Cei trei regi

by Ah Cheng, 阿城, Florentina Vişan (trad.)

Când nuvelele care alcătuiesc volumul Cei trei regi – Regele Șahului, Regele Copacilor și Regele Copiilor – au apărut separat în China, la mijlocul anilor 1980, o adevărată „febră A Cheng“ s-a răspândit printre cititori; nici un alt autor nu îndrăznise să scrie despre Revoluția Culturală la modul ironic, voit naiv, ocolind discursul oficial și îmbinând elemente tradiționale și daoist-confucianiste pentru a reliefa nu greutățile și mizeria acelor ani, ci importanța principiilor morale.

Adevărate parabole, Regele Șahului, Regele Copacilor și Regele Copiilor au în centrul lor personaje care, în situații dramatice, se ridică deasupra realului cu o forța ce vine dintr-o filozofie aparte a vieții. Numit în derâdere Nebunul ori Patima Șahului, Wang Yisheng este obligat să muncească într-o echipă de producție, dar în minte joacă magistrale partide de șah cu adversari redutabili; fost soldat în Războiul din Coreea, Xiao Geda protejează copacii seculari fără să se lase impresionat de zelul tinerilor intelectuali care vor să construiască o Chină nouă, ascultând de o voce interioară mai puternică decât frica; trimis după șapte ani de munci grele într-o școală fără cărți, un profesor întâlnește un elev dornic să petreacă 500 de zile copiind singurul dicționar existent. În cele trei nuvele, omul hotărăște cursul destinului său spiritual, iar natura sa bună îl salvează și îl face să se opună distrugerii șI alienării.

Genres: China, Fiction, Short Stories, Chinese Literature, Literature, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Ah Cheng, born in Beijing in 1949, is the pen name of Zhong Acheng (simplified Chinese: 钟阿城; traditional Chinese: 鍾阿城; pinyin: Zhōng Āchéng). An accomplished fiction writer, painter, and screenwriter (for internationally renowned Taiwanese director, Hou Xiaoxian), Ah Cheng spent the Cultural Revolution years in a small village in Inner Mongolia where he painted the sheep and grasslands, and on a State Farm bordering Yunnan province and Laos. During the 1980s he came to prominence as a member of the “primitive” or “seeking roots” literary movement. He has lived in several countries including the US, often not writing for long periods and working various jobs such as fixing bicycles and house painting. In 1992 he received the Italian Nonino International Prize for his literary achievements, which includes a travel journal, Venetian Diary. He lives in the outskirts of Beijing.

Reviews

[Mary Phung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprised of three fantastic novellas set during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the book follows the narrator, an educated youth sent to work in remote rural areas. I admit that, for reasons unknown to me, I’m especially fond of novels about educated youths, such as Wolf Totem, The Dictionary of Maqiao, and Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.

My heart ached the entire time I read the first novella, “The King of Trees.” I understand that the deforestation in the story symbolises the Cultural Revolution’s ideal of “destroying the old to build the new.” Still, it’s agonising to read about trees being cut down — perhaps the aftereffect of reading The Overstory.

“The King of Chess” is a story about how humans need more than just food and shelter. The hunger for spiritual nourishment can be just as strong, even when people are barely surviving.

My favourite of the three, “King of the Children,” is both funny and heartbreaking. I would love to watch the film adaptation directed by Chen Kaige.

[Vladys Kovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read The King of Trees. Will now look for the other two novellas.
The King of Trees is an excellent novella about disrupting of human connection with nature, which inevitably leads to death. The events are set during the time of Cultural revolution in China. The absurdity of events and actions magnifies the effect of the story on the reader.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

伤痕文学 refresh ❤️ really lovely & creative & magical while still honest

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Only he whose soul is in turmoil, forced to live in an epoch where war, violence and ideological tyranny threaten the life of every individual, and the most precious substance in that life, the freedom of the soul, can know how much courage, sincerity and resolve are required to remain faithful to his inner self in these times of the herd’s rampancy. “- Zweig ( from his biography on Montaigne)

The protagonist (Wang Yisheng )of Ah Cheng’s debut novella, The King of Chess, has in his possession the courage, sincerity and resolve Zweig talks about in his biography of Montaigne, even though Wang is probably unaware of that himself.
I can also see him as someone whom Zhuangzi would look at with a big approving smile.
I LOVE this character, as well as Ah-Cheng’s novella.
And to anyone who is interested in Chinese literature, please do not miss out on The King of Chess ( it has been translated).

