The Nostalgic Theme in Shanghai Novels of Zhang Ailing and Wang Anyi

Zhang Ailing and Wang Anyi tried to spread Shanghai before people's view by using way of nostalgia, in their works, the attraction to the substance exist of the old Shanghai and the delicate life style was showed. However, Zhang Ailing's nostalgia was the retrospect of the past life, therefore, she had the feeling of disgusting hatred, as well as sentimentality. As for Wang Anyi, she was not the experiencer of the old Shanghai, as a result, her recalling of the common life and appealing of Shanghai people was not indulged in the past, on the contrary, she hoped to loose the vicissitudes of city life, and enhanced her ability of facing the future.