Darya-i-Hulan Ki Kahaniyan (Tales of Hulan River)
By Xiao Hong
Translated by Inaam Nadeem
Pakistan Academy of Letters
ISBN: 978-969-472-593-2
242pp.

Hū lán hé zhuàn or Tales of Hulan River is a celebrated autobiographical novel by the Chinese writer Xiao Hong (1911-1942). It is a poignant and evocative story about the author’s childhood, from when she was between three to 12 years old (ie 1914-1923), which she spent in a remote village near the Hulan River in northeastern China.

The novel explores themes of poverty, hardship, social injustice and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Xiao Hong’s writing is known for its lyrical beauty, vivid imagery and introspective nature. Tales of Hulan River is considered a classic of modern Chinese literature. It has been praised for its authenticity, emotional depth and its portrayal of life in rural China during a turbulent period.

Some time ago, a detailed and long-term agreement was reached between the Pakistan Academy of Letters and the Writers Association of China, according to which translations of Pakistani literature into Chinese and Chinese literature into Urdu would be published. The main objective of this project is to bring the people of Pakistan and China closer to each other and to create harmony between the two nations at the sociocultural level through literature. It is also a testament to the power of literature to transcend language barriers and connect people across cultures.

The publication of Darya-i-Hulan Ki Kahaniyan is a link in this series. The Urdu translation of this book has been done by prominent Urdu poet and translator Inaam Nadeem. As a translator, the name and work of Nadeem needs no introduction. Many international books translated by him have received praise.

He has translated many English novels into Urdu, including Omar Shahid Hamid’s The Prisoner and Rabisankar Bal’s Dozakhnama and A Mirrored Life. He has also translated and edited a volume of short stories by renowned Hindi fiction writer Bhisham Sahni.

The Urdu translation of a novel considered a classic of modern Chinese literature is immensely atmospheric and evocative and celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity

It’s wonderful to read Nadeem’s Urdu translation of Tales of Hulan River, which resonates so deeply. It’s truly gratifying when a translation captures the essence of the original work and makes it accessible to a wider audience. The translator here has done a great job of capturing the tone and style of Xiao Hong’s writing.

A good translation should be seamless and transparent, allowing the reader to experience the story as if it were written in their native language. It’s commendable that, by reading Nadeem’s Urdu translation, I was able to appreciate the quality of the story. It speaks volumes of Nadeem’s skill and dedication.

His translation is very atmospheric, even in the more technical passages in the beginning of the novel, for example the Preface by Mao Dun, which paints a poignant picture of Xiao Hong’s loneliness that goes beyond mere social isolation. It speaks to a deeper, more profound sense of emptiness that stems from the shattering of hopes and dreams.

As Mao Dun explains, the repeated failure to achieve goals and fulfil aspirations creates a sense of futility and despair in our novelist Xiao Hong. This constant disappointment led her to a feeling of being disconnected from life’s purpose and meaning. The initial confidence in her abilities, a source of strength and motivation, is eroded by the pressures of life. This loss of self-belief further isolates her, making it harder to connect with others or find joy in her work.

It is the most profound level of loneliness described, which goes beyond the absence of social connection. Xiao Hong feels alienated from her own spirit, her sense of purpose and her connection to the world.

Xiao Hong wrote this novel towards the end of her life. It is her memorial to her hometown, which she detested so much that she never returned to visit it, but which she also cared for enough to write about before dying. It is a work that is all at once tragic, heart-rending and beautiful.

You get to learn about life in a Chinese village. The people of the village are simple and very poor. They are content with their lives and try to manage with their limited means of living. They have few occasions throughout the year to celebrate, for which they take extra care, as it is only on these occasions that they get to meet their relatives.

Their respective professions, passed down through generations, are as humble as their lives. Each profession, though modest, is a testament to their resilience, a testament to their ability to find beauty and meaning in the face of adversity.

The novel contains detailed mentions of different and vibrant events, such as the Lantern Festival that honours deceased ancestors, dances of the sorceress to cast off evil, the harvest dance, outdoor opera performances and a fascinating practice known as the burning of paper objects, a tradition deeply rooted in village-life, which comes from the belief that the deceased’s spirit, upon entering the afterlife, will need material possessions just as they did in the living world.

Paper objects (signifying houses, clothes, horses, servants, money etc) are symbolic representations of these necessities. They are believed to be transformed into real objects in the afterlife through the act of burning. The paper objects are often made with intricate details and are burned during funeral ceremonies. The practice is a way for the living to express their love for the deceased, ensuring they have what they need in the next world. It’s a way to offer comfort and support to the departed soul.

People who live in this village often look very dirty and ugly. Their daily wages comprise rotten vegetables and rice. They know how to decorate a bridegroom (and groom), and how to decorate a woman and a girl, but they do not pay the slightest attention to their own upkeep. They wear tattered clothes and live their lives, day after day, year after year, despite changes of weather, without even a coat over their thin skins.

With their long, dishevelled or short curly hair, crooked faces, sunken eyes and bare feet, it is difficult to believe that these pitiful people are also the creators of human statues of such charm and amazing beauty.

But these villagers of Hulan, though poor, are rich in spirit. They possess a quiet strength, a deep-seated resilience and a profound appreciation for the simple things in life. They live in harmony with nature, their lives intertwined with the ebb and flow of the river, the changing seasons and the rhythms of the earth. Their existence, though marked by hardship, is a testament to the enduring human spirit, a testament to the beauty and resilience of life itself.

The only internationally available English translation of H lán hé zhuàn, Tales of Hulan River by Howard Goldblatt, is currently out of print. This leaves me grateful for the Urdu translation of the novel by Inaam Nadeem, which is evocative and reads smoothly.

The reviewer writes short fiction in Urdu and is currently working on her first novel

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, December 8th, 2024