''Sinking'' () is a

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

written by Yu Dafu. The story was completed in Tokyo in 1921 and later published in a collection named ''Sinking in Shanghai'' the same year. It is among the first generation of modern Chinese fictions telling psychological stories. The frank expression of

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

and innovative emphasis on subjectivity of the protagonist is one of the reasons for Sinking’s status as romantic, representative of May Fourth literature. According to Janet Ng, "Sinking" focuses on the sexual anguish of a Chinese student in Japan and his grief over the country's weakness. Due to several overlapping experiences of the author and the protagonist in Japan, it can be reasonably inferred that Yu Dafu’s personal experiences provide materials for the autobiographical story.

Plot Summary

The

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

is a melancholic Chinese male student who is in

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

in Japan. The hypocrisy and sensitivity in his personality led to his gradual isolation from both the Japanese students and Chinese fellows. Despite his constant longing for interpersonal connection, he decides to live a solitary life in the company of nature to read literature. Chasing a solitary life, he moves to N. City and finds a more remote cottage to settle in. The protagonist’s sexual desire is related to the national shame of Chinese students coming from a backward and weak country. On one hand, he looks forward to taking revenge on the Japanese and holds

nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...

for his homeland. On the other hand, he feels ashamed and uncomfortable when facing Japanese women, such as the two Japanese students, the hotel owner’s daughter, and the Japanese prostitute in the brothel by the sea. His sexual desire and inner conflict between individualism and collectivism lead to his demise. Eventually, driven by sexual impulse and expectation to return to the collective, he visits a

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

and ultimately sinks himself in the sea.

Writing Background

Historical background

The novella was first published in 1921, when Chinese history was still semi-

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

and semi-

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

. Japan’s national modernization formed a contrast with Chinese’s national shame of being invaded. At that time, China was a country that had been invaded by foreign powers. In the eyes of The Japanese, the Status of the Chinese was naturally low. During this chaotic period, Chinese intellectuals felt that the Western model of modernization and ethnic unity of Chinese people were in conflict. In other words, the ideas of iconoclasm and nationalism are irreconcilable. On the other hand, the 1920s Chinese literature also received the legacy of Japanese naturalism. The 1920s Chinese literary works were characterized by a similar concurrence between the writer or protagonist’s individual struggles, and the nation’s dilemma. Chinese intellectuals further transformed the self-revelation function of Japanese naturalism into a national awakening one. In the context of this era, the relationship between

and nationalism depicted by Yu Dafu is rather paradoxical. Therefore, throughout the article, the author expects China to become "rich and strong".

Linguistic background

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, unifying language used to be an important project in order to construct China’s nationhood. Right before the publication of "Sinking," due to various

Chinese dialects Chinese language, Chinese, also known as Sinitic languages, Sinitic, is a branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language family consisting of hundreds of local variety (linguistics), varieties, many of which are not mutual intelli ...

that hindered the communication of Chinese writers with their audience and traditional Chinese that was unable to meet the requirement of modernization, Chinese intellectuals were urged to find a “modern medium of communication” to end this linguistic instability in China. From 1920 onwards, individual creation and expression gradually took interpersonal communication’s place as the concern of language reform. The object of reform also changed into grammar and European sentence structure. However, the purpose of the unification of people remained unchanged. Western literature became a new source of “elements common to human condition” for Chinese intellectuals. Therefore, "Sinking" is considered to carry “a social, historical and cultural intention” of the author.

Notable quotes

* “This, then, is your refuge. When all the philistines envy you, sneer at you, and treat you like a fool, only Nature, only this eternally bright sun and azure sky, this late summer breeze, this early autumn air still remains your friend, still remains your mother and your beloved. With this, you have no further need to join the world of the shallow and flippant. You might as well spend the rest of your life in this simple countryside, in the bosom of Nature.” * “

English poetry This article focuses on poetry from the United Kingdom written in the English language. The article does not cover poetry from other countries where the English language is spoken, including Republican Ireland after December 1922. The earliest ...

is English poetry and

Chinese poetry Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language. While this last term comprises Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Yue Chinese, and other historical and vernacular forms of the language, its poetry ...

is Chinese poetry; why bother to translate?” * “I want neither knowledge nor fame. All I want is a ‘heart’ that can understand and comfort me, a warm and passionate heart and the sympathy that it generates and the love born of that sympathy!” * “Stamping his feet lightly, he advanced, gnashing his teeth and clenching his fists, as if preparing to declare war on these young waitresses.” * “He took a walk by the seashore. From afar the lights on the fishermen’s boats seemed to be beckoning him, like the will-o’-the-wisp, and the waves under the silvery moonlight seemed to be winking at him like the eyes of mountain spirits. Suddenly he had an inexplicable urge to drown himself in the sea.” * “O China, my China, you are the cause of my death!... I wish you could become rich and strong soon!... Many, many of your children are still suffering.”

In English Translation

* Yu, Dafu. ''Sinking''. Trans. Joseph S.M. Lau and C.T. Hsia. 1995. Print. * Yu, Dafu. ''Drowning'' (aka ''Sinking''). Trans. Richard Robinson, Sunny Lou Publishing, 2021.

References

Citations {{Reflist Bibliography * Denton, Kirk A. “The Distant Shore: Nationalism in Yu Dafu’s “Sinking””. ''Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews'', 1992. * Hill, Christopher L. “The Travels of Naturalism and the Challenges of a World Literary History”. ''Literature Compass'', 2009. * Hodges, Eric. “Allegory, the Nation, and the March of Time: An Essay on Modern Chinese Literature in Honor of Fredric Jameson”. ''Frontiers of Literary Studies in China'', 2013. * Lan, Feng. “From the De0Based Literati to the Debased Intellectuals: A Chinese Hypochondriac in Japan”. ''Modern Chinese Literature and Culture'', 2011. * Lee, Leo Ou-fan. ''The Romantic Generation of Modern Chinese Writers''. Harvard University Press, 1973. * Levan, Valerie. “The Meaning of Foreign Text in Yu Dafu’s “Sinking” Collection”. ''Modern Chinese Literature and Culture'', 2012. * Ng, Janet. ''Autobiography in Modern Chinese Literature (1911-1950): Forms of Literary Expression of the Self in Society. 1993.'' * Yu, Dafu. ''Sinking''. Trans. Joseph S.M. Lau and C.T. Hsia. 1995. Print. Chinese short stories Chinese literature Literature about interpersonal relationships