Bitter Rain Studio Recognizes the Small

Author: Zhi'an
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-03-01
Features: Zhou Zuoren is a complex figure in the history of modern Chinese culture and an unavoidable presence for scholars of modern Chinese thought. Although numerous works by Zhou have been published domestically, a comprehensive and systematic collection that truly reflects his intellectual style and was personally approved by him has long been in demand. Mr. Zhi'an, a renowned scholar of Zhou Zuoren, has dedicated years to collecting and organizing his works, uncovering hidden truths, and has finally edited and published "Kuyu An Translation Series" and "Zhou Zuoren's Self-Compiled Collection," providing a reliable version of Zhou's writings. "Kuyu Zhai Shi Xiao" is a collection of reading notes compiled by Zhi'an after completing the editing of "Zhou Zuoren's Self-Compiled Collection," serving as a summary of his textual corrections and an extension of his reflections on Zhou's thoughts.
Zhou Zuoren first stood out as a thinker, placing great emphasis on the individual. Respect for personal rights was a fundamental principle for him, both in his attitude toward people and at the core of his humanistic philosophy. As a liberal thinker, Zhou's ideas were diverse, filled with contradictions and oppositions. He consistently opposed various forms of cultural hegemony, believing that a world that only allows one voice, no matter how appealing, is essentially authoritarian and intolerant. Although Zhou repeatedly stated that he had "no ambitions for academic or artistic pursuits, but rather sought to resist the tyranny of thought and the cruelty of sexual morality," his cultural critique aimed to dismantle the constraints of ritual and restore order, ultimately seeking to enable people to live more freely and autonomously, thereby reshaping new values of life.
Zhou once said, "It is essential to oppose the unification of thought by rulers and teachers, as well as the unification of thought by the masses." And Zhi'an remarked with, "Political tyranny comes from one direction, while ideological tyranny stems from multiple sources, even the targets of political tyranny can become part of ideological tyranny. The essence of ideological tyranny lies in the widespread loss of critical thinking and judgment, as people consciously conform to tyranny itself." This reflects Zhi'an's special emphasis on Zhou's thoughts through his own writings, as well as his warning and concern for contemporary society.
Beyond being an outstanding thinker, Zhou was also a master of prose aesthetics. Regarding the criticism of Zhou as a "copyist" of his later works, Zhi'an provides a keen insight. He pointed out that Zhou's practice of compiling "copybooks" was not merely for "self-cultivation and longevity," but rather a shift in narrative style—"relinquishing some aspects while preserving and promoting the more important ones." Through subtle details, Zhou conducted a systematic critique of traditional Chinese culture. Leisure was merely a surface phenomenon, while the depth of his thought remained consistent, without fundamental change.
In modern literary theory, Zhou is often seen as the culmination of "leisurely" essays. Based on his meticulous analysis of Zhou's writings, Zhi'an sharply observed that Zhou's "leisure" was not about suppressed emotions but rather an internal tension created by the inability to fully express feelings, which ultimately found expression, producing a paradoxical effect that could be more compelling than straightforward expression.
Thinkers write with purpose, but most of us read superficially, often missing the essence. Zhi'an's careful interpretation and discovery of Zhou's works undoubtedly serve as a guiding light. History is a living chain, and every era is an indispensable part of it. On a personal level, even if someone has played a negative role in history, it does not negate the meaningful words or deeds they may have contributed. To discard their good ideas because of their bad actions is undoubtedly harmful. As Zhi'an said in "Kuyu Zhai Shi Xiao," "When it comes to Zhou Zuoren, I always believe that whatever one wants to say about him must first read his books and translations." Therefore, to fully understand Zhou's complex life, one must first read his works.
[Preface] My engagement with Zhou Zuoren's works began fifteen years ago, which greatly benefited my own understanding of prose aesthetics. It also relates to ideological issues, but I do not wish to discuss myself here, so I will not. However, regarding others—I mean, Zhou Zuoren—I may not have much to say either. This topic involves both literature and the person, and frankly, I do not have a deep understanding of the latter. Some things are still unclear to me, so I have not discussed them in the past and cannot do so now. His works, however, I have read through several times, including those outside his collected essays. Yet so far, it has only been to prepare for publishing his translations and say a few casual remarks. Writing dedicated articles is like serious research, and I do not yet have that skill.
