Construction of the New Rural Epic: The Maihe River by Guan Renshan

Abstract

The Maihe River, a novel by Guan Renshan, can be regarded as a summarizing work of transcendence of the writer’s neo-realism style, showcasing his pursuit and formulation of the “new rural epic” aesthetic, which has major significance for both the writer’s creative process and contemporary Chinese realism writing. In this novel, Guan Renshan not only epically portrays the changing relationship between farmers and their land by using poetic sentiment and rational philosophical thought, but also probes deeply into these new rural areas, new villages, and new farmers developed under the impact of modernity, demonstrating his keen insight and thought.

Key words： Guan Renshan, The Maihe River, native-soil literature