Psychology of Sexuality (Translation of Famous Chinese Classics)

Author: [British] Alfred C. Whitall Pan Guangdan (Translator and annotator)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-01-01
Features: Reprint of Pan Guangdan's translation and annotations of Alfred C. Whitall's Psychology of Sex, with postscript by Fei Xiaotong
I read this book from cover to cover. As I turned each page, I found it increasingly familiar and intimate, constantly evoking memories of events from half a century ago. Pan Guangdan began translating and annotating this book in November 1939 and completed it in November 1941, taking two full years. These two years were the early days of the War of Resistance, during which he taught at Southwest Associated University in Kunming. I arrived in Kunming in 1938 and, about a year later, joined Pan in teaching at Yunnan University. Before 1943, I mainly conducted rural surveys around Dianchi Lake in Yunnan. Later, we were scattered to different suburban locations and had few opportunities to meet. I did not witness his work while translating this book. Five years after the translation was completed, it was first published in Chongqing in April 1946 and reprinted in Shanghai in October of the same year. After the war's victory in 1945, both of us moved to Kunming City and participated in the democratic movement of that period. When the book was first published in Chongqing, Pan and I had already left Yunnan together and were living in Huishuoguan, Jiangsu, for the summer. By the time the book was reprinted in Shanghai, I had already traveled abroad to revisit Britain. Until then, I still had no chance to see the book. Otherwise, while editing the manuscript of The System of Reproduction in Huishuoguan, I would have certainly mentioned Alfred C. Whitall's work. I first encountered this book in the spring of 1947, when I returned to China and taught together with Pan at the Department of Sociology at Tsinghua University. Counting the years since then, it has been nearly forty-nine years since we last met with this book. Of course, when Pan decided to translate and annotate this book, I was studying at the Tsinghua Research Institute from 1933 to 1935, like other students under his tutelage, and had long heard about it from his lips. We all hoped for its realization early on, as Alfred C. Whitall was a renowned British writer, and his works were quite challenging for students of my caliber at the time, making it difficult to fully comprehend them. Pan's decision to translate and annotate this book stemmed from his deep admiration for Alfred C. Whitall's scholarship, which he described as a "private admiration." Private admiration refers to the respect and reverence one holds for a scholar without having personally studied under them, treating them as a mentor. In my view, Alfred C. Whitall's scholarship indeed served as a significant source of Pan's academic thought throughout his life. As he wrote in the self-titled poem for this book, "Once love is known, all troubles cease." From the sequence of his professional training, it is clear that this master guided him into the academic garden: In 1922, Pan went abroad to study biology at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, USA. In 1924, he enrolled at Columbia University in New York to study zoology, paleontology, and genetics. He attended summer courses in anthropology, eugenics, and even single-cell biology during these two years. This course schedule fully demonstrates his interest in exploring the path to strengthening the Chinese nation through eugenics, laying a solid scientific foundation for this goal. After returning to China, the courses he taught and all his writings can be said to revolve around the core principle of "improving the quality of the nation." If one were to ask where this ambition originated, beyond his patriotism and love for the nation, it must be attributed to the guidance of this private admiration for Alfred C. Whitall in his early years. Pan claimed to have encountered Alfred C. Whitall's works in 1920, when he was twenty years old and studying at Tsinghua School's Higher College. Alfred C. Whitall's six-volume Studies in the Psychology of Sex struck a chord with this young man. It was like a seed planted in fertile soil, sprouting new growth within a couple of years. In his "Method of Chinese Historical Study" class with the renowned scholar Liang Qichao, Pan combined Alfred C. Whitall's theories with Chinese historical documents to write the paper A Study of Feng Xiaqing, which later became the draft for the book Feng Xiaqing published by the Crescent Moon Press in 1927. To dare to submit such a paper, which might be considered "unconventional" or at least "not serious" in the eyes of others, before such a master was a bold and decisive act. What was even more remarkable was that in the early years of the Republic of China, this master praised him with the words, "For your meticulous observation of certain aspects." I do not know if Liang's admiration for Pan began with this paper, but it undoubtedly left a deep impression on him, revealing the potential of this young scholar. Later, on another paper submitted by Pan, he wrote, "With your talent, whether in literature, science, or politics, you