by Tam King-fai
28
Y. K. Kao (1991, 63) argues that resonance rather than causality links man
and the world in a lyrical experience. Speaking about early Chinese music,
PM LM[KZQJM[ PM ¹XZQVKQXTM WN QVMZIKQWVº JM_MMV UIV IVL PM _WZTL I[
[]OOM[Q^MWN ¹PM empathetic resonance that exists between different entities, particularly between those which share common qualities.... Because these elements are
distinct, their joint action is probably due more to resonance than to causalityºQITQK[
added).
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36
A Garden of One’s Own
U][JMÅTTML_QPTWVOQVO8MZPIX[I\PQ[UWUMV[WUM_PMZMQVIKWZVMZ
concealed in reeds or withering lotus leaves, someone else may also be
thinking of home. When he hears the chanting, will he be able to hold
back his tears and stop himself from sobbing? Will it take many soothing
words from his friend to calm his quivering heart? How can I not think of
¹PWUMºPMWXQKaW]OI^MUMIVL[]LLMVTaKWUMWZMITQbMQ[UMIVQVO'
In a manner close to the manifestations of the affective-expressivism
expounded by Earl Miner (1990, 84–87) in relation to Asian lyricism, the
resonance goes through several stages in this essay: from Cen Shen to
the man on the boat, to the imagined person concealed in reeds or lotus
leaves, to the protagonist. At each stage, the same powerful yearning for
home resonates and is in turn issued forth, until, presumably, it touches
the reader as well.
All of this catches the protagonist unaware, and the moment
comes to her as a sudden revelation. Throughout the essay, the phrase
¹I PQ[ UWUMVº IXXMIZ[ Å^M QUM[ IVL PM M`XZM[[QWV[ ¹[]LLMVTaº
WZ ¹ITT WN I []LLMVº MIKP IXXMIZ[ WVKM
Qiji underscores all too well the unexpectedness of this experience.
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PMQV]QQ^MVM[[Ja_PQKP[PMWJIQV[¹IOTQUX[MWN IKTMIZ^Q[QWVºKIV
KMZIQVTaJMZIV[TIMLI[¹[]LLMVTaºI[_MTT
Thus the protagonist’s quest comes suddenly to an end at this
UWUMV VW PIVS[ W PMZ MLQWZ¼[ ¹KTM^MZVM[[º I QVNMZMVKM[ WZ PMZ
exhaustive search for possibilities, but by means of a kind of intuitive
resonance. Yet, except for one very short line, the protagonist does not
tell what the answer to the question is, but devotes the rest of the essay
to depicting how the resonance came about. Considering that the title of
PMM[[IaQ[¹0WUMºWVMUQOPNI]T.IVO4QVOZ]NWZ[ZIaQVONZWUPMZ
writing assignment. As an illustration of yixiao jianda, however, this piece allows us to recognize the process through which the essay can connect
the small with the large, and thereby mean more than it says.
* * * * * * *
In the period covered in this anthology, xiaopin wen was always on the
defensive. China at the beginning of the century was facing too many
pressing challenges, and the writing and reading of xiaopin wen, with its WXMV LQ[I^W_IT WN []JRMK UI\MZ _QP [WKQIT IVL XWTQQKIT [QOVQÅKIVKM
was a luxury that few critics and writers felt they could afford. In their
vehement attacks on xiaopin wen, however, they have created distorted
views of the genre, many of which are still evident today.
