Mao Dun’s Contrast of Rural Decline | Generated by AI
Question: Provide an introduction to 《香市》 by Mao Dun.
Answer:
《香市》 is a famous prose essay (散文) written by the renowned Chinese writer Mao Dun (茅盾, real name Shen Dehong / 沈德鸿) in 1933. It was first published in Shen Bao Monthly (《申报月刊》).
Background
- Setting: The essay is set in Mao Dun’s hometown, Wuzhen (乌镇), Zhejiang Province — a classic Jiangnan (江南) water town.
- Subject: “香市” (Xiang Shi) refers to the traditional local temple fair / incense market held around Qingming (清明) to Guyu (谷雨), a major folk custom in the Hang-Jia-Hu (杭嘉湖) region. Farmers came to burn incense, pray for a good silkworm harvest, and enjoy entertainment — Mao Dun famously called it “the carnival of the Chinese countryside” (中国农村的狂欢节).
Main Content and Structure
The essay uses a clear contrast between past and present:
- In the past (when the countryside was still like a “Peach Blossom Spring” / 桃源): The Xiang Shi was lively, crowded, and joyful — a real festival full of “eating and playing” (吃和玩). It featured temporary tea sheds, acrobatics, circus-like performances (弄缸弄瓮、走绳索、三上吊), tiger shows, puppet shows, operas, peep shows, and more. Young people enjoyed themselves, families gathered, and it served as both religious ritual and recreational escape before the busy silkworm-rearing season.
- In the present (1930s): The once-vibrant fair has become desolate and depressing. Few people attend, stalls are empty or closed, performances are gone, and the atmosphere is lifeless. Even the “main programs” (吃和玩) have almost disappeared.
Theme and Significance
Through this sharp before-after contrast, Mao Dun subtly but powerfully reveals the economic bankruptcy and social decay of rural China in the early 1930s under semi-feudal, semi-colonial conditions. The decline of the Xiang Shi symbolizes the broader collapse of traditional rural life and economy — especially the silk industry and sericulture (蚕桑) that once sustained江南 villages.
Although the essay is short, it is highly artistic:
- Uses precise, vivid, and slightly ironic language
- Employs many quoted phrases for satirical effect (e.g., “得天独厚”, “青出于蓝”)
- Achieves “big theme through small scene” (以小见大) — a classic technique in modern Chinese prose
Literary Value
《香市》 is widely regarded as one of Mao Dun’s representative lyrical essays and a model of “native-soil literature” (乡土文学). It is frequently included in Chinese middle school and university textbooks to illustrate both literary technique and social criticism in the 1930s.
Today, Wuzhen has revived the “香市” as a cultural tourism festival, partly inspired by Mao Dun’s essay, allowing visitors to experience echoes of the scene he described.
References:
- https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%A6%99%E5%B8%82/7382239
- http://www.wuzhen.com.cn/web/folk/details?id=2
- https://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_b461d3810102xoe5.html