could achieve great success, but I hope you do not become as scattered as I am." Some have interpreted this as Pan advocating a broad education and practicing it himself, suggesting he did not take this advice to heart. I, however, disagree. Scattered refers to a river flowing out of its channel, but Pan's extensive and profound academic thought never deviated from the mainstream he had chosen—strengthening the nation through eugenics. Because he did not let his talents "scatter," even after losing a leg, he remained grounded, absorbing the essence of biological science abroad and laying a solid foundation for his research on improving the quality of the nation upon his return. Tracing the origins of Pan's academic path reveals the profound and lasting influence of his private admiration, Alfred C. Whitall. Alfred C. Whitall was a brilliant figure in British literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hailed as a "civilized Englishman." Born in 1859, the same year as Darwin's On the Origin of Species, he was fifty years younger than Darwin and forty years older than Pan. He passed away in 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II. The year of publication of his autobiography My Life coincided with the time Pan was engrossed in translating and annotating this book. In the 1880s, as a young literary critic, Alfred C. Whitall gained fame overnight after being recognized by the great writer Thomas Hardy, stepping onto the literary stage of Britain. He edited the Mermaid Drama Series, but was forced out of his position due to attacks from conservative forces. He was not only a literary figure but also a scientist with rigorous medical training. He proposed and edited the Modern Science Series, making significant contributions to science popularization in Britain. Of course, what he is most credited with is his research on sex psychology and his role in establishing a scientific foundation for sex education. With his fluent and varied writing style, he disseminated rigorous scientific knowledge,ing a new academic tradition that benefited future generations. He was truly a "civilized Englishman."
It was Pan who carried this torch and brought it to Chinese soil. During the war years, he overcame all hardships with the spirit of passing on knowledge, eventually translating this monumental work into smooth and accessible Chinese. Fearing that readers might be unfamiliar with both Eastern and Western contexts, he used his own research findings to provide annotations with relevant Chinese materials. His dedication is evident in every word. What drove him to work so tirelessly? It was his loyalty and love for the nation and its people. He dedicated his life to research on eugenics, working diligently without regard for rewards. This very spirit is the guarantee of our country's prosperity and the excellence of our nation. Ten years have passed since Pan's passing. In China's history, these ten years may be the fastest-developing period, as the country transitions from isolation to modernization through reform and opening up. Science and democracy have become popular demands. At this moment, the republication of Pan's Psychology of Sex is not accidental. Although I dare not claim that the rigid ice of feudal ideology has completely melted, and that the once-taboo "study of sexuality" will be accepted with openness and enthusiasm, I believe that the "crowd of tradition and hypocrisy" Alfred C. Whitall spoke of has lost its former stronghold. The fate of this book is a test of our nation's civilized level. With a change of fortune, I hope that in his afterlife, Pan would soon feel the peace and self-consolation Alfred C. Whitall experienced in his later years. Fei Xiaotong July 21, 1986
The purpose of this book is not to replace the author's seven larger works or to summarize their content. Some have said that the content of those seven works mainly deals with the pathology of sex, which is a mistake. I dare to assert that these seven works differ from previous studies in their particular attention to the normal aspects of sexual phenomena. In this regard, this small volume shares the same focus. In the past, many individuals with abnormal experiences came to me for advice, and my research experience was partly based on them, which is true, but the main foundation was my understanding of normal men and women and their daily issues. As I have repeatedly emphasized, there is no clear boundary between the normal and the abnormal; all so-called normal people have some degree of abnormality, though in different directions, but their abnormality is one in nature. At the same time, those considered abnormal are also driven by many fundamental impulses, just like the normal. This book is concise and is more accessible to medical professionals and students. It was originally written for them. However, everyone has a gender and faces sexual issues, so the target audience of this book is not limited to the medical field. Some basic facts are familiar to everyone. In this book, I can only provide some clues to guide readers who wish to delve deeper into these issues and face more complex problems in the future. As for the issues themselves, this book serves as an introduction and cannot fully address them.