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The Sacred Clan
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 22, 2025
Review of The Sacred Clan by Liang Hong
The Sacred Clan is a collection of twelve independent yet inter-connected short stories by Liang Hong. The narratives delve into the lives of residents in Wuzheng (吴镇), a rural community in Henan province, Central China, where the author herself hails from. Like many villages and small towns across China, Wuzheng is grappling with the challenges of modernization. Many young and capable residents have left, leaving behind the elderly, women, and children.
I first encountered Liang Hong through her 2010 nonfiction work, China in Liang Village, which documented the rapid social transformations in her home village. The book won several awards and brought her to prominence in China’s literary scene. I found it to be one of the better nonfiction books from China, offering an incisive look at rural life.
Now, Liang Hong, a professor of literature at Renmin University, has ventured into fiction with this collection. The stories blend detailed realism with elements of the supernatural and magical realism. For example, in the opening story, “A Glowing Cloud Is Floating Across Wuzheng,” a boy named Aqing protests the cutting down of an ancient tree by sitting on its branches. By the story's end, the tree's branches sprout from his body, merging him with the tree itself.
In a YouTube interview, Liang Hong remarked that "the town and its people are so real to her that they become surreal." While this perspective is intriguing, I remain uncertain about the use of magical elements in the stories.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, though with some reservations. Liang Hong’s intimate knowledge of Wuzheng shines through. The characters feel authentic, and certain scenes are vivid and memorable. For instance, in one story, a woman attempting suicide by jumping into a river meets others with the same intent. However, instead of a river, they find themselves in a muddy, slushy area, their despair mingling with a touch of absurdity.
One of the standout stories is Xu Jialiang Builds a House. The titular character, an elderly bachelor labeled a "bare branch," is entitled to benefits as a wubaohuo (a "five-protected individual"). When the Party Secretary denies him this status, Xu travels to Beijing to petition (shangfang). Though he is brought back, the secretary eventually relents, granting him funds to build a house. However, Xu constructs an underground house, complete with a shrine to Chairman Mao. The story brims with dark humor, particularly when Xu invites the Party Secretary to bow before the shrine. The secretary refuses, dismissing it as superstition, to which Xu retorts by pointing out the Mao Mausoleum: “Is that superstition?”
While the collection offers rich humor and fascinating glimpses into rural life, it rarely delves deeply into the inner lives of its characters. It feels as though I’ve toured Wuzheng but remain a stranger to its people. For instance, in Xu’s story, the narrative opens with three people discussing a 12-year-old boy’s adulthood ceremony at a clinic, but these characters never reappear. Perhaps I missed the connection, but this left me feeling somewhat detached.
Collections of interconnected short stories are a well-established subgenre, with notable examples like James Joyce’s Dubliners and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge. Liang Hong’s The Sacred Clan (神圣家族) metaphorically represents the close-knit community of Wuzheng, emphasizing the familial bonds and shared cultural heritage among its residents. However, as the township faces the encroachment of urbanization, these sacred ties are tested, highlighting the tension between tradition and modernity.
Liang Hong’s portrayal of rural China’s transformation is both interesting and original, but it ultimately fails to fully draw me in. While the book offers a nuanced exploration of its themes, it leaves me wanting a deeper emotional connection to its characters and stories.
The Sacred Clan is a collection of twelve independent yet inter-connected short stories by Liang Hong. The narratives delve into the lives of residents in Wuzheng (吴镇), a rural community in Henan province, Central China, where the author herself hails from. Like many villages and small towns across China, Wuzheng is grappling with the challenges of modernization. Many young and capable residents have left, leaving behind the elderly, women, and children.
I first encountered Liang Hong through her 2010 nonfiction work, China in Liang Village, which documented the rapid social transformations in her home village. The book won several awards and brought her to prominence in China’s literary scene. I found it to be one of the better nonfiction books from China, offering an incisive look at rural life.
Now, Liang Hong, a professor of literature at Renmin University, has ventured into fiction with this collection. The stories blend detailed realism with elements of the supernatural and magical realism. For example, in the opening story, “A Glowing Cloud Is Floating Across Wuzheng,” a boy named Aqing protests the cutting down of an ancient tree by sitting on its branches. By the story's end, the tree's branches sprout from his body, merging him with the tree itself.
In a YouTube interview, Liang Hong remarked that "the town and its people are so real to her that they become surreal." While this perspective is intriguing, I remain uncertain about the use of magical elements in the stories.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, though with some reservations. Liang Hong’s intimate knowledge of Wuzheng shines through. The characters feel authentic, and certain scenes are vivid and memorable. For instance, in one story, a woman attempting suicide by jumping into a river meets others with the same intent. However, instead of a river, they find themselves in a muddy, slushy area, their despair mingling with a touch of absurdity.
One of the standout stories is Xu Jialiang Builds a House. The titular character, an elderly bachelor labeled a "bare branch," is entitled to benefits as a wubaohuo (a "five-protected individual"). When the Party Secretary denies him this status, Xu travels to Beijing to petition (shangfang). Though he is brought back, the secretary eventually relents, granting him funds to build a house. However, Xu constructs an underground house, complete with a shrine to Chairman Mao. The story brims with dark humor, particularly when Xu invites the Party Secretary to bow before the shrine. The secretary refuses, dismissing it as superstition, to which Xu retorts by pointing out the Mao Mausoleum: “Is that superstition?”
While the collection offers rich humor and fascinating glimpses into rural life, it rarely delves deeply into the inner lives of its characters. It feels as though I’ve toured Wuzheng but remain a stranger to its people. For instance, in Xu’s story, the narrative opens with three people discussing a 12-year-old boy’s adulthood ceremony at a clinic, but these characters never reappear. Perhaps I missed the connection, but this left me feeling somewhat detached.
Collections of interconnected short stories are a well-established subgenre, with notable examples like James Joyce’s Dubliners and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge. Liang Hong’s The Sacred Clan (神圣家族) metaphorically represents the close-knit community of Wuzheng, emphasizing the familial bonds and shared cultural heritage among its residents. However, as the township faces the encroachment of urbanization, these sacred ties are tested, highlighting the tension between tradition and modernity.
Liang Hong’s portrayal of rural China’s transformation is both interesting and original, but it ultimately fails to fully draw me in. While the book offers a nuanced exploration of its themes, it leaves me wanting a deeper emotional connection to its characters and stories.
August 30, 2023
Stories a bit uneven but really liked the ones I liked - including the first, Xu Jialing builds a house, swimming in second river, and the final one. Enjoyed the magical realism elements, and the plain storytelling style
March 13, 2024
Really gives the feeling of going into a town/community and seeing/knowing the lives of the people. By the end I felt like I had walked through the town as a spectator. The characters are extravagent and larger than life in certain ways, but still feel real and familiar. Favourite was definitely swimming in second river.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews