Brothers () is the longest novel written by the Chinese novelist Yu Hua, in total of 76 chapters, separately published in 2005 for the part 1 (of the first 26 chapters) and in 2006 for part 2 (of the rest 50 chapters) by Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House. This was Yu Hua's first novel after a decade of dormancy from writing and publishing works. It has over 180 thousand characters in Chinese, more than the 100 thousand characters that were originally planned for the book. It intertwines tragedy and comedy, and Yu Hua himself admits that the novel is personally his favorite literary work. Literature Resource Center. Brothers was a new realm of literature for Yu Hua, with the novel often being described as extremely crude and expletive. Brothers has experienced great success with nearly 1 million copies sold in China. By 2019, Yu Hua's works had been published in 38 countries and translated into 35 different languages. This success may be contributed to his success publicity tour to gain attraction towards the novel after his hiatus from writing. While reception among Chinese critics was generally negative, "Many critics here have lashed out at Mr. Yu, who has long been one of China's most respected novelists, for producing what one called a trashy, Hollywood-style portrait of the country." the novel was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize and awarded France's Prix Courrier International in 2008. It was translated into English by Eileen Cheng-yin Chow and Carlos Rojas in 2009, a couple from the Middle Eastern department at Duke University.Yu, Hua. Brothers: A Novel. Translated by Eileen Cheng-yin Chow and Carlos Rojas, Anchor Books 2009.
The story of the novel revolves around the step-brotherhood between protagonists Baldy Li and Song Gang. Their life, both absurd and tragic, throughout China's history from the 1960s to the early period of the reform and opening up serves as the main plot. The division of the novel into two parts is contextually on the basis of the death of Li Lan, the biological mother of Baldy Li and the step-mother of Song Gang. The first part primarily focuses on their childhood, especially during the Cultural Revolution with the collapse of their reorganized family and the tragedy of Song Fanping, the biological father of Song Gang and the step-father of Baldy Li. The second part focuses on their adulthood with different life trajectories, especially during the early period of the reform and opening up that formulates the mixture of absurdity and tragedy.Yu, Hua. Brothers: A Novel. Translated by Eileen Cheng-yin Chow and Carlos Rojas, Anchor Books, 2009.
Background
As shown in the translator's preface, even though Brothers was published in 2005 and 2006, Yu Hua "originally conceived of the idea for the novel as early as 1995". The process of his writing was not well-off at the beginning. However, during his seven-month trip to the United States and France in 2003, he was "inspired" to go back to the project while China was stuck in the "beauty-pageant fever". The "Miss World competition", "Tourism Queen International pageant", "National Contest of the Beauty of the Gray-headed for contestants over fifty-five", and "Miss Artificial Beauty pageant for plastic surgery recipients" are representative of the trend of absurdity in China that encouraged Yu Hua for the continuation of the novel that is of the reality of absurdity. Turns out, the reality of absurdity is demonstrated in the novel, especially in Part 2 with a fictional event called "National Virgin Beauty Competition".
Yu Hua had expressed in an interview with Zhang Qinghua that he wanted to express some level of chaos in Brothers, which had characterized his writing throughout the 1980s to the present. The Cultural Revolution plays a major role in the novel, particularly in Part 1. The brothers have to navigate their way through the chaotic times of the political movement that happened in this time period. Yu Hua himself came of age during the Cultural Revolution. He said in the interview, "The Cultural Revolution was my formative experience, from the age of seven to seventeen, which of course would leave a significant impact". His view of violence also heavily influenced the writing of the book. He mentioned that the scene where Song Fanping - one of the main characters in the novel - was being beaten to death, was influenced by his own witness of an individual being beaten to death by the head of the revolutionary committee. The background of the author and of the Cultural Revolution with violence is significant because much of what happens in the book reflects the chaos that accompanied it.
Plot summary
Brothers describes the step-brotherhood between Baldy Li and Song Gang. Their life of childhood and adolescence accompanied by their parents, Li Lan and Song Fanping, as a reorganized family amidst the rising and falling during the Culture Revolution period is depicted in Part 1. Their life of adulthood with different living trajectories and destines during the early period of China's Opening-up is depicted in Part 2.
Part 1
Before the birth of Baldy Li, his biological father falls into the cesspool and drowns himself while peeping at women's butts in a public latrine. When Baldy Li becomes a teenager, he is caught and marched by Poet Zhao and Writer Liu as punishment for peeking at five women's butts in a latrine. The mother of Baldy Li, Li Lan, is ashamed, resulting in her bitter muttering about her son – "A chip off the old block". Even though Baldy Li's good name is ruined, he begins to sell his glimpse of the naked bottom of Lin Hong, who is the most beautiful woman in Liu Town, in exchange of house-special noodles.
Li Lan was extremely distressed and afraid of losing face due to the shameful death of her husband, resulting in the long-term migraines after giving birth to Baldy Li. She shuts the door to the public and becomes isolated while raising Baldy Li. Song Fanping – the man who is always nice to Li Lan and brings the shit-covered dead body of the father of Baldy Li back to her – is an exception. When Song Fanping's wife dies and Baldy Li is about seven, Li Lan and Song Fanping get married. Song Fanping, Li Lan, Baldy Li, and Song Gang – the son of Song Fanping become a new blended family.
