception of her own work.

Thank you for sharing the 2013 article by 叶雷 Ye Lei. 

Several noteworthy points:

1. The artlcle was dated 27 Feb 2013. Vol 1 was only published in Mar 2013, followed by Vol 2 (Jul 2013) and Vol 3 (Aug 2013). In other words, the article could only have been based on Vol 1. The way I see it, Ye Lei was given a pre-release copy of Vol 1, and wrote her article based on it.

2. The article was written on the author's assumption that the novel is predominantly about Xiao Yao and Jing's romance in the turbulent times leading up to the unification of the Great Wilderness, and the bulk of the article was focused on this. There is no mention of Zhuan Xu (Cang Xuan) or Xiang Liu at all. This is pretty ironic considering that if the author has inside knowledge (especially of Vols 2 and 3), they would have known at the very least that according to Tong Hua, Zhuan Xu was the real 1st male lead of the novel.

3. The quote Ye Lei mentioned in the article is on the actual cover of the Vol 1 publication:

生命是一场又一场的相遇和别离，是一次又一次的遗忘和开始。
可总有些事，一旦发生，就留下印迹；
总有个人，一旦来过，就无法忘记。

Life is a series of encounters and partings; it is a series of forgetting and beginnings. 
However, there will always be some things which once happened, would leave behind a trace; 
There will always be someone, whom once encountered, can never be forgotten.

-- Vol 1 front cover

At this point of the novel, there is no indication whether it will have a happy or tragic ending.  As such, Ye Lei's opinion could only have been inferred merely from the events of Vol 1 - which ends with Xiao Yao realising Fangfeng Bei's real identity; preparing to leave for the Central Plains with Zhuan Xu, and Jing promising to meet her once she arrived - all of which are on an upbeat note.

With the assumption that Jing is the male lead, it is understandable why Ye Lei would think that the quote on the book cover referred to him. However, at hindsight, with the quotes on Vols 2 and 3 covers, would that perception have remained the same?

相爱是两个人的天长地久，相思是一个人的地老天荒。
Loving each other is everlasting and unchanging for two people. Yearning is drawn out desolation for one person. 

-- Vol 2 front cover

漫长的光阴里，你不会只走过一个人的生命，也不会只有一个人走过你的生命。缘来时，猝不及防；缘去时，无力阻止。唯一能做的就是，遇见时，紧握手中 珍惜；离别后，深藏心底 铭记。
Across this long stretch in time, you will not cross paths with just one person's life, nor will only one person cross paths with your life. When fate arrives, you are caught off guard; when fate departs, you are powerless to stop it. The only thing one can do is to hold on tightly and cherish it when you encounter it; and bury it deep inside the heart and enshrine it after you are parted. 

-- Vol 3 front cover

4. That being said, Tong Hua was not misquoted about her opinion of LYF's ending.
Soon after the publication of Vol 1 in Mar 2013, a fan on Weibo 爱吃乌冬面的欧尼呀 (Unnie who likes to eat udon) asked her to confirm whether LYF really has a happy ending:

Q：看曾许诺的时候虐的要死，长相思是真的HE吗？桐大你不要让我们痛不欲生了。。。
TH: 真的不算悲剧，不过据说我已经没有信用了，他们说我对悲剧的定义和大家不同。。。
Q: I suffered so much pain reading Once Promised. Is Lost You Forever really a happy ending? Please don't make us overwhelmed with grief anymore...
TH: It really cannot be considered a tragedy. However, it is said that I have no credibility anymore. They say that my definition of a tragedy is different from everyone else's...

-- Weibo, 15 Mar 2013

Also, in the video of 2019 Scholar Speaks interview, she specifically said this:

Q: Why are most of your novels tragic?
TH: Actually that's not true. I'm not saying that I prefer tragic stories. To me, Once Promised is a tragedy, but Lost You Forever is not considered as one. All the characters in Lost You Forever found their proper place in life, so to me, Lost You Forever is not a tragic story.  

Based on a 20 Jul 2019 Sohu article "Tong Hua: Love can make life beautiful, but is not the only thing in life" (which is no longer available) that compiled notes from her interviews, she elaborates what she meant:

MT: After reading the book, many readers said "长相思，摧心肝 Eternal longing, breaks my heart" [a poem by renowned poet of the Tang dynasty Li Bai]. In your opinion, is this work a tragedy at its core?
TH: I don't think that it is a tragedy because everyone obtained what they wished for, and achieved what they wanted most. For example, the male protagonist Cang Xuan hoped to be safe and be able to protect himself and his family, and he did it. Xiang Liu was unfailingly loyal and righteous to the end, and died on the battlefield. Tushan Jing hoped to be with Xiao Yao, while Xiao Yao hoped to have someone accompany her without abandoning her... As for those things that could not be obtained, life has never been perfect, and it is already no easy task to get what one wants most. 

 liddi:

Several noteworthy points:

1. The artlcle was dated 27 Feb 2013. Vol 1 was only published in Mar 2013, followed by Vol 2 (Jul 2013) and Vol 3 (Aug 2013). In other words, the article could only have been based on Vol 1. The way I see it, Ye Lei was given a pre-release copy of Vol 1, and wrote her article based on it.

 liddi:

At this point of the novel, there is no indication whether it will have a happy or tragic ending. As such, Ye Lei's opinion could only have been inferred merely from the events of Vol 1 - which ends with Xiao Yao realising Fangfeng Bei's real identity;

If Volume 1 covers all of this, I don't see how the writer of the article thinks it's a story about YaoJing.... while picking up on the fact that it's about not getting the love in life???

 liddi:

Based on a 20 Jul 2019 Sohu article "Tong Hua: Love can make life beautiful, but is not the only thing in life" (which is no longer available) that compiled notes from her interviews, she elaborates what she meant:

Ah, this may be the missing interview, then?  The one I recalled, seemed to have come out with the revision, which would have been 2019.  But I didn't realize it was a compilation of previous bits and pieces ... which isn't exactly reassuring.

