What do you think?
Rate this book
呼兰河传
这部小说是以萧红自己的家乡与童年生活为原型而创作的。它在艺术形式上比较独特：它虽然写了人物，但没有主角；虽也叙述故事，却没有主轴。全书七章虽各自独立却又俨然是一个整体，讲述了作者小时候的童年故事。作家以她娴熟的回忆技巧、抒情诗的散文风格、浑重而又轻盈的文笔，造就了她“回忆式”的巅峰之作。茅盾曾这样评价它的艺术成就：“它是一篇叙事诗，一片多彩的风土画，一串凄婉的歌谣。”
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1940
427 people are currently reading
995 people want to read
About the author
Xiao Hong
276 books38 followersXiao Hong or Hsiao Hung (2 June 1911 – 22 January 1942) was a Chinese writer. Her given name was Zhang Naiying (張廼瑩); she also used the pen name Qiao Yin.
(from Wikipedia)
Name in Chinese: 萧红
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See Xiao Hong for the others.
(from Wikipedia)
Name in Chinese: 萧红
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See Xiao Hong for the others.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
July 16, 2014
There is no way I can adequately describe how much of a shock it was to me that I was enjoying this experience of reading this book especially since I was reading it in Chinese. I'd always been a D-minus student when it came to Chinese. I would probably have been an F-minus student if it weren't for the intensive tutoring I was forced to endure. I don't know who was more tortured by it: me or my string of tutors.
The whole experience made me believe that I had zero aptitude for languages. However, after I managed to learn French as an adult I thought I might revisit Chinese to see if the lessons I had learnt about myself (number one being that I really didn't have a zero aptitude for language) could be applied to Chinese. And that is how I came to find myself reading Xiao Hong's Tales of Hulan River. And, to my great shock, I found myself gripped by it. This was despite the fact that I was having to check the dictionary every five words or so.
The work stands mid-way between memoir and novel, and describes events occurring in Xiao Hong's home town when she was a girl. The entire work spans the period when she was between three to twelve years old (i.e., 1914 – 1923). Her home town was a small agricultural town out in the north-western boondocks. It was one of those god-forsaken towns with two streets to its name, where people lived with their pigs and chickens running and shitting in and around their houses.
Nothing ever happened. The biggest excitement of the year was watching the shifting clouds during the summer sunsets. Except for a few rich families like the author's, people were mostly dirt poor. A thin slice of toufu once a week was a big treat. Otherwise, dinner was mostly rice with condiments: a little chilli, a little soya sauce, and some thinly chopped chives.
The people never left their town. They were simple folk: pig-ignorant, superstitious, hide-bound by tradition, and small-minded, and Xiao Hong depicts this with her clear, matter-of-fact prose (The translation is mine, and I have taken a number of liberties with it):
The novel's key episode is the story of a twelve year-old child bride and what is done to her a terrible, terrible thing. The child bride suffers a mental breakdown after cruel beatings by her grandmother-in-law whose attitude is, "Well, that's what you do to child brides to make them obedient. That's the way it's always been done, and that's the way I'll do it." Her thoughts on beating her granddaughter-in-law run thus: Whipping girls is okay. They don't suffer for it. It's not like mistreating chickens or pigs. When you mistreat chickens, they don't lay good eggs. When you mistreat pigs, they lose weight. What's a little scarring and weight loss with a girl? It doesn't harm them.
As a result of her breakdown, the child bride—she is never given a name—is thought to be possessed by demons and many exorcisms are performed. None of them, not surprisingly, succeed. The final exorcism involves cleansing her in a public ceremony. She is lowered naked into a large pot of simmering water three times. The results ultimately prove fatal. Yet, here is Xiao Hong's description of events after the first dip:
Even the grandmother-in-law is humanised. For all her harshness, she has lived a poverty stricken life of backbreaking labour. An episode is recounted where she goes to glean the unwanted leavings from the fields of the rich. Pushing and fighting with the other poor town people for the miserable, paltry remains of the autumn harvest, she climbs up and down the mountainside fields, managing over several days to accumulate enough to sell in the market. During her gleaning, however, a thorn stabs her finger. She ignores the injury, but the next day, her finger turns swollen and red. She is, however, too poor and hence unwilling to spend money on medicine that might help. She leaves the injury. By the next week, her finger has blown up to the size of small cucumber. By the next month, her entire arm is inflamed and swollen. Still she refuses to spend her hard earned money on medicine. She thinks, "I suffered so much to earn this little amount of cash, I'm not going to waste it."
Xiao Hong eventually escaped that rural hellhole, running away from an arranged marriage. She never went back. This novel, written towards the end of her life, is her memorial to her home town which she detested so much that she never returned to visit it, but which she loved so much that she had to write about it before dying. It is a work that is all at once tragic, heart-rending, and beautiful.
The whole experience made me believe that I had zero aptitude for languages. However, after I managed to learn French as an adult I thought I might revisit Chinese to see if the lessons I had learnt about myself (number one being that I really didn't have a zero aptitude for language) could be applied to Chinese. And that is how I came to find myself reading Xiao Hong's Tales of Hulan River. And, to my great shock, I found myself gripped by it. This was despite the fact that I was having to check the dictionary every five words or so.
