Ashamed of Lu Xun

Author: Li Xinyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Mr. Li Xinyu has always regarded himself as a warrior inheriting the spirit of Lu Xun, a modern intellectual with free thoughts and an independent personality. He has always lived and pursued knowledge according to such standards. This book, written in a questioning manner, returns to Lu Xun's works and addresses the issues he once contemplated, such as tradition and modernity, locality and the world, enlightenment, etc. It combines the trajectory of modern and contemporary intellectual history to present its own reflections. Reading Mr. Xinyu's great work, one firmly believes that Qian Liqun's statement about the "conscious inheritance of the lineage of 'spiritual warriors'" is not unfounded. Academia has joyfully discovered that indeed, a group of people have simultaneously returned to Lu Xun, to that immortal soul of the century, which forged the spirit of the May Fourth Movement. Some came directly from the 1990s, young like Yu Jie and Mo Luo; others traversed from the 1980s, such as Qian Liqun, Lin Xianzhi, and Li Xinyu. Their hearts are tied to the monument, their direction is unified, but their steps are not necessarily in perfect harmony. Without a supreme authority to appoint them or a commander to oversee their ranks, they have faintly heard the call of conscience in the canyon of reality and have gradually, two by two, returned to worship and follow the pioneers' blood. Thus, their spirit is as solemn as saints, and their thinking and style are as unrestrained as wandering souls. Some prefer to write spontaneously, letting their thoughts erupt in passionate bursts; others immerse themselves in intellectual classics, allowing the iceberg of the great soul to resurface from the sea of history, once again revealing its awe-inspiring grandeur and severity. What Xinyu does belongs to the latter. This does not mean Xinyu lacks passion, but rather that even with passionate bursts, they are deliberately woven into the fabric of academia. This results in Xinyu's writing being far more readable than the "spontaneous thoughts" published in the market, inviting readers to reflect on their own language and standing up to the scrutiny of intellectual history. This gives the author an insight: if one truly wants to inspire more Chinese people to build a "modern intellectual discourse space" locally, it may be worthwhile to introduce academic-infused steel-reinforced concrete prefabricated panels in addition to the bricks and mortar of "spontaneous thoughts." Furthermore, fighters who excel in responding to current politics and trends should not have too many barriers with academicians who "abandon the world but do not forget it." Given the vastness of China, the length of its history, the dangers of its crises, and the magnitude of its challenges, it is impossible for any single party, faction, or individual to achieve progress in a single thread or easily resolve them. This makes it even more urgent for scholars to have more understanding, tolerance, and collaboration among themselves.