Red Poppies

Red Poppies: A Novel of Tibet (Chinese: 尘埃落定) is a novel published in 1998, whose theme is based on the Tibetan custom and traditions. The novel consists of 12 chapters with a total of 481 000 Chinese characters. The author is a Tibetan called Alai, an editor of Science Fiction World. In 2000, Red Poppies won the Mao Dun Literature Prize.^[1]

Summary

The novel set in Ngawa, Sichuan chronicles the stories of a Tibetan Tusi and his family from 1920s to 1949, which gives a general introduction to the economic development in Ngawa, the territorial disputes among Tibetan chieftains and the fights for throne succession.

Main Characters

Family of Tusi Maiqi

The first-person narrator: considered as an 'idiot', the second son of Tusi Maiqi, mother is a Han Chinese
Tusi Maiqi: father of the narrator
Mother: the second wife of Tusi Maiqi, a Han Chinese woman as a gift given to Maiqi by a merchant trading furs and herbs
Brother: the eldest son of Tusi Maiqi, son of Maiqi's first wife, considered as the successor of Tusi Maiqi
Sangji Zhuoma: maid of the narrator
The lame butler
Weng Bo Yi Xi: Lama of Gelug
Suo Lang Ze Lang: attendant of the narrator
Yang Zong: used to be the woman of the chieftain Zhazha, belongs to Tusi Maiqi after Zhazha's death
Lama Menba
Sister: half-blooded, shares the same father with the narrator, lives in London
Uncle: Tusi Maiqi's younger brother, trades in India
The silversmith: later marries Sangji Zhuoma

Other Characters:

Special commissioner Huang: an official of the national government
Tusi Ronggong: a female Tusi
Tana: the beautiful daughter of Tusi Ronggong
Tusi Laxueba

Tusi Wangbo

Comments

Comments by the selection committee of the Mao Dun Literature Prize: 'The novel narrates from a unique viewpoint, with a rich connotation of Tibetan culture. A slight of fantasy enhances the artistic expression. The writing style is light, charming and poetic.'^[2]

Adaptations

TV series: TV series Red Poppies was first shown in 2003

Dance drama: Red Poppies was adapted into a dance drama by Hong Kong Dance Company in 2006.

References

^ "茅盾文学奖"尘埃落定"(Red Poppies won the Mao Dun Literature Prize)". china.com.cn.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ "论《尘埃落定》的象征意蕴(The symbolical implication of Red Poppies)". www.xzbu.com. 11 May 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017.