Insomnia at the end of the century

Author: Tao Jie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Features: I wrote a column in the Ming Pao Supplement in Hong Kong, starting from 1992, with one article every day. Thanks to the encouragement of Professor Chen Zishan from East China Normal University in Shanghai, I was persuaded to compile the articles into a book. Professor Chen has deep expertise in the study of literature from Hong Kong and Taiwan and has rarely praised works before. Receiving his letter greatly surprised me. Considering the many highly educated readers in China, my column articles, though perhaps unconventional, would surely benefit from this exposure. The column writings are like a diary of the heart, a window opening to the world and its history every day. Through this window, I sometimes see stars and moon, sometimes the afterglow of sunset. The hazy perspective of the person viewing the scenery over the past five years is all collected in this book. It is a record of a Chinese overseas person's thoughts and reflections during the late 20th century, occasionally written in the midst of insomnia. To share this with the domestic readers is my fortune and honor. I never imagined in my life that I would be connected with writing. My work in the Ming Pao Supplement was made possible by the recommendation of the novelist and founder of the Ming Pao, Mr. Jin Yong. I would like to dedicate this collection, published in China, to Mr. Jin, expressing my gratitude for his support and care for a young person in a foreign land back then. Tao Jie, December 8, 1998