Reminiscence of Juguolu (Literature "Good Friend")

Author: Chen Zishan, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-12-01
Features: This book takes the essence of the famous magazine "Liangyou" from the 1930s as its blueprint, compiling the masterpieces of literary giants of the time, including short stories and essays. It is a modern work selection that combines classics with fashion.
Preface: Chen Zishan's "Liangyou Picture Magazine" (abbreviated as "Liangyou" magazine) was founded in Shanghai in 1926. The founder and first editor was Wu Liande, a native of Guangdong. This man was quite remarkable. At the time, the "Guangdong Gang" had made a big splash in Shanghai's economic life, but most of them were involved in the retail and food industries, with very few investing in news media and publishing. Wu Liande had a business acumen and carved a unique path, achieving quick success. Not only did "Liangyou" magazine, but also the Liangyou Book Printing Company, became pillars of Shanghai's cultural industry in the 1930s.
There were five successive editors of "Liangyou" after Wu Liande. In addition to Wu Liande, the subsequent editors were Zhou Shoujuan, Liang Desuo, Ma Guoliang, and Zhang Shenheng, covering both representatives of the "Swan and Butterfly" school and rising stars of new literature. Under Liang Desuo's tenure, "Liangyou" gradually flourished, and under Ma Guoliang's leadership, it reached its golden age, becoming wildly popular and influential across the country. It was even said that "No one read 'Liangyou,' and 'Liangyou' was everywhere," with its fame extending as far as Southeast Asia and Europe, almost like a comprehensive Chinese magazine. With the outbreak of the War of Resistance, "Liangyou" also suffered misfortunes, facing closures and revivals, and after several twists and turns, it eventually faded into obscurity.
In recent years, with Li Oufan using "Shanghai Modern: A New Urban Culture in China (1930–1945)" to cite "Liangyou" as an example of the "modernity construction" of urban culture, and with Ma Guoliang in his long "Liangyou Yijiu" presenting "Liangyou" as a witness to the lost glamour of Shanghai, the magazine has regained its former prestige. Thus, with a connection to the fashion culture of 1930s Shanghai, "Liangyou" is indispensable. However, in addition to the "Liangyou" people already familiar with—such as the advertising "Liangyou," fashion "Liangyou," modern women's "Liangyou," and Chinese and foreign film star "Liangyou" magazines—there are still many more "Liangyou." At least, it is not difficult to notice political "Liangyou," military "Liangyou," economic "Liangyou," scientific "Liangyou," human geography "Liangyou," natural landscapes "Liangyou," ethnic minority "Liangyou," sports "Liangyou," art "Liangyou," and photography "Liangyou," all of which are diverse and captivating. Among them, the literary "Liangyou" is the most richly varied and ever-changing, and in a sense, the most appealing.
The literary "Liangyou" boasts an incredibly wide range of authors, from Lu Xun and Hu Shi to nearly all the great figures of modern Chinese literature. More importantly, the novels and essays published in "Liangyou" include both fashionable writings under market conditions (which naturally accounted for a significant proportion), such as Mu Shiying's "Black," Guo Jianying's "A Woman Who Doesn't Know Melancholy," Fei'er's "The Abandoned Man," and Lin Weiyin's "The Solution to a Mystery"; as well as sincere calls from left-wing writers for the masses, such as Tian Han's "The Thorny Path," Mao Dun's "The Stock Exchange," Shi Yi's "The Roar of the Spinning Wheel," Ding Ling's "Yangma's Diary," Mu Mute's "Reminiscences of Northeast," and so on. There are also excellent works on historical themes, such as Wang Jiaxie's "After Fame" and Zimu's "Huating Crane" (it is clear that "Zimu" is a pen name, and the editor reveals that he was a renowned master of the May Fourth New Literature Movement, but upon investigation, it turns out to be Wang Tongzhao, one of the initiators of the Literary Research Society). There are also many outstanding works by liberalist writers, such as Hu Shi's "Come and Take a Look in the Mirror," Shi Zhicun's "Spring Sun," Ba Jin's "The Fragrance of Roses" and "The Last Night in Guangzhou," Yu Dafu's "Shanghai Teahouses," Lu Fen's "The Lamp of Life," and Lao She's "Good Fortune at Every Turn." Additionally, there are many brilliant works by artists, such as Xu Beihong's "In India," Feng Zishan's "The Symbol of Shame," Ma Sitong's "Childhood Reverie," and Ye Qianyu's "Ancient of Beijing." Among them, many are lost writings that have never been compiled, such as Lin Yutang's highly important "On Magazines," which is not included in any of his collected works.
Although literary works do not occupy a prominent place in "Liangyou," with only one or two published per issue, giving the impression of being somewhat deliberately reserved, the literary "Liangyou" is truly a "blossoming of a hundred flowers" and a "symphony of many voices." If it is true that "Liangyou" provided a platform for famous and unknown Chinese writers of various tendencies in the 1930s to express their views and engage in exchanges, opening up a "public space" for urban literature and culture in 1930s Shanghai, then this should align with historical facts. Compiling this "The Memory of Vermouth" is precisely to showcase this rare feature of the literary "Liangyou," and I believe readers can savor it fully.
