Title: 玫瑰壩 Mei gui ba
First published: 2006
Description: 中國西南的崇山峻嶺中散佈著很多大大小小的山谷，當地人把它們稱為“壩子”，玫瑰壩便是其中之一。這裏的交通不便。壩子裏的人很少走出去，壩子外的人很少走進來。山民們孤陋寡聞。除了土匪和貪官污吏偶爾騷擾，他們的生活單調平靜。然而，一九五零年，革命的大潮涌進了這個偏遠的角落，使這裏發生了翻天覆地的變化，在很短的時間內就徹底地摧毀了延續了千百年的舊的生活方式和風俗習慣。

In the magnificent mountains in the southwest of China, there are many valleys of various sizes. The Rose Valley is one of them. As it was difficult to travel on the rugged mountain paths, the folks inside the valley seldom went out, and the folks outside the valley hardly ever came in. Isolated and ignorant, the villagers lived a monotonous life, except for a few harassments from bandits and corrupted government officers. However, in 1950, the revolutionary tsunami hit the remote area, and drastically transformed it. In a very short period of time, the old ways of life, and the traditions, which had lasted for hundreds years, were completely destroyed.

《玫瑰壩》的主要線索是一個愛情故事，其中的男主人公是一個鄉社干部，女主人公卻是一個地主分子。他們相戀的背景則是一系列重大的歷史事件：土改，鎮反，三反五反，合作化，反右，大躍進，大飢荒，社教，文化大革命。此外，他們一個是革命者，一個是革命的對象。一個是理想主義者，想要建造一個人間的天堂；一個是現實主義者，只祈求平平安安地過日子。一個信仰西方傳來的革命理論，一個恪守中國固有的古老傳統。一個迷信理念和邏輯，行動狂熱；一個依賴直覺和常識，辦事冷靜。於是，他們的愛就變得非常複雜，非常曲折，非常困難。當政治運動到來的時候，他們又身不由己地被卷入狂濤，成為其中的“運動員”。此時，他們渺小無力，既不能掌握自己的命運，也無法幫助對方度過難關。他們像兩條破舊的小舟，在階級鬥爭的狂風暴雨和驚濤駭浪中掙扎漂流，時聚時散，隨時都可能傾覆沉沒，葬身水底。

The major narrative thread of The Rose Valley is a love story, in which the male protagonist was a cadre of the township and the female protagonist was a landlady (Wife or widow of a landlord - owner of a piece of farmland equal to or larger than 2 hectares or 4.94 acres. Based on the revolutionary theory, a landlord or landlady was classified as an enemy of the People). The backgrounds of their love were a series of important historical events: the Land Reform, the Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries, the Campaigns against the Three Evils and Five Evils, the Collectivization, the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the Great Leap Forward, the Great Famine, the Socialist Education Campaign, and the Cultural Revolution. Moreover, of them, one was a revolutionary; the other was the target of the revolution. One was an idealist, wishing to build a paradise on the earth; the other was a realist, praying only for a peaceful life. One believed in the revolutionary theory introduced from the West; the other held the long-standing tradition originated in China. One made a fetish of concepts and logic, and acted zealously; the other relied on intuition and common sense, and behaved quietly. Consequently, their love became very complicated, very tricky, and very difficult. When a politically campaign was launched, they would also be swept into the torrent, and became "campaignees". At such time, both of them were powerless and helpless, unable to control their own destiny, and incapable to help the other person to tide over the crisis. Like two shabby and aged canoes, they drifted and endeavoured in a treacherous and stormy ocean of class struggle, sometimes side by side, sometimes separated. It seemed that they might turn over, and sink down to the bottom of the water at any moment.

除了這條愛情主線之外，《玫瑰壩》還有幾條次要的線索。這些長長短短的線索交織在一起，全景式地描繪了玫瑰壩這麼一個很小的山鄉，并折射出了那個年代裏的整個中國。

In addition to the love story, there are also several minor threads in the novel. The threads are interwoven with one another, and panoramically depict the tiny valley. As a result, China as a whole at that time can be viewed in the reflection.

《玫瑰壩》共六十一萬多字。如果你的年齡較大，又在中國大陸生活過，你對這本書中出現的政治詞彙﹑朮語﹑和表達法一定會非常熟悉，你一定經歷過書中所描寫的很多場面。你一定會回憶起過去的那個年代，從而更加珍視你現在的平靜的生活。如果你的年齡稍小，你一定會非常驚訝那個年代和現在竟然會如此不同。你可以從這本書中學到一些歷史知識，了解父母輩過去的生活。也許你來自大陸以外，但是對那個年代的大陸有些好奇，這本書一定會讓你大開眼界。也許你正在研究中國的現代史，你會發現這本書中有丰富的材料，有拾遺補闕的作用，還可以印證你所蒐集到的其它史料。

There are more than six hundred thousands Chinese characters in The Rose Valley. If you are somewhat in advance in your age, you must be very familiar with the political terms, jargons, and expressions. You must have experienced many events described in the book. You will definitely remember the past years, and will value more of the peaceful life you are now living. If you are a little younger, you would certainly be shocked to discover that those days were so different from today. You can learn certain historical knowledge from the book, and find out how the generation of your parents lived. You might be from the outside of the mainland China, but might be curious of the land at that time. Then, the book will serve as a great eye opener for you. You are probably studying the recent history of China. Then, you will find abundant specifics in the book, which might have been ignored or neglected previously. They can also be used to verify the details you have already collected.
Subjects: Chinese fiction, Roman chinois