Pengshan Boat Shadow: Liu Yongxiang's Miscellaneous Writings on History and Culture

Author: Liu Yongxiang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Liu Yongxiang, a renowned expert in history and literature, is a life professor and doctoral supervisor at East China Normal University, with profound knowledge and extensive expertise. This book is a collection of his miscellaneous writings and essays on history and literature, compiled during his academic career. The book is divided into eight sections, containing over 80 articles, including parallel prose and inscriptions praised by Mr. Qian Zhongshu as "rarely seen" and "a revival of the four-six prose of Fan Nan." The content is rich and diverse, covering topics such as Qian Zhongshu studies, tributes to individuals, poetry and literary discussions, textual research, and anecdotes. The author's deep and elegant writing style have won him great appreciation from the literary community. This book is a new collection of his recent historical and literary essays, with many pieces published for the first time, making it particularly valuable. Excerpt: Notes on Liu Yongxiang's Reflections on the Boat Shadow on Pengshan Mountain I am not a scholar of history and literature, and I have no connection with the author of this book, Mr. Jichao. However, since I have been living in Shanghai, my friends often mention Mr. Jichao. I have previously read books co-authored by the Gu Mei father and son, such as Appreciation of Classical Literature and Detailed Annotations to the Continuation of Poetic Tastes, and I am deeply impressed by their knowledge and scholarship. I once said, "My willpower is too weak, and I always pay attention to anything related to 'Qian'—whether it's 'money' (Qian), 'Qian Zhongshu' (Qian), 'Qian Zhonglian' (Qian), or beautiful women with the surname Qian, if I were a man. Therefore, I have always paid great attention to texts related to the Qians." During my reading, I discovered that the Jiliu brothers are also very interested in Qian Zhongshu, and since then, I have paid even more attention to their writings. A few months ago, I purchased Jiliu Tea House from a bookstore. Later, a friend told me, "Mr. Jichao has recently published a collection of historical and literary essays titled Reflections on the Boat Shadow on Pengshan Mountain, which includes several discussions on Mr. Qian Zhongshu. Since you are very interested in Qian Zhongshu, this book is undoubtedly a must-read." Upon learning this, I was naturally overjoyed. Later, I searched for this book in bookstores like Jifeng but could not find it. Eventually, thanks to the reminder of a friend named Ge Lin Chun, I purchased the book in Jifeng. Yongxin can be considered a person with no knowledge at all. It is not qualified for me to talk about Mr. Jichao's writings. However, even foolish people may have a moment of wisdom. The current time is fleeting, and work is extremely busy, leaving no room for leisurely writing. Most of the following comments were written in the margins of the book and can be considered as a postscript. If there are any inappropriate or incorrect points, I hope my dear friends and MM can point them out promptly. (1) About the title of the book When a friend first messaged me, saying that Mr. Jichao's upcoming book would be titled Reflections on the Boat Shadow on Pengshan Mountain, I didn't think much about it and didn't pay much attention to the meaning of the title. When I bought the book and read the beginning of the preface, "Imagine: golden palaces shining in the sky, while waves surge at the boat's side. The boatman steers forward, but the boat's shadow fades with the wind. Trial after trial, failure after failure. This scene is the inspiration for the title of this book," I suddenly felt many emotions. After reading this passage, the first thing that came to my mind was the Jianya from the Book of Songs, Qin Feng.
Jianya, with white dew turning to frost,
The lady I adore is on the other side of the water.
I paddle upstream, the path is long and steep,
I paddle downstream, she appears among the waves.
Jianya, with white dew yet to dry,
The lady I adore is by the water's edge.
I paddle upstream, the path is steep and winding,
I paddle downstream, she appears among the water.
Jianya, with white dew yet to fade,
The lady I adore is by the water's shore.
I paddle upstream, the path is to the right,
I paddle downstream, she appears among the water.
