Literary miscellany

Author: He Zhenbang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: In winter 1999, I was invited to serve as the chief editor of a series titled "Say and Do" (later renamed "Southern Tone and Northern Accent") for Guangdong People's Publishing House, inviting fellow writers to join. Each book's title was restricted to three characters. I have always believed that scholars and writers alike should have book titles that reflect their talent and intellectual depth. I vividly remember how Mr. He Manzi, Mr. Mu Hui, and Mr. Shao Yanxiang spontaneously proposed the titles "Millennium Bug," "Beach Sheep," and "Who Cares" over the phone, leaving me deeply impressed. I called my friend, the literary critic Yan Gang, who immediately came up with the title "Echo on the Seat," which delighted me even more. Changing one character in the commonly used phrase "motto" to create "Echo on the Seat" is truly ingenious.
What makes it ingenious? It lies in its subtle charm. The character "" (ming) carries significant meaning. According to Wang Yinglin, a renowned scholar from the Song Dynasty, in his work Records of Diligent Learning, Volume 17, it is recorded that Fan Zhongyan wrote a profound line in his Ode to the Spirit Bird titled Ode to the Spirit Bird: "Better to die with a voice than to live in silence." It should be noted that the "" (wu) in the Ode to the Spirit Bird refers to "," which is the Censorate in ancient China. Clearly, Fan Zhongyan advocated for the fearless spirit of advising the emperor, a rare virtue in ancient times. During his lifetime, Mr. Hu Shi greatly admired these eight characters and even published a collection titled Better to Die with a Voice than to Live in Silence. He also wrote these eight characters on several scrolls and gifted them to friends. I still recall visiting Professor Jin Chengyi of Melbourne University in Australia in the summer of 1992. He was a descendant of the Qing Dynasty Prince Duoro and the descendant of Lin Zexu, making him truly "royal kin." Chengyi had once served as Hu Shi's secretary and had treasured a scroll gifted by Hu Shi, which bore the same eight characters: "Better to Die with a Voice than to Live in Silence." At the time, Chengyi and I unrolled the scroll together, admiring Hu Shi's calligraphy, and my son, Yurun, captured the moment on camera.
Time flies, and Chengyi has passed away many years ago. This photograph has become a precious memento for me, every time I look at it, it evokes endless longing for my dear friend. Of course, Hu Shi used "Better to Die with a Voice than to Live in Silence" to inspire himself and others, advocating for the spirit of speaking out for democracy and freedom, even at the cost of sacrifice—a stark contrast to Fan Zhongyan's era, reflecting the spirit of progress.
This essay and (literary miscellany) series, published by the Cultural and Art Press, includes Literary Miscellany by He Zhenbang, So to Speak by Shan Sanya, Famine in Paper by Wu Liyang, Words from the Depths of Life by Xu Huaiqian, Reflections on Spring Dawn by Yang Xuewu, and Feeling Outside the Door by Gao Wei. After much deliberation, I named this series Echo on the Seat.
Indeed, we live in a peaceful era now, and we no longer need to "fan the wind to extinguish the candle and shout wildly" like Lu Xun in his youth, nor do we need to sing "the wind roars, horses neigh, the Yellow River roars" during the Anti-Japanese War. However, when faced with the pervasive social phenomena of falsehood, ugliness, and evil—whether from the political, cultural, or business sectors—can we turn a blind eye and remain silent? Writers are the conscience of society and must always speak out against injustice. In fact, most of the essays in this series by the six authors are products of "Better to Die with a Voice than to Live in Silence."