Standards and scales

Author: Zhu Ziqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The book includes twenty-two essays, primarily discussing issues related to literature, language, culture, and life. It aims to explore the "old standards" and "new measures" during the era of transition between the old and the new. It represents a typical response of intellectuals to the problems of the time. The text is concise and insightful, offering much enlightenment to contemporary readers. The title "Standards and Measures" is chosen because it contains an essay titled "Literary Standards and Measures," while other articles, whether on theory, events, people, or books, also touch upon standards and measures. However, the book only discusses some old standards and new measures, and it does not claim to establish or define standards and measures. The concept of "standards and measures" in "Literary Standards and Measures" originates from a small book titled Standards by W.C. Brownell, published in 1925. The author saw it on a colleague's desk. The terms "criteria" and "standards" in the book inspired the author.
This is a turbulent era. Everything is shaking and uncertain, and everything is changing at any moment. People find it difficult to predict their future, even the shortest-term future. This causes distress to the general public; this distress, deep or shallow, covers all of China, and thick or thin, spreads across the world. Two years before the end of World War I, some people pointed out the disillusionment felt by the general public. This disillusionment became even more pronounced after the war ended, especially in China. China had endured eight years of arduous resistance, and most people were struggling to survive. When victory came, we took a breath and couldn’t help but imagine a prosperous era that might be realized in three or five years. We understood that peace was still far off, so we first hoped only for a prosperous era. However, the cheers of victory passed as quickly as lightning, followed by a series of thunderous rumblings. The changes were too rapid, the disillusionment too swift, and people, disappointed, felt that the current turbulent situation was even more chaotic than during the war.
Moreover, this turbulence is global. A country like China likely lacks the strength to control it. We cannot predict, nor even estimate, when this turbulence will subside or when a prosperous era will emerge. As a result, people become even more deeply disillusioned. China has long had a philosophy of history that cycles through periods of order and chaos. Mechanical cyclical theories are rarely believed in modern times, but broadly and relatively speaking, the fluctuations of order and chaos can be considered historical facts. Broadly speaking, this is not limited to politics, such as economic crises, which are also forms of turbulence. Relatively speaking, there are great and small periods of order and chaos; different countries and societies have their own fluctuations, but all share this characteristic.
The phrase "fluctuations of order and chaos" suggests that humanity is walking a winding path. Although the path is winding, it is always moving forward toward a goal. I believe humanity has a goal, and thus progress. Each fluctuation of order and chaos, when reviewed, reveals some progress, however small, in various places. However, people generally long for order and dislike chaos. In turbulent times, people hope for a prosperous era; in prosperous times, they hope for a peaceful era—the true "peaceful" era is, in fact, an ideal. Humanity is moving toward this ideal in a winding way, and this winding is due to the conflict between reality and ideals. Both reality and ideals are human creations, and in the process of creation, there are inevitably experiments and errors, leading to conflicts. Conflicts exist between reality and reality, reality and ideals, and ideals and ideals. From one perspective, life is full of contradictions; from another, there is also consistency within contradictions. Humanity advances through conflicts. In turbulent times, there are more conflicts, and people feel uneasy, lost, and disappointed, leading to disillusionment.
Even in disillusionment, one must live. Even while living, one becomes weary and curses. People shake their heads, frown, and say, "There’s nothing we can do! There’s nothing we can do," passing each day in apathy. However, if this is a normal middle-aged person, he still has considerable energy and would not be content with such passivity; he wants to live with meaning. He then becomes decadent—smoking, gambling, drinking, indulging in women, reveling in pleasure. He dedicates himself to speculative ventures, disregarding all principles, as long as it benefits him. After all, all principles are shaking, who fears them? All that matters is seizing the present, seizing oneself—what about society or the nation? An ancient poem says, "I do not concern myself with my own affairs, how can I care for those who come after me?" This can describe such people.
Some people also live on after disillusionment, but with hatred and anger. They do not fear disillusionment but instead build a new ideal on its ruins. They want to transform this country and transform the world. These people are mostly young, full of energy and with fewer worries. They dislike tradition and principles; now that these traditions and principles are already in flux, they simply want to kick them away. They want to create new traditions, new principles, a new China, and a new world. They are also reckless, but not just for themselves. Naturally, they are also bound to make mistakes through experimentation. Whether the results of these experiments will prolong the turmoil or end it depends on the corrective and stabilizing forces in society—whether they can hold onto reality or not.
There are also some people who live on after disillusionment, but with an understanding and adaptation to reality. They gradually come to understand this turbulent era and accept it. They are mostly middle-aged, their energy and courage only enough to hold onto their own positions and carry out their work. These people are not decadent, but they also cannot bear the burden of transformation—they are just small figures in this great era. However, they cautiously adjust various traditions and principles, faithfully preserving those. These traditions and principles, though some want to kick them away, still have their reasons for existence. Because society is continuous, and history is continuous. A new society cannot fall from the sky; it must grow from the soil of the past. The stability of society certainly lies in the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter—in China, especially the needs of farmers—but these small figures also contribute to the stability of the upper echelons of society. They may not withstand the impact of the times and eventually lose their positions or even their lives, but the things they hold onto will endure.
The above three types of people are based on the author’s own observations and familiarity, and naturally, they do not encompass all. However, these three types seem to be the main components of this turbulent era. The author hopes that by describing these three types of people, the situation of the era can be somewhat explained. They understand reality to some extent and grasp it to some extent. The latter two types of people also have ideals, near or far, small or large. They are useful. The decadent ones only consume and waste, harming themselves and society. The speculators disrupt social order and ultimately end up on the same path of consumption and waste. The people who endlessly shake their heads and frown, saying, "There’s nothing we can do," are useless—they are even harmful. The reformers are naturally the leaders of the era, but it is hoped that they will not act too hastily, achieving nothing but failure. The adjusters could complement the reformers, but it is hoped that they will not be too conservative, clinging to the old and refusing to change. Maintaining this living balance in this way, we can hope to enter a prosperous era more quickly. (Nanjing Central Daily News, 35th year)