Extralegal statement

Author: Chen Xingliang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-03-01
Features: This book is divided into three parts, which will be introduced in order. The first part is the preface, where "preface" is a general term that actually includes foreword, preface, introductory preface, and preface. The preface is the preface of the author's own work, explaining the writing intention of a certain work. It should be pointed out that the introductory preface is not written specifically for a certain work but serves as a preface for another article. Although there is no formal direct connection between the introductory preface and the main work, there must be some inherent connection because it is a preface. The second part is the preface written by others, that is, the preface written by others. The others are mostly students, and some are fellow scholars. To be invited to write a preface, it is somewhat like writing a commissioned essay. Of course, one will try to combine the work and the author to write some distinctive features. My preface to another's work cannot turn a stone into gold or add flowers to it; it is just an embellishment, a guide into the work, so as not to overshadow the main event. One should have such an understanding of the preface, which can also be said to be my view on writing prefaces. The preface is a preface written at the request of others for their work. It is undeniable that the academic quality of their work varies. I don't want to say that I only write prefaces for books with high academic quality and do not write prefaces for books with low academic quality. Therefore, when evaluating the work for which I wrote a preface, it is extremely difficult to grasp the measure. In the preface, what impressed me deeply was the preface I wrote for Qiu Xinglong's "Philosophy of Punishment—On the Basis of Punishment": "Qiu Xinglong—His Person, His Life, and His Book." When Qiu Xinglong's doctoral dissertation was published, he asked me to write a preface for it. In the preface, I narrated Qiu Xinglong's difficult life experiences and my many years of interaction with him, especially some of my reflections, which moved me deeply. This preface is as long as 15,000 words, and it is also the longest preface I wrote for others. In the preface, the preface for the Chinese translation of "The Gates of Law" by Deng Zibin is also relatively special. The preface for the Chinese translation is both an introduction to the original work and an evaluation of the translation, a dual preface. After the book was published, it received much praise, and the person who wrote the preface also benefited from it. Most of the prefaces I wrote for others are for legal works, especially criminal law works, but "The Diary of a Female Prosecutor" is an exception. It is a network legal literature work, and the author Li Ling (pen name Liling) is the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Haidian District People's Procuratorate of Beijing. I once served as a temporary official in the procuratorate, so there is a sense of camaraderie. Therefore, when Li Ling asked me to write a preface for her work, even though I am a "net illiterate," I readily agreed. I regard the preface as a kind of after-reading reflection, coming from the heart rather than a formal official statement, only in this way can it move people. The third part is the postscript, where "postscript" is also a general term, mostly in the form of afterwords, and some are marked as postscripts or introductory postscripts. The preface is like the front door, more solemn. The postscript is like the back door, a bit more relaxed, so some extraneous remarks can be expressed in the afterword. This book basically collects all the prefaces and postscripts I have written for my own and others' works, except for some purely technical or routine explanations. Some of the content of the prefaces and postscripts has been appropriately adjusted to avoid repetition, and the rest, except for typos, are kept as close to the original as possible. Since the prefaces and postscripts are quite distinctive in my writing, I have a special preference for them, showing my intention of cherishing them as if they were my own treasures. For scholars, there is a saying: buying books—reading books—writing books—publishing books. This is an academic input-output process and also the vocation of scholars. This book is not written but compiled, so it seems that in addition to the four books, there should be one more book, that is, compiling books. When one's talent runs out and cannot write books, compiling books is also a way to console oneself. Isn't that so?