Eleven: 'The Street-Sweeping Show' by Feng Jicai

Feng Jicai

(b. 1942)

CHINA

Feng Jicai, born in Tianjin, China, began his first career as a painter but shifted to fiction when his “counter-revolutionary” art was unwelcome during China's Revolution of the 1960's and 1970's. For the same reasons, he could not publish his fiction until after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. Now a prolific writer (though not yet widely translated), he currently resides in Tianjin with his wife and son and holds major positions in Chinese writers' professional organizations.

Feng still precipitates controversy with his writing, however. His translator, Susan Wilff Chen has noted that 'The Street-Sweeping Show', originally published in 1982, is not reprinted in any of Feng's collections of short stories, because it resembled a real-life incident so closely that it caused objections when it first appeared.

~The Street-Sweeping Show~

“National Cleanup Week starts today,” said Secretary Zhao, “and officials everywhere are going out to join in the street sweeping. Here's our list of participants-- all top city administrators and public figures. We've just had it mimeographed over at the office for your approval.”

He looked like a typical upper-echelon secretary; the collar of his well-worn, neatly pressed Mao suit was buttoned up military style; his complexion was pale; his glasses utilitarian. His gentle, deferential manner and pleasantly modulated voice concealed a shrewd, hard-driving personality.

The mayor pored over the list, as if the eighty names on it were those of people selected to go abroad. From time to time he glanced thoughtfully at the high white ceiling.

“Why isn't there anyone from the Women's Federation?” he asked.

Secretary Zhao thought for a moment. “Oh, you're right-- there isn't! We've got the heads of every office in the city-- the Athletic Committee, the Youth League Committee, the Federation of Trade Unions, the Federation of Literary and Art Circles-- even some famous university professors. The only group we forgot is the Women's Federation.”

“Women are the pillars of society. How can we leave out the women's representatives?” The mayor sounded smug rather than reproachful. Only a leader could think of everything. This was where true leadership ability came into play.

Secretary Zhao was reminded of the time when the mayor had pointed out that the fish course was missing from the menu of a banquet in honor of some foreign guests.

“Add two names from the Women's Federation, and make sure you get people in the positions of authority or who are proper representatives of the organization. 'International Working Women's Red Banner Pacesetters', 'Families of Martyrs' or 'Model Workers' could be fine.” Like an elementary school teacher returning a poor homework paper to his student, the mayor handed the incomplete list back to his secretary.

“Yes, your honor, I'll do it right away. A complete list will be useful the next time something like this comes up. And I must contact everyone at once. The street sweeping is scheduled for two this afternoon in Central Square. Will you be able to go?”

“Of course. As mayor of the city, I have to set an example.”

“The car will be at the gate for you at one-thirty. I'll go with you.”

“All right,” the mayor answered absentmindedly, scratching his forehead and looking away.

Secretary Zhao hurried out.

At one-thirty that afternoon the mayor was whisked to the square in his limousine. All office workers, shop clerks, students, housewives, and retirees were out sweeping the streets, and the air was thick with dust. Secretary Zhao hastily rolled up the window. Inside the car there was only a faint, pleasant smell of gasoline and leather.

At the square they pulled up beside a colorful assortment of limousines. In front of them a group of top city administrators had gathered to wait for the mayor's arrival. Someone had arranged for uniformed policemen to stand guard on all sides.

Secretary Zhao sprang out of the limousine and opened the door for his boss. The officials in the waiting crowd stepped forward with smiling faces to greet the mayor. Everyone knew him and hoped to be the first to shake his hand.

“Good afternoon-- oh, nice to see you--- good afternoon---” the mayor repeated as he shook hands with each of them.

An old policeman approached, followed by two younger ones pushing wheel-barrows full of big bamboo brooms. The old policeman selected one of the smaller, neater brooms and presented it respectfully to the mayor. When the other dignitaries had gotten their brooms, a marshal with a red armband led them all to the center of the square. Naturally the mayor walked at the head.

