Biography of Xie Jin

Author: Zhuang Xin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1997-09-01
Features: Xietang Town, the hometown of Xie Jin in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province (anciently part of Kuaiji Prefecture), is a picturesque and prosperous water town in the Jiangnan region. Not only is it rich in produce and has a simple folk customs, but it has also produced some great artists in history. Notably, the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty during the Southern Dynasties and the outstanding landscape poet Xie Lingyun of the Liu Song Dynasty first planted the excellent genes of Chinese traditional culture in this land. Over the centuries, this land has not only become famous for its rice and yellow wine but also a fertile ground for talented individuals. Xie Jin's ancestral home is located by the Cao'e River and on the shores of Baima Lake in Xietang Town. It is said that the Xie family in the area migrated south from the Central Plains. Xie Jin's title "Fei Jie" was named in honor of his proud ancestor Xie An, who contributed to the victory of the Feishui Battle for the Eastern Jin Dynasty, a battle that was crucial to the country's fate. Xie Jin is the fifty-third descendant of Xie An, a renowned minister and the "East Mountain Rejuvenation" figure of his time. After becoming a famous director, the famous calligrapher and painter Xie Ziliu once presented him with a scroll titled "Descendant of East Mountain." He also once paid homage to the achievements and demeanor of his ancestors in front of the tomb of his hometown's "Grand Tutor Xie." His grandfather, Zuo Qing, was a respected and wise figure in the town, engaged in both reading and business, benefiting the local community. For four generations, his family was well-educated and cultured. Zuo Qing also worked with the female revolutionary hero "Jianhu Heroine" Qiu Jin at the Datong School and became close friends with Xu Xilin, the leader of the late Qing revolutionary organization, the Restoration Society. His Xie family's bloodline, characterized by integrity, justice, and the courage to act, was fully inherited by the eldest son of the eldest grandson, the beloved Xie Jin. Xie Jin was born in November 1923 and studied at Chunhui Middle School by the scenic Baima Lake during his youth. Although Chunhui was a local middle school at the time, it was already famous worldwide. It was said that "In the north, there is Nankai; in the south, there is Chunhui," and many famous scholars, great educators, and artists had come here to teach. Among them were Jing Hongyi, Ye Shengtao, Xia Gazu, Zhu Ziqing, Zhu Guangqian, Feng Zikai, Zhang Tianyi, and Liu Xuyu, all of whom were renowned talents of their generation. Fortunately, Xie Jin, during his middle school years, experienced the elegance and talent of Chinese scholars and artists, starting with a high level of vision and receiving a multicultural education that combined tradition and modernity. This infused his later open artistic path with a bold and innovative spirit. At that time, Zhejiang was still an area where revolutionary ideas and activities were highly active after the Xinhai Revolution. Young people were constantly influenced by the thoughts of revolutionary pioneers such as Lu Xun and Qiu Jin while studying. Stories of Zhedong martyrs who rebelled against the Qing Dynasty and fought for the restoration of the Ming Dynasty, often inspired the dreams of young boys to be invincible. The passionate poems of Su Shi, Xin Qiji, Yue Fei, and Lu You, which teachers required students to recite, also nurtured Xie Jin, making him pursue the theme of national concern and political grandeur throughout his life. On his tenth birthday, his grandfather called him into his study and personally gave him a precious gift—a brand-new set of "The Universal Library for Primary School Students" published by the Commercial Press. It was an all-encompassing, illustrated cultural popularization series that included literary and artistic works, with a total of 500 volumes. Xie Jin read one book after another without letting go. Xie Jin said that his habit of reading began with this series. As he grew older, his interest shifted to classical literary masterpieces such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," "Water Margin," "Journey to the West," and "Dream of the Red Chamber." After school, he would drop his and pick up these novels to read. If it weren't for his grandfather's favor, his parents would have burned these "idle books" long ago. As a result, more than half a century later, Xie Jin also became an equally outstanding "" (half a redologist).