Lost Love (Photocopy Edition) (Standard Edition)

This is Mr. Liu Yichang's first published work. The story is told in the first-person, in reverse chronological order: On an autumn dusk, a painter enters a cemetery, lingering in a dreamlike meditation, vaguely hearing his former lover calling out to him repeatedly. He returns from abroad, dusty and weary, with ninety-nine oil paintings, hoping to complete the hundredth and hold an exhibition of his works. He stays at a lakeside hotel. On the fourth night, a heavy rain falls, and a young girl appears in his dream. The next evening, he completes a portrait in front of the rainy window, and the girl in the painting uncannily resembles the one in his dream. He is emotionally stirred, unable to sleep, and as he turns on the light, he spots a beautiful woman in her thirties sitting on the sofa, who also seems to be the woman in his painting. They can't help but converse, their dialogue filled with an air of mystery. On a rainy night, the painter wanders through a quiet and narrow street, inadvertently discovering a photograph of a young girl, just awakening to romance, in a photo studio window. She radiates the charm of the woman in his dream. Upon inquiring, he learns that she is the wife of the local richest man, none other than Qiu Dan, the orphan and young woman he met on Christmas Eve over a decade ago in a small cafe and danced with on New Year's Eve at a masquerade ball. The prelude to a human drama thus begins... Is it a comedy? Is it a tragedy? That remains to be seen; please read on.

The author once revealed that the inspiration for this book came from an Austrian novel, and it was a trial piece he wrote when he had time while editing the "Huaizheng Literary Series." In September 1947, it was first published as the lead story in issues 11 and 12 of "Happiness," a comprehensive magazine edited by Wang Bo (Shen Ji) and printed in two colors by Shanghai Global Publishing House. The illustrations were done by Guo Jianying (1907–1979), a famous cartoonist in Shanghai and the author's senior at St. John's University. In 1949, Cathay Film Company adapted the novel into a film, written by Xu Changlin, directed by Tang Xiaodan, and starring Jin Yan and Qin Yi, which caused a sensation.

This book was first published in October 1948 by Tongye Bookstore in Shanghai and distributed by Huaizheng Culture Society, founded by the author; in December 1951, it was reissued by Hong Kong Tongye Bookstore and sold by World Publishing House, and has been out of print for over sixty years. To introduce the achievements of our predecessors to young aspiring writers and to let them understand that creation comes from life and there are no shortcuts, we have reprinted this precious work to commemorate Mr. Liu Yichang, who passed away last month.