''The Execution of Mayor Yin'' () is a 1978 collection of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

by Chen Ruoxi, based on her experiences in

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

during the 1960s and 1970s before she came to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. The collection was published in English under the title ''The Execution of Mayor Yin and Other Stories from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution''. Bloomington:

Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...

, 1978. Tr. by Nancy Ing and

Howard Goldblatt Howard Goldblatt (, born 1939) is a literary translator of numerous works of contemporary Chinese (mainland China & Taiwan) fiction, including '' The Taste of Apples'' by Huang Chunming and ''The Execution of Mayor Yin'' by Chen Ruoxi. Goldblatt ...

. The English language translation attained wide recognition, as its publication occurred at a time when U.S. President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China, the

death of Mao Zedong Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, died on 9 September 1976 at the age of 82, following a period of ill health. The government ordered a week of national mourning followi ...

, and the thaw in diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China all generated widespread interest in China in the United States.
revised edition
of the book with a new introduction by Perry Link was re-issued by Indiana University Press in 2004.

Context

''The Execution of Mayor Yin'' contains stories set during the period of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

in China, approximately 1965–1975.

Themes

Major themes of the stories in the collection include freedom vs. conformity, disillusionment, bewilderment, trauma, disgust, and political persecution.

Motifs

Major motifs include the steady stream of political campaigns and the Cult of Mao, as well as many quintessential features of life in China and of Chinese culture. A leitmotif running through the stories is the United States. Chen Ruoxi lived in the United States for a period, and many of the characters in her stories remark on contrasts between their experiences in the United States and in China, as well as between their expectations of life in the "new" China and what they observe of the "real" China.

Short Stories Synopses

''The Execution of Mayor Yin'' consists of eight stories: * The Execution of Mayor Yin (first published in 1974) * "Chairman Mao is a Rotten Egg" * Night Duty * Residency Check * Jen Hsiu-lan * The Big Fish * Keng Erh in Peking * Nixon's Press Corps Brief synopses follow.

The Execution of Mayor Yin

During a visit to a rural area outside of

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

, the narrator sees how political violence during the Cultural Revolution finds escalates through a series of victims, culminating in "Mayor Yin" -- "Yin Xianzhang" or more literally "

county magistrate The county magistrate or local magistrate, known by several Chinese names, was the official in charge of the '' xian'' ("county"), the lowest level of central government in Imperial and early Republican China. The magistrate was the official ...

" Yin. Some of the characters in the story conclude that there is simply no way to understand all of the political campaigns, or to see their consequences in any logical framework. The alludes to one of

Mao Tse-tung Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 and led the countr ...

's most famous speeches:

Serve the People "Serve the People" () is a political slogan and the motto of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It originates from the title of a speech by Mao Zedong, delivered in September 1944. The slogan became popular in the United States due to the strong ...

. The speech is about finding meaning in life by sacrifice.

"Chairman Mao is a Rotten Egg"

In this story, adults discover the absurd ends that a child's indiscretion can lead in the context of the Cult of Mao.

"Night Duty"

An idealistic teacher from Taiwan, who has also lived in the United States, now lives and works in China. In the course of service on a rural farm associated with his school in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

—a variant on the

Down to the Countryside Movement The Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement, often known simply as the Down to the Countryside Movement, was a policy instituted in the China, People's Republic of China between the mid-1950s and 1978. As a result of what he p ...

—he makes some discouraging observations. These include a former book lover who has given up on books, and members of the "red" (proletariat) class who steal from the community.

"Residency Check"

This story turns on accusations of infidelity made against the narrator's (female) neighbor.

"Jen Hsiu-lan"

A (woman) political prisoner makes an "escape." The story is highly symbolic, with pastoral scenes of children combing a hillside—in search of the escaped prisoner. The "escapee" turns out to have drowned herself - in a cesspool.

's speech,

, is alluded to again in this story. A theme of the story is women's liberation (or lack of it) in the "new" China.

"The Big Fish"

A man enjoys the sensual thrill of hunting down, negotiating for, and purchasing a small luxury - a large fish of a kind seldom available—from his local market. His joy is short-lived when he is told that the fish must be returned, in order to preserve the appearance of abundance for visiting reporters.

"Keng Erh in Peking"

This story describes the life of a Chinese man who, after living in the United States for twenty years, moves to China. The story takes place in

Peking Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city as well as China's second largest city by urban area after Shanghai. It is l ...

. It tells about two relationships that the protagonist has had with women, and how both relationships were thwarted by

class struggle In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...

campaigns taking place throughout China at that time.

"Nixon's Press Corps"

U.S. President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China forms the backdrop of this story. The story describes how in one particular neighborhood in the southern Chinese city of

, all residents are encouraged/required to take down their drying racks in order to make a favorable impression on visiting foreigners. In the story, the narrator resists pressure from the leaders of her community, and reflects on the extremes of control in the society.

Bibliography

*Bibliography for individual story translations (found at http://mclc.osu.edu/rc/bib.htm): *"Chairman Mao is a Rotten Egg." In Ann C. Carver and Sung-sheng Yvonne Chang, eds., Bamboo Shoots After the Rain: Contemporary Stories by Women Writers of Taiwan. NY: The Feminist Press, 1990, 83–102. *"The Fish." Tr. Nancy Ing. The Chinese Pen (Winter 1977): 1–15. *"Jen Hsiu-lan." Trs. Nancy Ing and H. Goldblatt. The Chinese Pen (Summer 1977). *"Mayor Ying." Tr. Jeanne Kelly. In

Wai-lim Yip Wai-lim Yip (; Jyutping: Jip6 Wai4-lim4, pinyin: ''Yè Wéilián''; born June 20, 1937), is a Taiwanese poet, translator, critic, editor, and professor of Chinese and comparative literature at UC San Diego. He received his PhD in comparative lite ...

, ed., Chinese Arts and Literature: A Survey of Recent Trends. Occasional Papers/Reprint Series in Contemporary Asian Studies. Baltimore, 1977, 17–40. *"Night Watch." Tr. Nancy Chang Ing. In Wai-lim Yip, ed., Chinese Arts and Literature: A Survey of Recent Trends. Occasional Papers/Reprint Series in Contemporary Asian Studies. Baltimore, 1977, 41–57. *"Residency Check." Tr. Howard Goldblatt. The Chinese Pen (Autumn, 1977): 1-27.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Execution of Mayor Yin, The Taiwanese short story collections 1978 short story collections Books about the Cultural Revolution Short stories set in China Indiana University Press books