Appreciation of Chen Fuqiang's Prose Lao She in Jinan

In my inherent impression, the north is short of water. But also in Jinan in the north, there are people with "seventy-two springs". A city has the reputation of "lotus flowers on four sides and willow on three sides, a city with mountains and a half city with lakes", which shows that the reputation of spring city is by no means empty. As Liu E described in Travel Notes of Lao Can: "When you arrive in Jinan and enter the city, every family looks down from the tree every spring, which is more interesting than the scenery in the south of the Yangtze River."

In this way, not far from Baotu Spring, the crown of the seventy-two springs, a well was dug in the yard with the house number No.58 Nanxin Street, which is naturally a spring water.

When Ji Shu was 85 years old, she returned to this small yard in Jinan. When she entered the yard, the first thing she saw was the old well in the yard. Seeing that the well water in the old well is still clear, Ji Shu excitedly asked the staff to draw some to share with you and told them: "I had this well when I was born, and we drink the water from this well every day."

Ji Shu was the first child of Lao She and his wife Hu Jieqing when she was teaching in cheeloo university. Lao She named her daughter Ji, which shows that Mr. Ji's feelings for Jinan are extraordinary.

Nanxin Street is a narrow alley, about the width of which a car can just pass. If two cars need to meet in both directions, it will be very difficult. One car must wait in a wider place. The bus that took me to Jinan Laoshe Memorial Hall stopped in front of No.58 courtyard. I looked back and forth and told the driver that it was difficult to park here. The driver said, take your time, don't worry, I'll find a place to park and wait for you.

Courtyard is a common courtyard in the north. No, it's a bungalow. The area of each room is less than ten square meters. But the yard is clean. A pomegranate tree, a well and a water tank are all old things, only the bust of Lao She is new. Lotus is raised in this water tank. Half a can of water reveals a lotus leaf stalk. Lotus is the most conspicuous flower in Daming Lake. At that time, the lotus flowers raised by Lao She in this jar must also be the seeds of Daming Lake. This well still spews out springs from all over Jinan. Moreover, this pomegranate is in the flowering period, and its branches are full of red flowers, which is particularly dazzling in the sun. In the season of bearing fruit, it is pomegranate covered with branches.

Lao She lived in Jinan for four years, three of which were spent at No.58 Nanxin Street. The four years of working and living in Jinan can be seen from the historical materials displayed in the memorial hall, which is the peak of Lao She's creation. Lao She Memorial Hall has three exhibition halls. The first exhibition hall is the main exhibition hall. As soon as I entered the room, it was the living room of Lao She's former residence, which was also very narrow. There is a square table against the wall in the middle and a plush chair on the left and right. Lao She entertains friends and relatives here. Westinghouse is the study room, under the south window is the desk, with desk lamps, brushes, fans, glasses and other items, while Lao She's landscape paintings and photos are hung on the wall. On the north side of Westinghouse is a bookcase with books such as Faust, Divine Comedy and Hamlet. The East Room is the bedroom, with a bed on the north side, covered with a blue quilt, and a wedding photo of Lao She and his wife Hu Jieqing hanging on the bedside.

The west wing is the second exhibition hall, which is mainly divided into "People's Artists" and "Lao She's Footprints in Jinan". The "People's Artists" unit mainly shows Lao She's growth and teaching experience, including photos of her studying in Beijing Normal School and precious photos of her teaching in Oriental College of London University. In the "Lao She's Footprint in Jinan" unit, it is divided into three sections: "Qi Da Began to Talk about New Literature", "Happy Life among Lakes and Mountains" and "Prosperous Literature by Baotu Spring", which respectively introduce Lao She's work, life and literary creation in Jinan. Among them, Lao She's marriage certificate and engagement gifts from friends are really rare today. The third exhibition room is located in the east wing, with the theme of "Jinan in Lao She's works", which is divided into three parts: "Impression of Ancient City", "Kindness Teasing" and "Love in Spring City". In Impression of Ancient City, articles such as Appreciation of Baotu Spring, Winter in Jinan and Autumn in Jinan bear Lao She's impression of Jinan, while in Good Temper, Lao She describes the folk customs of Jinan with humorous words, showing his love for the city. In Love in Spring City, Lao She's reluctance and nostalgia for Jinan is revealed without stint.

Whether it is a study or a bedroom, the area is very cramped. There is a desk in front of the south window of the study, and there is almost no extra space around the study. But in this small study, Lao She created novels such as Cat City, Divorce and Biography of Niu Tianci, as well as excellent short stories such as Crescent Moon, Black and White Plum and Broken Soul Gun. At the same time, he also wrote a number of excellent essays praising the customs of Jinan, such as Autumn in Jinan, Winter in Jinan, Informal Park, Appreciation of Baotu Spring and Ji 'nan Medicine Collection. These masterpieces have been integrated into Jinan and become a unique cultural landscape. Lao She once wrote the novel Daming Lake with the May 3rd tragedy in Jinan as the background. Unfortunately, after the manuscript was sent to Shanghai, it was destroyed by the soldiers of the two wars in Shanghai.

Going to Jinan in early summer, the lotus in Daming Lake has just pulled out new leaves. Lao She, on the other hand, seems to have a special preference for autumn and winter in Jinan. Lao She wrote in Autumn in Jinan: "God gave the art of summer to Switzerland, the West Lake in spring and Jinan in autumn and winter." He also wrote Winter in Jinan: "Please close your eyes and think about it: an ancient city with mountains and water is basking in the sun, sleeping warmly and comfortably, just waiting for the spring breeze to wake them up. Is this an ideal realm?"

Lao She loves Daming Lake. Who has lived in Jinan does not love Daming Lake? Only in the article "Spring in Daming Lake", Mr. Lao She is obsessed with autumn in Daming Lake: of the four seasons in Jinan, only autumn is the best, sunny, warm as spring, and clear everywhere. In this essay, Lao She clearly wrote his novel Daming Lake: I wrote a novel-Daming Lake-1burned with the Commercial Press on February 28th. I remember describing a section of autumn scenery in Daming Lake, but I can't remember it all, only what autumn it was.

Then, autumn in Jinan is always beautiful. I am enjoying the new lotus flowers in Daming Lake. Another season will be autumn. At that time, the lotus leaf on the lake should also wither slowly. The pomegranate in the yard of No.58 Nanxin Street should be ripe, cracked and pink, waiting for someone to pick it. Now, I can only feel the autumn in Jinan through an oil painting presented by my friend Sang Zi. In Lao She's words, there are only a few autumn willows by the lake, and there is only a yacht in the lake. The water is gray-blue and Liu Yeer is semi-yellow. Outside the lake, he painted a thousand Buddha mountains; Lakes and mountains constitute an autumn picture, clear and plain, and there seems to be a breeze blowing on the willow tips.

When I came out of the memorial hall to call the driver, I suddenly found that the driver had parked his car in a corner outside the museum. The space in that corner is neither too big nor too small, just enough for a car. I went out from this narrow alley called Nanxin Street and met many pupils. I thought there was a primary school here. It's school time now, and the students take time to play in the street on their way home. I guess there were some children passing by after school outside Mr. Lao She's residence. And this small courtyard is just enough for Mr. Lao She and his family to spend three spring and autumn periods here quietly.

The car is driving very slowly on Nanxin Street. The houses on both sides of the street have been slowly retreating for some years, as if going back in time. When I remembered getting off the bus, the driver said to me, take your time and don't worry. When I read it slowly, it was all the time Lao She spent in Jinan.