Novel
Tracks in the Snowy Forest
林海雪原
Qu Bo · 1957
Synopsis
Winter 1946: the People's Liberation Army enters the snow-covered forests of the Northeast to hunt down the remnants of armed bands linked to the Nationalists. The Mudanjiang military region entrusts Shao Jianbo with a small detachment of picked soldiers, which pushes deep into the mountains. Among them, Yang Zirong stands out by capturing the agent Luan Ping through a ruse. The narrative follows the detachment's raids, including the surprise attack on a first hideout and the expedition against Tiger Mountain, where the bandit chief Zuoshandiao rules.
Context
The book draws on what the author had lived through in 1946, as deputy political commissar of a regiment stationed at Mudanjiang, at the head of a small detachment; several characters have real models, including Yang Zirong, and Shao Jianbo is his double. Begun in February 1955 under a longer title, written in secret alongside his work, it supplied chapters to Renmin wenxue in February 1957, then appeared in volume in September 1957 under the Zuojia imprint, according to Chinawriter. It passed a million copies within a few years. The episode of the Zuoshandiao lair became a modern Peking opera, from which one of the model operas emerged. Sidney Shapiro translated it into English in 1962; no French translation has been found.
Who it is for
A fast-paced action novel, made up of ambushes and ruses; it can be read in English in Sidney Shapiro's version.
Prizes and reception
A total of 1.56 million copies were printed from 1957 to 1964, and films were made from the novel in 1960 and in 2014.
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