TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Orville Schell, a veteran China scholar and author, has taken a unique approach to understanding China's tumultuous past through his novel "My Old Home." Unlike the traditional historical accounts that have documented the Cultural Revolution, Schell's work offers a fictional narrative that delves into the emotional and spiritual complexities of this dark period in Chinese history.
A Novel Perspective on the Cultural Revolution
His novel, now available in Mandarin, reflects Schell's lifelong journey to comprehend China, a quest that has taken him from Taiwan to the mainland and back again. In his narrative, Schell explores themes that go beyond the political and economic dimensions typically associated with China's history. He delves into the realms of religion, friendship, psychology, art, culture, and music — elements that, according to Schell, reveal much about the human condition within a society under the grip of a one-party system.
"There are so many things that cannot be said or approached in non-fiction," Schell said. "As I spent my whole life trying to understand China... questions of religion, friendship, psychology, art, culture, music, these were things which human beings don't depend on and tell a lot about them."
"My Old Home" tells the story of a classical musician and his young son, both struggling with their identities in a rapidly globalizing world. The son dreams of going to America, eventually making the journey but later returning to China. Through their stories, Schell captures the complexities of living in a country that, while part of the global economy, remains under the tight control of a "techno-autocracy."
"It's a good story about somebody who's a musician, a classical musician who has very deep trouble, and his young son who also wants to go to America and does, but then goes back to China," Schell explained. "It says something about the complexity of living in the globalized world in a country that is still a one-party, highly controlled sort of techno autocracy."
This narrative not only provides a personal lens on China's past but also serves as a cautionary tale for Taiwan. Schell hopes that his book will resonate with Taiwanese readers, offering them a glimpse of what their future could look like if relations with mainland China were to take a darker turn.
"One of the messages that I hope this book will bring to Taiwan is that if there is conflict, which is not unlikely, if the motherland reunifies Taiwan, mainland China, by force, Taiwan's future will be, in a sense, China's past," Schell warned. "So you better get familiar with it."
Fiction as a Bridge to Truth
Schell's transition from nonfiction to fiction has been a challenging yet rewarding journey. After decades of writing about China in a more traditional, factual format, he found that fiction allowed him to explore truths that are often elusive in nonfiction.
"But it's very hard as a nonfiction writer, to become a fiction writer," Schell admitted. However, he believes that his novel offers a more profound understanding of the Cultural Revolution and its lasting impact on Chinese society.
