Cultural Criticism and Chinese Sentiment (Part 1) - The Collected Works of Yu Yingshi (Volume 7)

Author: Yu Ying-shih
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-03-01
Features: This book selects a portion of Yu Ying-shih's recent writings on cultural and intellectual issues. These writings were originally published in newspapers and magazines in Taipei and Hong Kong, particularly in the China Times, United Daily News, Contemporary, and Ming Pao Monthly. The title of this book, "Cultural Criticism and Chinese Sentiment," has a specific reason behind it. In June 1985, Mr. Dong Qiao planned a special section titled "Chinese Sentiment" for Ming Pao Monthly and strongly invited me to contribute. As a result, I wrote the essay "To Live in Exile Is Like a Mountain, Unwilling to See It," which is now included in this book. However, only one essay in the entire book touches on "Chinese sentiment." Why were these four words included in the title? This is because the cultural criticism included in this book were all written under the banner of "Chinese sentiment." I can confidently say that without the hidden influence of my "Chinese sentiment," this book would not have been created. In the past, people said that every poem by Tao Yuanming contained wine. In this collection, every essay contains "Chinese sentiment." This book is a collection of Yu Ying-shih's recent writings on cultural and intellectual issues, carefully selected and edited by Shen Zhijia. These writings were originally published in newspapers and magazines in Taipei and Hong Kong, particularly in the China Times, United Daily News, Contemporary, and Ming Pao Monthly. The so-called "Chinese sentiment" is actually a complex emotional attachment to Chinese culture. This sentiment has long existed among the ancients. In Li Ling's "Letter to Su Wu," he writes, "To be far away in a foreign land is a sorrow shared by the ancients; gazing at the wind and longing for home, can one not feel attached?" This already captures the essence of this sentiment. Although Li's letter is considered a forgery, its emotion cannot be faked. Someone like me, who was deeply influenced by Chinese culture in my early years, cannot completely forget about China. However, this is only a cultural attachment and has no necessary connection to political realities. While some parts of the essays in this book touch on politics, their fundamental stance remains cultural. Culture encompasses politics while also transcending practical politics—this is one of the central arguments of this book.