Father and son

Author: Qian Liqun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: "Human relationships" can be considered a "masterpiece" in traditional Chinese culture and literature, and it is undeniable that there is much to explore. However, what we are discussing here is "human relationships" in modern culture and literature (prose), which seems to be somewhat troublesome, and it took considerable hesitation to put pen to paper. This reminds me of a question once raised by Mr. Xu Zhimo: "Let us ask, how much confidence can we have in the basic facts of life, the simple, universal, banal, human experiences? How deep can our understanding truly be?" He raised this question out of genuine reflection: the emotional world of humanity had once been deemed a taboo subject in modern culture and literature; while the realm of "human relationships," dominated by emotions with little rationality, was filled with pure, divine cries, free of human desires, worldly wisdom, or vested interests. Human relationships, as Mr. Xu Zhimo described them as the basic facts of life, the simple, universal, banal, human experiences, were thus even more subjected to artificial exclusion. To some, "human relationships" occupied a uniquely important position in traditional Chinese culture and literature, and modern culture and literature, as the historical antithesis of the former, had to expel "human relationships" from their "gates," a move they called "going against the grain." A typical example: Mr. Zhu Ziqing's "The Father's Shadow," included in this collection, was rejected multiple times when selected as a middle school Chinese language textbook for expressing the bond between father and son. Yet, in modern prose, Mr. Zhu's "The Father's Shadow" is one of the most well-known works. At least, intellectuals of our generation have been moved to tears by it countless times. This shows that human emotions are indeed unbreakable; especially human relationships, rooted in human nature, are both "true" and "pure," possessing an inherent literary quality. It is, in fact, an intrinsic and essential form of communication. In a sense, to abandon human relationships is to negate literature itself.
When it comes to modern culture and literature, there seems to be a tragic historical misunderstanding: modern culture and literature, in relation to traditional culture and literature, not only involve opposition, critique, and rejection but also mutual permeation and inheritance. There is not only "breaking" but also "building." The pioneers of the May Fourth Movement did indeed launch a sharp critique of the "human relationships" perspective of traditional Chinese culture, particularly Confucianism, but they simultaneously established their own modern "human relationships" view and created a large body of modern literary works on the theme of human relationships, imbued with new concepts, emotions, and aesthetic qualities, possessing a unique charm of thought and art, and forming an important part of modern Chinese culture and literature.
In modern prose on human relationships, works depicting the bond between parents and children stand out. This first reflects the shift from the traditional ethical view that placed emphasis on the elderly and respected to the modern ethical view that prioritizes the young. It also demonstrates a new understanding and reflection on human nature and traditional culture. Consider the true story written by Mr. Feng Zikai in his essay "Becoming a Father": A vendor brought a load of chicks, and the children genuinely wanted them, pleading with their father to buy them. The vendor, recognizing the children's desires, refused to lower the price, and the chicks were ultimately not purchased. The father tried to advise the children, but his words trailed off: "Next time," he said, unable to continue, "because the next part is 'When you see something good, don’t praise it with your mouth; when you want something, don’t ask for it with your mouth.' If you go further, it becomes 'When you see something good, you should say it’s bad; when you want something, you should say you don’t want it.'" In this scene of innocent, bright spring, where could such teachings fit? This indeed provokes deep reflection: innocence exists only in the carefree days of childhood, while the mature, and thus worldly, adult age is inevitably filled with hypocrisy. This gives rise to a longing for the innocent world of childhood. The group of essays on children included in this collection, especially those written by Mr. Zhu Ziqing and Mr. Feng Zikai, exhibit a strong tendency toward "child worship" (linked with this is a deeply sincere "self-confession" of adulthood"). And this "child worship" is precisely an important aspect of the cultural spirit of the May Fourth era, a "discovery" of children from an anthropological perspective, reflecting a keen interest in humanity and the individual's "childhood." Zhou Zuoren once said, "In this world, too many adults, though they have personally been children, have long lost their 'innocent hearts.' Like caterpillars that have transformed into butterflies, they are entirely two different creatures—a great misfortune." The "child culture fever" of the May Fourth era arose precisely from a profound reflection on traditional Chinese culture. As Marx said, the "Greeks," as the origin of Western culture, are "normal children," and Western culture is a normally developing culture; while the Chinese are undoubtedly "early-maturing children," and traditional Chinese culture is an early-maturing culture. The May Fourth pioneers, upon encountering Western culture, first discovered the hopelessly premature state of their national culture, giving rise to a sense of heaviness and urgency. The "child culture fever" of the May Fourth era was, in essence, an attempt to reclaim the childhood and youth of the nation (including national culture and literature) and to make up for lost historical time. Understanding this cultural background helps one realize that the works in this collection depicting the emotions of children and the joy of childhood are not only expressions of sincere parental love but also carry profound historical and cultural implications, as well as reflections on the essence of literature and art. In my view, these are the most moving and enduring essays in this collection.
