I am Liu Xinwu: 60 Years of Life Journey - Recollections

Author: Liu Xinwu / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: This book is the first time Liu Xinwu has openly shared his thoughts with the outside world after the controversy surrounding his revelations about the Red Chamber. It reviews the entire process of his research on Dream of the Red Chamber, tells the ups and downs of his literary career, and provides a comprehensive reflection on his 64 years of life. Liu Xinwu's life is quite legendary. He was born into a prominent family but experienced a turbulent childhood. He was indifferent to fame and fortune but rose to the center of Chinese literary circles with his short story The Class Monitor. He was dedicated to literary creation but faced numerous setbacks along the way. He loved Dream of the Red Chamber and its research, yet he was unjustly criticized and condemned in his old age. In I am Liu Xinwu, Liu Xinwu reveals many little-known stories from his extraordinary life, recorded in writing.
"I Attended Longfu Temple Street School"
I moved from Sichuan to Beijing with my parents and lived at No. 35 Qianliang Hutong, East Fourth. Walking west from our courtyard door for dozens of meters led to the back gate of Longfu Temple. I transferred to Longfu Temple Primary School on Longfu Temple Street and had to cross the entire temple four times every day. Thus, my impression of Longfu Temple was even deeper than the lessons I had learned.
In the Ming Dynasty book Notes on the Scenery of the Imperial Capital by Liu Dong and Yu Yizheng, there are detailed records of Longfu Temple:
"The Grand Longfu Temple was established by the Emperor Gao Ren Kang Ding. The Three Jewels and the Three Sages are enshrined in the second and third floors of the hall. The left hall houses scriptures, the right hall has the turning wheel, and the central Jilü Hall reaches the fifth floor, where the grand hall is located. The white stone railings surround the halls, with staircases and windows winding around. One can tread without touching the ground, and ascend without relying on the sky—this design was inspired by the railings of the Xiangfeng Hall in the southern inner palace. The ceiling of the hall was modeled after designs from the West, depicting the Eight Great Nāgas and the Huayan Universe. In the fourth year of the Jingtai era, the temple was completed, and the emperor visited on a chosen day."
In the Qing Dynasty book Notes on the Imperial Capital compiled by Wu Changyuan, it is further specified:
"The Grand Longfu Temple is located in the east of Renshou Lane, near the fourth gate and the West Market Street, north of the Horse Market. The street is named after the temple. Built in the third year of the Jingtai era of the Ming Dynasty with ten thousand laborers, its white stone railings were sourced from the wooden and stone structures of the southern inner palace. The temple was rebuilt in the ninth year of the Yongzheng era of our dynasty. On the ninth and tenth days of each month, a temple market was held, with a variety of goods, making it the most prosperous market. The temple was inhabited by lamas. There is an imperial stele inscribed by the Shengzu Emperor."
During my childhood, I still crossed the temple four times a day. It largely retained its original scale and grandeur. When I recall it now, the front gate still stood, though only the foundations of the two guardian statues on either side remained. Passing through the gate, there was an overly spacious open area with the foundations of ruined halls visible. This was due to a fire that destroyed the bell and drum towers, the pagoda courtyard, and the Waiduo Hall. Later, I visited an old lama and asked if it was burned down during the "Eight-Nation Alliance Incident." He said it wasn’t. If the Eight-Nation Alliance had intended to burn the temple, they wouldn’t have just targeted the relatively less important Waiduo Hall. The fire was caused by a lama dozing off and knocking over a oil lamp, which was not quickly extinguished. The rest of the temple’s halls and buildings remained intact. The hall housing the Buddha Sakyamuni stood atop a high platform surrounded by three-story white marble railings, which was then called the "Railing Hall." Behind it was the hall of the Three Sages, housing Guanyin, Wenshu, and Putuo. Further back was the Jilü Hall, which was said to house 108 volumes of Tibetan scriptures, more than what was stored in the Yonghe Temple at the time. Behind the Jilü Hall was the Golden Vajra Hall, housing a bronzeed Vajra Guardian Buddha. Behind it was a two-story rear pavilion. I remember the side halls on both sides of the temple were still largely intact, though they were dilapidated and had been divided into several sections, looking rather messy.
When I was in fourth grade, Longfu Temple still held regular temple fairs. On days without a fair, the temple’s main and back gates were always open, allowing free passage, and there were some fixed or temporary stalls selling various goods. Of course, during the fairs, it was lively—stalls lined both sides of the grand halls and stretched forward and backward, with cloth tents close together. When I walked through the fair to school, it was like walking through a sweet path made of malt sugar, so I often arrived late and was scolded by the teacher. After school, when I walked through the fair to go home, it was like a butterfly being released into a flower garden. How could I bear to leave immediately? I would always linger in the temple, enjoying myself thoroughly before heading home, which naturally drew frequent reprimands from my mother.
Ah, my poor grades in elementary school were mostly due to Longfu Temple, I suppose? But when I recall the Longfu Temple of my childhood, I feel no resentment toward it at all. Instead, my heart overflows with joy and warmth. P15-16