The work stands mid-way between memoir and novel, and describes events occurring in Xiao Hong's home town when she was a girl. The entire work spans the period when she was between three to twelve years old (i.e., 1914 – 1923). Her home town was a small agricultural town out in the north-western boondocks. It was one of those god-forsaken towns with two streets to its name, where people lived with their pigs and chickens running and shitting in and around their houses.
Nothing ever happened. The biggest excitement of the year was watching the shifting clouds during the summer sunsets. Except for a few rich families like the author's, people were mostly dirt poor. A thin slice of toufu once a week was a big treat. Otherwise, dinner was mostly rice with condiments: a little chilli, a little soya sauce, and some thinly chopped chives.
The people never left their town. They were simple folk: pig-ignorant, superstitious, hide-bound by tradition, and small-minded, and Xiao Hong depicts this with her clear, matter-of-fact prose (The translation is mine, and I have taken a number of liberties with it):
"If people were to ask them what life was about, they would not reply with complicated answers. They would simply say, "Life is about eating rice and wearing clothes." To ask further, about what happened after death, they would answer, "When you die, you die."… If they had any thought of hell, they simply thought of it as a continuation of their life on earth where they would still be paying rent, labouring for others."There is a strong feminist tenor to the work, and many incidents described in the novel involve the deep misogyny entrenched in traditional Chinese culture (again, I have taken liberties in my translation):
"Women going to pray at the Temple of the Goddess would only ask her to grant them sons or grandsons. After praying they would leave. There was nothing else they wanted from her. They venerated her for nothing else. She was in the end, after all, only a woman. The only thing that made her special was that she had many children. Men beating their wives would say, "Even the goddess fears being beaten by her husband, what more a gossipy bitch like you.""If, however, Xiao Hong had only inveigled in her novel about her home town, if all it had been was an angry diatribe, it would not be terribly interesting or powerful. Its power comes from the ambivalent love-hate relationship she had with it. While despising what the people did, she did not despise them.
The novel's key episode is the story of a twelve year-old child bride and what is done to her a terrible, terrible thing. The child bride suffers a mental breakdown after cruel beatings by her grandmother-in-law whose attitude is, "Well, that's what you do to child brides to make them obedient. That's the way it's always been done, and that's the way I'll do it." Her thoughts on beating her granddaughter-in-law run thus: Whipping girls is okay. They don't suffer for it. It's not like mistreating chickens or pigs. When you mistreat chickens, they don't lay good eggs. When you mistreat pigs, they lose weight. What's a little scarring and weight loss with a girl? It doesn't harm them.
As a result of her breakdown, the child bride—she is never given a name—is thought to be possessed by demons and many exorcisms are performed. None of them, not surprisingly, succeed. The final exorcism involves cleansing her in a public ceremony. She is lowered naked into a large pot of simmering water three times. The results ultimately prove fatal. Yet, here is Xiao Hong's description of events after the first dip:
I watched the pot, but the child bride could no longer be seen. She had fainted, falling into the water. At this, the spectators started to yell anxiously. They thought she might have died, and ran up to save her. Those with kind hearts started crying.The scene is all the more heart-wrenching because these people think that with the exorcism they are helping her. After the bath, scalded, she slips into a coma. Further measures are taken and a ceremony where a paper doll made up to look like her is taken and burnt in hopes that the demons that are trying to steal away her soul will accept this exchange instead.
When the child bride was still alive, when she had been struggling and trying to flee, those very spectators trying to save her now had been the very ones who helped to restrain her and lower her into the simmering water. Now she was unconscious, and they now wanted to help her.
They took her out of the pot and splashed some cold water on her. Once she had fainted, the spectators' hearts were moved to pity, when earlier they had been the ones urging that the hot water be poured over her head. How could they not but feel pained from seeing the child bride thus, once happy and vibrant, now close to death?
Even the grandmother-in-law is humanised. For all her harshness, she has lived a poverty stricken life of backbreaking labour. An episode is recounted where she goes to glean the unwanted leavings from the fields of the rich. Pushing and fighting with the other poor town people for the miserable, paltry remains of the autumn harvest, she climbs up and down the mountainside fields, managing over several days to accumulate enough to sell in the market. During her gleaning, however, a thorn stabs her finger. She ignores the injury, but the next day, her finger turns swollen and red. She is, however, too poor and hence unwilling to spend money on medicine that might help. She leaves the injury. By the next week, her finger has blown up to the size of small cucumber. By the next month, her entire arm is inflamed and swollen. Still she refuses to spend her hard earned money on medicine. She thinks, "I suffered so much to earn this little amount of cash, I'm not going to waste it."
Xiao Hong eventually escaped that rural hellhole, running away from an arranged marriage. She never went back. This novel, written towards the end of her life, is her memorial to her home town which she detested so much that she never returned to visit it, but which she loved so much that she had to write about it before dying. It is a work that is all at once tragic, heart-rending, and beautiful.
September 17, 2023
Powolna, niezwykle barwnie napisana książka o pamięci, dzieciństwie i świecie, który zamknięty jest w granicach pewnego miasteczka.
June 10, 2022
Maravillosa novela, a caballo entre la autobiografía de la autora, memorias y novela donde nos cuenta la vida de los habitantes de una aldea a orillas de río Hulan, sus tradiciones, costumbres, folclore, especialmente desgarrador el pasaje del matrimonio de una niña de 12 años con un hombre adulto.
Mi reseña aquí a partir del minuto 20:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Dud...
Mi reseña aquí a partir del minuto 20:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Dud...
