Zhitang's Recollections

Author: Zhou Zuoren
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-01-01
Features: On December 9, 1960, Zhou Zuoren's diary entry reads: "I plan to write 'Yao Tang Tan Wang' and send it to Juran, as requested by the 'Xin Wan Bao.' I have a rough outline and plan to write until the May Fourth Movement." On December 10, he wrote: "In the afternoon, I worked hard on a short essay, completing the second section, preparing it for Hong Kong, with over a thousand words. In the evening, I revised it under the lamplight." On November 29, 1962, he wrote: "In the morning, I copied the main text of 'Tan Wang.' I just need to write one postscript, and then the entire work will be completed. It totals over 550 pages, about 380,000 words, and I plan to divide it into four volumes, or rename it 'Zhi Tang Hui Xiang Lu.'" On November 30, he wrote: "In the evening, I wrote the postscript for 'Tan Wang,' totaling 554 pages as well." Between August and September 1964, 'Zhi Tang Hui Xiang Lu' was published in parts in Hong Kong's 'Xin Wan Bao,' but it was soon discontinued. In May 1970, 'Zhi Tang Hui Xiang Lu' was published by the Hong Kong San Yue Book Company, nearly three years after the author's death. 'Zhi Tang Hui Xiang Lu' is Zhou Zuoren's last work and also his largest in terms of volume. Initially, Cao Juran accepted a commission from 'Xin Wan Bao' to write it, requesting: "The more colloquial, the better, because we are unable to meet the readers' expectations and have written it quite crudely. Avoid literary pretensions and make it as interesting as possible." (Letter of December 9, 1960, included in "Lu Xun Research Materials," Issue 10, 1982). To some extent, this may have influenced the writing of the book, but Zhou Zuoren did not fully comply with the request. In a letter to Cao on December 13, 1960, he wrote: "You asked me to write in a simple and accessible style, as if speaking to high school students, but this is quite difficult for me." In a letter of March 15, 1961, he further wrote: "There are many places in the text where the narrative wanders, though it may not wander enough. But a wild horse must run within its bounds to be interesting, and this is extremely difficult." Generally, he followed his usual style, and the writing style remained typical of "Zhi Tang style"—writing as if speaking rather than writing formally, plain yet intimate, with a restrained and composed attitude throughout. As shown in the aforementioned diary entries, 'Zhi Tang Hui Xiang Lu' was originally planned to end with the May Fourth Movement, but in the end, it covered his entire life, including many previously unmentioned experiences. Some of the narratives occasionally reused material from earlier works, and he quoted many of his own articles, so in this sense, it could be called a "masterpiece." Whether in narration or commentary, 'Zhi Tang Hui Xiang Lu' clearly reflects the author's "self-perspective"—what he considered important and what he deemed unimportant, which may differ from common views. In fact, this had long been demonstrated in a series of prefaces and postfaces and articles like "My Past Work," which was also "a consistent path for me." Additionally, it is worth noting the author's principle. As stated in the Postscript: "The facts I write are not poeticized or embellished, but I still have a selection, not writing everything." This includes two aspects: distinguishing between "poetry" and "reality," and choosing what to say and what not to say. Both involve an understanding of "reality," which Zhou Zuoren believed to be both infinite and limited. The narrator cannot fabricate, but can make choices within this range. If the former is his obligation, the latter is his right. The standard of such choices is related to his self-perspective, and the key is that everything is decided by himself, not by others. Under the premise of speaking the truth, the author only wrote what he wanted to say, not what others wanted to hear. His liberal spirit was thus carried through in 'Zhi Tang Hui Xiang Lu,' and the Postscript was almost his last written article, representing the stance heed. This reminds one of the quotes from Confucius and Xunzi in "Zhi Tang Wen Ji · Zhi Tang Shuo." Throughout his life, Zhou Zuoren started from "Knowing what you know and not knowing what you don't know is true wisdom" and concluded with "Speaking appropriately is wisdom; remaining silent appropriately is also wisdom." This was his "wisdom." Since whether to speak or not depended on himself, there was no issue of evasion. On the other hand, the author genuinely believed that some things did not need to be reported to outsiders (whether readers or researchers). For example, he wrote, "All my personal relationships are not recorded" (Postscript) and "Family and relatives are also omitted" (Postscript), etc., all of which involve the limitation of the publicness of a public figure. Zhou Zuoren clearly believed that this should be limited. Beyond this boundary, he had already, through 'Zhi Tang Hui Xiang Lu,' given his own interpretation of his life. There were many errors and omissions in the San Yue edition of 'Zhi Tang Hui Xiang Lu,' which was published this time based on copies of the author's manuscripts provided by his family. The original manuscript's table of contents was titled "Yao Tang Tan Wang Mu Ci," totaling eight pages, with a preliminary item labeled "Preface" (this may be the "Preface to Yao Tang Tan Wang" recorded in his diary of December 30, 1962, which is now lost). The entry "Sixty Beijing Opera" was missing, and "Yule Tang" was listed as "Sixty," with the following entries arranged in order, making a total of 206 sections, divided into four volumes. The main text consists of 554 pages, unnumbered, with the title "Yao Tang Tan Wang" at the beginning and signed "Qiming." "Sixty-One" was repeated, meaning "Yule Tang" and "Wu Yizhai" were listed in order, also totaling 206 sections. "Twenty-Four" was translated as "Almost Became a Small Rogue," "Twenty-Five" as "Before and After the Storm," "Forty-One" as "Teacher," "Forty-Three" as "Storm," "Fifty-Eight" as "In Beijing," "One-Sixty-Four" as "Ten of the Ten Reminiscences of Peking University," "One-Sixty-Five" as "Ten of the Ten Reminiscences of Peking University," and "One-Sixty-Six" as "Eleven of the Ten Reminiscences of Peking University." The errors and omissions in the original manuscript were specially annotated and appended at the end of the book. The original manuscript did not include the Postscript, which was taken from the first edition of 'Zhi Tang Hui Xiang Lu' published by the Hong Kong San Yue Book Company in May 1970.