Groups of people had come from their workplaces to sweep the huge square. At the sight of this majestic, broom-carrying procession, with its marshal, police escort, and retinue of shutter-clicking photographers, they realized that they were in the presence of no ordinary mortals and gathered closer for a look. How extraordinary for a mayor to be sweeping the streets, thought Secretary Zhao, swelling with unconscious pride as he strutted along beside the mayor with his broom on his shoulder.

“Here we are,” the marshal said when they had reached the designated spot.

All eighty-two dignitaries began to sweep.

The swelling crowd of onlookers, which was kept back by a police cordon, was buzzing with excitement:

“Look, he's the one over there.”

“Which one? The one in black?”

“No. The bald fat one in blue.”

“Cut the chitchat!” barked a policeman,

The square was so huge that no one knew where to sweep. The concrete pavement was clean to begin with; they pushed what little grit there was back and forth with their big brooms. The most conspicuous piece of litter was a solitary popsicle wrapper, which they all pursued like children chasing a dragonfly.

The photographers surrounded the mayor. Some got down on one knee to shoot from below, while others ran from side to side trying to get a profile. Like a cloud in a thunderstorm, the mayor was constantly illuminated by silvery flashes. Then a man in a visored cap, with a video camera, approached Secretary Zhao.

“I'm from the TV station,” he said. “Would you please ask them to line up single file so they'll look neat on camera?”

Secretary Zhao consulted with the mayor, who agreed with this request. The dignitaries formed a long line and began to wield their brooms for the camera, regardless of whether there was any dirt on the ground.

The cameraman was about to start shooting, when he stopped and ran over to the mayor.

“I'm sorry, your honor,” he said, “but you're all going to have to face the other way because you've got your backs to the sun. And I'd also like the entire line to be reversed so that you're at the head.”

“All right,” the mayor agreed graciously, and he led his entourage, like a line of dragon dancers, in a clumsy turn-around. Once in place, everyone began sweeping again.

Pleased, the cameraman ran to the head of the line, pushed his cap up, and aimed at the mayor. “All right,” he said as the camera started to whir, “swing those brooms, all together now-- put your hearts into it-- that's it! Chin up please, your honor. Hold it-- that's fine-- all right!”

He stopped the camera, shook the mayor's hand, and thanked him for helping an ordinary reporter carry out his assignment.

“Let's call it a day,” the marshal said to secretary Zhao. Then he returned to the mayor. “You have victoriously accomplished your mission,” he said.

“Very good-- thank you for your trouble,” the mayor replied routinely, smiling and shaking hands again.

Some reporters came running up to the mayor. “Do you have any instructions, your honor?” asked a tall, thin, aggressive one.

“Nothing in particular.” The mayor paused for a moment. “Everyone should pitch in to clean up our city.”

The reporters scribbled his precious words in their notebooks.

The policeman brought the wheel-barrows back, and everyone returned their brooms. Secretary Zhao replaced the mayor's for him.

It was time to go. The mayor shook hands with everyone again.

“Good-bye-- good-bye-- good-bye--”

The others waited until the mayor had gotten into his limousine before getting into theirs.

The mayor's limousine delivered him to his house, where his servant had drawn his bathwater and set out scented soap and fresh towels. He enjoyed a leisurely bath and emerged from the bathroom with rosy skin and clean clothes, leaving his grime and exhaustion behind him in the tub.

As he descended the stairs to eat dinner, his grandson hurriedly led him into the living room.

“Look, Granddad, you're on TV!”

There he was on the television screen, like an actor, putting on a show of sweeping the street. He turned away and gave his grandson a casual pat on the shoulder.

“It's not worth watching. Let's go have dinner.”

