Bai Lu Yuan is a long novel written by Chen Zhongshi, which took six years to complete and was first published in 1993. The novel epitomizes the village of Bai Lu in the Bai Lu Plain in the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi Province, and shows the historical changes of more than half a century from the end of the Qing Dynasty to the 1970s and 1980s through the feud between the ancestors and grandchildren of two large families with the surnames of Bai and Lu.
《白鹿原》是作家陈忠实创作的长篇小说，由陈忠实历时六年创作完成，首次出版于1993年。该小说以陕西关中地区白鹿原上白鹿村为缩影，通过讲述白姓和鹿姓两大家族祖孙三代的恩怨纷争，表现了从清朝末年到二十世纪七八十年代长达半个多世纪的历史变化。
The story of the two families, the Bai and the Lu, in the village of Bai Lu Yuan is told with Bai Jiaxuan as the core of the narrative and the conflicts and entanglements between the two families as the narrative thread, reflecting the patriarchal family system and Confucian ethics represented by Bai Jiaxuan, the perseverance and decadence in the changing times and political movements. The main character Bai Jiaxuan has married seven wives in his life, the last of whom stays with him for the rest of his life and has three sons and one daughter. Lu San is the longest worker of the Bai family, and Heiwa is his eldest son. The Lu family is represented by Lu Zilin, who has two sons. The novel focuses on the lives of their next generation of Bai Xiaowen, Lu Zhaoxhai, and Heiwa: while the descendants of the Bai family were moderate, Heiwa grew up restless. When he grew up, Bai Xiaowen succeeded as the patriarch, and Heiwa worked as a long-time laborer outside and met Tian Xiao'e. After he brought her back to the village, he was rejected by the village people. After leaving the village, Heiwa defected to the revolutionary army and became a bandit again. During this period, Lu Zilin and Bai Xiaowen became addicted to opium, lost their families and went to foreign countries to make a living. Lu San, ashamed of his daughter-in-law Tian Xiao'e, eventually killed her and died because he was tormented by the circumstances of Tian Xiao'e's death. Bai Xiaowen, on the other hand, is rejuvenated and eventually makes a career out of it, and Bai Ling joins the Communist Party. Two generations of a family have been fighting for the rule of the Bai Lu Yuan for generations.
《白鹿原》以白嘉轩为叙事核心，白鹿两家矛盾纠葛组织情节，以反映白嘉轩所代表的宗法家族制度及儒家伦理道德，在时代变迁与政治运动中的坚守与颓败为叙事线索，讲述了白鹿原村里两大家族白家和鹿家之间的故事。主人公白嘉轩一生娶过七个妻子，最后一个陪他终生，并育有三儿一女。鹿三是白家的长工，黑娃是他的长子。鹿家以鹿子霖为代表，他有两个儿子。小说主要讲述了他们的下一白孝文、鹿兆海、黑娃这一代人的生活：白家后代中规中矩，黑娃却从小就不安分。长大后，白孝文继任族长，黑娃在外做长工，认识了田小娥，他将她带回村后，受到村人的排斥。黑娃离开村子后投奔革命军，又成为土匪。在此期间鹿子霖、白孝文等都吸上了鸦片，将家败光，去异乡谋生。鹿三以儿媳田小娥为耻，最终杀了她，因终日被田小娥死时的情形折磨而死去。白孝文则在外重新振作，终有一番作为，白灵加入了共产党。一个家庭两代子孙，为争夺白鹿原的统治代代争斗不已。
The theme of "Bai Lu Yuan" is mainly the search for spirit and spiritual roots, and through the character descriptions in the text, it promotes the profound value of Chinese culture and expresses its own concept of "searching for roots". The author's thinking does not stop at the cultural roots with the pursuit of moral character as the core, but further reveals the tragic nature of human existence as shown by traditional culture. The "Bai Lu Yuan" unfolds a series of characters' activities, and the wild and simple village customs and the prudent and patient Confucian spirit are embodied through each vivid character.
《白鹿原》的寻根主题主要是精神和心灵的寻根，带并通过文本中人物的个性描写，来宣传中国文化的深刻价值，表达自己“寻根”理念。作者的思考，并不仅仅停留在以道德的人格追求为核心的文化之根，而是进一步更深刻的揭示出传统文化所展现的人之生存的悲剧性。《白鹿原》展开了一系列的人物活动，粗野朴实的乡村习俗、慎独隐忍的儒家精神，则透过一个个鲜活的人物体现出来。
Author: Shan Jiaqi
Date: August 12, 2022
