The Disaster of the Beard (Selected Essays of Zhang Youlan)

Author: Zhang Yuxuan (Editor)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: March 1, 2005
Features: This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of my father, Mr. Zhang Youlan. From publishing his first article in Shanghai Daily·Free Talk in 1921 to stopping writing in 1986 due to a stroke, my father devoted 65 years to writing. He wrote numerous serialized novels and works on classical literature, and his essays,, sketches, and short stories published in newspapers and magazines were countless. Over the past 50 years, only more than ten of his works were published, including novels, selected ancient fables, and theatrical stories; whereas his essays and sketches in newspapers and magazines were never compiled into books. As a result, Mr. Nie Gongnuo once poetically remarked, "Famous writings lack" (meaning they were not published). To commemorate my father's 100th birthday, with the help and encouragement of our family, my daughter Zhang Tian and I searched and organized this manuscript, deciding to publish a collection of his sketches. Although this collection only includes a small part of his works, fortunately, they span from the 1920s to the 1980s, covering various historical periods. Based on the writing dates and content, the collection is divided into eight sections.
Section "Before Ji Shui Tan" includes works from the 1920s, primarily articles from a combined volume of Creative Daily and Jing Bao·Literary Weekly. The articles from Creative Daily were photocopied by Zhang Tian in early 1990 from the Beijing Library to research her grandfather's literary activities during his youth. At the time, my father was bedridden in Nanjing and passed away before he could see them. The combined volume of Jing Bao·Literary Weekly was later found by my father in a second-hand bookstore during the late Cultural Revolution. Although only more than ten articles are included in this section, they provide some insight into my father's early literary contributions to the New Literature movement. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, my father wrote columns for both Xin Min Bao in Chongqing and Chengdu, publishing a large number of articles, but he himself never kept any records of them. My father's old friend Chen Liyuan, who was particularly enthusiastic, had some of his columns "Curved News" and "Mountain City Night Songs" copied and sent to him after the Cultural Revolution. In 1986, United Front Daily launched the column "Bashan Night Talk," republishing some of his articles. Therefore, the second section of this collection is titled "Bashan Night Talk," featuring his works from 1935 to 1943. For these two historical periods, due to their long-standing nature, it is extremely difficult to fully understand my father's works at the time. Currently, we can only "catch a glimpse but miss the whole picture."
From 1963 to 1965, my father's peak period for writing essays and sketches, or perhaps his peak period for publishing works in general. The Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao launched the columns "Youlan's" and "New Readings of Old Texts," while the Hong Kong Wen Wei Pao launched the column "New Chapters in a Prosperous Era." Although some clippings may be missing, most have been preserved. The third, fourth, and fifth sections of this collection are titled "New Chapters in a Prosperous Era," "Youlan's," and "New Readings of Old Texts," respectively, and include these works. A few late works are grouped together due to similar content.
After the Cultural Revolution, my father, already in his twilight years, resumed his peak writing period. In addition to the column "Yan Shan New Talks" in the Hong Kong Wen Wei Pao and the column "Picking Up the Beard to Talk" in the Hong Kong Xin Wen Bao, he also wrote for numerous newspapers and magazines such as Xin Min Bao, Nanjing Daily, Beijing Evening News, Travel, Encyclopedic Knowledge, and News Research Materials. The sixth and seventh sections of this collection are titled "Yan Shan New Talks" and "Picking Up the Beard to Talk," featuring most of the works from these columns. The eighth section, "Old Talk of News," is mostly composed of late works, with a few exceptions, such as "It's a Bee, Not a Fly," which was attacked during the Anti-Rightist Campaign and published in Guang Ming Daily in 1957.
The articles my father published in newspapers and magazines cover a wide range of topics and styles: from his reflections on reading and historical anecdotes to personal experiences in politics, literature, and the press; from essays and sketches reflecting on the present and past to news features on individuals and events. Regardless of the content, his writing is always humorous and light-hearted, making it highly engaging to read. Collecting and publishing these articles is a way to commemorate my father and to preserve some invaluable historical materials from being lost.