The same should be said for the works in this collection that depict "motherly love." During the May Fourth era, while negating the old ethical view that placed emphasis on the elderly, "motherly love" was elevated to an extreme. Lu Xun, in his famous essay "How Should We Be Fathers Today," extensively discussed "motherly love" as an "innate quality," calling for its "sacrificial spirit" to be further expanded and refined—"to love selflessly, sacrificing oneself for the younger generation." This clearly reflects the intention to use "motherly love" to reform Chinese national character (hasn’t Lu Xun long said that what is lacking in the Chinese national character is "sincerity" and "love"?). This was, in fact, also the trend of thought of the May Fourth era. Li Dazhao once said, "The temperament of men contains many elements of autocracy; it is only thanks to the peaceful, elegant, and loving temperament of half the women that humanity’s natural balance of temperament is preserved, and the spirit of democracy is revealed." Shen Yanbing introduced a famous view of the British women’s issues expert Ellen Key: "Respectful motherhood, if hindered from fully developing, will be a great source of worry for the future century." He expanded on this, saying, "After reading Ellen Key’s theory of motherhood, can we not feel a profound sense of worry for the Chinese nation?" History later proved Shen Yanbing was not a (a pessimistic optimist). The underdeveloped "motherly nature" has had a negative impact on our national temperament, which is still evident today. Qian Mu’s "To a Girl Who Likes Horses" in this collection provides a poignant elaboration on this. Placed in the context of the development of the spiritual and temperamental history of the Chinese nation in this century, we can easily discover the special value of these works, but we also feel a historical regret: such articles are far too few and lack the necessary weight. A literature that fails to master the art of depicting motherly love has no hope. Among the unfinished works of Lu Xun, there was one titled "Motherly Love." When will our writers fulfill Lu Xun’s (bequeathed wish)?
In traditional ethical views, "teachers" held a special status, with the saying "Heaven, Earth, Monarchs, Parents, and Teachers" placing teachers on par with monarchs. Thus, the repeated "Thanking the Teacher" incidents that have occurred since this century can be seen as a manifestation of the opposition between modern ethical views and traditional ethical views. Whether conflicts between teachers and students must necessarily result in a complete break in the relationship (i.e., "Thanking the Teacher") is naturally debatable; but the principle established by this—mutual equality before truth between teachers and students, and between the older and younger generations—is of epoch-making significance. Viewing the debate sparked by Liu Banrong’s essay "Frankly Speaking" (included in this collection) from this perspective is particularly interesting. Liu Banrong and his colleagues, as pioneers of the May Fourth era, belonged to the older generation of teachers and parents; the other side of the debate was the young people of the 1930s, belonging to the younger generation of students. The generation of Liu Banrong had once been strongly "critical of parents (teachers)" during the May Fourth era, but by the 1930s, when they themselves had become "parents" and "teachers," they were less tolerant of the younger generation. However, they possessed an undeniable strength: the courage to criticize the young and engage in debates with them, without any tendency to pander to them. This preserved the sense of equality before truth and individual independence that had been emphasized during the May Fourth era. The "critical of parents (teachers)" consciousness of the young people in the 1930s seemed even stronger, but from their refusal to allow others to speak, especially to criticize themselves, their authoritarian and extremist tendencies revealed a subconscious "fatherly (teacherly) adoration" complex. In essence, they too craved the autocratic authority of the "father" ("teacher") in traditional ethics. This is no longer a weakness of the young people of the 1930s (who are now the "grandparents" of today’s young people) but may also be a fatal flaw of our national character. The "reappearance" of the "ghost of tradition" in the rebellious souls of the younger generation, a phenomenon known as "atavism," is even more worth reflecting on and (vigilant).
During the May Fourth era, the philosophy and literature of "love" were once highly popular. In modern prose that takes human relationships as its theme, love is also present in abundance. But not only does the essence of "love" differ from that of traditional literary works on similar themes—it is imbued with the modern consciousness of democracy, equality, and freedom (hence, some say it is an expansion and permeation of friendship into the love between father and son, mother and daughter, and teacher and student); the form of expression of "love" has also been enriched and developed: love is not only monotonous and cloying—when love becomes the only thing, it loses its literary quality. The purity and sincerity of emotions should, and can, be unified with their richness, freedom, and vastness. In Lu Xun’s "The Trembling of the Decaying Lines," he reveals the emotional world of an "old woman" in this way:
"She stood naked, like a stone statue in the center of the wilderness. In an instant, she recalled all her past: hunger, pain, surprise, shame, joy—she trembled; suffering, grievances, burdens—she spasmed; killing—she became calm. In another instant, she merged everything: longing and resolve, tenderness and revenge, nurturing and destruction, blessing and curse. She raised both hands to the sky, and the words that leaked from her lips were the inarticulate speech of humans and beasts, beyond human understanding.
"The entire surface of her great, yet decayed, body trembled. The tremor was like fish scales, each one rising like boiling water over a fierce fire. The air also began to vibrate, as if the waves of a stormy sea."
What is revealed here is not only the intensity and power of emotions but also a sense of freedom and vastness. The emotional complexity of this "old woman"—the interweaving and complementarity of great love and great hatred, the chaotic entanglement and merging—belongs to the "modern person." Moreover, the "inaudible speech" that cannot be written is far richer and more vivid than the words and articles that have been written. In this sense, we have every reason to be dissatisfied with the excessive rational processing and organization of the human relationship-themed prose in this collection, which failed to preserve more of the "original state" of emotions and language.