[1982]

Translated by

SUSAN WILFF CHEN

NOTES

Meanings of Difficult Words:

1. Echelon: a level of rank in profession.
2. Utilitarian:
3. Deferential: respectful.
4. Reproachful: disapproval.
5. Mao: Mao ZeDong (also transliterated as Mao Tse-Tung) (1893-1976) Communist leader and chairman of the Communist party of the People's Republic of Chine from 1949 until his death. Mao led the cultural revolution, 1966 to 1976, including the institution of a uniform code of dress.

Few Important Lines:

1. How extraordinary for a mayor to be sweeping the streets, thought Secretary Zhao, swelling with unconscious pride as he strutted along beside the mayor with his broom on his shoulder.
2. He stopped the camera, shook the mayor's hand, and thanked him for helping an ordinary reporter carry out his assignment.
3. “Everyone should pitch in to clean up our city.”
4. There he was on the television screen, like an actor, putting on a show of sweeping the street. There he was on the television screen, like an actor, putting on a show of sweeping the street.

Important Points:

“Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong.” - Daniel O' Connell.

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” - George Orwell.

There is a theme of 'class distinction' in the story. The government wanted to spread the message of cleanliness. The people in power have the authority to influence the society for better or for worse. So the readers start to admire the mayor for arranging this event and paying such attention to cleanliness of the city. However, as the readers continue to read further, they realize that it was just a mind game and a show to fool the public. The feelings the readers had about the mayor have now been reversed and his image has been shattered. Self-appraisal was the main purpose of the mayor. All that mattered was putting up a show and making people think you are different than other leaders.

We can compare the themes of “The Chief Guest” by Akhtar Jamal in this regard. The focus was on importance of beauty and power. The psychology of the powerful people is shown in this story. In “The Chief Guest” the ordinary people wished to be associated with the powerful people for their own gains. But here, the mayor is controlling the innocent people. The ideology is to control the masses so that they never challenge the authorities. We are deceived by the government. The mayor is exploiting his position and status to fool the people.

Irony of the story is that the place did not need any cleaning where the mayor and his dignitaries were sweeping. Another irony is the last line of the story said by the mayor, that it was not worth watching. The mayor himself knows that he is not worth watching, but the public is unaware.

We can associate with this story, we feel as if we are similar to the masses shown in the story. The purpose of the story is to make people realize what their response should be to such people and how they should act in such a scenario. The mayor simply wanted to create an image of himself of a leader who is like the common people, the civilians, that he is no different than them.

There is a tug-of-war between the powerful and the powerless. People who are in power have an agenda, they only want to dominate and remain on the top, and the powerless become united to overthrow the powerful and change the dominance status in their favor. This is what brings revolutions in great nations. Power is simply a tool in the hands of the powerful. It becomes a controlling factor. It is a phenomenon that changes people. But the masses always have the strength of number. We civilians are being exploited at every level, be it social, economic, political or emotional.

The story is coaxing the readers to think that what should be their response? Do they need to challenge such a leader, raise their voices against him? Or simply create awareness and realize what is happening around them to make a better and keen decision in the future?

This story has a universal appeal because it touches an issue that happens everywhere and is becoming commonplace every day. We need to understand why this is happening.

The Role of Media: The mayor was projected just the way he wanted it to be. Photographer was simply grinding his own axe. The media is a powerful tool that changes and shapes our ideas, it shows the agendas of the authorities. The whole show had been photographed for the public to see, media did not show the truth. They are supporting and projecting the same idea of power. Media can be compared to the people in “The Chief Guest” who wished to invite the former student.

A link is given for further analysis:

http://eng250summer2007.wikispaces.com/The+Street-Sweeping+Show

Questions:

1. What is the actual purpose of the street-sweeping ceremony?
2. What does the story suggest about the public rituals? About bureaucracy? About the media's role in such rituals? Compare this story with Isabel Allende's “And of Clay We Are Created.”
3. What is the significance of the title?
4. Why does the mayor refuse to watch the ceremony on television?

Credit-Muneeza Rafiq