Zeng Pu (; 1872-1935

Idema Advanced Format (AF) is any disk sector format used to store data on magnetic disks in hard disk drives (HDDs) that exceeds 512, 520, or 528 bytes per sector, such as the 4096, 4112, 4160, and 4224-byte (4 KB) sectors of an Advanced Format ...

, p
387
) was a Chinese novelist. Zeng Pu published a scholarly work on the later

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

in 1895. He later enrolled in the

College of Foreign Languages VNU University of Languages and International Studies in Hanoi, Vietnam, (formerly College of Foreign Languages) (Vietnamese: ''Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội'') is one of the six colleges that comprise Vi ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

to learn the French language. Zeng Pu returned to

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

in 1898 and built a school. In 1903 he began a business in Shanghai, which failed. He returned to his focus in literature.McDougall and Louie, p
90
"This was also the year when China was defeated in the War against Japan, an event which had a tremendous effect on Zeng Pu. Moving away from classical learning, he enrolled in the College of Foreign Languages in Beijing to learn French" Zeng Pu was a

Francophile A Francophile, also known as Gallophile, is a person who has a strong affinity towards any or all of the French language, French history, French culture and/or French people. That affinity may include France itself or its history, language, cuisin ...

Writing style

The language in Zeng Pu's novels borrowed allusions and images from classical Chinese literature and Zeng Pu used symbolism in his novels. Therefore, his works appealed to readers who had a classical education and were considered sophisticated in their society.Doleželová-Velingerová, p
724
Zeng Pu knew the French language.

David Der-wei Wang David Der-wei Wang (; born November 6, 1954) is a literary historian, critic, and the Edward C. Henderson Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard University. He has written extensively on post-late Qing Chinese fiction, comparative literary the ...

, author of '' Fin-de-siècle Splendor: Repressed Modernities of Late Qing Fiction, 1849-1911'', wrote that Zeng Pu was "probably" the sole late Qing novelist who knew a foreign language.Wang, Dewei, p
103
David Wang explained that since Zeng Pu knew French he had "direct access to European literature without the mediation of distorted translations." The

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the ...

had a large effect on Zeng Pu.

Works

Jin Tianhe Jin Tianhe (Chinese: 金天翮; 18731947) was a scholar, poet, politician, and writer from the Anhui Province. Jin Tianhe is most well-known for publishing the first Chinese feminist manifesto, ''The Women's Bell''. Other popular works include ''Ji ...

(Jin Songcen) started ''

A Flower in a Sinful Sea ''A Flower in a Sinful Sea'' (Chinese: 孽海花, Hanyu Pinyin: ''Nièhǎihuā'', Wade-Giles:, ''Nieh-hai hua'') is a novel by Jin Tianhe (also known as Jin Songcen) and Zeng Pu (also written as Tseng P'u). First published in serial installm ...

'' as a

political novel Political fiction employs narrative to comment on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction, such as political novels, often "directly criticize an existing society or present an alternative, even fantast ...

criticizing Russian advances into China.Zeng Pu's "Niehai Hua" as a political novel--a world genre in a Chinese form
(database listing with abstract)
Archive
The University of Hong Kong Libraries. Retrieved on October 26, 2013. Zeng Pu, writing under the pseudonym "

Sick man of Asia The phrase "Sick man of Asia" (), or "Sick man of East Asia" () when referring specifically to China, is a term denoting a country in Asia undergoing economic or political strife. It originally referred to Qing China in the late 19th and early 20 ...

", took control of the novel in 1904. He completed it as a historical novel.

References

* Doleželová-Velingerová, Milena. "Chapter 38: Fiction from the End of the Empire to the Beginning of the Republic (1897-1916)" in: Mair, Victor H. (editor). ''

The Columbia History of Chinese Literature ''The Columbia History of Chinese Literature'' is a reference book edited by Victor H. Mair and published by the Columbia University Press in 2002. The topics include all genres and periods of poetry, prose, fiction, and drama but also areas not t ...

''.

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

, August 13, 2013. p. 697-731. , 9780231528511. * Idema, Wilt L. "Prosimetric and verse narrative." p. 343-214. In:

Kang-i Sun Chang Kang-i Sun Chang (born Sun K'ang-i, ; 21 February 1944), is a Chinese-born American sinologist. She is a scholar of classical Chinese literature. She is the inaugural Malcolm G. Chace Professor, and former chair of the Department of East Asian L ...

and Stephen Owen (editors). ''The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature: From 1375''.

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

, 2010. , 9780521855594. * McDougall, Bonnie S. and Kam Louie. ''The Literature of China in the Twentieth Century''.

, 1997. , 9780231110853. * Wang, David Der-wei. '' Fin-de-siècle Splendor: Repressed Modernities of Late Qing Fiction, 1849-1911''. Stanford University Press, 1997. , 9780804728454.

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeng, Pu Qing dynasty novelists 1872 births 1935 deaths Writers from Suzhou Republic of China novelists Chinese male novelists

Writing style

Works

References

Notes

Further reading

External links