This book takes the essence of the famous magazine "Liangyou" from the 1930s as its blueprint, compiling the masterpieces of literary giants of the time, including short stories and essays, and is a modern work selection that combines classics with fashion. "Liangyou Picture Magazine" (abbreviated as "Liangyou" magazine) was founded in Shanghai in 1926, with Wu Liande, a native of Guangdong, as the founder and first editor. This man was quite remarkable. At the time, the "Guangdong Gang" had made a big splash in Shanghai's economic life, but most of them were involved in the retail and food industries, with very few investing in news media and publishing. Wu Liande had a business acumen and carved a unique path, achieving quick success. Not only did "Liangyou" magazine, but also the Liangyou Book Printing Company, became pillars of Shanghai's cultural industry in the 1930s.
There were five successive editors of "Liangyou" after Wu Liande. In addition to Wu Liande, the subsequent editors were Zhou Shoujuan, Liang Desuo, Ma Guoliang, and Zhang Shenheng, covering both representatives of the "Swan and Butterfly" school and rising stars of new literature. Under Liang Desuo's tenure, "Liangyou" gradually flourished, and under Ma Guoliang's leadership, it reached its golden age, becoming wildly popular and influential across the country. It was even said that "No one read 'Liangyou,' and 'Liangyou' was everywhere," with its fame extending as far as Southeast Asia and Europe, almost like a comprehensive Chinese magazine. With the outbreak of the War of Resistance, "Liangyou" also suffered misfortunes, facing closures and revivals, and after several twists and turns, it eventually faded into obscurity.
In recent years, with Li Oufan using "Shanghai Modern: A New Urban Culture in China (1930–1945)" to cite "Liangyou" as an example of the "modernity construction" of urban culture, and with Ma Guoliang in his long "Liangyou Yijiu" presenting "Liangyou" as a witness to the lost glamour of Shanghai, the magazine has regained its former prestige. Thus, with a connection to the fashion culture of 1930s Shanghai, "Liangyou" is indispensable. However, in addition to the "Liangyou" people already familiar with—such as the advertising "Liangyou," fashion "Liangyou," modern women's "Liangyou," and Chinese and foreign film star "Liangyou" magazines—there are still many more "Liangyou." At least, it is not difficult to notice political "Liangyou," military "Liangyou," economic "Liangyou," scientific "Liangyou," human geography "Liangyou," natural landscapes "Liangyou," ethnic minority "Liangyou," sports "Liangyou," art "Liangyou," and photography "Liangyou," all of which are diverse and captivating. Among them, the literary "Liangyou" is the most richly varied and ever-changing, and in a sense, the most appealing.
The literary "Liangyou" boasts an incredibly wide range of authors, from Lu Xun and Hu Shi to nearly all the great figures of modern Chinese literature. More importantly, the novels and essays published in "Liangyou" include both fashionable writings under market conditions (which naturally accounted for a significant proportion), such as Mu Shiying's "Black," Guo Jianying's "A Woman Who Doesn't Know Melancholy," Fei'er's "The Abandoned Man," and Lin Weiyin's "The Solution to a Mystery"; as well as sincere calls from left-wing writers for the masses, such as Tian Han's "The Thorny Path," Mao Dun's "The Stock Exchange," Shi Yi's "The Roar of the Spinning Wheel," Ding Ling's "Yangma's Diary," Mu Mute's "Reminiscences of Northeast," and so on. There are also excellent works on historical themes, such as Wang Jiaxie's "After Fame" and Zimu's "Huating Crane" (it is clear that "Zimu" is a pen name, and the editor reveals that he was a renowned master of the May Fourth New Literature Movement, but upon investigation, it turns out to be Wang Tongzhao, one of the initiators of the Literary Research Society). There are also many outstanding works by liberalist writers, such as Hu Shi's "Come and Take a Look in the Mirror," Shi Zhicun's "Spring Sun," Ba Jin's "The Fragrance of Roses" and "The Last Night in Guangzhou," Yu Dafu's "Shanghai Teahouses," Lu Fen's "The Lamp of Life," and Lao She's "Good Fortune at Every Turn." Additionally, there are many brilliant works by artists, such as Xu Beihong's "In India," Feng Zishan's "The Symbol of Shame," Ma Sitong's "Childhood Reverie," and Ye Qianyu's "Ancient of Beijing." Among them, many are lost writings that have never been compiled, such as Lin Yutang's highly important "On Magazines," which is not included in any of his collected works.
Although literary works do not occupy a prominent place in "Liangyou," with only one or two published per issue, giving the impression of being somewhat deliberately reserved, the literary "Liangyou" is truly a "blossoming of a hundred flowers" and a "symphony of many voices." If it is true that "Liangyou" provided a platform for famous and unknown Chinese writers of various tendencies in the 1930s to express their views and engage in exchanges, opening up a "public space" for urban literature and culture in 1930s Shanghai, then this should align with historical facts. Compiling this "The Memory of Vermouth" is precisely to showcase this rare feature of the literary "Liangyou," and I believe readers can savor it fully.