 Kokuto:

Yeah, I really don't see dying horribly on the battlefield, without ever experiencing romantic love to it's fullest (yes, I'm rolling around in the gutter again), as being something anyone wants, much less wants the most.

I agree. Plus, not all tragedies end in death. For example, 'The Grapes of Wrath,' 'East of Eden,' and even 'The Great Gatsby' are all considered tragedies, yet the authors did not set out to write them as such. I still disagree with the idea that death was what XL wanted. It may have been his inevitable truth, but never his desire.

 plor20:

I agree. Plus, not all tragedies end in death. For example, 'The Grapes of Wrath,' 'East of Eden,' and even 'The Great Gatsby' are all considered tragedies, yet the authors did not set out to write them as such. I still disagree with the idea that death was what XL wanted. It may have been his inevitable truth, but never his desire.

I think he was trapped by circumstances and his own nature, it was the best ending that he could chose out his limited options.

It's like me deciding to eat at Arby's, because I'm low on gas, and it's one of three fast food places on the way home, and I've only got ten dollars in my pocket.  That doesn't mean eating at Arby's is what I wanted most -- cause I really wanted to eat at the steak house across town that cost an arm and a leg. ;p

But yes, I wouldn't say CX was exactly happiest with his choice either, and he did live.

 Kokuto:

Ah, this may be the missing interview, then?  The one I recalled, seemed to have come out with the revision, which would have been 2019.  But I didn't realize it was a compilation of previous bits and pieces ... which isn't exactly reassuring.

It's actually not a compilation of previous bits and pieces. From my recollection, the article was written by Tong Hua, in which she compiled the many questions asked by her collaborator Mo Tie as well as her answers with regards to her [then new] 2019 revised edition.

 plor20:

It's a pity the article is now not available. Does China not have a database that archives newspaper and magazine issues? 

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find it. Am truly annoyed with myself that I did not save a copy of the article when I translated it previously. Hopefully it is available somewhere, or someone at least screenshot the original article. 

So it turns out there are introductions circulating around. Exhibit A has a biased towards YaoJing ehike Exhibit b is more neutral.

Exhibit a: Wattpad account LiLithium03
"Life is the encounter and separation, is the starting time and oblivion, but there are always things that once happened, will leave traces, and always have a person, once appeared, will not be forgettable.

The fated meeting at the town of Qing Shui has changed the destiny of everyone, even change the destiny of Da Huang. The desire for a little warmth, a little of company, at some point decided a shattered heart. It is similar to a cup of poisoned wine, when it gets to the throat, it becomes sweet, melting hearts broken bone, and until it reaches the heart and lungs, no medicine can cure. The poison is discovered and it is paralyzing the heart and lungs. Only the smile of one's beloved can eliminate it. If it can't, the only thing left is the engraving of missing. It won't stop even after death.

If everything is destined, when Xiao Yao and Du Shan Jing meet, they are fated to be parted one day, fated they cannot love, and also cannot forget. Although they can't hold on to one another, at least to make themselves be unforgettable, bury everything deeply inside the heart. That gentle imprint will forever be indelible."

this introduction also found here: https://www.shushengbar.net/%E9%95%BF%E7%9B%B8%E6%80%9D-the-sauvignon-blanc-%E6%A1%90%E5%8D%8E/

Exhibit b: https://czbooks.net/n/c02kce/cnj7?chapterNumber=0

生命是一場又一場的相遇和別離，是一次又一次的遺忘和開始，可總有些事，一旦發生，就留下印跡；總有個人，一旦來過，就無法忘記。

這一場清水鎮的相遇改變了所有人的命運，甚至改變了整個大荒的命運。只為貪圖那一點溫暖、一點陪伴，一點不知道什麼時候會消散的死心塌地。相思是一杯有毒的美酒，入喉甘美，銷魂蝕骨，直到入心入肺，便再也無藥可解，毒發時撕心裂肺，只有心上人的笑容可解，陪伴可解，若是不得，便只餘刻骨相思，至死不休。

Chatgpt translation:

Life is a series of encounters and partings, of forgetting and new beginnings; yet certain things, once they happen, leave their mark. And there are certain people, once they've passed through, we cannot forget.

The encounter in Qing Shui Town changed the destinies of everyone, even altering the fate of the entire wasteland. Just for a bit of warmth, a bit of companionship, a bit of unwavering commitment that might disappear at any moment. Lovesickness is a poisoned wine—sweet going down, but intoxicating and corrosive, until it reaches the heart and lungs, incurable. When the poison strikes, it tears at the heart and lungs, only the smile of one's beloved, their companionship, can cure it; if that is unattainable, only unending lovesickness remains, until death.

What makes this an important thing to discuss? Becuase it sets the stage for new readers , especially the Introduction in exhibit a, makes readers think this is a story about YaoJing--which we all know it is not. It creates a initial biased that sometimes get reconfirmed by the ending.

Neither of these introduction/summaries can be found in my copies but they are found everywhere online.