Baptism by Yang Jiang

Preface to the Second Edition

Translators’ introduction xiii Xizao is not a novel constructed around a single main character. Rather, it offers a cross-section of every variety of intellectual, in the setting of a government campaign. It has neither an epic-type plot, nor a principal character. Part One describes how New China recruited talents from every quarter. The characters come on stage one by one. Part Two shows how these people really were in need of “washing.” Part Three relates how the characters conducted themselves during the campaign. The “washing” does not have the anticipated effect, because none of them submits to it voluntarily. If human beings are animals that possess intelligence and conscience, then life is nothing but self-discovery and selfrefinement — voluntary self-refinement, unless one is content with being like the birds and beasts. But that is easier said than done. In this novel, only one or two people voluntarily try to transcend themselves. Readers, because they like them, tend to see them as the main characters. I am adding these words as a preface to the new edition. Yang Jiang October 15, 2003 Preface to the Second Edition ...