New Stories of the World

Author: Huang Miaozi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-06-01
Features: "Miao Laohàn Cháotiān" is a selected collection of short essays and dating back to the author's 1970s. Throughout his life, he encountered many good people and few bad ones, befriending scholars, writers, painters, performing artists, and musicians, as well as his childhood friends and neighbors. These individuals were all good, extraordinary, "cool," and "ultimate" figures. Among them were scholars like Ye Gongchuo, Chen Yinque, Qi Gong, and Wang Shixiang; writers such as Guo Moruo, Yu Dafu, Nie Kangnu, and Wu Zuguang; painters like Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Ding Cong, and Huang Yongyu; performing artists and musicians such as Mei Lanfang, Shi Hui, Hou Baolin, Dai Ailian, and Zhang Quan. The author shared their "goodness," " extraordinariness," "coolness," and "ultimate-ness" with readers.
"Miao Laohàn Cháotiān" is a selected collection of short essays and dating back to the author's 1970s. The author states: "In my lifetime, I have met many good people and few bad ones. The scholars, writers, painters, performing artists, and musicians I have befriended are all good, extraordinary, "cool," and "ultimate" figures. Among them were scholars like Ye Gongchuo, Chen Yinque, Qi Gong, and Wang Shixiang; writers such as Guo Moruo, Yu Dafu, Nie Kangnu, and Wu Zuguang; painters like Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Ding Cong, and Huang Yongyu; performing artists and musicians such as Mei Lanfang, Shi Hui, Hou Baolin, Dai Ailian, and Zhang Quan; as well as my childhood friends and neighbors. The author shared their "goodness," " extraordinariness," "coolness," and "ultimate-ness" with readers."
Mr. Zhang Zongxiang, known as "Ku Le Weng," copied rare and valuable books by hand throughout his life, totaling millions of words, which are now preserved in the Zhejiang Library. Mr. Zhang was a renowned mathematician in modern times, with profound and elegant calligraphy, establishing himself as a master. He was among the great calligraphers of Zhejiang, alongside the late masters Hongyi Sifang, Ma Yifu, Xiong Shili, and Yu Shousong. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Mr. Zhang lived in Guilin and Chongqing. "Being idle and having nothing to do, he wrote down humorous and amusing anecdotes he had heard, seen, or experienced, compiling them into a volume titled 'Ku Le Ji.'" Due to the hardships faced by scholars during the war, the book was named "Ku Le Ji," drawing from the proverb "Playing the lute under a yellow-rain tree—finding joy in sorrow." Later, the book was lost due to air raids, so Mr. Zhang rewrote it. After the 1950s, when Mr. Zhang served as a member of the Zhejiang People's Political Consultative Conference and the director of the Zhejiang Library, he found the old name "Ku Le Ji" no longer meaningful. Thus, he renamed it "Qi Gou Ji," taking the local saying: "An old man riding a dog—finding joy in his own way." (In southern dialect, "le" and "lu" are homophones).
Mr. Zhang wrote extensively, with many of his works gradually published by his descendants. However, "Qi Gou Ji," this wonderful book, has not yet been released. If I ever meet his son Zhang Tong, I will surely inquire about its whereabouts. If it were to be published, it might rival the "Xiao Zan" by Zhao Nanxing of the Ming Dynasty. Mr. Zhang was from Hai Ning and shared his hometown with Jiang Bai Li and Xu Zhimo. Xu's contributions to culture were widely recognized, and with the release of the TV series "April in My Heart," he became even more famous among the masses. Jiang Bai Li was a renowned military strategist, but he also made significant contributions to culture. After returning from Germany, he wrote a magnificent 50,000-word "History of European Renaissance," which greatly impressed Liang Qichao. Jiang invited Liang to write the preface, but Liang's writing flowed so effortlessly that the preface ended up being 50,000 words as well. Feeling embarrassed, Liang wrote a shorter preface and published the long one as the main work, instead asking Jiang Bai Li to write the preface.
The people of Hai Ning still take pride in Zhang Zongxiang, Xu Zhimo, and Jiang Bai Li, the three Xiaoshi natives.