For quite a number of people who like writing, the reason they write is just because they have a desire to express themselves. With this desire, words will form in their mind, and then they sit in front of the computer and type with muttering. When we immerse ourselves in our own words, it's not difficult to find that through these words, we regain our true self. Sometimes, other people's stories are also our own stories, equally beautiful, equally romantic, and equally full of anticipation.
Yanzhi Cao's "Xizhou Qu" is a pure love story that transcends time and space. Carefully savoring every chapter and every line of text, a beautiful picture will be left in your mind, very fresh and natural. It makes you feel a sense of pure romance and pure emotion.
Hexi, a melancholy and bewildered girl, came to Tibet alone to escape emotional entanglements, to relieve the pressure of reality, and to drive away inner distress. Her upright character made her endure the discomfort caused by altitude sickness and the mental trauma brought by emotional entanglement while still caring about Tibet's future environment. Her kind nature also made her disregard her own comfort and rescue a boy being chased and beaten. To repay her kindness, the boy gave her a string of prayer beads, thus triggering a love story that transcends time and space.
Hexi was sent back to the 35th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign. On an endless grassland, she met a man named Gesang, who would make her worry for life and never forget. Gesang took her back home. Thus, there was a girl who could speak Chinese on the grassland. The kindness and tolerance of Gesang's family made her feel the warmth of family and kinship. She almost integrated into this world of reincarnation, into the vast grassland where people raise horses and hunt. However, she ultimately couldn't forget the past, the longing for another world, and the love without a future with Gesang, which made her feel painful and lost. To avoid causing more harm, for Gesang to truly gain happiness, she chose to leave. On the way to Lhasa, fate arranged for Hexi to meet another crucial man in her journey through time, Jimo.
As early as at the sheep-catching competition, Jimo had already been deeply attracted by her extraordinary appearance and calm demeanor. Along the way, Jimo treated her with meticulous care and consideration. Meanwhile, Gesang, who deeply loved Hexi, never gave up searching for her.
"There's a feeling that the train will never stop, it will keep going forever. It will carry me to the end of the sky, never to return. Thinking of this, I feel a bitter taste in my heart. Even if so, according to my wish, at the end of the sky, at the other end of the road, whose figure will be waiting for me?"
The author begins with a graceful and sorrowful writing style, with language that is fresh, gentle, and elegant, carrying a faint sadness and slight melancholy. It's like tasting a cup of coffee, bitter yet sweet, sweet yet fragrant, leaving a lasting aftertaste. This fits perfectly with the melancholic, indifferent, helpless, and bewildered mindset of the character Hexi. Beautiful language and a sorrowful writing style are one of the highlights of this novel. From this, it can be seen that the author has a very solid command of language.
The plot of the work is simple, with the entire novel developing along a single main thread.
I feel that after the story unfolds, the scenario appears somewhat thin. The author hasn't successfully expressed the intended artistic conception.
"I suddenly realized that Sang, whom I face every day, is no longer a child but a man who can attract young girls. For a moment, I was captivated, and when I realized my thoughts, I felt embarrassed by them. No matter what, Sang is just a child to me. I waved off the ridiculous thoughts in my head."
This is Hexi's psychological description the day before she left Gesang. In the text, it gives the impression that Hexi developed a vague affection for Gesang. Their love was still in its infancy and hadn't reached the point of being unforgettable. The author's depiction of the emotions between Hexi and Gesang during their time together seems insufficient. The design of their interaction scenarios also lacks depth and flavor, making it hard to feel the excitement of this process. Although the author eventually gave us an ending where they fall in love, it feels forced, as if it's a result imposed by the author rather than something readers naturally derive from the book.
Tragic beauty is one of the reasons why love is touching, and the ideas, feelings reflected in the work, as well as a healthy and uplifting view of love, are also important elements that make love stories vivid and moving. From this work, I have felt the power and greatness of love.
When Gesang mistakenly thought that Hexi was trapped in a bandit den, he fearlessly pursued the bandits. What is love? Love is irrational self-behavior, a kind of self-sacrifice.
When Hexi learned that Gesang was in danger, she didn't hesitate to sacrifice her own happiness to save her lover. "Crush my bones to ashes, scatter them across the ends of the earth and sea, and may one particle of dust remain intertwined with him." Such persistent and tragic love, desolate and despairing, makes it hard to breathe. The power of love is undoubtedly strong; compared to it, all things in heaven and earth pale in comparison.
When Jimo saw his beloved woman in pain and despair, he decisively put aside his dignity as a man and sought help from the powerful, becoming a victim of the struggle for imperial power, all for the sake of achieving the happiness of the woman he loved. Love is noble; it requires generosity and often involves giving everything without expecting anything in return.
In the portrayal of the three main characters in the text, I feel that the depiction of Losang is not detailed enough, making it hard to feel his charm.
Compared to Gesang, the author's portrayal of Jimo is successful. Starting from some small details, through Jimo's meticulous care and attention to Hexi in daily life, and through psychological descriptions such as Jimo's first heartbeat, their first embrace, and his firm determination to part, the author presents us with the image of a man who doesn't say "love" but whose every glance and every turn conveys deep affection, fully expressing Jimo's maturity, steadiness, magnanimity, and selflessness.
Hexi, the rich coal boss of Fuyuan, first deceiving others' affections and then their wealth, is a beautifully fragile woman who makes one's heart ache, precious and painful. Every turn of hers is elegant, every glance meaningful. A woman of quality who does not bow to the powerful, bravely pursuing what she wants and sticking to her love. Undoubtedly, the author's portrayal of this character is rich, three-dimensional, fleshed out, and soul-touching.
This article is written in the first person from Hexi's perspective. The author appears to cover too many aspects in the writing. There are many plots that "I" cannot see and psychological explorations of others that "I" cannot reach. There are also several chapters written in the first person from Gesang's perspective, giving a rather chaotic feeling. I suggest the author remove some unnecessary details in the text.
"Through countless cycles of reincarnation, only one is specifically for finding you," nowadays novels with time-travel themes are everywhere, and it's not easy to write them well. Facing such a familiar theme, how should the author position themselves to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, to make the novel unique and charming, giving it a vibrant life and infinite potential? Perhaps this is a question that every author who likes to write time-travel novels needs to seriously consider. I believe that after revisions, this novel will become a good work with soulful charm.
"Xizhou Qu" / Yanzhi Cao
"Crush my bones to ashes, scatter them across the ends of the earth and sea, and may one particle of dust remain intertwined with him."
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