Rouge Street: Three Novellas

By Shuang Xuetao and Jeremy Tiang

"Rouge Street gives voice to an intriguing cast of characters left behind by China’s economic miracle . . . Shuang pulls no punches . . . From start to finish, his scope is close to the ground, his language sparingly emotive and unobtrusive. He never flinches. As a result, we don’t look away either."
—Jing Tsu, The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)

Introduced by Madeleine Thien, author of the Booker finalist novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing

From one of the most highly celebrated young Chinese writers, three dazzling novellas of Northeast China, mixing realism, mysticism, and noir.

An inventor dreams of escaping his drab surroundings in a flying machine. A criminal, trapped beneath a frozen lake, fights a giant fish. A strange girl pledges to ignite a field of sorghum stalks.

Rouge Street presents three novellas by Shuang Xuetao, the lauded young Chinese writer whose frank, fantastical short fiction has already inspired comparisons to Ernest Hemingway and Haruki Murakami. Located in China’s frigid Northeast, Shenyang, the author’s birthplace, boasts an illustrious past—legend holds that the emperor’s makeup was manufactured here. But while the city enjoyed renewed importance as an industrial hub under Mao Zedong, China’s subsequent transition from communism to a market economy led to an array of social ills—unemployment, poverty, alcoholism, domestic violence, divorce, suicide—that gritty Shenyang epitomizes.

Orbiting the toughest neighborhood of a postindustrial city whose vast, inhospitable landscape makes every aspect of life a struggle, these many-voiced missives are united by Shuang Xuetao’s singular style—one that balances hardscrabble naturalism with the transcendent and faces the bleak environs with winning humor. Rouge Street illuminates not only the hidden pains of those left behind in an extraordinary economic boom but also the inspirations and grace they, nevertheless, manage to discover.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Apr 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250835864

Shuang Xuetao

Shuang Xuetao is one of the most highly celebrated young Chinese writers. Born in 1983 in the city of Shenyang, Shuang has written six volumes of fiction, for which he has won the Blossoms Literary Prize, the Wang Zengqi Short Story Prize, and, most recently, the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize for the best Chinese writer under forty-five. His short stories and novellas, including “Moses on the Plain,” have been adapted into major television productions and feature films. Rouge Street is his first book to appear in English. Shuang lives in Beijing.

Book preview

THE AERONAUT

1

That morning in 1979 when Li Mingqi first showed up at his doorstep, Gao Likuan bristled, and not just at the boy’s outlandish attire—although his bell-bottoms and flashy leather belt certainly didn’t help. Gao had known Mingqi all his life, along with his two younger brothers and six little sisters; the family really was that large. The Lis lived in the row behind the Gao household, and beyond them was Red Flag Square, originally built by the Japanese, who paved it with marble from their quarry in Fuxin. When the work was done, the foreigners released a flock of pigeons into the square, which locals swiftly caught and took home for dinner. The next day, they released another flock of pigeons but stationed soldiers to guard them with rifles; that’s how the Chinese learned that these birds were there to be fed, not eaten. The Japanese surrounded the square with banks and offices, abandoning the structures when they departed. In 1967 a statue of Chairman Mao was erected in the middle, and the pigeons all flew away, never to return. Beneath the Chairman stood a squad of stone soldiers led by a man with rolled-up sleeves who carried a great crimson flag that billowed in the wind.

The Li house was another Japanese remnant, covering some thirty-odd square meters, with a high ceiling and exquisitely crafted windows. Though the printing company had provided both the Gao and the Li homes, Li Mingqi’s father had added a loft to his, with five steps stuck into the wall leading up to it. A family of eleven, women sleeping below and men above—not a bad arrangement.

The main reason for Gao Likuan’s annoyance, apart from Li Mingqi’s ridiculous clothes, was that Mingqi’s father had once been Gao’s apprentice before going on to surpass him, and it stung to have the man’s son now courting his daughter. Gao was a senior technician at the company, and there was nothing he couldn’t do—no printing problem ever daunted him. He was also well respected: the foreman would offer him a cigarette whenever they spoke, and even light it for him. His status was due not only to his formidable skills but also to his long-standing Party membership: born into hardship, Gao Likuan had grown tired of people’s sneers and joined the Communists to print their leaflets. His leaflets were better than anyone else’s, his colors more vivid, only growing stronger with time. He had no schooling but learned to read and write at the printing company, and after he’d picked up enough words to turn a phrase, he would occasionally punch up the managers’ slogans to make them even more inspiring. One of the bosses later sent him a letter saying he was proof that great masters existed in every line of work, including propaganda. He wasn’t Master Gao yet—back then he was still Young Gao, and Young Gao spent two years printing leaflets, getting thrown in jail twice, first by the Nationalists and then by the Japanese. Both times he was beaten, so viciously the second that he was blinded in one eye, and subsequently he was known as One-Eyed Gao.

