The Family (pinyin: Jiā, 家) is an autobiographical novel by Chinese author Ba Jin. It tells the story of an upper-class family in the city of Chengdu in the early 1920s. The novel was first serialized in 1931-2 and then released in a single volume in 1933. The serialization was originally titled Turbulent Stream (激流), but had its name changed after Ba Jin released it as a single volume.
The Family is probably Ba Jin's most famous and most popular work. It is still often read by many for its insights into the fengjian system prevalent in the early 20th century.
The Family focuses on three brothers from the Gao family, Juexin, Juemin and Juehui, and their struggles with the oppressive autocracy of their feudalistic family. The idealistic, rash Juehui, the youngest brother, is the main protagonist, and he is frequently contrasted with the weak eldest brother Juexin, who gives in to the demands from his grandfather and carries on living a life he does not want to live.
Renowned playwright Cao Yu completed a theatrical adaptation of the novel in 1941.
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The Family was first serialized in 1931-2. Together with two additional novels Ba Jin wrote in the period 1939-40, Spring and Autumn, it forms a trilogy, Turbulent Stream (激流三部曲).[1] Spring and Autumn continue the story of the chief characters from The Family.
The subject matter of the novel is broadly autobiographical.[2]
Ba Jin said "I myself am not in the novel," though he expressed affection for one of the protagonists, Chueh-hui.[3] The novel focuses on three brothers: Chueh-hui (the youngest), Chueh-min, and Chueh-hsin (the eldest).
A theme in the novel is the separation imposed by physical and social structures: the walls and gates of mansions,[4] the "masks" worn by their inhabitants,[5] the (false) surface appearance of peace and affection.[6]
"Contradiction" is a related theme.[7]
The author explores the theme of generational conflict and contradiction: "Cheh-hui gazed at his grandfather . . . . It seemed to him that the person lying in the cane reclining chair was not his grandfather but the representative of an entire generation. He knew that the old man and he -- the representative of the grandson's generation -- could never see eye to eye".[8]
The author also identifies a conflict between external structures (physical and social) and self: "You can lock up a person physically, but you cannot imprison his heart.[9]"
An important theme is the challenges faced by women, whether the rich Chin, who wants to be allowed to attend school, or the servant Ming-feng, who is essentially a slave in the mansion.[10]
Family mentions many of the books and authors which inflamed the young protagonists, giving a vivid picture of intellectual life in a provincial capital. The tone and theme was influenced by works that also influenced many Chinese authors of Ba Jin's generation, for instance A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen,[11] about the fate of a woman trapped in the physical and social structures of her marriage. Family is often compared to the 18th century novel, Dream of the Red Chamber, a richly poetic and tragic chronicle of the life of a prominent family living within a great house. Though he did not mention it as a model, Ba Jin, like all educated Chinese of his time, had been familiar with the work from his youth. Where the earlier work is fatalistic and told with philosophical allegory, however, the young heroes of Family leaves home to pursue lives of worldly engagement.[12]
Family was published by Foreign Languages Press (Beijing) in an English translation by Sidney Shapiro in 1958. Anchor Books (NY) published an edition based on the Sidney Shapiro translation.
A play and two films were based on Family.[13] The play was adapted by famous playwright Cao Yu. A recent Mainland Chinese TV adaptation and stars Huang Lei, Lu Yi and Huang Yi.