The childhood in The Blue Door

The Blue Door

Zhang Zhongcheng

21st Century Publishing Group

May 2020

28.00 （CNY）

Brief introduction：

The book is mainly based on the story of Grandpa Hou and his adopted child， Yandou， a touching story about love and expectation through narration interspersed with flashbacks. There are only a few characters in this book， but its language is thought-provoking and emotional. With distinctive features of Northeast China and a heart-wrenching theme of life and death， it frames a warm， unpolished， and rich literary world. The seemingly plain narrative integrates rich plots such as the changes in the city， the collective memory of one generation， the traditional virtue of benevolence， and the distinctive regional culture in Northeast China with the story. With intense humanistic feelings and real social influence， it depicts the joys and sorrows， loneliness and affection， humbleness and nobility of ordinary people， showing the weight of life and the light of hope during the growth of young children under special circumstances.

Zhang Zhongcheng

He is a writer of Liaoning School of Chinese Language and Literature， a member of the Chinese Writers Association， and a member of the 10th National Committee of Liaoning Writers Association. His novels with nearly one million Chinese characters have been published. The collection of his novellas and short stories Cui Yi was selected into the “21st Century Literature Stars Series”， and some of his novellas and short stories were published in some selected journals such as Fiction Monthly. He was a student of the 30th advanced training class of Lu Xun Literature Institute. Also， he has won prizes such as the Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award and the Liaoning Literature Award.

The Blue Door mainly tells a story of Grandpa Hou， an elderly person with no family， and Yandou， an orphan. The story is about the non-biological grandpa and grandson depending on each other for survival. The former is compassionate and benevolent， with ardent expectations; the latter innocent and kind， yearning for family connection. The story is set in the scenes of life such as urban renewal， the loss of folk art， and the decline of traditional craftsmanship in the context of social transformation. In this sense， The Blue Door is not only a story about a bereaved orphan， but also a novel of social customs that features changes in life and the vicissitudes of the world in the eyes of a child.

Composed of multiple life aspects and multi-dimensional social realities， the work has rich connotations to be explored.

Firstly， the meaning of family to children.

Research on modern sociology of childhood shows that childhood is not only a life phenomenon but also a social structure and cultural existence. Among the many factors that affect the form of childhood， the family structure and family culture with affection as the link are the most important. In other words， for children， their childhood often depends on family structure and family culture they experience.

Yandou in the story leads a miserable life. His father passed away when he was three， and his mother died when he was five. Such an experience is extremely cruel for an innocent child. However， he is lucky because he meets a kind， benevolent， and righteous Grandpa Hou. He is closer to Grandpa Hou than any blood relatives. With an old and aging body， the kind and generous man gives Yandou adequate food and clothing as well as the emotional support of mutual dependence for life. It is Grandpa Hou who salvages Yandou’s childhood and ignites the light of faith and hope for this hopeless and helpless orphan. In Yandou’s life， Grandpa Hou is like the sun on cold winter days， bathing him with warmth; like a candle in the endless night， he wipes out the psychological shadows in Yandou’s heart. It is not exaggerated to say that it is Grandpa Hou who brings warmth to Yandou’s helpless life and glorifies his gloomy childhood. This shows that for a child who is doomed to a life of abandonment， a family dominated by an aged stranger can have a profound impact on his childhood and spiritual life.

Secondly， the impact of “benevolence and righteousness” on life.

In The Blue Door， Grandpa Hou witnesses and experiences the changes of Youfang Street. This place has been his home for decades. With the passage of time， things have changed. Grandpa Hou remains steadfast. He is the watchman of the declining craftsmanship. Although his hopeless persistence and belief in despair seem tragic and inopportune， he has protected the little orphan Yandou’s ill-fated destiny， and salvaged his childhood.