A brief summary of the plot ( warning for mild spoilers) :
The story of The King of Chess takes place at the height of The Cultural Revolution, when the “educated urban youths”( 知青）are sent to remote villages, where the living condition is horrible and food meagre.
Both the narrator and Wang are among those youngsters, and they soon form a close bond.
Ah Cheng might have left traces himself in narrator, as the narrator is well-acquainted with world literature and talks about Balzac’s works. Balzac is one of the authors Ah Cheng loves and read as a teenager before he himself was sent to work in the villages as an educated urban youth.
Very different from the narrator is Wang, the protagonist, who has both a huge passion and talent for chess as well as a very worldly obsession for food, who knows next to nothing about literature. He also comes across as very naive when it comes to interpersonal relationships, and possesses an almost childlike innocence. Wang is also somewhat well-known for his chess skills in school.
Wang pesters the narrator for a chess game on the train, while not exactly interested in Chess, the narrator does take a liking to Wang.
Wang and the narrator are assigned to two different locations that are quite far from each other, yet, Wang, in search of a worthy rival in chess, goes to visit the narrator and befriends the other youngsters in the village.
After witnessing how great Wang’s talent is in chess, all the youngsters encourage Wang to partake a local chess tournament.
However, because Wang has missed too much work by wandering around seeking people to play chess with, he is not allowed to take the time off to take part in the tournament. Yet, winning the title doesn’t mean much to Wang. What he wants has always been to play.
So he plays.
The novella culminates in Wang playing against nine other top players, and winning.

This is very simple and straightforward story.
A story written with touching sincerity.
However, it’s also a story that’s very layered in its themes.
First of all, Wang serves as an exemplar of one who maintains inner peace in the mass hysteria that is the Cultural Revolution. His naivety might have helped, but I believe his holding on to the love of his mom and his love for chess are the what spare himself from being engulfed by the mania. Viewing from a humanistic lens ( I can’t help but making this association, having been reading about Montaigne and humanists in general this year), he has achieved the “human connection “ and the intellectual freedom ( symbolized by chess?)the humanists treasure.
Secondly, Wang’s obsession with food, especially when juxtaposed with his passion for chess is also interesting. Actually, his is more than a simple obsession, the way he treats eating and food can even be called pious. However, his obsession is different from the that of a food connoisseur. He is obsessed with food because he has been poor and understands hunger. This can be interpreted as an indictment of the era, but more importantly, I think this “ worldliness” is essential , it fleshes out the Wang’s character, it also makes the readers think about how basic materialistic fulfillment is essential to our inner peace and spiritual freedom.
Last but not least, there is an undercurrent of Taoist message through out the novella. As can be seen in the discussion of the chess techniques, but probably more so in the character of Wang himself.

This is one of the rare books that set in the cultural revolution era yet remain hopeful in its tone, there is even a note of heroism towards the end of the novella.
Wang deserves to be called a hero.
Because Zweig is right.
It does take so much to remain innocent and “remain faithful to his inner self in these times of the herd’s rampancy.”

This novella would be a perfect companion read for Chess Story by Zweig. Vice versa.

“夜黑黑的，伸手不见五指。王一生已经睡死。我却还似乎耳边人声嚷动，眼前火把通明，山民们铁了脸，肩着柴禾林中走，咿咿呀呀地唱。我笑起来，想：不做俗人，哪儿会知道这般乐趣？家破人亡，平了头每日荷锄，却自有真人生在里面，识到了，即是幸，即是福。衣食是本，自有人类，就是每日在忙这个。可囿在其中，终于还不太像人。倦意渐渐上来，就拥了幕布，沉沉睡去。”

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is fantastic.
All three novellas are extremely touching.
This goes to my “ favourites “ shelf.

