A Distinctly Black and White Historical Testimony
By Si Ningze
I am reading Liu Jiming’s Black and White, not Black and White by any other author, much less White and Black by someone else. To prevent any confusion, I feel the need to emphasize this point.
The name "Liu Jiming" used to be a very ordinary one; a quick internet search would yield many individuals sharing the same name as the writer. But nowadays, it seems more and more people are sensing a fable-like quality in this name, secretly hoping that the black fog currently slowly swallowing the light will soon dissipate so that the light may continue to shine.
The Author's Struggle and Resilience
Liu Jiming was once the Vice Chairman of a provincial Writers' Association. He had created numerous works and enjoyed a stellar reputation in literary circles long ago. However, after he finished writing The Human Realm (《人境》), his colleagues turned against him—a man who had not forgotten his original aspirations.
The Physical Attacks: They violently vandalized his car; this was their use of force.
The Administrative Attacks: Under the guise of whistleblowing, they falsely accused him, claiming that his book In Defense of the Chinese Revolution, published in Taiwan, violated laws and regulations; this was their bureaucratic tactic.
The Hidden Injustice: When Liu reported the vandalism to the police, the relevant departments claimed they were powerless to help; this was the hidden darkness.
The Overt Injustice: Yet, when his adversaries filed false reports against him, those same departments investigated Liu with lightning speed; this was the overt darkness.
What invited such deep-seated hatred? It was likely because Liu Jiming spoke some hard truths.
It was amidst such immense hardship that Liu spent five years writing the 1.2-million-word epic novel Black and White. What a truly admirable feat! Exhausted after completing The Human Realm, Liu had once declared it would be his final novel. But things changed. He sang a loud song and hit the road once again. They wanted to silence him, so he absolutely had to write; they wanted to rewrite history, so he absolutely had to restore its true face. What kind of life is this? What kind of black and white is this?
The Irony of Publication and Censorship
The Taiwanese authorities—who were deeply hurt by the mainland revolution and still harbor a deep hatred for it—permitted the publication of In Defense of the Chinese Revolution. (The book featured a preface by Peking University Professor Kong Qingdong; accepting Professor Kong's advice regarding the preface, Teacher Liu changed the title to Defense and Outcry upon publication). However, the mainland, which deeply benefited from the revolution, refused to publish it. How distinctly black and white this is. Hong Kong—a model of Reform and Opening-up that endured a century of British colonization without experiencing a great revolution—allowed Black and White to be published. Yet, to date, it remains unpublished on the mainland (though it is rumored to be forthcoming). Once again, how distinctly black and white.
History "Cold as Iron"
Black and White is a work that authentically reproduces history, setting it apart from The Human Realm, which depicted numerous heroic figures. The Human Realm carried expectations, so it allowed heroes to strive and struggle. Black and White, however, presents only history as cold as iron. An author cannot rewrite history; if history allows a person to be a hero, they are a hero, but if history rejects them, they are not. When Chairman Mao watched the revolutionary opera The Legend of the Red Lantern, he sorrowfully remarked that too many people had died, but added, "that is just how history is." I imagine Liu Jiming harbored a similar state of mind while writing Black and White: history is, after all, history!
It must be emphasized that Black and White does not reject heroes. Wang Shengli, for instance, is a hero worthy of our eternal admiration. He rendered outstanding service to New China, bled for it, and sacrificed an arm. He never forgot his original aspirations. Bound by his conviction to serve the people, he endured humiliation, persisted in the struggle, and refused to compromise with traitors until his ultimate sacrifice. There are countless people like Wang Shengli in real life; they are the backbone of society. Yet, like him, they have lost their right to speak and can only contribute to society through an unsustainable model of personal sacrifice. How can this not make one sigh with emotion?
Fathers, Sons, and the Nuances of Justice
Wang Shengli wanted his son to become "Wang Cheng" (a classic heroic figure), but the son instead became Wang Sheng. Thinking about Wang Shengli’s painstaking efforts and his teachings, how could they prove so utterly fragile in the face of reality? We cannot blame Wang Shengli for not understanding educational methodologies, or for not knowing that "without comparison, there is no differentiation." Still less can we blame that era for focusing solely on positive education while neglecting negative examples. When writing about this deeply poignant father-son dynamic, the author’s pen remains devoid of emotion and free of any biased manipulation. "Hearing his son's words, Wang Shengli's cloudy eyes lit up, his raised hand dropped weakly, and a relieved smile appeared on his face..." This is the author's final portrayal of Wang Shengli.
Wang Sheng is the sole core character chosen by the author. He is the most crucial central figure and the primary narrative thread to which all other major characters are connected. He is not a hero; he can only be considered a good person. Compared to his adversaries, he is too young, too naive, and sometimes exceedingly simple.
He advises his father to compromise with the Ba Dong family because he does not understand the cutthroat, life-and-death nature of their struggle.
He changes his name from Wang Cheng to Wang Sheng because he cannot endure the mockery of others and doesn't know how to face what he must.
He passes a note for Lang Tao because he doesn't understand the inner workings of a liar's mind.
He associates with Du Wei because he is oblivious to the treachery of human relationships and the Art of War principle of avoiding those whose stances and intentions are unclear.
He reports Wu Bozhong and his son because he doesn't know under what circumstances whistleblowing is actually effective, nor does he understand the price he must be prepared to pay.
