Regional Cultural Memory of Bashu in Li Jieren’s “River Novels”

Li Jieren’s “River Novels” - <i>Ripples Across Stagnant Water,</i> <i>Before the Storm,</i> <i>The Great Wave</i> - recreate the social transformations in Sichuan from the late Qing to the early Republican period through a grand narrative structure and meticulous detail, embodying the profound cultural depth of the Bashu region. This paper adopts the method of text analysis to systematically sort out the the representation of natural landscapes, folk customs, major historical events and the construction of Bashu character traits in these works, and further explores their significance for regional culture transmission and national memory. The study finds that Li Jieren imbues natural scenary with symbolic meaning that resonates with characters’ destinies and social upheavals; his descriptions of folk customs highlight the continuity and transformation of traditional culture amid historical change; the integration of major historical events positions the novels as literary witness of social change in modern China; and the portrayal of the characters vividly reflects the spiritual qualities of the Bashu people. In general, the “River Novels” not only construct a historical grounded narrative with strong regional characteristics, but also occupy a significant place in the history of modern Chinese literature. The study deepens our understanding of Li Jieren’s works and provides new perspectives for the preservation, transmission and cross-cultural dissemination of Bashu culture. 李劼人的“大河小说”——《死水微澜》《暴风雨前》《大波》——以宏大的叙事格局和细腻的笔触再现了清末至民国初期四川地区的社会变迁，展现出深厚的巴蜀地域文化底蕴。本文采用文本分析的方法，对“大河小说”中的自然景观、民俗风情、重大历史事件及巴蜀品格的塑造进行系统梳理，并探讨其在地域文化传承与民族记忆建构中的价值。研究发现，李劼人通过精细刻画巴蜀地理环境，赋予自然景观象征意义，使其与人物命运和社会动荡相呼应；对民俗风情的描绘展现了传统文化在历史变迁中的延续与嬗变；对重大历史事件的融入，使小说成为近代中国社会变革的文学见证；而对人物形象的刻画，则使作品成为巴蜀人民精神特质的生动写照。总体而言，“大河小说”不仅构建了独具地域特色的历史叙事，也在中国现代文学史上占据重要地位。本文有助于深化对李劼人作品的理解，并为巴蜀文化的保护、传承及跨文化传播提供新的研究视角。