Ashes of writer, wife sprinkled at sea
26/11/2005 9:51
Shanghai Daily news The relatives of Ba Jin, one of
China's most important literary figures in the 20th century, and his wife, Xiao
Shan, arranged for a final reunion for the couple yesterday morning when their
ashes were sprinkled into the East China Sea.
Fulfilling Ba Jin's final wish,
the ceremony was attended by about 100 people, including the couple's son,
daughter, other family members, friends and government leaders such as Luo
Shiqian, deputy secretary of the Shanghai Committee of the Communist Party of
China.
Ba Jin died at age 101 on October 17. Had he lived, he would have
celebrated his 102nd birthday yesterday. Xiao died of cancer in 1972.
Ba Jin
wrote and translated a total 13 million words including novels, short stories,
prose and essays.
His major works included "The torrent Trilogy: Family,
Spring, Autumn" (1933-40).
Ba Jin, whose real name was Li Yaotang, met his
wife in 1936 and married her in 1944. After Xiao's death, he insisted on keeping
the urn containing her ashes in his bedroom so that she would always be near
him.
The writer battled a malignant tumor, Parkinson's disease and other
illnesses for the past six years before succumbing at Huadong Hospital.
Son
Li Xiaotang and daughter Li Xiaolin, carried their parents' ashes from their
former residence on Wukang Road at 7:50am. An hour later, they boarded a ship
and reached the East China Sea area near Changxing Island at about 9:50am.
Ba
Jin and Xiao's ashes, together with rose petals, were spread into the sea as Ba
Jin's favorite musical piece "Patheique" was played.
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