The following is my review for The King of Chess:

“Only he whose soul is in turmoil, forced to live in an epoch where war, violence and ideological tyranny threaten the life of every individual, and the most precious substance in that life, the freedom of the soul, can know how much courage, sincerity and resolve are required to remain faithful to his inner self in these times of the herd’s rampancy. “- Zweig ( from his biography on Montaigne)

The protagonist (Wang Yisheng )of Ah Cheng’s debut novella, The King of Chess, has in his possession the courage, sincerity and resolve Zweig talks about in his biography of Montaigne, even though Wang is probably unaware of this himself.
I can also see him as someone whom Zhuangzi would look at with a big approving smile.
I LOVE this character, as well as Ah-Cheng’s novella.

A brief summary of the plot ( warning for mild spoilers) :
The story of The King of Chess takes place at the height of The Cultural Revolution, when the “educated urban youths”( 知青）are sent to remote villages, where the living condition is horrible and food meagre.
Both the narrator and Wang are among those youngsters, and they soon form a close bond.
Ah Cheng might have left traces himself in narrator, as the narrator is well-acquainted with world literature and talks about Balzac’s works. Balzac is one of the authors Ah Cheng loves and read as a teenager before he himself was sent to work in the villages as an educated urban youth.
Very different from the narrator is Wang, the protagonist, who has both a huge passion and talent for chess as well as a very worldly obsession for food, who knows next to nothing about literature. He also comes across as very naive when it comes to interpersonal relationships, and possesses an almost childlike innocence. Wang is also somewhat well-known for his chess skills in school.
Wang pesters the narrator for a chess game on the train, while not exactly interested in Chess, the narrator does take a liking to Wang.
Wang and the narrator are assigned to two different locations that are quite far from each other, yet, Wang, in search of a worthy rival in chess, goes to visit the narrator and befriends the other youngsters in the village.
After witnessing how great Wang’s talent is in chess, all the youngsters encourage Wang to partake a local chess tournament.
However, because Wang has missed too much work by wandering around seeking people to play chess with, he is not allowed to take the time off to take part in the tournament. Yet, winning the title doesn’t mean much to Wang. What he wants has always been to play.
So he plays.
The novella culminates in Wang playing against nine other top players, and winning.

This is very simple and straightforward story.
A story written with touching sincerity.
However, it’s also a story that’s very layered in its themes.
First of all, Wang serves as an exemplar of one who maintains inner peace in the mass hysteria that is the Cultural Revolution. His naivety might have helped, but I believe his holding on to the love of his mom and his love for chess are the what spare himself from being engulfed by the mania. Viewing from a humanistic lens ( I can’t help but making this association, having been reading about Montaigne and humanists in general this year), he has achieved the “human connection “ and the intellectual freedom ( symbolized by chess?)the humanists treasure.
Secondly, Wang’s obsession with food, especially when juxtaposed with his passion for chess is also interesting. Actually, his is more than a simple obsession, the way he treats eating and food can even be called pious. However, his obsession is different from the that of a food connoisseur. He is obsessed with food because he has been poor and understands hunger. This can be interpreted as an indictment of the era, but more importantly, I think this “ worldliness” is essential , it fleshes out the Wang’s character, it also makes the readers think about how basic materialistic fulfillment is essential to our inner peace and spiritual freedom.
Last but not least, there is an undercurrent of Taoist message through out the novella. As can be seen in the discussion of the chess techniques, but probably more so in the character of Wang himself.

This is one of the rare books that set in the cultural revolution era yet remain hopeful in its tone, there is even a note of heroism towards the end of the novella.
Wang deserves to be called a hero.
Because Zweig is right.
It does take so much to remain innocent and “remain faithful to his inner self in these times of the herd’s rampancy.”

This novella would be a perfect companion read for Chess Story by Zweig. Vice versa.