The scene described in Jianya is very similar to what Mr. Liu describes. I once joked in an article that the phrase "The lady I adore is on the other side of the water" could add a tragic state to the three stages of success that Wang Guantang believed great achievements required. Of course, this state refers to those who cannot achieve great success, but throughout history, few people have truly achieved greatness. For most, perhaps only the sigh and helplessness of "The lady I adore is on the other side of the water" remain. Digressing a bit, the scene Mr. Liu describes has lost the romantic charm of the Book of Songs, leaving a deep impression of unwavering determination and perseverance. This is also the state that most of us are experiencing or will experience in our work and careers. Of course, Mr. Liu's description is largely a humble term. With his current achievements, he could be considered a "person of Pengshan." During my sophomore year of university, I wrote a short story titled At the End of the Rainbow, which roughly means something that is desirable but unattainable. I will use this as a supplement as well. (2) Qian Zhongshu Qian Zhongshu is perhaps the most discussed topic among contemporary scholars, with a trend of "too much to say about Qian Zhongshu." Mr. Liu Yanwen's article on Shiyu serialized in Wangwei was followed by me throughout. Mr. Jichao's new book also devotes a significant portion to Qian Zhongshu. As someone who pays attention to anything related to "Qian," I naturally considered this part the first thing to read. Moreover, Kui Xia Bai Qian is already at the beginning of the book, as if Qian Zhongshu once said that peaches are loved to be eaten, and this article can also be called "loved to be read." Qian Tong can be said to be "well-known and widely celebrated." This time, Mr. Liu was able to publish it, which is truly a blessing for Qian enthusiasts and can be considered a New Year's feast. Along with My Relationship with Mr. Qian Zhongshu's Calligraphy and Mr. Qian Zhongshu on Dong Xiaochuan, these articles provide rich materials for us to understand more aspects of Mr. Qian Zhongshu's personality. 1. Qian Tong, the twenty-fourth entry. This entry focuses on Mr. Qian's Modern Chinese Literary History with his father. A senior scholar once told me about the "indifferent" side of Mr. Qian Zhongshu's personality, citing the publication of Qian Jibo's two literary histories, which did not mention Mr. Qian Zhongshu at all. It was clear that these books were entirely compiled by Qian Jibo's students and daughter-in-law, with no contribution from the old man. Although I do not agree with this view, I did not comment at the time. In fact, the passage in Qian Tong (which has been cited in other articles) undoubtedly defends him. Since Mr. Qian did not agree to publish his father's works, it is natural that he would not intervene after making the decision. Otherwise, Mr. Qian Zhongshu not only guided and assisted in the publication of Yang Yanhang's Old Garden Collection but also wrote the book title for his father-in-law. If he treated his father-in-law so well, how could he treat his own father any less favorably? 2. Qian Tong, the twenty-eighth entry. This entry discusses poems of mutual teasing between Mr. Qian Zhongshu and Mao Xiaolu. Someone once said that there were poems between Mr. Qian and Mao Xiaolu that could be described as "teasing and cruel," and when the two gentlemen were compiling and publishing their poetry collections, such poems were mostly omitted. Those who had these poems did not readily share them for various reasons, unwilling to let everyone "enjoy these rare works." Thanks to Mr. Liu's introduction, we can finally get a glimpse of them. Reading the lines "I will not give my new wife to anyone else" (reminded of Chen Julai's description of Pan Boying in "Ten Madmen") and "Someone respects the emperor, but what if you read it backward?" made me laugh out loud. If I hadn't seen this entry, I would never have thought that the reversed "God" was actually a "Dog"! Connecting this to the long poem quoted by Yang Jiang in We Three, we can see that the "many satirical and cruel poems" mentioned by Mr. Qian Zhongshu in the preface to Huaju Poems have finally come true. Additionally, I hadn't noticed that Mr. Qian Zhongshu had also interacted with Shao Xunmei, who held Mr. Qian in such high regard, even calling him "God." Considering the recent publication by Hu Wenhui on the interactions between Mr. Qian and Wu Dongqing in the poem Chen Yin, we can only sigh that there are still so many gaps in the study of Mr. Qian Zhongshu's relationships. Previously, Li Hongyan published a book titled Mr. Qian Zhongshu and Modern Scholars, which now seems to be just a Chen Sheng and Wu Guang. Brother Shuimu once compiled and collected the records of Hu Lancheng's relationships. When he has time, he might as well compile a record of Mr. Qian Zhongshu's relationships, becoming the Liu Bang and Xiang Yu of this field.