What is the ideological connotation (or implication) of Qian Zhongshu's Fortress Besieged?

Fortress Besieged contains profound ideological implications. The first is the level of social criticism. Through the life course of the protagonist Fang Hung-chien, the work criticizes the shortcomings of national politics and all sentient beings in the Kuomintang-controlled areas in the 1930s and 1940s, including the corruption and depravity of Shanghai's westernized commercial port, the backwardness and seclusion of mainland rural areas, and the corruption and depravity of education and intellectual circles.

The second is the level of cultural criticism. This is mainly achieved through the description of the "new Confucian forest" and the shaping of the image of a group of overseas students or senior intellectuals.

Most of the characters in Fortress Besieged suffer from foreign worship, but traditional culture plays a leading role in their bones. Fang Hung-chien is a figure with a sense of justice in the "Neo-Confucian Forest". The purpose of his study abroad is to "shine the lintel" so as to spend money to donate officials, compared with the previous dynasties. His cowardly character and tragic ending are caused by traditional culture.

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Features of the work:

The book Fortress Besieged was written by the miser of Qian Zhongshu. The novel has no clear story clues, but some trivial plots pieced together by the author's trivial knowledge and experience. Generally speaking, a book with trivial plots must have excellent language skills if it wants to be a successful work. Qian Zhongshu's Fortress Besieged really applied language to the highest level.

Therefore, reading Fortress Besieged can't just focus on the plot and ignore the language like reading ordinary novels. In that case, Fortress Besieged will lose its meaning of existence. The punch line in Fortress Besieged is the most successful part of this novel, and it is also the most admirable part.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-besieged city