In the past, I said, "When it comes to Zhou Zuoren, I always believe that whatever one wants to say about him must first read his books and translations, and what is currently lacking is the organization and publication of these works." In the past decade, the little effort I have put into has been focused on this. There are mainly two things: one is to re-edit the various collections compiled by Zhou himself; the other is to publish his translations as they were originally written, especially those with manuscripts available—I know that those published since the 1950s have been heavily edited. The rest, such as diaries, letters, and essays outside the collections, will be handled by others. I will just be a reader. The first thing is called "Zhou Zuoren's Self-Compiled Collection," which is now complete. Among them, "Reminiscences of Zhi Tang" is organized based on photocopies of the author's manuscripts, correcting thousands of errors in the printed version, which I believe is meaningful. Another is "Tiger Bridge Poems," which uses Gu Lin's copy as the basis, also holding special value. The second thing is the "Kuyu Zhai Translation Series," which is only partially completed. The specific work has been entrusted to the families of the translators. The nine volumes of ten types published so far, except for "The God of Wealth and Greek Ballads," are printed according to the original manuscripts. "Greek Mythology" is still unpublished, which is worth mentioning. If this provides a reliable version for future researchers to use, I will be satisfied. If I have the opportunity in the future, I would like to continue this work, especially the re-publication of "The Tragedies of Euripides" and "The Dialogues of Lucian." Since 1972, I have been learning to write, and I have been engaged in literature for nearly three decades. During this time, I re-edited "Reminiscences of Zhi Tang," first published the translated "Greek Mythology," and first published the late Wei Wu's "Alaya-vij?ana-lak?a?a," which cannot be said to have been in vain.
This may sound too grand, but in reality, I compiled and published these books for very practical personal reasons—to have a complete set on my bookshelf for easy reading. I am just an ordinary reader, and this is no exception. Of course, the process of organization itself is a form of reading. At times (as mentioned earlier, such as "Greek Mythology," "Reminiscences of Zhi Tang," and "Tiger Bridge Poems"), it is still "to see first is to be happy." As for the earlier published "Selected Late Prose of Zhou Zuoren," it was a practice work, and the editing was not very good, but I personally typed tens of thousands of words (the rest were typed by my mother), which allowed me to deeply understand Zhou's writing style, which was also a gain. Compared to this, the weight of my comments is far lighter, although I did not intend to comment much. In the past, I wrote postscripts for the selected "Late Prose of Zhou Zuoren" and "About Lu Xun," wrote a preface for the edited "Art and Life," and wrote general prefaces for the two series of "Kuyu Zhai Translation Series," which were included in my works "As if Talking Face to Face" and "Notes on 1965," and will not be repeated here.
Last year, while organizing "Zhou Zuoren's Self-Compiled Collection," I reread his articles repeatedly, jotting down occasional thoughts. Around the Spring Festival, I had the opportunity to write thirty-six short essays on books, compiling them into this small volume. The articles are all short and lack a systematic structure. It is worth mentioning that, in my view, Zhou Zuoren, as the author of these books, has always been a liberal thinker, a humanist, and a cultural critic—these three are interconnected. His life's work was most important in systematically identifying and critiquing traditional Chinese culture. His creative career can be divided into three periods, with the early 1930s and mid-1940s as boundaries. Based on the books discussed here (not necessarily in order of publication), "History of European Literature" marks the early period, "Night Reading Notes" marks the middle period, and "Tiger Bridge Poems" marks the late period, each with its own characteristics. Personally, I prefer the middle period the most.
That is all I can say for now. If there is more in the future, I will report it. Additionally, there are a few pieces that resemble research, discussing various scattered issues, which are listed as appendices.
Now that the book is compiled, it needs a name. It seems easy to call it "Book Talk," but I have never liked this term, as I feel it is something concocted by later generations. Zhi Tang called it "Records of Reading" or "Casual Notes on Reading," which is more appropriate. However, I thought it might be acceptable to title it "Kuyu Zhai Book Talk"—not "Kuyu Zhai's Book Talk," as that has already been compiled and published; but rather "Talk about Kuyu Zhai Books," which I wrote, meaning it is not "Book Talk," but an expanded "Talk." My friends said this might be a bit disruptive, so I abandoned it.
Finally, I recalled the passage in the Analects from Zizhang, where Zigong said, "The wise recognize the great, while the unworthy recognize the small." I named it "Kuyu Zhai Shi Xiao." I admit that I am unworthy in this regard, but can the unworthy still recognize the small? Is that not somewhat wise?
April 15, 2001