Zhou Zuoren's self-edited collection -- Zhitang's Yiyouwenbian

Author: Zhou Zuoren, edited by Zhi'an
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: I learned Chinese literature and could read and write slightly, all from reading novels. This experience is probably quite common. In the Qing Dynasty's Jiaqing era, Zheng Shouting's Yan Chu Xian Hua contains a similar record. One section reads: "When I was young, I easily understood books, entering through side doors. I remember at the age of ten, I accompanied my grandmother to celebrate her birthday at Gu's residence in the western suburbs. For ten days of continuous rain, there was a copy of Lie Guo Zhi on the table. I flipped through it and could understand only a few sentences at first, but after reading three or four copies, I understood more. I then reread it from the beginning, understanding most of it. After returning home, I borrowed and read the easier novels, understanding about eight or nine of them. On New Year's Eve, I stayed up with my grandmother and read half of Feng Shen Zhi Huan and half of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, too busy to read the detailed comments. Later, when reading Zuo Zhuan, I could understand the events, but there were still sentences I didn't grasp. I listened attentively to explanations and thus found it easier to understand other books." At the age of ten, I was reading The Great Learning at a local scholar's house. I started reading novels later, probably about two or three years later, but I clearly remember reading Notes from the Grass-Roots Studio at the age of fifteen. My experience can be summarized as follows. Starting from Mirror of Flowers and Fragrance, Record of the Scholars, Journey to the West, and Water Margin, I gradually moved on to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, then to Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. This was the path from vernacular to classical Chinese. It was Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio that taught me classical Chinese and gave me a glimpse of its charm—not any classic or classical Chinese reader. After Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, naturally came the fake Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio like Night Talk Records and Mysterious Records of Songyin, which then led me to Notes from the Grass-Roots Studio. In this way, I entered both schools of classical Chinese fiction, and naturally, I ended up in Tang Dynasty Compendium. What I've said here is very brief and light, but in reality, one must have their own judgment and be able to "forget the net once the fish is caught," to gain some knowledge of language and human affairs through novels without getting lost in them for too long. Now, this is not a recounting of stories, but just a brief discussion of a few novels I remember. It's just my own opinions and impressions. If readers want objective criticism, they should look to literary history. The first to mention is naturally Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This isn't the first novel I read, nor is it the best, but it's important because of its immense influence, and much of that influence is negative. About this book, I recently said something that I can copy here. "A few days ago, I borrowed Romance of the Three Kingdoms and reread it. I used to read it when I was a child, but now I find the impression quite different. It's a bit strange to think about its merits. Over the years, my views have changed. I no longer admire Guan Yu—not even the mythical stories of the Demon-Slaying Emperor, nor his loyalty as Lord of Hanshou Pavilion. I see him merely as a hero of a secret society, and the only thing that influenced later generations was the sworn brotherhood in the Peach Garden. As for Liu Xuan De, I don't think he necessarily had to be an emperor, regardless of whether the lineage of the Prince of Zhongshan was genuine or not. Emperors in ancient China could be anyone, not just those named Liu. Judging by character, he was no better than Sun Quan or Cao Cao. The only thing he had over Cao Cao was that he killed fewer people, which was his only strength. As for Zhuge Liang, I can't see what was special about him. The schemes in Romance of the Three Kingdoms are no better than Wu Jiu's tricks in Water Margin. If you say that what scholars praise..."