Li Ao's

Author: / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-07-01
Features: You say: Maybe you are indeed a "lone wolf" figure, and if so, that would be fine; if you oppose one group and unintentionally fall under the influence (or manipulation) of another, that is a tragedy of genius. I am very grateful for your reminder. But I have long noticed this possibility. Perhaps, emotionally, I have a fondness for those who influence or manipulate me—in return for their genuine appreciation. As the character Ruan Xiaowu in Water Margin says, "This blood is only meant for those who truly appreciate it!" While rationally, I know whether there is any real difference between groups (Shanghai gangster Du Yuesheng once said, "They use me because they respect me." His words are full of philosophical insight, though a bit like Ah Q). When it comes to appreciation, The New York Times called Li Ao a "firebrand" in Taiwan, and I think these foreigners really have keen observation skills. They are right—truly, I am a firebrand. The original meaning of the English word "firebrand" is burning wood, a torch, which is extended to mean an agitator, an extremist, an energetic, passionate, and fervent person. The basic characteristic of such a person is "to stir up the tide and create the times." In action, they are avant-garde; in thought, they are seers; in advancing progress, they are relentless warriors. — Firebrands should not become water-droppers. Time is like a slow-flowing stream, it flows endlessly and monotonously toward the vast plains. The burden of the water is heavy because it carries away too much of my past and dreams. —·· Since I started writing, I have been prepared to die for my cause. I am absolutely responsible for every word I write and am willing to face tests, trials, strikes, and prisons—I am not afraid. —Letting others down and letting myself down Those who are argumentative, like gamblers, do not care how much the bet is. The focus of argumentation is to always and everywhere demonstrate the spirit of fighting, not the size of the goal. People with a fighting spirit are always ready to engage in conflict and want to be warriors. To be a warrior, even at the edge of death, is to be full of vitality. I like warriors, even if they are scarred and cannot escape death. Chu Ci says, "Your soul and spirit, be the ghostly hero," even after death, they will become ghostly heroes. —Random thoughts on fighting After escaping to Taiwan, we were penniless. I remember I was in the second year of junior high school, and our class was going on a field trip. I heard that Sun Moon Lake was nice and suggested we go there. The whole class agreed. When I asked my dad for money, he said, "In our family, we brush our teeth with salt water in the morning because we can't afford toothpaste, let alone tooth powder. How can we afford to go to Sun Moon Lake?" So, the whole class went to Sun Moon Lake, while I stayed home, imagining Sun Moon Lake. —I drew a hat for myself The thought patterns of Chinese women are completely different from those of Chinese men. Men love to eat, so they quickly adopted Western corn and peanuts; they love to smoke, so they adopted cigarettes and opium; they love to look, so they adopted glasses and movies; they love to be sick, so they adopted Salicylic Acid 606 and quinine; they love curves, so they adopted Euclidean geometry. On the other hand, Chinese women are also learning from Western women. They gradually realize that the small feet they have bound for a thousand years should be untied; the doctrine of male supremacy and the three obediences and four virtues should be questioned; the embarrassing literature of "perfumed hooks," "arched shoes," "graceful steps," and "delicate moon under the" should be discarded. In February of the ninth year of the Republic of China, two female students actually came to Peking University to attend classes. In this ancient civilization where men and women do not sit together and women are deemed virtuous only if they are unlearned, this was truly a groundbreaking event! —On Chinese girls Being a woman in modern China is truly a blessing. In ancient times, how many beautiful women wept by the poor riverside washing clothes, or toiled in small huts making for others? How many beautiful women like the Jiuji of Wu and Yue were buried and forgotten by the wind? Occasionally, one like Bao Si emerged, but she couldn't help but smile, and the king of Zhou went to great lengths to make her laugh. As a result, she smiled only once, and the blame for the downfall of the kingdom was all on her. For three thousand years, she has been burdened with the reputation of being a seductive fox! Some women, also admired for their beauty, were selected as concubines by the emperor's henchmen and envoys and taken to the palace. At that time, the selection of beauties was only for the emperor himself. If to meet an emperor who showered them with favor, that would be disastrous. Locked in the depths of the palace, with no chariot coming, they would gaze at the sun's shadow in the morning and the moon's remnants at night. In clear weather, they would accompany lonely palace flowers, and in rainy weather, they would imagine an empty ferry. Leaning against the incense burner, they would lament their fate. In this way, those who could still talk about the legacy of Emperor Taiping after twenty years in the palace were considered lucky. If they met a filial prince who was moved to tears, they might suddenly decide