For some time after Liberation, One-Eyed Gao was happy: after all, it was a brand-new world, a brand-new era, even if he was still at the printing firm cranking out leaflets. It took a little longer for him to realize exactly what was so new about this world. The author of the complimentary letter was now the deputy mayor, and when he happened to think of Gao one day, he called the firm to ask if the propaganda genius was still around, or if he’d been martyred. The reply came: Yes, he’s still around, and still printing leaflets, only he’s lost an eye; he used to mix colors with two eyes, and now he does it with one, but the colors are just as bright. The deputy mayor sent someone to fetch him. They chatted for a while, and then the mayor announced that he was sending Gao off to cadre school. A few months of study, and Gao could be a deputy foreman. Gao Likuan said, I’m not presentable, I only have one eye, and anyway I’m no leader—I’m clumsy with words, I shake before crowds. I wasn’t fit to be an officer during the Revolution, and now that we’re in the New China, I’m very happy as I am, so why not continue as a worker? The deputy mayor replied, We owe you an eye, and that debt needs to be paid; besides, you have a bit of learning and your family background is impeccable—this is too good an opportunity to miss. Whether you want to or not, you’re reporting to school

Reviews for Rouge Street

[ridgewaygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of three novellas by contemporary Chinese author Shuang Xuetao, all set on Yanfen Street in Shenyang, an industrial city in northwest China, not far from the border with North Korea. The novellas focus on families, especially children, living through tough times. Memories of the Cultural Revolution and even the Japanese occupation are woven into these stories and there are fantastic elements that feel folklorish in tone and meld seamlessly with the gritty, realistic setting. I was prepared for this book to be something that felt like homework. Instead, it was a delight. Each novella was very different from the others. The first was a generational tale, the second was a folktale-feeling story involving two children who were just trying to survive in the absence of parents who were capable of caring for them, and the final novella was a noirish tale of criminals and the detective hunting them down. The novellas are also inter-connected, making this feel more cohesive that the usual collection. These novellas were a wonderful introduction to a celebrated young Chinese writer. I hope more of of his work is translated soon.

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Broken people, the detritus of a broken state nevertheless continue the shards of their lives and selves. These three novellas are full of strangeness that contorts to familiarity in a labyrinth with walls formed by collages of viewpoints. The answers are never as important as the question - often such as where is my parent?, because the answer never satisfies the need that the lack creates.

[modioperandi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rouge Street is a wonderfully imagined collection of short stories set on and near Rouge Street is beautiful and illuminating about China. The introduction by the translator is also essential to the collection and does a great amount of work to familiarize the reader with Shuang Xuetao.

[drneutron_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In spite of the harsh setting - Yanfen Street, Rouge Street, in a north China city - Xuetao Shuang (and translator Jeremy Tiang) brings us characters living, loving, and losing life. Hauntingly beautiful comes to mind, with a dash of magical realism. Good stuff.

[dbsovereign · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A group of three stories linked by recurring motifs, this book immediately struck me as having a set of rather mundane characters stuck in banal circumstances. However, after my first reading, I feel I owe the book at least a second reading to pick up on some of the nuances I might have missed on my first pass. I agree with the other reviewers who complain about the similarities between character names and how that can sometimes interfere with understanding. Ultimately though, despite perhaps missing some details, the stories are strong enough. It's a dark, grainy world filled with characters who face an existential crises – a world tinged with a foggy or other-worldly aspect that lends to the day-to-day an almost mythologized realism. As a whole, the stories reveal much about Chinese culture, its values – how family and collective thinking are so integral, for example. Ultimately though, the book’s hyper-realism serves to act as a unifying element that conjoins its characters to larger humanity. One that, as Faulkner says, endure.

[glendalea_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Three novellas that take place on Yanfen Street, also known as Rouge Street, in the city of Shenyang, China, stories that I would describe as darker literary fiction with a dash of magical realism. Each story is unique and beautifully written. Yes, there are a lot of characters and a lot of POV switches, but well worth reading. I truly can't wait to read more from this author.