May 31, 2015
曹疏影說，呼蘭是蕭紅生命的原型。我看呼蘭是亙古以來社會的縮影：不變的人性，依舊的劣根性。《呼蘭河傳》完稿之時，二戰還正如火如荼地進行—那是如此遙遠的過去，遑論書中刻畫的蕭紅孩提時期，更是久得似乎無法與現下相提並論了。實則不然，書中好多場景，如此的熟悉。我未曾到過呼蘭，卻感它的一切歷歷在目。幸災樂禍的心態，可不是跨越了世代和地域的藩籬？人云亦云地渲染消息，竭力汲取下一個獵巫標的，從小團圓媳婦到王大姑娘，犧牲他人，只為成全自己庸俗的娛樂追求。多麼熟悉的畫面呀。這是我的第一本蕭紅。事前，我不住揣想這位與張愛玲齊名的民國才女，辭藻會是如何華麗？筆鋒會是何等犀利？而後，我感到蕭紅筆觸、鋪陳實在地樸質，沒有誇大，沒有謙讓，就是實實在在、坦坦蕩蕩；舉重若輕的，卻句句刻進心坎裡的描繪。蕭紅的《呼蘭河傳》看盡人生冷暖，看透繁華與荒涼的虛無。滿載唏噓，似有若無，這是一本需要細細慢讀的書。
June 5, 2020
Good books pull you into the story, punch you in the gut, stir up your deepest feelings and stay with you long after the last page is turned. Tales of Hulan River is one of them. I recently revisited the book and found it still has the raw power over me.
Tales of Hulan River is half memoir and half fiction, set in a small county town in Northern China between 1910s and 1920s. It is a collection of memories from the author's childhood. The characters were her grandfather, her father's tenants and various neighbours. You get a picture of the lives of simple country folks - the extreme poverty they endured, the deep, meaningless suffering (especially in women), the seemingly hopeless cycle of life, but also occasional sparkles of kindness and love. You feel the unbearable tenderness the writer showed towards her folks. The tale of a 12 years old child bride who was tortured to death will stay with me forever.
Tales of Hulan River is half memoir and half fiction, set in a small county town in Northern China between 1910s and 1920s. It is a collection of memories from the author's childhood. The characters were her grandfather, her father's tenants and various neighbours. You get a picture of the lives of simple country folks - the extreme poverty they endured, the deep, meaningless suffering (especially in women), the seemingly hopeless cycle of life, but also occasional sparkles of kindness and love. You feel the unbearable tenderness the writer showed towards her folks. The tale of a 12 years old child bride who was tortured to death will stay with me forever.
October 10, 2024
7/10
Це не схоже на жодну книжку, яку я коли-небудь читала.
Це ніби застигла в часі картина життя маленького китайського містечка, яку авторка змальовує з надзвичайно великою увагою до деталей. І я маю на увазі, що те, наскільки реалістично зображений побут, створює відчуття, ніби ти знаходишся там і маєш можливість не просто поспостерігати збоку, а й прожити це.
Сяо Хон показує щирі та сповнені любові до дідуся спогади про своє дитинство, і в той же час чесно та безкомпромісно (але без засудження), зображає становище жінок у китайському патріархальному суспільстві 20-х років - кричуща жорстокість, глибокі страждання та маленькі проблиски надії.
Ця книга - це мемуари, закутані в майстерно написану прозу. Якщо ви шукаєте книгу з напруженим і динамічним сюжетом, то це, на жаль, не ваш варіант. Ця історія покаже вам в найменших дрібницях культуру і традиції Китаю - такими, якими вони були.
Це не схоже на жодну книжку, яку я коли-небудь читала.
Це ніби застигла в часі картина життя маленького китайського містечка, яку авторка змальовує з надзвичайно великою увагою до деталей. І я маю на увазі, що те, наскільки реалістично зображений побут, створює відчуття, ніби ти знаходишся там і маєш можливість не просто поспостерігати збоку, а й прожити це.
Сяо Хон показує щирі та сповнені любові до дідуся спогади про своє дитинство, і в той же час чесно та безкомпромісно (але без засудження), зображає становище жінок у китайському патріархальному суспільстві 20-х років - кричуща жорстокість, глибокі страждання та маленькі проблиски надії.
Ця книга - це мемуари, закутані в майстерно написану прозу. Якщо ви шукаєте книгу з напруженим і динамічним сюжетом, то це, на жаль, не ваш варіант. Ця історія покаже вам в найменших дрібницях культуру і традиції Китаю - такими, якими вони були.
October 1, 2024
i really enjoyed this and don’t see a good reason to not give it a five star review. the views and behaviour of (at least partly) real people is not a reason to lower the rating even tho some people and their ideas were so horrible it wasn’t very pleasant to read at places. however, the language and storytelling is wonderful and the small stories and the book’s atmosphere kept me in their grip.
July 21, 2021
Piękna proza, powrót do dzieciństwa i opowieść o pewnej wiosce, gdzie dzieją się rzeczy niespotykane, magiczne, piękne i niepokojące. Nie jest to opowieść o dorastaniu per se, ale o obserwacji społeczności, ktorej zasady budziły dziecięcy sprzeciw.
March 26, 2024
Myślę, że wiele wyjaśnia rys biograficzny autorki załączony w polskim wydaniu książki. Mimo pewnej dramatyczności i melancholii jest to dość spokojna, wręcz relaksująca książka.
