Zheng Zhenduo: Creating the Soul of Books Through the

Author: Wang Binggen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: This is a series of character-focused books that highlights historical photographs and visual materials. It is said that we are living in an image-driven era. This statement holds considerable truth. Regardless of television, film, CDs, and other media dominating cultural consumption and reading trends, the sudden rise of old photographs, vintage cartoons, and historical illustrations alone demonstrates that people are no longer content to experience life and history solely through text. They are increasingly inclined to read about people and history through historical images. Indeed, individual life scenes, portraits, and even pages of manuscripts often hold a greater appeal for readers and spark their imagination than descriptive text. Over the years, whenever I travel abroad, I always purchase some books. Among them, I particularly favor character books with concise text and abundant illustrations that complement each other, such as Van Gogh Brothers and Virginia Woolf. These books give a fresh and innovative impression in terms of structure, layout, and format. It was inspired by these books that I conceived the idea of editing a series of character-focused illustrated biographies. Fortunately, my idea was warmly supported by the friends at Elephant Publishing House, which led to the creation of the "Elephant Character Focus Series." The reason for using "focus" instead of "biography" is that, strictly speaking, the works in the series are not written as traditional biographies. Instead, they attempt to scan and explore certain fragments of a person's life that are of particular interest to the author and that highlight their character and destiny. Several years ago, I employed a similar writing style in the "Changshang Kanchun Series." If such text is combined with historical photographs and images in an appropriate manner, it naturally becomes a different form of illustrated biography. Additionally, beyond the main text, this series also selects and excerpts the subject's self-narratives, others' critiques, and other related writings in a "supplementary" format. The captions for the images also deviate from conventional models, aiming to be more lively and meaningful. I believe that such an arrangement can present a person's life in a smaller space, from multiple layers and perspectives, in a more vivid manner. Any form of focus is ultimately aimed at highlighting the living conditions of different individuals in historical scenes. Examining them is, in essence, an examination of intellectuals in the real world. This is the reason why I am so passionate about and dedicated to this series of books that depict historical figures. This book is one of the "Elephant Character Focus Series." Zheng Zhenduo's life seems inseparable from books: writing, editing, publishing, and collecting books—books were an integral part of his entire existence. He was obsessed with books, loving them as if they were his life, and his collection of books reached a state of addiction and obsession. This book showcases Zheng Zhenduo's legendary life of companionship with books and his patriotic dedication.