“夜黑黑的，伸手不见五指。王一生已经睡死。我却还似乎耳边人声嚷动，眼前火把通明，山民们铁了脸，肩着柴禾林中走，咿咿呀呀地唱。我笑起来，想：不做俗人，哪儿会知道这般乐趣？家破人亡，平了头每日荷锄，却自有真人生在里面，识到了，即是幸，即是福。衣食是本，自有人类，就是每日在忙这个。可囿在其中，终于还不太像人。倦意渐渐上来，就拥了幕布，沉沉睡去。”

[Yasemin Macar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Çin edebiyatından Kültür Devrimi'ni konu alan kitaplara o kadar alışmışım ki içeriğine bakmadığım için yine aynı konular diye düşünmüştüm. Ama karşımda sonrasında geçen hatta bu üç uzun öyküye konu olmuş Eğitimli Gençler'e gençliğinde dahil olmuş yazarın kaleminden keyifle okuyoruz.
Kitapta üç uzun öykü var. İlki Satranç Kralı; en çok sevdiğim buydu herhalde kitapta. Hatta karakterin satranç sevgisini Shansa'nın Go Oyuncusu kitabındaki karaktere de benzettim. Bu hikaye ödüllü bir hikayeymiş ve Mo Yan'ın da hayran kaldığı bir öyküymüş. Sonra Ağaç Kralı adlı öykü vardı ve o da çok etkileyiciydi. Ağaçların ruhu olduğuna inanılırken devrim için tüm ağaçların kesilip yerine tarlalar yapıp yeni agaçlar dikeceklerine inanmaları çok acımasızcaydı hatta tüm ormanı yakmaları. Son hikaye Çocuk Kral ise ilk kez öğretmenlik yapacak olanları hatta ilk dersini hatırlayan öğretmenlerin yüreğini dağlayacak çok güzel bir hikaye😍

Tüm hikayelerin ortak noktasıysa bilgi ve eğitimde belirli seviye gelen gençlerin ülkeyi kalkındırmak için küçük köylere ve kasabalara gönderilip buralardaki insanları eğitmeleri ele alınmış. Her şeyin sınırlı sayıda olduğu kıtlığın yaşandığı ve savaşı atlatmış bir ülkede devrimle her şeyin üstesinden geleceklerine inanarak hareket etmeleri çok ilginçti. Zengin ve köklü bir ailede doğmak ve ayrıcalıklı olmak burda da vardı fakat kötü niyetle kullanılmaması iyiydi. Çöp toplayan bir yaşlı amcanın satranç ile ilgili her şeyi bilip okuması ve tüm stratejileri bilmesi kadim Çin'in "Dört Eski'sini okuması ve taoizmi yaşamla birleştirip Wang Yisheng'e öğretilerle anlatması çok güzeldi.

"Güç fırsatla ilgilidir. Hamle yapılmazsa satranç oynanamaz. Ancak rakip hareket ettiği sürece güç kazanır ve kolayca yönlendirilebilir. Ustalık ivmesini kazanman çok zordur, bunun için zarar vermen gerekir. Onun bir taşı kaybetmesini sağla ya da kendi taşını kaybet. Önce yönlendir veya zayıf noktasını bul, girmesini engelle ve güç kazan. O sırada sakın öldürücü zarar verme çünkü duruma göre gücün değişecektir. Güç, güç ile ilgilidir; güç gücü içerir, küçük güç yönlendirir, büyük güç içererek dönüştürür; kök köke bağlanınca başkaları da çaresiz kalır."

Hayatta satranç gibi değil mi?