3,75/5
3,75/5
August 13, 2023
萧红墓畔口占
走六小时寂寞的长途，
到你头边放一束红山茶，
我等待着，长夜漫漫，
你却卧听着海涛闲话
- 戴望舒
走六小时寂寞的长途，
到你头边放一束红山茶，
我等待着，长夜漫漫，
你却卧听着海涛闲话
- 戴望舒
April 28, 2024
Wow, książka to w dużej mierze opisy bez większej fabuły - trochę (unhinged) przyrody, miasteczka, zwyczajów i przede wszystkim ludzi. Z dziecinnej i nieco ironicznej perspektywy opowiada o sytuacjach, które byłyby głęboko pod icebergiem, jeżeli słynne jedzenie psów w chinach byłoby nad powierzchnią wody. Fajnie też, że pozwala czytelnikowi samemu wytykać okrucieństwo i hipokryzję ludzi. Ogólnie tough read. A biografia autorki na końcu książki przez tłumaczkę to moje roman empire.
January 27, 2025
Mikä ihana kirja! Xiao Hong kertoo pieni pilke silmäkulmassa lapsuutensa kotikylästä Kiinan syrjäseuduilla. Näillä seuduilla Hulanjoen rannalla aika tuntuu pysähtyneen - niin hyvässä kuin pahassa. Kertoja aloittaa tarinansa kuvailemalla ensin tarkkaan kaupungin pienet putiikit, seremoniat sekä vuosittaiset oopperajuhlat. Hän kertoo pitkästi mm. sateiden mukaan kasvavasta ja kutistuvasta mutakuopasta, joka on hengenvaarallinen niin ihmisille kuin eläimillekin, mutta synnyttää niin paljon jännitystä tylsään arkeen, ettei kuopan täyttäminen tule kenellekään mieleenkään. Kuvatuksi tulee myös auringonlaskut, pakkastalvet, kauppiaiden antimet. Kaikista himotuin kauppatavara on tietenkin mehevät tofukimpaleet!
Vasta kun kaupunki ja sen elämänmeno on tulleet tutuiksi, tarina siirtyy minä-kertojaan, pieneen hyvin toimeentulevan perheen tyttöön, jonka paras ystävä on hänen ihana ukkinsa, ja lempipaikkansa kodin vehmas puutarha. Kun talvi sulkee puutarhan, jännitystä päivään tuo kodin varastojen tonkiminen. Mitä aarteita sieltä löytyykään! Kasvaessaan tyttö alkaa kiinnittää huomiota myös naapureihinsa, kuten puupenaalia rämpyttävään mylläriin sekä köyhään perheeseen olkikattoisessa siivessä. Kirjan pisin luku käsittelee kuitenkin Zun perhettä, joka ensin kuvataan varsin kunniallisena. Tämä kuva kuitenkin muuttuu täysin, kun perheeseen otetaan 12-vuotias lapsimorsian. Tyttöparkaa piestään kuin vierasta sikaa, ja kun tämä lopulta sairastuu jatkuvasta pahoinpitelystä, piinaa jatkavat samaanit hoitoineen. Kirja ei varsinaisesti ole poliittinen tai kantaaottava, mutta naisten ja lasten kohtelu ja suojaton asema on selvästi järkyttänyt kirjailijaa - ja syystä!
Hulanjoen tarinat toi vahvasti mieleen Mara Zalinen Viisi sormea. Siinäkin lapsi viettää päivänsä puutarhan ihmeiden keskellä isovanhempiensa hellässä huomassa. Hongin kirjasta niin politiikka kuin historia on kuitenkin jätetty kauas taustalle. Keskiössä on elämän ja ajattelutapojen kuvaus ja niiden suorasukainen kommentointi, naapuruston köyhyys ja arjen monotonisuus, sekä tietenkin kuolema, joka joskus tulee ajallaan ja joskus julmasti aivan liian aikaisin. Kertoja-tyttö on kuitenkin onnellinen ukkinsa hellässä hoidossa. Ihan paras kirja!
Vasta kun kaupunki ja sen elämänmeno on tulleet tutuiksi, tarina siirtyy minä-kertojaan, pieneen hyvin toimeentulevan perheen tyttöön, jonka paras ystävä on hänen ihana ukkinsa, ja lempipaikkansa kodin vehmas puutarha. Kun talvi sulkee puutarhan, jännitystä päivään tuo kodin varastojen tonkiminen. Mitä aarteita sieltä löytyykään! Kasvaessaan tyttö alkaa kiinnittää huomiota myös naapureihinsa, kuten puupenaalia rämpyttävään mylläriin sekä köyhään perheeseen olkikattoisessa siivessä. Kirjan pisin luku käsittelee kuitenkin Zun perhettä, joka ensin kuvataan varsin kunniallisena. Tämä kuva kuitenkin muuttuu täysin, kun perheeseen otetaan 12-vuotias lapsimorsian. Tyttöparkaa piestään kuin vierasta sikaa, ja kun tämä lopulta sairastuu jatkuvasta pahoinpitelystä, piinaa jatkavat samaanit hoitoineen. Kirja ei varsinaisesti ole poliittinen tai kantaaottava, mutta naisten ja lasten kohtelu ja suojaton asema on selvästi järkyttänyt kirjailijaa - ja syystä!
