Seek knowledge

Author: Liang Heng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: This is a collection of essays with elegant language and profound meaning. It includes reflections on political history, sentiments about landscapes and scenery, and contemplations on life and society. If you seek aesthetic enjoyment and meaningful reading, this book is worth your time. It will allow you to feel the pulse of thought in a clear and serene atmosphere. A good book is not to be missed.
Why do people write articles? To answer this question, one must first ask why people read articles. At its core, writing and reading are a relationship of supply and demand. Reading is a spiritual need, much like eating is a material need. This need can be categorized into six levels from low to high: stimulation, leisure, information, knowledge, thought, and aesthetics. People are always spiritually pursuing these six things. Otherwise, they will feel empty, as if they haven’t eaten, or hungry. Due to differences in cultural background and professional characteristics, readers may seek different levels of reading. Even readers at the same level or the same person may read different content at different times and in different moods—for example, reading in a study versus on the subway. Even Mao Zedong said he preferred the bold style, but after reading a passage, he’d want to read the graceful style, and later, he’d switch back to the bold style. Reading is a complex spiritual feast, a comprehensive recharge. Since reading is complex, writing is also complex.
To satisfy stimulation, there are erotic and martial arts novels; for leisure, there are gossip and jokes; for information, there are newspapers; for knowledge, there are specialized or popular books. However, to meet the higher needs of thought and aesthetics, it can be found in specialized theoretical and aesthetic works, or it can be reflected in other types of reading. The essay is a form that is short but has a refined interest. It is not an applied text; it does not seek the factual, but instead focuses on the imaginary realm, primarily fulfilling the higher needs of thought and aesthetics. It can narrate any content, but it must reveal beauty and wisdom. Articles are written for thought and aesthetic appreciation, and this is true throughout history and across cultures.
In my opinion, if an essay merely conveys information or knowledge, it cannot be considered an article. The word "article" () implies patterns (), meaning it must be beautiful. Moreover, since articles are boats that travel in the spiritual world, and both the writer and the reader are thoughtful individuals, they must convey new, unique thoughts. Only then will the writer feel fulfilled, and the reader will find it meaningful. If an essay seeks only stimulation, that is unacceptable. While it may also describe landscapes or events, or convey information and knowledge, these are not its purpose. Because if the sole purpose is to achieve this, other genres can fully. In an essay, landscapes, events, and knowledge are merely carriers—they must ultimately align with the writer’s goal of thought and aesthetics. In a single article, both may be present, or one may be emphasized, or one may stand alone. For example, Wang Bo’s "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" still retains aesthetic appeal despite lacking much positive thought, which is why it has been frequently selected by compilers. However, if neither is present, it is not an article, not literature—it is merely a plain applied text or a gimmicky piece of writing.
Since I grasped these two standards, I have pursued them in my writing. I select materials, refine them, and polish them according to this goal. My early essays focused on landscapes, emphasizing aesthetics and uncovering the beauty of nature. Later, my essays shifted to rationality, writing about political history and society, focusing on exploring human thought and character—all guided by this understanding. Avoid the ordinary and the contrived; seek beauty and novelty—this is what makes for good writing. Over the decades of my essay writing, I have continuously pursued and experimented with this approach. Now, with a mix of trepidation and hope, I have compiled this self-selected collection for the readers’ guidance.