[Stephen Durrant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each of Ah Cheng's three novellas, included in this edition under the title "The King of Trees," is a first-person narrative told by an educated youth who has been "sent down" to work in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. What sets them apart from so much literature depicting the same period is that the terrible political chaos of the time forms a backdrop rather than the central focus of the narratives. Moreover, Ah Cheng in each novella engages and utilizes themes and images from the Chinese tradition. Both "The King of Trees" and "The King of Chess" can be regarded as rereadings of Daoism in a modern setting. The large and useless but profoundly symbolic tree in the first story is drawn directly from "Zhuangzi." But however much this tree is admired, unlike its Zhuangzian antecedent, it does not escape the ideology of progress and a tragic desire to eradicate the past. The second story, about a young man who pursues perfection through chess, draws upon the "Zhuangzi" image of the impassive figure who has through concentration merged with the Dao. Ah Cheng's third novella, in which a young student copies an entire dictionary, uses the Confucian emphasis upon intense study and recasts it in a poor village where any written text, other than propaganda, is a precious commodity. These stories are all told in a direct, engaging manner and are deeply moving. For anyone tired of the uniformly political tone of so much modern Chinese literature, this Ah Cheng collection will bring relief.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the time of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, or any revolution or war in this matter, there are always ones that had to be pulled away from the old world. The masters of their own fields all pulled into the tide of a new revolution. Sometimes some brave souls survived and fought against this revolution, but there are many who lost. Who can survive in this revolution becomes less of who is the one with the truth, but more of the one with the most power. Traditions all revolutionized, but some masters still survive. And they are the ones talked about in this book. A very interesting book.

[Matteo Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, in realtà.
1° considearazione: La trilogia di Acheng, in cui ci vengono raccontate tre storie di tre "re" diversi, grazie a uno stile magnificamente semplice e cristallino, ci schiude alla Cina impegnata nella Rivoluzione culturale. Le vite di questi "re" (parola il cui significato varia da storia a storia) sono quelle di gente comune che, per quanto coinvolta e, suo malgrado e a modo suo, partecipe di quella Rivoluzione culturale che ha cercato di "pulire il vecchiume", non ha dimenticato il passato, attingendone ancora, talvolta con una punta di nostalgia, lezioni che il nuovo regime non ha intenzione di recuperare, tutto attento a creare un "nuovo corso".
Ciò che scaturisce dalla penna di Acheng sono così storie che danno conto di "vite minime" (per citare il titolo di un'altra sua opera), tratteggiate con maestria, che non possono non far dire, per riprendere le parole dell'io narrante de "Il re degli scacchi": «Eppure qui c'è della gente vera che è una gioia ed una fortuna aver conosciuto».

2° considerazione: In questi tre racconti – “Il re degli alberi”, “Il re dei bambini” e “Il re degli scacchi” – Acheng, attraverso le storie di questi “re” – e quando parla di “re”, come scrive Alfredo Giuliani nell’Introduzione, Acheng parla di un «re poveraccio, ricco soltanto dei significati che si porta addosso o acquista col proprio agire, […] un individuo che forse non sa di pensare e di agire per tutti, uno che interpreta la verità delle cose.» –, ci racconta delle vicende che vedono coinvolti studenti e contadini nel corso della Rivoluzione Culturale e dello scontro tra tradizione e modernità, tra credenze popolari e convinzioni legate all’ideologia politica professata da Mao. Ciò di cui ci racconta Acheng è la difficoltà di comprendere qual è il mondo nel quale ci si trova e, soprattutto, come si possa resistere di fronte a tale (davvero incomprensibile) mondo andato in pezzi; come egli stesso ebbe a dire nel 1992 per esprimere l’idea di fondo dei tre racconti che compongono “La trilogia dei re”: «come può un uomo conservare la propria forza mentre va in frantumi il mondo che gli sta intorno».
Se è vero che, come afferma ancora Acheng nella Nota all’edizione italiana de “Il re degli alberi”, «rispetto alla vita, la verità è l’esperienza», non c’è dubbio che ciò di cui hanno fatto esperienza i cinesi durante la Rivoluzione Culturale (e il suo post) sono state cose che «gli stessi cinesi considerano fantastiche». Non stupisce allora che, come aggiunge successivamente Acheng, «quando il Partito chiede ai cosiddetti scrittori di perseverare nel «realismo socialista» – dato che secondo me la realtà del socialismo cinese è l’assurdo –, basterebbe descrivere realisticamente l’assurdo per ottenere la realtà». Ebbene, ciò che vi troverete a leggere in questi racconti-favole è l’assurdo che diviene realtà oppure, ancora, la realtà che, rimanendo tale, si foggia sull’assurdo.

[belisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

oldukça yavan, düz bir anlatımı var ama hiç bilmediğim bir hayatı tarif ettiği için fazla sıkılmadım...