Hulanjoen tarinat toi vahvasti mieleen Mara Zalinen Viisi sormea. Siinäkin lapsi viettää päivänsä puutarhan ihmeiden keskellä isovanhempiensa hellässä huomassa. Hongin kirjasta niin politiikka kuin historia on kuitenkin jätetty kauas taustalle. Keskiössä on elämän ja ajattelutapojen kuvaus ja niiden suorasukainen kommentointi, naapuruston köyhyys ja arjen monotonisuus, sekä tietenkin kuolema, joka joskus tulee ajallaan ja joskus julmasti aivan liian aikaisin. Kertoja-tyttö on kuitenkin onnellinen ukkinsa hellässä hoidossa. Ihan paras kirja!
August 2, 2022
童年是永远不可返回的故乡。
January 21, 2026
Це була хороша книжка, створена не для експорту, а проте сучасна і зрозуміла. Під кінець стало важкувато, але загалом дуже сподобалось. Не ставлю 5, бо якось не затягнуло. Така собі збірка дитячих спогадів про рідне село.
October 27, 2020
Retrato de la china rural, a ppios. del s. XX. Cruda y triste realidad, como la autora escribe en la coda del libro:
"En este libro no hay historias bellas. Sólo porque mis recuerdos de infancia están atiborradas de estas cosas, porque es difícil o imposible olvidarlas, las dejo registradas aquí…"
"En este libro no hay historias bellas. Sólo porque mis recuerdos de infancia están atiborradas de estas cosas, porque es difícil o imposible olvidarlas, las dejo registradas aquí…"
August 1, 2025
bought this book after a recent trip to dongbei as i thought it would be nice to read some 東北文學.
呼蘭河傳 includes stories of a faraway dongbei village near Hulan river from Xiao Hong’s childhood memories, happening around a century ago.. for me, it was a really fresh and raw look into a remote part of China during a time period I am unfamiliar with.
a supposedly small, dull town with stories that sent me shivers and had me pausing the book to process the events of the pathetic characters. nonetheless, the language was beautiful.
this book ended on the note that Xiao Hong ran away from this horrifying and superstitious town, but passed away due to illness at the age of 32, at Hong Kong, specifically, at Queen Mary Hospital. i thought i was reading about lives faraway from me (both time & space), feeling all distant and irrelevant as a reader, until i realise she was right there, at the hospital i used to work at.
would re-read this book as i go through some literary analyses online to facilitate my understanding, given my limited interpretation and understanding of Chinese literature. what a book!
呼蘭河傳 includes stories of a faraway dongbei village near Hulan river from Xiao Hong’s childhood memories, happening around a century ago.. for me, it was a really fresh and raw look into a remote part of China during a time period I am unfamiliar with.
a supposedly small, dull town with stories that sent me shivers and had me pausing the book to process the events of the pathetic characters. nonetheless, the language was beautiful.
this book ended on the note that Xiao Hong ran away from this horrifying and superstitious town, but passed away due to illness at the age of 32, at Hong Kong, specifically, at Queen Mary Hospital. i thought i was reading about lives faraway from me (both time & space), feeling all distant and irrelevant as a reader, until i realise she was right there, at the hospital i used to work at.
would re-read this book as i go through some literary analyses online to facilitate my understanding, given my limited interpretation and understanding of Chinese literature. what a book!
June 1, 2019
Set in the remote Chinese village the author grew up in, this book was filled with the purest childhood joy and extremely insightful observations of Chinese society in the 1920s. This book, like many from that time period, were about the poor. But its deep sympathy for women and sharp critique of patriarchy are unique and it is why this book has a special place in my heart. It is a voice still lacking even in today’s Chinese society, 100 years later.
September 14, 2023
Sehr interessantes Buch, besonders für Leute die Interesse an China haben, aben nicht ausschliesslich. Es sind Erinnerungen aus der Kindheit der Autorin, manche relativ hart, die aber zeigen wie die Welt und die Leute damals waren und manchmal noch sind. Eine der Geschichten ist besonders hart, trotzdem sehr interessant.
October 8, 2025
Чому люди такі жорстокі?
Якщо чесно, я зовсім інакшого очікувала від цієї книги.
Читала її довго, в кілька підходів — бо мені було важко «перетравити» все, що там відбувається.
«Бувальщини містечка на річці Хулань» Сяо Хон написала у формі дитячих спогадів. Це оповідь про невеличке китайське селище на початку ХХ століття — ще до приходу червоного режиму. Побут, традиції, вірування, плітки, ярмарки, смаколики — місцями здається, що читаєш етнографічні нотатки.
Але раптом розумієш: ця книжка цілком може замінити горор на Геловін 😅
Бо страшно не від примар, а від людей — від тупості, байдужості, наївності та жорстокості.
Тут і 12-річна дівчинка, яку забрали як невістку й замучили до смерті. І шамани, які «лікують» замість лікарів. І селяни, які витрачають останнє на ворожіння, але не мають співчуття.
Коли в когось помирає дружина, всі чекають — утопиться він чи ні, бо ж «цікаво подивитися»…
Деколи ловиш себе на думці: це ж наша приказка «чому бідний — бо дурний» у дії.
І водночас — віддзеркалення сьогоденної жорстокості. Бо й зараз можна побачити, як знущаються з невістки, дитини чи людини з фізичними вадами.
