History in the Cracks

Author: Zhu Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: What is history? This question might seem simple. It is a subject that students start learning from primary school, just like mathematics and Chinese. It involves a lot of names, places, dates, and events that need to be memorized, and every event has its historical significance. Perhaps history is dull, but when the teacher tells engaging stories, history becomes fascinating and fun. The title of this book is History in the Voids, and the title itself gives us such a hint—what kind of history is truly history? "All history is contemporary history," as Croce said. When we look at history now, we are standing from our own perspective, evaluating historical events from our own angle. The term "round table conference" originates from the legend of King Arthur of Britain and his Knights of the Round Table. The round table had no head or tail seat, symbolizing that the knights seated around it were of equal status. A meeting held at the round table is called a "round table conference," indicating that all parties involved in the negotiation are equal. When you open the book, such a meeting has already begun. Everyone should have an insatiable desire for truth, just as one longs for the purity of a spring of the soul. Perhaps truth is harsh, but we should also be content with one-sided fantasies and falsehoods. Time has separated us from history too far, leaving us no chance to dialogue with the ancients, to understand or comprehend them. If possible, let's start now to see their ideals, their pains, and also their materialism, their falsehoods.