Shanghai Literary History

Author: Qiu Mingzheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Many years ago, we prepared to write this Comprehensive History of Shanghai Literature. After extensively collecting materials, careful writing, multiple discussions, and several revisions, we have finally completed it! Shanghai literature has its own characteristics and a glorious yet history. In a specific sense, Shanghai literature, especially modern and contemporary literature, can be considered a microcosm of Chinese literature. In the past, the Literature Research Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences had published History of Modern Shanghai Literature, edited by Chen Bohai and Yuan Jin, and History of Modern Shanghai Literature, edited by Wang Wenyin. Due to deepened understanding and the vast scope for revision, there remains room for rewriting. As for contemporary Shanghai literature, although numerous articles on specialized research and critiques of Shanghai writers and works have been published in newspapers and magazines, there is still no History of Contemporary Shanghai Literature, and ancient Shanghai literature has been even less explored. It remains a question whether ancient Shanghai had literature and whether it could be considered a "history."
Every nation, ethnicity, or region has its own process of emergence, development, and evolution in literature, with its own characteristics and trajectory. It does not suddenly burst forth or disappear in a particular period, and Shanghai literature is no exception. The flourishing of modern and contemporary Shanghai literature is a continuation, transformation, and development of ancient Shanghai literature, while contemporary Shanghai literature is, in turn, a continuation and development of modern and contemporary Shanghai literature. Through extensive research and meticulous analysis, we discovered that ancient Shanghai not only had literature but also had a rich and distinctive tradition, though it had been overlooked or forgotten! As for contemporary Shanghai literature, it is even more diverse and holds a significant position in Chinese literature, having traversed a tortuous and winding path. We have also made new discoveries and presented new arguments regarding modern and contemporary Shanghai literature. Therefore, we decided to write a Comprehensive History of Shanghai Literature to systematically trace the emergence and development of Shanghai literature from ancient to contemporary times, explore the reasons behind its development, grasp its characteristics in different periods, and examine its role and significance in Chinese literature, as well as its overall features. The purpose is to study the laws of literary development, literary creation, literary criticism, appreciation, and the transformation of the literary mechanism, summarize experiences and lessons, and provide a historical mirror for the prosperity and flourishing of literature in the new century and the deepening of literary research.
The historical development of Shanghai literature is synchronized with the development of Chinese society, culture, literature, and the city of Shanghai. Therefore, this Comprehensive History of Shanghai Literature is divided into four parts—History of Ancient Shanghai Literature, History of Modern Shanghai Literature, History of Modern Shanghai Literature, and History of Contemporary Shanghai Literature, following tradition. Experts specializing in the history of Chinese literature and Shanghai literature from the Literature Research Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Shanghai University, the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Shanghai Normal University, and the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University and Nanjing University have been invited to contribute to this book.
History of Ancient Shanghai Literature was written by Xia Xianchun and Sun Qian'an, senior researchers at the Literature Research Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. They have devoted great effort to uncovering original materials, discussing important writers and works, and systematically tracing the development of ancient Shanghai literature. It is the most comprehensive History of Ancient Shanghai Literature to date.
History of Modern Shanghai Literature was written by Yuan Jin, a professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Shanghai University. He is a renowned scholar in the study of modern Chinese literature and has previously edited History of Modern Shanghai Literature. In this individual work, he has thoroughly re-examined and reinterpreted modern Shanghai literature, surpassing his previous research findings.
History of Modern Shanghai Literature was written by Wang Wenyin, a researcher at the Literature Research Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, with contributions from Professor Zhu Shoutong of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Nanjing University and Meng Jinrong, a promising young scholar from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University. Wang Wenyin is an expert in the study of modern Chinese literature and has previously edited History of Modern Shanghai Literature. In this revision, she has presented new insights that surpass her earlier research.
History of Contemporary Shanghai Literature was written by Yang Jianlong, a professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Shanghai University, and Dai Yi, a researcher at the Literature Research Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. Both are experts in the study of contemporary Chinese literature. Their systematic analysis of the development of contemporary Shanghai literature, particularly their in-depth examination of important writers and works, demonstrates their academic prowess.
Professor Qiu Mingzheng of the Literature Research Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences was responsible for the overall planning, outline drafting, compilation, and final editing of the book, as well as writing the preface and postscript. During the project's, writing, and publication process, the book received support and guidance from the Shanghai Philosophy and Social Sciences Planning Office and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. Professor Li Zhensheng of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University, as well as many colleagues from the Literature Research Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, including Wang Zhousheng and Huang Jiangping, provided assistance. Fudan University Press offered strong support, and many friends in the Shanghai literary criticism circle also showed warm concern. Here, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of them!