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Introduction 37
In answering these charges, advocates of xiaopin wen can be seen
to have adopted several lines of defense. For a while, it was enough
just to suggest that xiaopin wen resembled or even derived from literary forms from cultures with a strong tradition of individualism and
skepticism. When individualism aroused suspicion because of its
bourgeois connections, apologists for xiaopin wen turned to elaborate on the traditional roots of the form, linking it to the culturally prosperous
period of the late Ming. The Ming essayists, moreover, were made out
to be iconoclasts. At the same time, others began to go on the offensive
and ridicule those who demanded that literature perform a social and
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MQOPTMOOML M[[Ia[º -IKP W PQ[ W_V PMa [IQL" ?ZQMZ[ [PW]TL JM TMN
ITWVMWX]Z[]M_PI\PMaKPW[MJMQIWXQKQV4QVA]IVO¼[_WZL[¹I[
_QLMI[PM]VQ^MZ[MWZI[[UITTI[IÆaºBPW]B]WZMVN]ZPMZXZW^QLML
writers of similar sympathies with a theoretical defense. Arguing that the
history of Chinese literature demonstrated an alternation between the
zaidao and yanzhi traditions, he came to the conclusion that the modern period should be marked predominantly by literature that served the
intent of the heart. In other words, he implied, it was the detractors of
xiaopin wen who were out of step with the times.
Beneath the many willful or inadvertent misunderstandings of xiaopin
wen is perhaps a justified query: How could xiaopin wen, celebrating the trivial as it so openly does, expect to be taken seriously? This is
where the question of yixiao jianda comes in. While, as noted above, the meaning of this phrase was by no means clear to most readers of
xiaopin wen, it nevertheless lent strength to their defense. No longer did they have to be embarrassed by their narrow focus on things of little
import, because xiaopin wen, by whatever process critics made it out to be, allowed readers to reach out beyond the world it created.
By the late-1940s, attacks on xiaopin wen had begun to soften. Qian Gechuan, who had been so harsh with his caricature of the xiaopin
wen reader quoted at the beginning of this introduction, paid tribute to Lu Xun and Zhou Zuoren in the same essay (1948, 310). Even Lin
Yutang received some words of praise. Similarly, Xia Yan (1954, 314)
IKSVW_TMLOMLPIVWM^MZaWVMPILW_ZQM¹XWTQQKITM[[Ia[ºIVLPI
TQMZIZaM[[Ia[ZMY]QZML¹TQMZIZaK]TQ^IQWVºIVL¹P]UWZº
Political situations and cultural climates change. More than half a
century later, the time is right to review the accomplishments of xiaopin
wen.
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38
A Garden of One’s Own
The author is grateful for the support of a Scholarly Editions and
Translations Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
of the USA, which provided teaching relief during the research and the
writing of this book.
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Essays
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qr
Lu Xun
4] @]V ·! _I[ ÅZ[ ML]KIML QV PQ[ PWUMW_V WN ;PIW`QVO
and then in Nanjing, after which he went to Japan for four years. These
NW]Z aMIZ[ PIL I XZWNW]VL QVÆ]MVKM WV PQ[ QVMTTMK]IT LM^MTWXUMV
Lu Xun went to Japan intending to study medicine, but gave up this
plan when he realized that the sickness of the Chinese people lay
not so
much in body but in mind.
Lu Xun was born Zhou Zhangshou, but took the name Zhou Shuren,
by which he was better known, in 1898. Later in life, he published under
a number of pen names, among which Lu Xun is the most famous.
7VM WN PQ[ JZWPMZ[ BPW] B]WZMV _I[ IT[W I _MTTSVW_V ÅO]ZM QV
twentieth-century Chinese culture, and three of his essays are featured
in this anthology. The Zhou brothers were fellow travelers on the road
of modern Chinese literature for a while, sharing many projects in their
early careers, but later represented two different literary and political
paths.
Lu Xun is considered an icon of modern Chinese literature, and
PQ[ QVÆ]MVKM Q[ NMT QV UIVa IZMI[" ZIV[TIQWV K]T]ZIT IVL XWTQQKIT
commentary, short stories, and prose essays. He engaged in extensive
polemics in his characteristic acerbic style, which made him a thorn
in many people’s sides; at the same time, it won him respect and
admiration in many quarters.
Lu Xun popularized the genre of zawen (the short, satirical topical essay) which he characterized variously as a dagger, a pistol, or a spear—that
is, a handy weapon for ideological battle. This he wielded with expert
skill, resulting in the zawen being forever linked with his name. His
shadow can still be seen in many newspaper columns of today.
