Life watching a play

Author: Qin Lüzhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-04-01
Features: This is a small book. First, the articles collected in it are short, generally only a few thousand words, with the longest not exceeding about 3,000. Particularly long articles like "A Chat with Hou Baolin about Xiangsheng" are divided into several sections, but they can still stand as independent short essays. Second, the subject matter is "small"—all about theatrical and musical arts. Theatrical and musical arts may think themselves quite important, but they never quite fit into the grand scheme of national affairs or the well-being of the people. They are always things people attend to after securing their basic needs of food and clothing. But, "greatness in the small," theatrical and musical arts also depict life. My short essays aim to offer a fresh perspective on appreciating life from this angle. I wonder if it's "exerting too much effort for little reward," and only the readers can judge. Another piece included in this book is "A Chat with Hou Baolin about Xiangsheng," written in the early 1950s. The original title was "A Chat about Xiangsheng," and it was published in serialized form, with one installment posted each day, each about four to five hundred words long. In 1956, a publishing house in Shanghai wanted to see the manuscript, and I slightly edited it to meet the requirements of a book. Soon after, the publisher found it too thin and returned it. Time flies, and nearly four or five decades have passed since then. It has been lying in a box all this time, but now it seems to have a chance to see the light of day again.