Rethinking the Past (Part 3)

Author: Liu Ruilin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Senior publisher Shen Changwen from the Joint Publishing House narrates his apprenticeship history; Tang Degang analyzes the "Second Revolution" and the "Song Jiaoren Case"; Shen Rong recounts his remarkable years in the film industry during the period around the surrender in Nanjing in 1945.
Shen Changwen: I really hope there could be a team dedicated to examining these matters. Just now on the way, I was talking to him (Lei Yi) about it, for example, the issue of demolishing houses everywhere now. This is a "new" thing, and from this "new" thing, we can discover a lot of "old" things, because such things have been done abroad. Britain and Germany have many good stories.
Lei Yi: I think "Wengu" (Looking Back) is indeed very meaningful, because my field of study is history, and in fact, it is here that we engage in "Wengu," or the cultivation of historical memory. From my historical research, I feel that the meaning of history is actually a very difficult thing. Many things make us realize that it is very necessary to rescue historical memory now.
Xu Zongmao: The purpose is to create a pluralistic understanding of the past. It may not be the absolute truth or facts, but at least this pluralistic cultural perspective and environment are tolerated, because this is an educational process needed for the Chinese people to achieve intellectual maturity. "Wengu" is a serially published cultural and historical book. It looks back and examines the past from today's perspective, providing a reference for current survival and future development. The saying goes, "By looking back, one learns anew." The content of "Wengu" generally includes the following three aspects:
(1) Nostalgia for past human living conditions;
(2) Examination and reflection on history;
(3) Rediscovering cultural and historical relics and remaining texts.