Seeking the True Meaning of the Art of Life: Yuan Xuefen's Autobiography

Author: Yuan Xuefen / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: Yuan Xuefen's early life philosophy was greatly influenced by her father. She was kind, upright, and stubborn. She accepted certain parts of feudal morality that were worth criticizing and inheriting. For example, her extreme filial piety towards her parents, even to the extent of cutting her arm to make broth for them. Cutting an arm to make broth is unscientific and not worth imitating, but her sincere and devoted attitude towards her parents was deeply moving.
Content: No idea or belief can arise out of thin air. People gradually discern right from wrong, beauty from ugliness, through interactions with their social environment, and then give birth to and form their own thoughts and beliefs. I was born in rural Sheng County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. My ancestors were all farmers. When I was young and didn’t understand the meaning of life, my father, who was fortunate enough to be a village teacher, gave me an early lesson in life philosophy: “Girls are just as useful as boys and can support themselves. In the future, you won’t rely on your father, nor your mother, nor your husband. You must be self-reliant, self-respecting, and self-esteeming. You cannot be self-deprecating or self-abasing. You must remember that poverty does not mean a lack of ambition.”