Xijiang East, New Xianglin’s Wife (2) ——Second aunt and Wu Huanxuan
Video25 minXu Tan2022-2025Shunde Studies (Shunde was once the center of agricultural civilization in southern China) began in early 2020, initiated jointly by Xu Tan, Liao Baoxin and Huang Rui. It is an open practice and research project based on multi-disciplinary approaches, mainly located in the Shunde area. It aims to unite research and innovation partners from different fields, and through the diverse disciplinary methods and daily experiences of each individual and some cooperative groups, explore and practice multiple possibilities in joint work.
After conducting research in the countryside of Shunde, the name "Xianglin's Wife" and the delusions associated with it kept surfacing in Xu Tan’s mind. "Xianglin's Wife" is a character in Lu Xun's 1924 novel "Blessing", representing a typical rural working woman in old China. Over the past century to today, this term has symbolized a pitiful and unfortunate woman who behaves and speaks differently from others. People often use "Xianglin's Wife" to describe women in society who are talkative and nagging. However, this usage itself has overlooked that she is a person with a tragic past and emotions who deserves care.
Why does the concept and image of "Xianglin's Wife" keep emerging in Xu Tan’s mind after conducting research in the countryside? Because he did encounter some women in the countryside who behaved and spoke in a way similar to "Xianglin's Wife". Such similar behaviors and speech seem to be symptoms more prevalent among women. For instance, continuous and unceasing speech, being obsessed with a certain focus, having some kind of inner fear, seeking salvation from local religions, and having speech closely linked to spiritual and psychological activities. Their ways of speaking and norms do not conform to those of the local or broader society - most people in the current countryside are not willing to listen to them, considering them "madwomen" with mental problems. Their speech is often regarded as "nonsense". However, it is precisely this "abnormal speech" that reveals some truly concerning issues and truths.