One year after their marriage, Li Lan's migraines get worse. Song Fanping asks Li Lan to go to Shanghai for better medical treatment. Song Fanping takes care of Baldy Li and Song Gang himself. With the arrival of the Cultural Revolution, Song Fanping is overthrown because he is born into the landowning class. Song Fanping begins sweeping the school with red plaques around his neck, Baldy Li translates these plaques according to Song Fanping's lessons about landlord being similar to Chairman Mao. Song Fanping is tortured and locked up in a warehouse. The kids have to take care of themselves while being bullied by their peers.
Song Fanping escapes from the warehouse and tries to pick Li Lai up in Shanghai as he promised, but he is beaten and tortured to death by the Red Guards at the bus depot of Liu Town. "How can people be this vicious?", says Mama Su, who witnesses Song Fanping's death.
No one dares touch Song Fanping's body for Baldy Li and Song Gang, except a man named Tao Qing who helps the kids bring Song Fanping's dead body to their home. When Li Lan comes back from Shanghai and notices the death of her husband, she remains strong and handles his death. Li Lan purchases a coffin and brings his body to his birth town where Song Gang is picked up by his grandfather to live in the countryside.
Li Lan remains loyal and steadfast for seven years after the death of Song Fanping by refusing to wash her hair. By the time Baldy Li is caught because of peeking five women's butts in a latrine like his father, Li Lan worries about Baldy Li's future and realizes that she is dying. She then takes care of Baldy Li's orphan aid with Tao Qing and prepares her death affairs and visits Song Fanping's grave for the Qingming holiday. She is accompanied by both Baldy Li and Song Gang at the very last moment of her life. She requests Song Gang to take care of Baldy Li by entrusting the boys to remain brothers and to always be fair by splitting. Song Gang makes his promise.
Part 2
Soon after Li Lan's death, Song Gang's grandfather dies as well. Song Gang then moves back to Liu Town and lives with Baldy Li. Baldy Li works at the Good Works Factory, and Song Gang works at the metal factory.
When Baldy Li is appointed factory director, he decides to woo Lin Hong with Song Gang's assistance. Lin Hong is sick of Baldy Li's notorious reputation but interested in Song Gang's grace and elegance. Song Gang reciprocates these feelings for Lin Hong. Eventually, Song Gang and Lin Hong get married. The following day of their marriage, Baldy Li goes to the hospital for a vasoligation with the goal of demonstrating his loyalty and steadfastness to Lin Hong.
Baldy Li gets heart-broken but produces a profit miracle one after another at the Good Works Factory made up of disabled men. He then resigns and decides to run his own processing business. After he collects money for capital accumulation from several people in Liu Town and requires them for business preparation, he goes to Shanghai to seek business opportunities. However, he fails. When he comes back to Liu Town, he cannot make a living but asks Song Gang for relief. Lin Hong is unhappy about the reunion of Song Gang and Baldy Li, thus Song Gang severs his connection with Baldy Li once more.
Baldy Li wants to go back to working at the Good Works Factory, but his request is rejected due to his unauthorized resignation that brought shame to Tao Qing. He thus protests in front of the county government building a scrap accumulation by sorting the junk. By accident, he begins to make money via selling the accumulated scraps and gets rich. He begins to return the debt to the town people he accumulated capital from with interests, he asks if they would like to join his newest business venture and heads to Japan for "junk suits" and speak with other businesses to become richer.
In the following five years, Baldy Li becomes a real man of wealth by running a real estate business in Liu Town. Nonetheless, Song Gang becomes unemployed. Even though he tries hard to make a living to support his family, he is seriously sick as his lungs are ruined. While Song Gang struggles with money-making, Baldy Li engages in a lawsuit with women who slept with Baldy Li and claim that he is the biological father of their kids. The farce at court ends up with the demonstration of Baldy Li's vasoligation that helps him win the lawsuit. After the farce, Writer Liu publishes a report to praise Baldy Li, resulting in making Baldy Li as a successful entrepreneur nation-widely. Liu Town is, therefore, known as Baldy Li's Town.
Song Gang compromises with Lin Hong to ask Baldy Li for employment. Baldy Li offers a management position to Song Gang, but he declines as he feels ill-prepared. In response, Baldy Li secretly gives money to Lin Hong and requests her to send Song Gang for medical treatment.
Baldy Li gets less and less famous from his nationwide image of a successful entrepreneur. He decides to hold an Inaugural National Virgin Beauty Competition to make his reputation great again. The so-called hymen economy springs up along with the competition. The Liu Town, which is also known as the Baldy Li's Town, is now named as Virgin Beauty Town. Thousands of virgins journey to Liu Town in hopes to win and possibly become Baldy Li's wife. Wandering Zhou, a charlatan, begins to make a profit during the competition by selling fake hymens international and domestic to the virgins.