Know a little about world literature (upper and lower)

Author: Qiu Likun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features:
New century citizens cannot entirely abandon the cultural and historical background created by humans in the past, yet they cannot let the past creations block today's creations. Therefore, there should be more trail markers and cable layers. Only in this way can magnificent historical culture truly become the property of the new century.
A group of young scholars from the Department of History and Department of Chinese at Peking University compiled a series of "Know a Little" books and invited me to write the preface. I was a bit curious about the name of the series. Upon inquiry, I understood their meaning and decided to write. It turns out that the title of each book in the series starts with "Know a Little," such as "Know a Little Chinese History," "Know a Little Chinese Culture," and "Know a Little World Culture." The focus seems grand, yet the perspective is humble, revealing the wit of the young scholars.
Chinese and foreign cultures are like a range of towering peaks. We should not flee in panic due to their height or think we have mastered them after a brief glance. What we can do is respectfully gaze from the foot of the mountain and eagerly inquire at the trailhead. Simply put, it is: "Know a Little."
First, not knowing is regrettable. A mere five-foot body, without the cultural peaks as its backdrop, is merely a physiologically unaware and mediocre existence. People communicate with the outside world at different levels through culture and prove who they are through culture. Even those with limited education have a sense of honor and shame about it.
I remember last year, China Central Television held a national live-streamed youth art talent competition. One of the events was a history and literature quiz, and the results were unexpected. Hundreds of millions of viewers paid far more attention to this part than to the main competition. The audiences from all provinces across the country were not concerned about their representatives' failures in artistic skills but were unable to tolerate their inability to answer the history and literature questions.
This shows that even today, many Chinese people still seek their personal and collective dignity through culture, which is very good. However, the immediate follow-up question is that we must also guard against people's obsession with history and literature. Obsession may seem profound, but in reality, it is a disaster manufactured in the name of culture. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, there has been a group of celebrities in China who made a living by luring others into obsession, which is highly immoral.
Therefore, it is necessary to mark some simple routes among the cultural peaks and lay some floating cables in the vast sea of history. This way, people can appreciate the beauty of the mountains and rivers without falling into obsession. This practice, expressed in a colloquial manner, is to "know a little." "Know a little" does not lower standards but raises them. This is like the trail markers, who must know the mountain better than ordinary hikers, and the cable layers, who must be more familiar with the sea than ordinary swimmers. Not only do they know more and are more familiar, but they also possess more humanity and a stronger sense of cultural responsibility.
In this sense, I believe that the young scholars at Peking University who compiled this "Know a Little" series have undertaken a valuable endeavor. New century citizens cannot entirely abandon the cultural and historical background created by humans in the past, yet they cannot let the past creations block today's creations. Therefore, there should be more trail markers and cable layers. Only in this way can magnificent historical culture truly become the property of the new century.