Selected Prose Works of Lu Li

Author: Lu Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: Lu Li entered Hangzhou Huilan Middle School for English supplementary classes in 1920. The following year, he skipped junior high and enrolled in the affiliated high school of Zhejiang University. In 1924, he entered the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Zhejiang University. In 1927, he was admitted to the Shanghai National Labor University and graduated in 1931. That same autumn, he went to Quanzhou, Fujian, to teach at the Minping Middle School and, together with friends Wu Langxi, Chen Yuching, Wu Chan, and others, founded the Quanzhou Literary Society. In 1933, he began writing prose. The next year, he went to Shanghai’s Nanxiang Lida School to teach rural education. In 1935, he became an editor at Shanghai Cultural Life Publishing House and met the renowned writer Ba Jin. After the outbreak of the "August 13th War," he stayed on the "island" to lead the work of Cultural Life Publishing House and founded the comprehensive bimonthly magazine "Youth Reading Materials" in 1938. During his time at Cultural Life Publishing House, he continued to write prose and translate foreign literary works in his spare time. In April 1942, he was tragically arrested by the Japanese puppet and soon after was brutally executed. He was only thirty-four when he died. Lu Li lived a life of integrity and noble character. At the end of his life, facing the torture of his enemies, he remained fearless and unyielding. In his "In Memory of Lu Shengquan," Ba Jin deeply praised him: "In the forty-some years of my life, I have met many people—good and bad, strong and weak, capable and incompetent, sincere and hypocritical. I could name many. But people like Shengquan, who were loyal, selfless, willing to give their lives for their friends, and who valued others’ happiness more than their own, were few and far between." Through his own noble character, Lu Li wrote a brilliant life story! Lu Li was a lifelong learner with extensive knowledge. He not only loved literature but also had a broad understanding of natural sciences. His study was filled with "shelves and shelves of books on natural sciences" (Liu Xiyue: "Lu Tai’s Prose"). He was particularly interested in astronomy during his university years, often watching constellations at night, collecting names of ancient Chinese constellations, and comparing them with Western constellation names, drawing several interesting constellation maps. These interests were vividly reflected in his prose writing. He wrote a large number of popular science essays. Under the pen name "Da Jiao," he wrote a series titled "Youth Astronomy Observatory," which was serialized in the magazine he edited, "Youth Reading Materials." Under the name "Shengquan," he wrote knowledge-based essays such as "Wu Liu," "Chen," "Observation and Experiment," "Lightning," and "The Origin of Sundays," which were published in magazines like "Youth Reading Materials" and "Universe Wind." During the "August 13th Shanghai War," he collected and edited reports from various newspapers exposing the Japanese forces’ use of "poison gas" and wrote popular science articles on preventing chemical weapon attacks. Lu Tai also had a fondness for music and often played the piano with great passion. This book selects and collects 48 of Lu Li’s prose pieces.