¹
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4] @]V I[ I UMZM UWZIT ÅTTML _QP ZMOZM IVL [MTNLW]J ;WUJMZ
ZMÆMKQ^MIVLIUJQ^ITMVQZMKITT[UIVaWN PQ[[PWZ[WZQM[
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42
A Garden of One’s Own
The Kite (1925)
Beijing in the winter. There is still snow on the ground. The bare gray
and black branches pierce the clear, sunny sky. In the distance, one or
_WSQM[ÆWIQVPMIQZ1IU[IZTMLIVL[ILLMVMLJaPM[QOP
1VUaPWUMW_VPM[MI[WVNWZÆaQVOSQM[Q[PM[MKWVLUWVPWN
[XZQVO1N aW]PMIZPMZ][TQVOWN Æa_PMMT[TWWS]XIVLaW]_QTT[MMI
crab kite painted lightly in black or a centipede kite in light blue. There
Q[ IT[W PM TWVMTa QTM SQM ?QP VW Æa_PMMT[ Q ÆWI[ I I TW_ ITQ]LM
looking spiritless and pitiable all by itself. But at that time, there are
already young shoots on the willow trees and buds on those mountain
peaches that have sprouted early in the season, their answer to the
decorations children put in the sky. Together, they bring to this world the
balmy atmosphere of spring. But where am I now? I am still surrounded
Ja PM PIZ[PVM[[ WN LMMX _QVMZ _PQTM ÆWIQVO QV PM IQZ Q[ PM [XZQVO
scene of my hometown, which I left a long time ago with no thought of
ever returning.
*] 1 VM^MZ TQSML SQM ÆaQVO IVa_Ia 6W WVTa LQL 1 LQ[TQSM Q 1
detested it, thinking it a game for losers. My little brother was just the
opposite. He was about ten years old, sickly, and so thin that one could
VWJMIZTWWSQVOIPQU*]SQMÆaQVO_I[PQ[XI[[QWV;QVKMPMKW]TL
VWINNWZLISQMIVL1_W]TLVWPI^MITTW_MLPQUWÆaQIVa_IaPM
could only look up at the sky, his jaw dropped in rapture. Sometimes, he
would remain like that for half a day. He would exclaim in horror when
a distant crab kite took a sudden plunge, and jump in delight when two
entangled tile kites unraveled. I found all these antics of his laughable,
even despicable.
One day, it suddenly occurred to me that I had not seen him for
several days, though I remembered seeing him picking dry bamboo
twigs in the backyard. Then something dawned on me, and I
immediately went to a deserted shed that was used for storage. I pushed
open the door, and sure enough, there he was in the midst of a dusty
pile of this and that. He was sitting on a stool, facing a big chair. He
stood up, startled; with the color gone from his face, he shrank back.
4MIVQVO IOIQV[ PM JQO KPIQZ _I[ PM JIUJWW NZIUM WN I J]\MZÆa
kite. The paper had not yet been pasted on it. On the stool was a
XIQZ WN Æa_PMMT[ _PQKP _W]TL JMKWUM PM MaM[ WN PM J]\MZÆa 0M
_I[ LMKWZIQVO PM Æa_PMMT[ _QP ZML XIXMZ IVL PIL ITUW[ ÅVQ[PML
;IQ[ÅMLI[1_I[QVLQ[KW^MZQVOPQ[[MKZM1_I[IT[WIVOZaPIPMPIL
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Lu Xun
43
tried to hide this from me and had gone to such pains to do something
so unworthy. I immediately reached over and broke the frame of one of
PMJ]\MZÆa¼[_QVO[)NMZPZW_QVOPMÆa_PMMT[WVPMÆWWZ1KZ][PML
them under my foot. In age and strength, he was no match for me, so
of course my victory was complete. I proudly walked out of the shed,
leaving him behind with his misery. As for how he felt later, I did not
SVW_VWZLQL1KIZMWÅVLW]
Yet, my punishment came eventually, a long time after we went
our separate ways in life. I was already middle-aged, and happened
unfortunately to come across a foreign book about children. I realized
only then that playing is the most normal behavior for children, and
that toys are their angels. Thereupon, this episode of spiritual murder I
had committed in my younger days, to which I had not given a thought
in twenty years, suddenly appeared before my eyes. My heart seemed all
at once to have turned into lead and sank heavily, hanging on as if on a
string.
