A Brief Discussion on Children's Literature: The Sources and Streams of New Chinese Literature

Author: Zhou Zuoren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: On January 28, 1932, Zhou Zuoren's diary entry reads: "In the morning, I proofread old manuscripts and compiled Small Talks on Children's Literature, to be published by the Children's Book Company." That same March, the book was published by the Shanghai Children's Book Company. This article includes eleven essays. The seven following Children's Literature were selected from Art and Life, My Garden, Rainy Days, and Talks on Dragons. The first four were written between 1912 and 1914 and were collected for the first time. Zhang Yichi was a classmate of mine when I taught at the fifth middle school in this province. That was from 1913 to 1916. In the spring of 1916, I came to Beijing, and after that, I never returned. By then, Zhang had already graduated and left. In the winter of 1919, I suddenly received a letter from him, saying that a Children's Book Company was being established in Shanghai, specializing in all children's books, and asking for my help. I was very willing to do this because providing children's reading materials was a pressing task at the time, and I had even considered getting involved. However, the profession of teaching was truly a matter of being busy as if idle. I had promised verbally long ago but had never made any progress. To be honest, I had not even started. As the year 1920 was drawing to a close, I realized that procrastination was no solution, so I resolved to compile a small collection first to fulfill the request and plan other work later. I wrote to Zhang, who agreed, and as a result, this collection of Small Talks on Children's Literature was born. It includes a total of eleven essays. The first four were written in 1913 and 1914 and were in classical Chinese. A Brief Discussion on Fairy Tales and Research were written but could not be published. At that time, the Commercial Press had published several volumes of world fairy tales, and I added some comments, thinking it unnecessary. I sent them to Zhonghua Education (a publication of the Zhonghua Book Company), stating that they were a gift, hoping they would be sent free for a year. The price was probably one and a half yuan. After some days, the manuscripts were returned, saying they were unsuitable. Fortunately, the Beijing Ministry of Education was publishing a monthly magazine, so I offered them for free, and they were published without further discussion. Later, the county education association asked me to edit a publication, and I wrote two essays on fairy tales and children's songs as fillers. Less than a year later, the association was reorganized, and my dull articles were no longer suitable, so I closed the book and remained silent for six or seven years. In 1920, the Beijing Konde School invited me to give a lecture, and I once again started speaking, which became the fifth essay, Children's Literature. The next six essays were written between 1921 and 1923. From this time on, more people began to pay attention to children's literature, and specialists gradually emerged, far surpassing my "amateurish" efforts, so I stopped writing. This year, a friend from The East Monthly asked for contributions, and I wrote several Bitter Tea Notes, the sixth being an introduction to Andrew Lang, titled Customs and Myths, which was scheduled to appear in the March issue of The East. Unexpectedly, Shanghai was in chaos, and the northern suburbs were destroyed by fire, leaving several essays without drafts and no way to retrieve them. I had to make do with what I had. There are many shortcomings in the articles I wrote, and the reason is very clear: to study and discuss children's literature, one must have a certain level of expertise in anthropology, folklore, and child psychology. I am almost a complete novice in these fields, as they call me "baise" in my hometown dialect—how could I possibly succeed? Two years ago, I introduced myself as follows: "He was originally in the naval service and knew he was not a scholar, much less an academic. His work consisted of miscellaneous tasks—like chopping wood, fetching water, and sweeping the floor. He was happy to help with the collection of folk songs, fairy tales, and myths, as well as the translation of Eastern, Japanese, and Greek literature. But this was only possible when there was a lack of manpower. Once specialists emerged in each field, he had to retreat and return to his old tasks." Therefore, these writings are just as they are, with no particular value for compilation. The sun and moon shine, yet the flickering candle remains extinguished—how can it match their light? I am well aware of this principle. However, things in China are often unexpected. Although these essays are shallow, they are based on anthropological theories of myth and child psychology of fairy tales, and this direction is still useful in the current field of children's literature. China is a strange country, with shifting opinions and cyclical changes. After promoting child-centered literature, there arose a movement to incorporate certain classics into children's songs and rhymes—what is the difference from teaching the Great Learning and Doctrine of the Mean in private schools? Therefore, I believe this small book still has its value even now, and I sincerely dedicate it to those parents and teachers who truly care about the welfare of children. This is the main purpose of compiling this book. As for cherishing it as a treasured possession or fulfilling Zhang's request for contributions, those are secondary matters. February 15, 1921, Zhou Zuoren wrote in Beijing.