[isolablue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The title is somewhat misleading. ROUGE STREET conjures up a visit to a street of painted ladies, perhaps a visit that will introduce us to them and their lives. The reader WILL get introduced to many characters in the three novellas that make up ROUGE STREET, but it turns out that Rouge is a rough translation of Yanfen. All of Shuang's novellas take place in a Chinese city after the Cultural Revolution and during the time of great change when China is becoming a part of the larger economy of the world. The inhabitants of the city deal with new ways of living and working, and the reader meets adults and children who move through their days, sometimes in strange confusion while trying to maintain lives for themselves. The novellas feature husbands, wives, children, and neighbors. Religion, oddly, enters in strange ways. Everything seems the same yet nothing seems settled. Characters float from one circumstance to another, and the reader willingly follows. ROUGE STREET feels like the China we have learned about, but the people who inhabit its pages bring their world closer to ours. Reading the novellas of ROUGE STREET, one feels a part of the adventure until suddenly - the day-to-day actions of the characters change, and something otherworldly is presented. The way Shuang plays with the plot is not exactly magical realism but can sometimes feel like it. In the last novella, one gets the impression that Shuang wanted to write a contemporary mystery story with a strange, noir bent. Everything sort of works, even if at times it might be hard to follow. ROUGE STREET is entertaining and educational. It is adventurous, different, and bold.

[riversidereader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found Shuang Xuetao’s “Rouge Street” most enjoyable and a very entertaining read. The three novellas in this book circle back on each other with a touch of magical realism that is very well written. The characters were quite compelling and the author develops them in a very accessible way, I liked them all. However, I did have to make a character list for my own reference as the Chinese names were unfamiliar to me and being a rather simple minded reader, I had trouble remembering who was who.But the writing and translation is just fantastic.I highly recommend this book and look forward to more translated works by Shuang Xuetao.Thank you to Henry Holt & Co. for the advance copy.

[felliot-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.Rouge Street is a collection of three novellas written by Shuang Xuetao and translated into English by Jeremy Tiang. All three are set in the Yanfen Street (Rouge Street) neighborhood of Shenyang, China. The area in northeast China was once the industrial powerhouse for Mao's state. All three stories are set in the post-industrial late 20th century, before China's rise as a modern economic superpower. The landscape (both physical and economic) may be bleak, but the storytelling is rich and powerful. All three stories are filled with multi-layered characters that are brought to life in a way that is both melancholic and hopeful at the same time. Shuang's language is direct and forceful. The characters in these stories may not have much in the way of money or prospects, but they are fiercely loyal to each other and themselves. The results are tales that are filled with an intensity that is simultaneously realistic and graceful.I strongly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading great storytelling.

[browner56 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rouge Street is a collection of three atmospheric novellas originally written in Chinese by celebrated young writer Shuang Xuetao and translated into English. The stories themselves are quite different in nature, but they are all connected by location as each is set in Shenyang, an industrial city in northeast China that has been in serious decline since the time of the Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution. In particular, the focal point is Yanfen Street, an impoverished and crime-ridden district populated by men and women at the fringes of society who are struggling to survive. It is a sector of the city with a surprisingly rich history; for instance, we are told in an introductory note that the street’s name loosely translates to “rouge powder” owing to its bygone role in producing makeup for ladies in the imperial palace. It is also Shuang’s hometown neighborhood, making these tales very personal endeavors for the author.‘The Aeronaut’, the first work in the volume, is a multi-generational saga told from the perspective of two large working-class families. A son of one family, who marries a daughter of the other, has dreams of inventing a flying machine, a poignant metaphor for rising above and escaping the hard, soul-crushing life they all lead. How that escape attempt plays out comprises the story’s resolution. In ‘Bright Hall’, two teenage boys, abandoned by their parents and living at opposite ends of Yanfen Street, are connected by a brutal crime. They eventually find themselves in a secret room at the bottom of a frozen lake being interrogated by a big fish disguised as a man. The final novella, ‘Moses on the Plain’, is essentially a detective story told from myriad perspectives and over a span of many years. It involves multiple unsolved murders, including those of a policeman and two government officials. At the center of things is a young woman who is being raised by her unemployed father after her mother has died.These brief descriptions do not really provide an adequate sense of just how complex and interesting these stories really are. Shuang is a writer with an admirable talent for capturing the feeling of certain place and time, which is useful in this case as the setting and the history will likely be unfamiliar to many Western readers. While unique in their own way, each novella has a distinctly melancholic feel to it, with subject matter that inevitably involves broken families, betrayal, unfulfilled dreams, and death. They are also multi-layered tales in which time frames and points of view shift frequently, providing a backdrop that is at once dream-like and grittily realistic. The author’s work has been compared to that of both Hemingway and Murakami, which is high praise indeed, if somewhat premature. (Shuang’s language, though often direct, is far more convoluted than Hemingway’s ever was and the only real echo of Murakami comes in the fantastical conclusion to ‘Bright Hall’.) Nevertheless, Rouge Street was an affecting and engaging book and this is an author whose work I will seek out in the future.