[Babe Gladwaller · Rating 5 out of 5]

这是我第一次读阿城的小说，他的文字平实动人，凝练有力，笔触极快，给人极强的画面感。《树王》是对自然对生命的敬畏，我们不曾见过真正的火，根本就不知道何为毁灭，更不知何为新生。《棋王》的主题是物质追求和精神追求，活着的意义。《孩子王》关于教育问题，让我想到了很多。我想到冯内古特的小说《唱给塞尔玛的歌》和电影《死亡诗社》《放牛班的春天》。这些好的老师有一个共同点，他们的教育是雕琢灵魂，是与学生之间的灵魂的共鸣。教育是一棵树摇动另一棵树，一朵云推动另一朵云，一个灵魂唤醒另一个灵魂。很遗憾，当今中国的教育仍然是让人绝望。

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

阿城那个时代的作品，能够塑造王一生这样的人物的没有读到多少。看过太多的苦情文学，以至于很长时间都排斥这个时期的作家写的东西。读到这篇的时候是有些开心的，王一生一直以来对棋术纯粹的追求正应该是人类在平淡生活之外的不可缺少的经验。
相比，更喜欢树王这一篇，对大自然的践踏，革命的疯狂，人的非理性写得克制但又十分到位。这个短篇拍成电影该有多震撼。

[v · Rating 3 out of 5]

These three Ah Cheng novellas of the Cultural Revolution take a light and meditative touch. For some "educated youth," who experienced relative privation but not the utter horrors you read in much other contemporary Chinese fiction, this was a formative period open to both nostalgia and exploration, and that's where Ah Cheng goes. In these stories, educated youth who are sent to labor in the northern mountains encounter mysterious characters, and these characters by their passivity and foolishness reveal deeper philosophies of life that stand outside and potentially subvert the cruel ideology of the day. Imbued with Daoist ideas like the Way and inaction, the stories are also rich with meaningful characters, symbols, and developments. Is such fiction bound to be impermanent, blithe, and wispy, leaving little lasting impression however beautiful? Hard for me to say. I find "The King of Trees" resonates most deeply of the three.

My home was gone, my family had been destroyed, and with cropped hair I carried a mattock day in and day out. And yet this in itself contained a true human life.

[lukoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

之前看韩少功觉得“革命意识”的气息太浓厚，以至于对“寻根文学”都有少许疑惑。因为关注八十年代看了阿城，可谓震撼，将人物人世刻画得如此饱满和鲜活。每一篇里面都涉及了太多的主题，都值得再读和思考。

[mela✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficilmente rimango delusa da romanzi cinesi contemporanei e anche questa raccolta di tre novelle o racconti brevi non fa eccezione.
A partire dalla propria esperienza personale, l'autore ci racconta della Cina post rivoluzione culturale e lo fa attraverso delle storie di vita "semplice" ma dal forte impatto.
Ho amato soprattutto i primi due racconti, "il re degli alberi" e "il re dei bambini".

[Andra-Mihaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The 3 novellas contained in this book are a direct representation of the author's courage in writing about what is truly important: morals,principles, and how to live your life during the Cultural Revolution in China.
I see way Ah Cheng is celebrated so much.

I will give my ranking in order of enjoyment and impact for the 3 stories: "The King of Trees", "The Chess Master" and "The King of Children".
For each one of them, we follow throught the eyes of an unnamed narrator an important figure to the comunity/people in the area where the action happens. In "The King of Trees", Xiao Geda is a mangnificent main character who's silence speaks loudly against the disrespect for nature and old traditions, and also against the belief of productive/useful things seen through the lens of the political party in power. The brainwashing of the young intelectuals are sooo evident in these pages in the form of Li Li and the narrator's colleagues. I loved learning about Xiao Geda's past, and I beleive it was very beneficial in showing that not all against your ideas are outsiders or have completely different set of values, but they can be just like you, only unfortunate in their lives. Truly powerful ending.