Та серед цього болю є й щось ніжне — спогади з дитинства, коли ти нишпориш у шафах, знаходиш забуті речі, ховаєшся в саду чи без кінця ставиш дорослим питання про світ.
Це складна, але захоплива книга. Без прикрас і цензури показує «внутрішній Китай» — з його віруваннями, страхами, традиціями.
Місцями вона схожа на билини чи байки, які передають з уст в уста. І ти починаєш сумніватись, а чи надійний наш оповідач? Але за кожною історією помічаєш справжній крик про несправедливість, людську тупість і біль, який не втрачає актуальності навіть сьогодні.
Якщо чесно, я зовсім інакшого очікувала від цієї книги.
Читала її довго, в кілька підходів — бо мені було важко «перетравити» все, що там відбувається.
«Бувальщини містечка на річці Хулань» Сяо Хон написала у формі дитячих спогадів. Це оповідь про невеличке китайське селище на початку ХХ століття — ще до приходу червоного режиму. Побут, традиції, вірування, плітки, ярмарки, смаколики — місцями здається, що читаєш етнографічні нотатки.
Але раптом розумієш: ця книжка цілком може замінити горор на Геловін 😅
Бо страшно не від примар, а від людей — від тупості, байдужості, наївності та жорстокості.
Тут і 12-річна дівчинка, яку забрали як невістку й замучили до смерті. І шамани, які «лікують» замість лікарів. І селяни, які витрачають останнє на ворожіння, але не мають співчуття.
Коли в когось помирає дружина, всі чекають — утопиться він чи ні, бо ж «цікаво подивитися»…
Деколи ловиш себе на думці: це ж наша приказка «чому бідний — бо дурний» у дії.
І водночас — віддзеркалення сьогоденної жорстокості. Бо й зараз можна побачити, як знущаються з невістки, дитини чи людини з фізичними вадами.
Та серед цього болю є й щось ніжне — спогади з дитинства, коли ти нишпориш у шафах, знаходиш забуті речі, ховаєшся в саду чи без кінця ставиш дорослим питання про світ.
Це складна, але захоплива книга. Без прикрас і цензури показує «внутрішній Китай» — з його віруваннями, страхами, традиціями.
Місцями вона схожа на билини чи байки, які передають з уст в уста. І ти починаєш сумніватись, а чи надійний наш оповідач? Але за кожною історією помічаєш справжній крик про несправедливість, людську тупість і біль, який не втрачає актуальності навіть сьогодні.
February 27, 2026
I especially love reading Chinese literature from 30s/40s because you can really get a grasp of just how far we've come. It took me a while to really get used to the fragmented writing style. There are short scenes after short scenes of traditional practices in the author's rural village, some of them so mundane that I needed to reread to really think about why they are here, while some are more explicitly critiquing the absurdity of the villagers' heartlessness. These short scenes have no clear connections and are almost pointless, but I think they, in a way, make up the main point - the villagers' lives are so tedious that they reflect the structure of this book (or vice versa).
I can see how the critique of the lack of ambition and progress among the people from her hometown is conveyed through the deliberately layered structure, which creates a sense of pressure (as though the people are constrained by their ingrained, traditional cultural habitus), but I personally prefer a more engaging way of presenting issues.
I can see how the critique of the lack of ambition and progress among the people from her hometown is conveyed through the deliberately layered structure, which creates a sense of pressure (as though the people are constrained by their ingrained, traditional cultural habitus), but I personally prefer a more engaging way of presenting issues.
November 9, 2023
I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man.
If Xiao Hong was a man, then she would be THE MAN.
If Xiao Hong was a man, then she would be THE MAN.
August 23, 2025
I liked the rhythm of the narrative but I couldn’t bring myself to like the book. It seemed somehow quite dull.
And then I looked at another translation - by H. Goldblatt. It is a completely different book. Well a quite different book. It turned to be a charming and sometimes quite sad detailed account of life in Hulan town. A very special book.
Anyway, if you want to read it in English, H. Goldblatt’s translation is the way to go.
And then I looked at another translation - by H. Goldblatt. It is a completely different book. Well a quite different book. It turned to be a charming and sometimes quite sad detailed account of life in Hulan town. A very special book.
Anyway, if you want to read it in English, H. Goldblatt’s translation is the way to go.
August 9, 2021
„Opowieści znad rzeki Hulan” to niesamowicie szczegółowy portret chińskiego miasteczka i jego mieszkańców. W książce Xiao Hong skupia się na barwnych opisach zamieszkujących je postaci, czy przedstawieniach budynków, które pamięta z dzieciństwa. Oczami mądrego dziecka opisuje otaczający ją świat, nie bojąc się wyrażać swojej opinii na jego temat. Co tu dużo mówić, skoro Lu Xun chwalił, chwalę i ja.
April 8, 2023
看了呼兰河传，我更不相信汤唯演得那是萧红了，演得另一个王佳芝还差不多。
February 26, 2026
Piękna opowieść o Hulan, w której toczy się proste życie, gdzie poznajemy perspektywę różnych bohaterów. Bardzo ciekawa, dużo ciekawostek na temat Chin.
November 30, 2024
В цілому написано добре, однак більшій частині книжки бракує сюжету. Спогади про традиції, події, повсякденне життя містечка Хулань по своєму цікаві, але ні до чого не приводять. А ще авторка чомусь іноді повторює одні й ті самі фрази в межах одного абзацу або ту саму думку висловлює трохи зміненими словами, що виглядає як невичитаний текст.
