History of the Soul

History of the soul

Cover of the 1995 edition of History of the Soul, depicting the deserts of China's Northwest
Author	Zhang Chengzhi
Original title	心灵史 (Xīnlíng Shĭ)
Country	People's Republic of China
Language	Chinese
Genre	Narrative history
Publisher	Huacheng Publishing House
Publication date	1991
Media type	Book
Pages	298
Preceded by	Golden Pastures (金牧场)
Followed by	红卫兵の时代

History of the Soul, written by Zhang Chengzhi, is a work of narrative history spanning 172 years, which explores the personal and religious conflicts among the Jahriyya, a Sufi tariqah in Northwestern China.^[1] Published in 1991, it went on to become China's second-best selling book in 1994.^[2][3]

Plot Summary

The book is divided into seven chapters or "gates", each corresponding to one of the seven generations of the masters, martyrs, and common people of the Jahriyya Order.

• Chapter 1: The Scarlet Green Banner (红色绿旗)
• Chapter 2: The True Vanishing (真实的隐没)
• Chapter 3: Exile (流放)
• Chapter 4: A New World (新世界)
• Chapter 5: The Beauty of Martyrdom (牺牲之美）
• Chapter 6: Disgraced (被侮辱的)
• Chapter 7: Knocking on Modernity's Gate (叩开现代的大门)

Editions

• First edition: 心灵史, People's Republic of China: Huacheng Publishing House, January 1991.^[4]
• 1995 edition: 张承志文学作品选集:心灵史卷, People's Republic of China: Hainan Publishing House, August 1995. ISBN 7-80617-536-9.
• Traditional Chinese edition: 心靈史──揭開哲合忍耶的聖域之謎, Republic of China (Taiwan): Fengyun Shidai, January 1997. ISBN 957-645-803-X.

References

Notes

1. Lin 2005, pp. 133–136
2. Gladney 2000
3. "著名回族作家张承志下榻穆斯林大厦/Famous Hui author Zhang Chengzhi staying at Muslim Building", Xinhua News Agency, 2006-05-17, retrieved 2007-04-15
4. Aoki 1997

Sources

• Aoki, Shigeharu (1997), "張承志/Zhang Chengzhi", オンライン中国20世紀文学辞典/Online dictionary of 20th-century Chinese literature, Osaka University of Foreign Studies
• Gladney, Dru C. (March 2000), "China's National Insecurity: Old Challenges at the Dawn of the New Millennium", Asian Perspectives on the Challenges of China, Washington, D.C.: Institute for National Security Studies, National Defense University
• Lin, Qingxin (2005), Brushing History Against The Grain: Reading the Chinese New Historical Fiction, 1986-1999, Hong Kong University Press, ISBN 978-962-209-697-4
• Zhang, Chengzhi. Xin Ling Shi. Guangzhou Shi: Hua cheng chu ban she, 1991. Print.