The novel is admirably descriptive of the image of Grandpa Hou. As a result， the “watchman” of Youfang Street is so true-to-life that he stands upright like a sculpture on the streets of the city， standing the test of time. In the author’s opinion， the meanings of Grandpa Hou’s as the watcher in the novel are threefold at least. The first one is holding on to self-worth. This is manifested in the old man’s recognition and persistence of the identity of the barber. In the eyes of Grandpa Hou， setting up a stand to shave people’s heads is not about doing business， but about daily routine and communication with the neighborhood. Therefore， regardless of the weather and seasons， he is always delighted to set up a stall at the street corner and provide service to customers. The old man’s stiffness and persistence are actually attributable to his nostalgia for the good old days and his recognition of self-worth and his identity. The second one is the longing for the family connection. In Grandpa Hou’s life， the loss of his intellectually disabled son Hulu remains a mystery. He could never solve the mystery， nor get over it. Year after year， posting New Year paitings and painting the door undoubtedly show the yearning and remembrance of the kinship that has gone. The third one is the watching of a bereaved childhood. In the story， Grandpa Hou is the protector of the childhood of Yandou， the little orphan. Thanks to the relationship between grandfather and grandson that transcends blood ties， Yandou， who has a bereaved， friendless and lonely childhood， finally grows up， with Grandpa Hou keeping each other company.

And it is his “benevolence and righteousness” that helps Grandpa Hou achieve triple goals.

As we all know， “benevolence and righteousness” is an important ethical concept of Confucianism， and the basic meaning is love and justice. As “Specific Ceremonial Rituals （Part 1）” of The Book of Rituals reads， “The course （of duty）， virtue， benevolence， and righteousness cannot be fully carried out without the rules of propriety”. This shows that “benevolence and righteousness” is the core of morality， and dictates the norms and regulation of etiquette. Having been interpreted and developed by the great Confucian masters such as Mencius and Dong Zhongshu， “benevolence and righteousness” has become equivalent to traditional Chinese morals. As the norms of Chinese virtues， it has become the root of traditional Chinese culture. With a long history， it is kept alive among the people.

Reading through the novel， we will easily find that Youfang Street in the novel is also a “l(fā)and of benevolence and righteousness” as a whole， although there are shady characters and doings that exist. The neighborhood is characterized by simple and nice people， peaceful and harmonious life. It is the social and cultural environment that gives birth to the benevolent， honest， gentle， generous old men like Grandpa Hou， Grandpa Hu and Grandpa Shijing. Among them， righteous， kind and generous Grandpa Hou is the embodiment of the virtues of “benevolence and righteousness”.

In the story， Grandpa Hou’s generosity and benevolence have been demonstrated in his words and deeds， which have become his unique ways of thinking and habits. Moreover， apart from Yandou， beneficiaries also include his mentally retarded child Hulu， the woman from a foreign land Mei， his late wife Jiying， the New Year painting master Lao Wei， the neighbor Grandpa Shijing， and even the fool stranger Dudu， the old dog Maotou， and so on. Humanity and integrity featured by supreme kindness， honesty and trust brings the glory to Youfang Street in its decline and adds a touch of warmth and comfort in Yandou’s childhood.

Lastly， the value of kinship. In the novel， Youfang Street no longer exists due to demolition and migration. But Grandpa Hou keeps living there， which seems lonely and tragic. He does not watch two blue doors and an ancient mansion as much as holds fast to his thoughts of his son， his promise to his late wife， and his nostalgia for the days gone.

Similarly， in the novel， the old man keeps living on Youfang Street. At the end of the story， Yandou offers to be his son when Grandpa Hou is thinking of his own son. For Yandou， it is not only a way of showing gratitude and repaying him， but a form of expressing his own identity. This is undoubtedly the beginning of his maturation. In fact， in the novel， Grandpa Hou is the protector of little Yandou while Yandou， a barrel of laughs， offers Grandpa Hou emotional support. How can Grandpa Hou in his declining years be separated from the hope in his life and vitality brought by little Yandou？ It is clear to see that there is a mutually dependent relationship between Grandpa Hou and Yandou as they help each other in humble circumstances， rather than a one-way relationship between grandparents and grandchild.

Outstanding literature in its own right is not only a record and imitation of reality， but also the sublimation and brilliance of life. It gives rise to warmth in sadness， lightness in heaviness， dim light in darkness， and smiles in tears ... It is a silver lining for children walking in the dark so that lost teenagers come to their senses and find their way home. And that is exactly the value and responsibility of children’s literature for childhood.

The author is a professor of Shanghai Normal University， doctoral supervisor， and author of children’s literature.