But my heart did not sink so far that the string broke. It just sank
and sank, heavily.
I thought of ways to repair my mistake: to give him a kite, to allow
PQUWÆaQ\WMVKW]ZIOMPQUWÆaQ\WOWW]_QPPQUWÆaQ?M
would shout, run, and laugh... but by then, he was already like me, an
aged man with a beard.
I also knew of another way to repair my mistake: I would go and
JMOPQ[NWZOQ^MVM[[?PMVPM[IQL¹*]1VM^MZJTIUMLaW]ºUaPMIZ
would be unburdened. This was a feasible way. When we met one
day, long after life had carved line after line of hardship on our faces,
my heart was very heavy. Gradually, our conversation turned to our
childhood, and I related that incident to him, reproaching myself for
PMQOVWZIVKMWN UaaW]P1PW]OPPM_I[IJW]\W[Ia¹*]1VM^MZ
JTIUMLaW]º#1_W]TLJMQUUMLQIMTaNWZOQ^MVIVLI_MQOP\P][TQNML
from my heart.
¹,QL PI ZMITTa PIXXMV'º PM TI]OPML I[WVQ[PML I[ QN PM _MZM
listening to somebody else’s story. He had forgotten all about it.
+WUXTMMTa NWZOW\MV¸VW OZ]LOM _PI[WM^MZ ?PMZM PMV W ÅVL
forgiveness? Forgiveness without a single trace of resentment? Just a pack
of lies.
What else could I ask for? My heart will continue to hang heavily.
And now, a spring scene from my hometown has appeared in the
sky of this strange land, bringing back to me childhood memories of
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44
A Garden of One’s Own
long ago, and intangible sorrow as well. I’d better hide in the austerity
of a harsh winter…. The truth is, though, that I am already surrounded
JaPMPIZ[P_QVMZ_PQKPQ[I\PQ[^MZaUWUMVQVÆQKQVO]XWVUMQ[
stern air and piercing cold.
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qr
Xia Mianzun
By all accounts, Xia Mianzun (1886–1946) is a kind, fair-minded, and
disciplined man. He is remembered mostly for the contributions he
made to literature and education.
Xia received a traditional education at a young age and earned a xiucai
degree under the old civil examination system in 1901. Inspired by the
intellectual climate of the rest of the world, he continued his studies
in Japan for two years, where he gained such a degree of mastery of
PM 2IXIVM[M TIVO]IOM PI PM JMKIUM I XZWTQÅK ZIV[TIWZ WN 2IXIVM[M
books.
His teaching career began soon after his return to China in 1908.
Throughout his life, he taught in a number of schools, the most
important of which is the Chunhui Middle School in White Horse Lake,
where he attracted a group of like-minded educators to the teaching
staff. The writers among them would later be loosely grouped together
JaKZQQK[I[PM¹?PQM0WZ[M4ISM;KPWWTºBP]BQYQVOAM;PMVOIW
and Feng Zikai, whose works are included in this anthology, are regarded
as core members of this school of writing.
As a teacher, Xia was tireless in promoting the appreciation of the
Chinese language among middle school students by editing literary
journals and co-authoring literature guides, such as Wenzhang zuofa and Wenxin. These endeavors contributed indirectly to the development of
Chinese literature. The journals provided venues for the publication of
many contemporary literary works while the literary guides and manuals
nurtured a generation of discriminating readers.
Xia’s writing style is plain and unadorned and his essays are held up
I[ UWLMT[ WN UQTLVM[[ IVL []JTMa ¹) 5MUWZaº ZMTIM[ PQ[ VIZZW_
brush with death, an incident of potential high drama. Yet, Xia
characteristically adopts a subdued tone in the essay, giving more
attention to what happens before and after the incident of his near
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4ISMº KIX]ZM[ PQ[ NWVL UMUWZQM[ WN PQ[ ZM[QLMVKM I PM +P]VP]Q