to die for the former emperor. —On Chinese girls Using beauty as a tactic to resolve crises is a completely traditional Chinese product. Emperor Gaozu of Han was surrounded by the Xiongnu at Baideng (Daigang, Shanxi) and was at his wit's end. A wise man advised him to paint portraits of beautiful Chinese women (since cameras did not exist then) and send them to the Xiongnu camp to show the chief's wife. They threatened her: "Look at these beauties! Look at these delicate faces! These are the gifts our boss wants to give to your husband! If they come, how will your position be? You know what's good for you. To benefit yourself, persuade your husband to retreat quickly. Once they retreat, of course, we will keep the gifts for ourselves!" The chief's wife was a clever woman—how could she willingly select beauty for her husband? Overnight, the situation changed, and the Xiongnu retreated. —On small girls New theories The road is so long, we will fall at any moment. To die is to die, why worry about "returning to the land of our ancestors"? There are many green hills everywhere, and we can bury this light skeleton. At the moment of returning to the earth, may we all leave a few colorful milestones! —Colorful milestones are useless—Schopenhauer wrote that, yet during the day, he denied women in his writings, but at night, he secretly went to brothels to sleep. Those who write to convey a message are rarely not hypocritical. "When the heavens have not yet revealed their will, one should rest from their life's madness," I should stop making high-minded statements. What I know is that we no longer need sages who "speak but do not act." We should learn from those who "act but do not speak." —The executioner of love Within the realm of "beauty," the focus is on beauty and ugliness, but within the realm of "truth" and "goodness," the focus is on truth and goodness. I have always believed that when it comes to beauty and ugliness, a person can spend their entire life only seeing "beautiful legs" and ignoring "ugly legs"; but when it comes to truth and goodness, a person cannot be so carefree. —A sense of responsibility to humanity will force us to seek truth and discard falsehood, and to promote goodness and suppress evil. If we also adopt the perspective of beauty in the realm of truth and goodness, we will commit moral faults. Based on this judgment, we can say that for any falsehood and evil in the realm of truth and goodness in the world, we must face them, expose them, uncover them, and fight against them. In this seriousness, although what we see is only the "ugly legs" of truth and goodness, we cannot avoid our responsibilities. We can uphold truth without discarding falsehood, but we cannot promote goodness while hiding evil. Whether it's optimism or pessimism, we must face them. —Leg skills Everything depends on "networking"—the phenomenon that success depends on good relationships is shameful! It elevates "humanity" above "right and wrong" and violates the principle of fairness. The Chinese suffer from this disease. As a result, people's spirit and time are wasted on public relations, making friends, patting shoulders, and indulging in wine and food. Everything revolves around relationships to get through—what kind of thing is that! —Li Ao's notes In Hunan, there is a saying: "A bowl of rice can feed a benefactor; a bushel of rice can feed an enemy." It means that if someone gives you a bowl of rice when you are poor or in danger, you will be grateful to them for the rest of your life as their benefactor; but if you handle it poorly, making them have too high hopes or developing bad habits of relying on you, then even if you give them a bushel of rice (a hundred bowls of rice), they will still be unsatisfied and say you have wronged them. This is a problem of human nature. —On fanatics and old ladies If a person has ten points of strength and only does nine points of work, that is dereliction of duty; if they have one point of strength but do two points of work, that is greatness. The Chinese praise women who leave prostitution but condemn widows who remarry because the standards for the two are different. —Spit on him To engage in politics, carelessness is not acceptable. Today, among non-Party members, there are very few who do well in this regard. Most are practical and hasty, seeking favors and then disappearing when their wishes are fulfilled or unfulfilled. As the northern saying goes, "Using people when they are useful, abandoning them when they are not," a practical but annoying attitude. Their problem is that they don't know that relationships between people are not "instant coffee"—relationships require continuous care, attention, consideration, and courtesy, but many non-Party members have not learned these things. This kind of attitude cannot be used in politics. While it is important to grasp the big picture in politics, attention, care, consideration, and courtesy—these "small" skills should not be ignored. "Small" is sincerity—it makes people feel respected and makes them feel as if you are laying your heart on the line. Successful politicians must, after grasping the big picture, also move people with these "small" skills. Of course, if you don't want to engage in politics, you may not need to. You can be selfish and willful. In terms of personality, Beethoven was a very modest person, but he was still a successful musician. But to be a successful politician, not being "small" is not enough. —Non-Party members are not small