"The Chess Master" gave me a sense of pride in the fact that , no matter what we adopt in the future as society, we will always respect talent and celebrate it as unique and important.
Wang Yisheng is the quintessential player. He solely cares about one thing and disregards everything else about everyone else. This is a refreshing view, freeing and more open to discourse, bare of rules of conduct, status and polite facade. He is humble and prideful, his relentless search for the perfect game and quite shame of his background a sincere and fragile thing to see.
I absolutely loved the last scene where he meets the last oponent...a truly moving scene.

After those 2 amazing works,"The King of Children" is somewhat different by comparison. Here, for the first time, the narrator plays the key role. His connection to Wang Qitong and his son, Wang Fu, creates anticipation in the reader; something that I don't think the author necessary wanted.(especially when nothing I presumed happened)
The problems the author highlights about the education in that time are front and center in the narrative, but they also struggle with Wang Fu's story. I think some more pages would have created balance and solidified who exactly is the king in this story.Overall, we can think that both the narrator and Wang Qitong are the king..both caring and working earnestly for the future generation, but we also don't have a lasting impression through the kids (in the other stories, the side characters grow respect and admiration for the king)

In conclusion, "The Three Kings" is a beautifull collection of novellas talking about what the communist regime in China wanted people to forget: "Four Old Things " (old ideas, old culture, old habits,old customs) and how that translated to the young intelectuals (the forefront of this movement).

Enjoy

[John Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other reviewers have done a good job of describing the cultural/historical setting of the three stories and their main themes and characters. I’ll just add that the feel of the stories is very distinctive and, really, unlike anything I can remember reading before. They remind me of Chinese ink paintings that present boldly characterized figures against very sparsely sketched backgrounds. And for all their ostensible concreteness there is something rarefied about them that makes them seem more like parables or allegories than realistic narratives, however much truth or fiction they may contain.

All three center on heroic characters – an almost superhumanly strong ex-soldier in King of Trees, a precocious child who copies an entire dictionary in King of Children, and an eccentric chess genius in King of Chess. In each story the narrator becomes increasingly fascinated with the central character and befriends him and gets to know him. The relationships that develop are not particularly complex or nuanced, but they’re primary elements of the stories, while all others are at best secondary (including a relationship, evidently romantic, between the narrator and a female teacher in The King of Children).

Of the three stories The King of Chess is definitely the best. In fact I believe it’s counted as a major work of Modern Chinese literature. The author’s language is said to be unusual and interesting. I don’t know how well the New Directions translation conveys this quality, but it is certainly readable, and the edition gives you a great story and two more that are worth reading.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

These novellas seem to express a deep longing for some kind of feudal/imperial past ("King"), or at least for the potential for there to be "kings" even at times of great leveling. It is class A science fiction.

King of Trees and King of Children are okay. The critiques of the state's inability to modernize the ruralfolk (blind industrial ground-clearing in the former, formalistic classroom education in the latter) are well-taken, I suppose. They ask the question of whether or how the old Daoist classics, which valorize and idealize the rustic and the natural, speak to contemporary issues.

I like the King of Chess a lot, mainly because it gives the narrator an opportunity to talk to a subaltern about food and literary interpretations of eating.

It is a strange Cultural Revolution literature that is not interested in madness, irony, trauma, violence, hierarchy, revolution. It takes comfort in a contemplative vision of life's absurdity and of simple pleasures.

The afterword is neat. It talks about Zhong Acheng's life story, his imitation of a Daoist hermit, and his linguistic amalgamation of revolutionary slogan and classical idiom.

[Anran Sun · Rating 4 out of 5]

這本書最打動我的地方，在於它對「文化延續」的描寫。文革那種極端的年代，什麼都被砸爛、被否定，唯獨象棋這種古老的東西，在最底層的人之間悄悄傳承。王一生跟人下棋到了癡迷的程度，雖然只是一介貧寒的知青，卻能下出讓職業棋士都驚嘆的棋力，道家的棋。這一段讓我想起台灣的歷史──我們也曾經歷過戒嚴、白色恐怖，很多傳統文化被壓抑，但民間還是有人默默守著：書法、京劇、布袋戲。

