A letter to my son 15 years in advance

Author: Shen Mintie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Now reading the letters written 15 years in advance by Shen Mintie to his son, perhaps because of "gaining a child in old age," he loves deeply and thinks far ahead, "pouring his heart out" to his child. From personal experiences and feelings, he talks about the quality of life, adversity and prosperity, obedience and thinking, the value of first love, love and responsibility, and ethical education topics like marriage and family. Then he goes on to discuss reading and thinking, science and technology, the necessity of studying history, intellectual and psychological space, what it means to be a modern person, and what it means to be patriotic—deep issues—and everyday topics like money, fashion, civic consciousness and subject consciousness. He hopes his son will have a confident and composed mental state, cultivate the ability to think independently, judge, choose, associate, and create. He also uses his own experiences and those of his ancestors as firsthand examples of Chinese intellectuals to remind his child that life's path will not always be smooth: "The world I welcome you into is a realm of wealth and poverty, civilization and barbarism, democracy and autocracy, light and darkness, warmth and coldness, justice and injustice, constantly intertwined in struggle. Can you walk well on this path of life? Can you endure the trials of ups and downs, success and failure?" Perhaps 15 years later, when Shen Mintie's younger son reads this book, old Shen will be able to add answers and interpretations for some new problems, or even the child himself might offer his own perspectives. However, I believe that the core content of these 28 letters will remain timeless. With old Shen's good health, he will surely discuss with his grown son in 15 years and compete to see whose wit is sharper.