None of these descriptions aim to praise or condemn; they merely describe. And precisely because of this, we see the reflections of countless ordinary people shining in Wang Sheng!
Wang Sheng’s actions prove he hasn't yet grasped the word "justice." Some like to say, "Justice may be late, but it is never absent." The "justice" in that phrase refers to punishment, not its fundamental meaning. The fundamental meaning of justice is "everyone's common interest." A person is only just within a group if they represent that group's common interests. It is exactly because of this that Chairman Mao proposed the policy of "killing few and killing carefully," showing leniency to many guilty of heinous crimes; in doing so, he sought to realize true justice—the maximum interest of the people.
Some people act under the banner of "repaying injury with kindness" while committing treacherous acts. This isn't a clumsy imitation; it is a brazen, open conspiracy, because behind all of it lies no true justice and no fundamental common interest of the people. The oft-heard logic of "hurting you in the name of what's good for you" generally reflects this same reality. Among the stories spanning nearly a century in Black and White, which one is not fundamentally about the "common interests" of a specific group? Naturally, those truly fighting for the common interests of the majority will loudly proclaim it and honor it through concrete action. Those representing minority interests will also loudly proclaim they represent everyone's interests, but they can never translate this into action, let alone honor it. No one can simultaneously represent the interests of two opposing sides. On this point, the narrative of Black and White aligns perfectly with historical reality.
Fiction vs. Reality: Prototypes and Beyond
Because Black and White is so remarkably realistic, some people try to directly link its characters and events to real-life counterparts. For example:
Equating Chen Yimeng’s time as a sent-down youth with a specific real-world person.
Linking the Donggang incident (where the masses beat an executive representative to death) to the real-life Tonggang incident.
Connecting the medical-fraudster Wu Bozhong to the real-life qigong master Wang Lin.
Associating the controversial Confession with Qu Qiubai's Superfluous Words.
This kind of interpretation is not only out of context but also diminishes the value of Black and White. A work that truly reflects history undoubtedly relies on numerous real-world prototypes, but the fictionalized characters are richer, more profound, and more representative than their origins.
Contrasting the book with a real-life, bloodless mass incident illustrates this perfectly. In that real-world event, protesters occupied a twenty-plus-story office building, filling every window. Below were even more protesters and official security forces. The moment the security forces received the order to storm the building, the protest representative shouted, "If you dare storm in, we will jump." In an instant, hundreds of people gripped the window frames with one hand and leaned out in unison, ready to jump. If they let go, they would all fall. This unified, silent action was so shocking that the entire scene fell dead silent. The representative said, "Your legitimacy was forged with the blood and lives of us workers. If you don't solve this problem today, we will wash away your legitimacy with our blood." Ultimately, the officials compromised, and a settlement was reached. Can the Donggang incident in Black and White represent this bloodless mass incident? Absolutely. The masses in both scenarios are the same; it is the performance of the officials that differs, thereby leading to different endings.
Weeping as a Battle Song
Black and White is vastly different from The Human Realm. The Human Realm takes a long song and uses it as a lament; Black and White takes weeping and turns it into a long song.
"A long song serving as a lament" is singing for heroes, while also weeping for their suffering and their scarcity.
"Weeping serving as a long song" is crying for endless suffering until there are no tears left, at which point the weeping transforms into a battle song of revenge.
If there were millions of people like Ma Ke and Ma La, society would undoubtedly look entirely different. And it is precisely because of the existence of millions of people like Wu Bozhong, Du Wei, Wang Sheng, and Chen Yimeng that society has become what it is today. You can read The Human Realm without reading The Communist Manifesto, but if you haven't read the Manifesto, you won't truly understand Black and White.
The Human Realm manifested historical truth through specific details, and Black and White continues this style. For example:
Traditional Chinese Medicine's ability to cure illnesses is demonstrated through Wu Bozhong, even though he is a scoundrel. (He still had to rely on genuine skills to accumulate his initial capital for wrongdoing). This simultaneously exposes how hospitals, at certain times, stopped actually treating illnesses.
Wang Sheng organizes a reading list in prison. The list is long and detailed, featuring many works from 1966 to 1976, which implicitly shatters the rumor that "those ten years produced nothing but eight model plays and the writer Hao Ran."
The Story of the Watch told by Wang Sheng's cellmate, Old Guo, recreates the authentic history of the household responsibility system. It makes readers truly feel the hardships and unyielding spirit of collective villages like Nanjie in Henan, Zhouzhuang in Hebei, Xingshisi in the Northeast, and Huaxi in the South.
Through officials like Chen Yimeng—whether good or bad—we see that they do not use The Communist Manifesto as their standard, nor would they even mention it.
The examples are too numerous to list. This is how Black and White captures the original face of history, making it as distinct as black and white.
Conclusion
Black and White is a phenomenal book worthy of repeated reading. If I were to write out all my reflections, the essay would probably be longer than the novel itself. Here, I can only offer a few preliminary remarks to invite further discussion. Borrowing the opening poem from Dream of the Red Chamber seems the most fitting way to offer a final verdict:
"Pages full of absurd words, A handful of hot and bitter tears. Do not say the author is foolish, Who will understand the true meaning within?"
Marx and Engels wrote, "All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned..." Do you see it now?
(Editor's Note: This article was awarded First Prize in the inaugural "I Read Black and White" essay contest.)