讀到王一生在饑餓中還能專注一盤棋，我就會想到台灣那些在艱難年代仍堅持讀書、寫字、練字的前輩。他們守住的，不只是技藝，而是某種「人之所以為人」的尊嚴。不過阿城寫王一生下棋，卻不光是寫棋，而是藉著這個傳奇人物，描寫了文革中期知識青年上山下鄉的大洪水中，個體的體驗和故事。棋王只是一條把所有人串連起來的主線。

當然，作為台灣讀者，我也會不自覺地把《棋王》跟我們自己的文學放在一起比較。大陸的「尋根文學」強調回歸鄉土、回歸傳統，阿城寫得極好，但台灣的鄉土文學更多了一層「離散」與「認同」的掙扎。我們讀黃春明、讀王禎和，常常感受到一種「在這裡卻又不完全屬於這裡」的漂浮感；《棋王》裡的漂浮感則來自時代的荒謬與人的無力。兩岸的漂浮不一樣，卻又同樣讓人鼻酸。

如果要挑缺點，可能就是篇幅太短。讀完後總覺得意猶未盡，想知道王一生後來怎麼了，他吃飽了飯之後，棋藝還會精進嗎？但也正因為短，它才那麼鋒利，像一記乾淨利落的「尖沖」，直直刺進心裡。

總之，在台灣讀《棋王》，是一種很奇妙的經驗。它讓我們看到大陸八十年代文學的精華，也讓我們映照自己的文化記憶。推薦給所有喜歡圍棋的朋友，也推薦給所有想了解那個年代的人──即使你不會下棋，也會被王一生那股近乎宗教般的執著打動。因為在亂世裡，能守住一件事做到極致，其實就是最大的勝利。

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 nuvele geniale in care sunt descrise capacitatea omului de a evolua. Am rezonat foarte mult cu Regele Copiilor datorita trecutului meu dar si experientei ca si professor de engleza in China. M-a impresionat la lacrimi determinarea si ambitia lui Wang Fu pentru cunoastere cat si admiratia pentru tatal lui.
Regele Copacilor, o nuvela care se axeaza pe legatura dintre om si natura. Atat Regele Copacilor, copacul, cat si Regele Copacilor, Xiao Geda, ajung in final sa dispara lasand loc altor “copaci folositori”.
Toate 3 nuvele au in comun determinarea omului de a evolua, de a-si depasi conditia umila prin folosirea intelectului.

[Elena R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Su uno sfondo umile, contadino, nella Cina post rivoluzione culturale si sviluppano le storie di tre "re" così diversi ma simili nella loro semplice grandezza. Tutti e tre i personaggi vivono una sorta di sfida, di riscatto dalla loro posizione sociale umile e limitata. Solo uno dei tre riesce a riscattarsi e a vincere la più grande partita della sua vita (il re degli scacchi) , lo sforzo degli altri due viene stroncato, ma lascia il segno in quelli che ne sono stati testimoni.

[path · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three contemplative novellas that seem to collide various cultural and spiritual mythologies with Maoism. The King of Children was my favorite for its engagement with philosophical approaches to education and the conflicts with communist approaches.

[Phuong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Semplice e bello

[0027_r · Rating 4 out of 5]

三个故事均以文革为背景，带着特定的时代特征。但那几个看上去似乎有些怪异的人物和他们那朴素而珍贵的品质却是永恒的。
不造作 有些细节超自然 安静地讲着故事 引人入胜。

[Brian Shih · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original Chinese version was brilliant- loved it.

[Bing Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

天下英雄出我辈，一入江湖岁月催

[Roxana Cosmina · Rating 3 out of 5]

ce

[fiona]

i've only read 树王

[Zahraa Alshamary · Rating 3 out of 5]

الطعام والملبس غريزتان في الانسان ومنذ ان خُلق البشر وهم مشغولون طوال يومهم بالبحث عن الطعام والملبس، ولكن من يحبس نفسه داخل هذه الدائرة الضيقة فلن يصبح انساناً في النهاية.

[Zhou · Rating 4 out of 5]

结结实实地好看。喜欢《棋王》一篇