Stepmother syndrome

Author: Yin Jinan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: Preface
This collection includes articles written since 1993. Most of them were published in the "Reading" magazine under the column "Knocking on the Door Alone."
After publishing the book "Knocking on the Door Alone," while writing columns for "Reading" magazine and hosting "Eastern Art Scene" for "Eastern" magazine, I became a "person associated with contemporary Chinese art," receiving so many invitations that it became overwhelming. I suddenly grew tired of this "career" of accepting invitations to write articles, as free expression fell into the trap of opposing it. The existing profession nearly turned me into a waste person, while my soul kept searching for something with real vitality, even if it was a hollow heartbeat. In China, after 1993, the "going into business" of intellectuals replaced the "studying abroad" of scholars as the focus. The so-called "Confucian merchants" suddenly multiplied. The ancient Confucianism had become a fashionable "modern" Confucianism. Confucianism became the object and means of business, naturally aided by the popularization of ancient classics. The I Ching philosophy became a fortune-telling book for practical situations; Laozi and Chan Buddhism became tools for secular forces to deconstruct the sublime; Buddhism and Taoism became the for people to gather for health, fitness, or other purposes; and the philosophy of the Legalists and military strategists became tactics and scams in modern business warfare. The sea of literature turned into a sea of commerce, and the waves remained vast.
It was precisely when the sea of literature turned into a sea of commerce that overseas students flocked back to China. For them, the boundless sea of learning was a return to their homeland. This homeland was the "Eastern" of the homeland, the "periphery" outside the center of imperialist economic and cultural hegemony.
In fact, what arrived in China before overseas students was undoubtedly "postmodernism." Postmodernism was originally a lean chicken in Western intellectual circles (not as fat as KFC's home-style chicken in the United States), and it was lean because it was "wild." Despite being lean and wild, its feathers were dazzling, far more eye-catching than mainstream poultry. But once it arrived in China, it no longer remained lean and wild; it became a greasy roasted chicken, served at the banquet of many celebrities, and suddenly became the main dish. Though lean, it was still a living creature; while the roasted chicken, with its death and readiness, fully satisfied the hungry stomachs of the learned celebrities. This is a classic allegory of how Western postmodernism was "posted" in China. As long as it is an allegory, it has the space for textual interpretation and deconstruction. The "roaming" of postmodernism in China requires translation and speculation; with both translation and speculation, the wild chicken or lean chicken becomes a roasted chicken in reality, fatter than "KFC."
However, postmodernism can also write another allegory: to cover this lean chicken with a richer robe, to beautify a living creature, making it a swan, to raise it in the sky, to soar freely, to dazzle people's eyes, and to gain the "consensus" of admiration.
Eating postmodernism as a roasted chicken is based on pragmatism, while admiring postmodernism as a swan is based on aesthetics, spirituality. Both seeing and eating (or eating first and then seeing) become the culmination. Seeing the sky above and eating what is in the bowl—such scenery is unique here! Eating can cultivate character, while seeing can convey spirit. It is both like a teacher to the emperor and a teacher to Confucius. Postmodernism, as a greasy roasted chicken, has become the main dish of Chinese intellectual circles, while as a swan, it has become a beautiful sight for the intellectual world! I... [more content]