Qu Yuan and Li Sao

Author: Li Shi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-04-01
Features:，、。World-renowned works not only bring us the aesthetic pleasure of reading but, more importantly, revolutionize our ways of thinking and update our concepts. Behind these masterpieces often stands a great figure whose thoughts have changed the world. However, for young readers, there is a common confusion about famous figures and their works—knowing the "what" but not the "why." Classic works are the stepping stones of human progress, reflecting the value and power of the spiritual world in comparison with the material world. This is the spiritual sustenance that contemporary people need, and it is also deeply rooted in quality cultivation.
In early 1998, Hai Fei, the then-editor-in-chief of China Children's Press, first proposed his idea: to enhance the quality education of young people through popular, vivid, and concise introductions, enabling them to gain a more practical understanding of renowned figures in Chinese and world history who have made outstanding contributions, as well as a deeper appreciation of classic works that have had and continue to have significant influence. This would broaden their horizons, inspire their thinking, and help them adjust and refine their knowledge structure.
Next, the press organized an editorial committee composed of experts and scholars who, through careful selection and repeated deliberation, determined the booklist. The final selection of this series breaks away from the single-structure format of previous classic collections, paying special attention to the overall knowledge structure. In addition to literary classics, it also includes selected classics from social sciences and natural sciences, ensuring a balanced distribution of knowledge and more comprehensively reflecting the "power of culture" in the process of human history. Each book in the series is divided into three main parts: the first part introduces the author's life; the second part provides a summary of the original work; the third part offers commentary and guidance. This arrangement is conducive to young readers' engagement with the classics and their preservation.
The principles for selecting the booklist for this series are as follows:
1. Prioritize authority and recognition, selecting classic works that have been historically tested and widely regarded as having significant status, value, and influence.
2. In terms of proportion, literary classics account for approximately 52% (26 books), humanities (social sciences) classics for about 36% (18 books), and natural science classics (non-specialized, with certain humanistic value and philosophical depth) for around 12% (6 books).
3. Consider the time span appropriately, covering ancient to modern periods, while also focusing on representativeness, such as The Journey of Marco Polo and A History of Chinese Science and Technology.
The vast land of China has not only nurtured the great people of all ethnic groups but also produced the splendid and brilliant Chinese culture. Poetry, this ancient literary form, reached its peak of creativity during the Spring and Autumn Period, with The Book of Songs, compiled by Confucius, marking this creative climax. Three hundred years later, in the Warring States Period, a new poetic style with exquisite language, magnificent beauty, romantic charm, and an era spirit emerged in the southern state of Chu. This was the Chu Ci, represented by the works of Qu Yuan, which were characterized by "writing in Chu dialect, composing in Chu tunes, recording Chu geography, and naming Chu objects."
Qu Yuan's works, while critiquing the ugly reality, expressed a strong patriotic passion unmatched by previous literary works. The features of Chu Ci lie in inheriting the traditions of The Book of Songs and drawing nourishment from folk literature in Chu, all created by scholars. Its pioneer was Qu Yuan, the great patriotic poet of the King of Chu and the King of Qing Xiang, whose masterpiece Li Sao is considered the cornerstone of Chinese romantic literature.