Ch'ien Chung-shu ranks .among the foremost twentieth-century Chinese novelists, and his novel Wei-ch'eng (Fortress Besieged) is one of the greatest twentieth-century Chinese novels. After receiving extensive treatment of his works in C. T. Hsia's A History of Modern Chinese Fiction in i96I, Ch'ien was largely neglected until recently. The present translation of Wei-ch'eng reflects that renewed interest, and it is hoped that it will generate even greater interest in Ch'ien Chung-shu and his works.

  This translation is the cooperative effort of Jeanne Kelly and Nathan K. Mao. Whereas Jeanne Kelly produced the first draft of the translation, Nathan K. Mao revised it; in addition, Mao wrote the Afterword, refined the footnotes and prepared the manuscript for publication. Despite our divided tasks, this book is our joint responsibility...

Set on the eve of the Sino-Japanese War, FORTRESS BESIEGED recounts the exuberant misadventures of the hapless hero Fang Hung-chien. A young man with no particular goal in life, he has been aimlessly studying in Europe with the help of generous cash donations from his relatives, and is now returning home to Shanghai with a bogus degree from a fake university in tow. On the French liner back, Fang meets two Chinese beauties, the elegant coquette Miss Su and the heartless Miss Pao, and his life becomes entangled with theirs. Returning home, he eventually obtains a teaching post at a newly established university, encounters effete pseudo-intellectuals and the alluring Sun Jou-chia, falls into a marriage of disastrous proportions and discovers that life is distressing and absurd, chaotic and frustrating - yet ultimately hopeful.

This glorious tale of love, marriage, war,calamity and disillusionment combines Eastern philosophy, Western traditions, adventure,tragicomedy and satire on the mores of middleclass Chinese society to create its own unique feast of delights. First published in 1947, it is now available in the UK for the very first time in this exquisite and acclaimed translation, and is a haunting mastertpiece of world literature.

A Note on This Edition   

Foreword by Jonathan Spence    

Author"s. Preface   

Translators" Preface   

Fortress Besieged  

Afterword   

Notes