May 7, 2019
Xiao Hong narra sus recuerdos de infancia en el pueblo rural de Hulan, por medio del personaje de una niña pequeña que vive en él. El relato es una descripción de la cotidianidad de su familia y vecinos, desde donde la autora nos muestra la conjugación de las tradiciones, las supersticiones y la violencia de este remoto pueblo. La niña que cuenta esta historia, va cuestionando y conflictuando con la forma de actuar de sus cercanos, lo cual se condice con la vida de la autora, que terminó huyendo de este pueblo.
December 13, 2020
因一時憤怒，一口氣忙裡偷閒讀完了。恰好卡在了小團圓媳婦跳大神的章節，看著那些看熱鬧的人們，「雖然不知道下文如何，這小團圓媳婦到底是死是活。但卻沒有白看一場熱鬧，到底是開了眼界，見了世面，總算是不無所得的。」看著那跳大神的人們，為了這一場面，對著小團圓媳婦噴酒扎針，熱水澆頭。當時當景，今時今景。這一本開始讀時頗為折磨，薄薄一本書卻折騰了四五個月。不大習慣蕭紅的文字，不知是因為時間還是因為地域。讀完1984後本想著一鼓作氣結束，卻昏昏欲睡。一度想把它扔在「看過便過」，哪想歷史輪迴，書中的故事竟在今日完美復刻，看客浩浩湯湯地作著人肉的事情，興趣微失，又有人煽風點火。於是我才知蕭紅筆力。這故事在我的心中又升華了幾分。
April 23, 2023
读《呼兰河传》原本是源自亲子共读的要求，没想到竟被民国才女萧红的不幸遭遇和其既淡雅又触动心灵的文字打动。被愚昧的邻里和跳大神的活活折磨致死的团圆媳妇，生活在底层的有二伯和冯歪嘴子们都深深触动了越来越冷冰的心绪。五星推荐
August 1, 2024
Tässäpä on kirja, jonka olisin helposti ohittanut, ellen seuraisi suomentaja Rauno Sainion tekemisiä Instagramissa. Harvaa suomentajaa tulee näin seurattua, mutta seuraamalla Sainiota saa samalla lähes täysin kattavan näkökulman kiinasta suomennettaviin kirjoihin. Hulanjoen tarinat on pienen Punos-kustantamon julkaisu ja siksikin jäisi herkästi huomaamatta.
Punos on keskittynyt julkaisemaan unohdettuja klassikoita ja helmiä vuosien takaa ja erityisesti naiskirjailijoilta. Tähän ajatukseen Hulanjoen tarinat soveltuu mainiosti. Vaikka kirjailija Xiao Hong (1911–1942) onkin Kiinassa pidetty ja paljon luettu, Suomessa hän on lähes tuntematon. Harvassapa ovat Suomessa tunnetut kiinalaiskirjailijat.
Hulanjoen tarinat jäi Xiao Hongin viimeiseksi teokseksi ja julkaistiin postuumisti pian XIao Hongin ennenaikaisen kuoleman jälkeen. Kirja kertoo elämästä Hulanjoen kylässä Koillis-Kiinassa 1900-luvun alkuvuosikymmeninä. Tämä on Xiao Hongin omaa lapsuutta, elämää suhteellisen varakkaan perheen tyttärenä yleisesti ottaen aika köyhällä alueella.
Tyylilajiltaan Hulanjoen tarinat on vähän sekalainen: ei se kovin selkeä romaani ainakaan ole. Yhtenäisen tarinan sijasta kirja kuvailee elämää Hulanjoella ja esittelee paikallista elämäntapaa ja uskomuksia. Vasta kolmannessa luvussa esiin nousevat esiin tyttö ja tämän isoiso, jonka seurassa pikkutyttö pääasiassa aikaansa viettää. Sittenkin tämä kerronta saa myöhemmin taas väistyä paikalliselämän dokumentoinnin tieltä. Kirja on siis jonkinlainen yhdistelmä fiktiota, muistelmia ja tietokirjallista kuvausta.
Kirjan kuvaama maailma on tuntematon ja kiehtova. Maalaiset ovat köyhiä ja taikauskoisia, kovia juoruamaan ja erittäin kiinnostuneita muiden asioista, etenkin toisten kärsimyksistä. Kovin inhimillistä sakkia, siis. Naisen asema ei Kiinan maaseudulla ole häävi. Se käy voimakkaimmin ilmi etenkin pitkällisessä kuvauksessa Hun perheen lapsimorsiamen kärsimyksistä. Normaali miniän opettaminen tavoille väkivallan avulla menee liian pitkälle ja käy lopulta anopillekin kalliiksi, mutta kovimman hinnan maksaa silti lapsimorsian.
Hulanjoen tarinat on kelpo lisä suomennetun kirjallisuuden kirjoon ja on mukavaa saada lukea Xiao Hongin kaltaista maineikasta ja arvostettua kirjailijaa suomeksi. Xiao Hongin kuvaus on eloisaa ja taitavasti kirjoitettua, ja Sainio tekee luotettavan hyvää työtä suomennoksen kanssa.
---
This book might have been overlooked if I hadn’t followed translator Rauno Sainio on Instagram. He offers a comprehensive view of Chinese literature translated into Finnish.
The publisher Punos specialises in forgotten classics, especially by female authors. "Tales of Hulan River" fits this concept perfectly. Although Xiao Hong (1911–1942) is well-known in China, she is almost unknown in Finland, where few Chinese authors are familiar.
"Tales of Hulan River" was Xiao Hong's last work, published posthumously. It depicts life in Hulan River village in Northeast China during the early 20th century, reflecting her childhood as the daughter of a relatively affluent family in a generally poor area.
The book's style is mixed; it’s not a clear-cut novel. Instead of a continuous narrative, it describes local life, customs, and beliefs. Only in the third chapter do we meet a girl and her grandfather, but even this narrative gives way to documenting local life. The book blends fiction, memoir, and factual description.
The depicted world is unknown and fascinating. Villagers are poor, superstitious, and gossipy, very interested in others' affairs, especially their suffering. Women's status is dismal, highlighted by the suffering of a child bride in the Hun family. Teaching a daughter-in-law through violence goes too far, becoming costly for the mother-in-law, but the child bride pays the highest price.
"Tales of Hulan River" is a worthy addition to translated literature, and it is delightful to read a renowned author like Xiao Hong in Finnish. Her writing is vivid and skilful, and Sainio’s translation is excellent.
Punos on keskittynyt julkaisemaan unohdettuja klassikoita ja helmiä vuosien takaa ja erityisesti naiskirjailijoilta. Tähän ajatukseen Hulanjoen tarinat soveltuu mainiosti. Vaikka kirjailija Xiao Hong (1911–1942) onkin Kiinassa pidetty ja paljon luettu, Suomessa hän on lähes tuntematon. Harvassapa ovat Suomessa tunnetut kiinalaiskirjailijat.
Hulanjoen tarinat jäi Xiao Hongin viimeiseksi teokseksi ja julkaistiin postuumisti pian XIao Hongin ennenaikaisen kuoleman jälkeen. Kirja kertoo elämästä Hulanjoen kylässä Koillis-Kiinassa 1900-luvun alkuvuosikymmeninä. Tämä on Xiao Hongin omaa lapsuutta, elämää suhteellisen varakkaan perheen tyttärenä yleisesti ottaen aika köyhällä alueella.
Tyylilajiltaan Hulanjoen tarinat on vähän sekalainen: ei se kovin selkeä romaani ainakaan ole. Yhtenäisen tarinan sijasta kirja kuvailee elämää Hulanjoella ja esittelee paikallista elämäntapaa ja uskomuksia. Vasta kolmannessa luvussa esiin nousevat esiin tyttö ja tämän isoiso, jonka seurassa pikkutyttö pääasiassa aikaansa viettää. Sittenkin tämä kerronta saa myöhemmin taas väistyä paikalliselämän dokumentoinnin tieltä. Kirja on siis jonkinlainen yhdistelmä fiktiota, muistelmia ja tietokirjallista kuvausta.
Kirjan kuvaama maailma on tuntematon ja kiehtova. Maalaiset ovat köyhiä ja taikauskoisia, kovia juoruamaan ja erittäin kiinnostuneita muiden asioista, etenkin toisten kärsimyksistä. Kovin inhimillistä sakkia, siis. Naisen asema ei Kiinan maaseudulla ole häävi. Se käy voimakkaimmin ilmi etenkin pitkällisessä kuvauksessa Hun perheen lapsimorsiamen kärsimyksistä. Normaali miniän opettaminen tavoille väkivallan avulla menee liian pitkälle ja käy lopulta anopillekin kalliiksi, mutta kovimman hinnan maksaa silti lapsimorsian.
Hulanjoen tarinat on kelpo lisä suomennetun kirjallisuuden kirjoon ja on mukavaa saada lukea Xiao Hongin kaltaista maineikasta ja arvostettua kirjailijaa suomeksi. Xiao Hongin kuvaus on eloisaa ja taitavasti kirjoitettua, ja Sainio tekee luotettavan hyvää työtä suomennoksen kanssa.
---
This book might have been overlooked if I hadn’t followed translator Rauno Sainio on Instagram. He offers a comprehensive view of Chinese literature translated into Finnish.
The publisher Punos specialises in forgotten classics, especially by female authors. "Tales of Hulan River" fits this concept perfectly. Although Xiao Hong (1911–1942) is well-known in China, she is almost unknown in Finland, where few Chinese authors are familiar.
"Tales of Hulan River" was Xiao Hong's last work, published posthumously. It depicts life in Hulan River village in Northeast China during the early 20th century, reflecting her childhood as the daughter of a relatively affluent family in a generally poor area.
The book's style is mixed; it’s not a clear-cut novel. Instead of a continuous narrative, it describes local life, customs, and beliefs. Only in the third chapter do we meet a girl and her grandfather, but even this narrative gives way to documenting local life. The book blends fiction, memoir, and factual description.
The depicted world is unknown and fascinating. Villagers are poor, superstitious, and gossipy, very interested in others' affairs, especially their suffering. Women's status is dismal, highlighted by the suffering of a child bride in the Hun family. Teaching a daughter-in-law through violence goes too far, becoming costly for the mother-in-law, but the child bride pays the highest price.
"Tales of Hulan River" is a worthy addition to translated literature, and it is delightful to read a renowned author like Xiao Hong in Finnish. Her writing is vivid and skilful, and Sainio’s translation is excellent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews