Pengshan Boat Shadow -- Liu Yongxiang's Miscellaneous Writings on History and Culture

Author: Liu Yongxiang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Liu Yongxiang, a renowned expert in history and literature, is a life professor and doctoral supervisor at East China Normal University, with profound knowledge and extensive expertise. This book is a collection of his miscellaneous writings and essays on history and literature, written in his spare time from academic research and teaching. The book is divided into eight sections, containing over 80 articles, including parallel prose and inscriptions praised by Mr. Qian Zhongshu as "rarely seen" and "a revival of the Four Sixes of Fan Nan." The content is rich and diverse, covering topics such as Qian (Zhongshu) studies, tributes to scholars, poetry and literary discussions, textual research, and anecdotes. The author's deep and elegant writing style have won him great admiration from the literary community. This book is a new collection of his recent historical and literary essays, with many pieces published for the first time, making it particularly valuable. Excerpt: Notes on Liu Yongxiang's Reflections on the Boat Shadow of Mount Peng I am not a scholar of history and literature, and I have no connection with the author of this book, Mr. Jichao. However, since I have been living in Shanghai, my friends often mention Mr. Jichao. I have previously read books co-authored by the Gu Mei father and son, such as Appreciation of Classical Literature and Detailed Annotations to the Continuation of The Poetic Taste of Poetry, and I am deeply impressed by their knowledge and scholarship. I once said, "I have too little self-control and always see 'Qian' in everything, whether it refers to 'money' or 'Qian Zhongshu,' 'Qian Zhonglian,' or beautiful women with the surname Qian, if I were a man. Therefore, I have always paid close attention to writings about the Qians." During my reading, I discovered that the Jiliu brothers are also very interested in Qian Zhongshu, and I have become even more interested in their writings. A few months ago, I bought Jiliu Tea House at a bookstore. Later, a friend told me, "Mr. Jichao has recently published a collection of historical and literary essays titled Reflections on the Boat Shadow of Mount Peng, which includes several discussions of Mr. Qian Zhongshu. Since you are very interested in Mr. Qian, you should definitely read this book." Upon hearing this, I was naturally delighted. Later, I searched for this book in several bookstores, including Jifeng, but I couldn't find it. Eventually, thanks to the reminder of Brother Ge Lin Chun, I bought the book at Jifeng. Yongxin can be said to be completely unlearned, and it is not qualified to talk about Mr. Jichao's writings. But even foolish people may have a grain of wisdom. The current time is fleeting, and work is extremely busy, leaving no room for leisurely writing. Most of the following comments were written in the margins of the book and can be considered as a postscript. Any inappropriate or incorrect remarks are welcome to be pointed out by all my dear friends and MM. (1) About the title of the book When my friend sent me a message saying that Mr. Jichao's upcoming book would be titled Reflections on the Boat Shadow of Mount Peng, I didn't think much about it and didn't pay much attention to the meaning of the title. When I bought the book and read the beginning of the preface, "Imagine: golden palaces shining in the sky, while waves surge at the boat's side. The boatman pushes forward, but the boat's shadow fades with the wind. He fails again and again, yet he tries again and again. This scene is the inspiration for the title of this book," I suddenly had many feelings. After reading this passage, the first thing that came to my mind was the Jianya from the Book of Songs, Qin Feng.
The reeds are green, white dew turns to frost,
The lady I adore is on the far shore.
I paddle upstream, the path is long and steep,
I paddle downstream, she appears among the reeds.
The reeds are sparse, white dew has yet to dry,
The lady I adore is on the shore.
I paddle upstream, the path is steep and winding,
I paddle downstream, she appears among the reeds.
The reeds are lush, white dew has yet to melt,
The lady I adore is by the water's edge.
I paddle upstream, the path is winding,
I paddle downstream, she appears among the reeds.
The scene described in Jianya is very similar to what Mr. Liu describes. I once joked in an article that "The lady I adore is on the far shore" and so on could add a tragic state to the three stages that Wang Guantang believed great achievements in ancient and modern times must go through. Of course, this state refers to those who cannot achieve great things, but looking back at history, few people have achieved great things. For most, there is only the sigh and helplessness of "The lady I adore is on the far shore." Digressing a bit, the scene Mr. Liu describes has lost the romantic charm of the Book of Songs, leaving a deep impression of unwavering and tenacious perseverance. This is also the state that most of us are experiencing or will experience in our work and careers. Of course, Mr. Liu's description is largely a humble term. With his current achievements, he could be considered a "person of Mount Peng." When I was in my second year of university, I wrote a story titled At the End of the Rainbow, which means something that is within sight but out of reach. I will use this as a supplement as well. (2) Qian Zhongshu Qian Zhongshu is perhaps the most discussed topic among contemporary scholars, with the saying "Incomprehensible Qian Zhongshu" already in circulation. Mr. Liu Yanwen's article on Shiyu, serialized in Myriad Phenomena, was followed by me throughout. Mr. Jichao's new book also has a significant portion dedicated to Qian Zhongshu. As someone who "sees Qian in everything," I naturally considered this part the first thing to read. Moreover, Kowtow to Qian Under the Willow is already placed at the beginning of the book, as if Qian Zhongshu once said that peaches are loved to be eaten, and this article can also be called "loved to be read." Qian Tong can be said to be "well-known and widely heard of." This time, Mr. Liu publishes it, which is truly a joy for Qian enthusiasts and can be considered a New Year's feast. Along with My Relationship with Mr. Qian Zhongshu's Calligraphy and Mr. Qian Zhongshu on Dong Xiaochuan, these articles provide rich materials for us to understand more aspects of Mr. Qian Zhongshu's personality. 1. Qian Tong, the twenty-fourth entry. This entry focuses on Mr. Qian's Modern Chinese Literary History with his father. A senior scholar once told me about the "harsh and cold" side of Mr. Qian's personality, citing the publication of Qian Jibo's two literary histories, which did not mention Mr. Qian even once. It was clear that these books were entirely compiled by Qian Jibo's students and daughter-in-law, and Mr. Qian had no involvement in their publication. Although I do not entirely agree with this view, I did not comment at the time. In fact, the passage in Qian Tong (which has been quoted in other articles) undoubtedly defends him. Since Mr. Qian did not agree to publish his father's works, it is natural that he would not intervene after making the decision. Otherwise, Mr. Qian Zhongshu guided and assisted in the publication of Yang Yinhang's Old Garden Collection by his father-in-law, Yang Yinhang, and even wrote the book's title. If he treated his father-in-law so well, how could he treat his own father any less favorably? 2. Qian Tong, the twenty-eighth entry. This entry discusses poems of mutual jest between Mr. Qian and Mao Xiaolu. Someone once said that there were poems between Mr. Qian and Mao Xiaolu that could be described as "mocking and tormenting." When the two gentlemen were compiling and publishing their poetry collections, such poems were mostly omitted. Those who had these poems did not readily share them for various reasons, reluctant to let everyone "appreciate these rare works." Thanks to Mr. Liu's introduction, we can finally get a glimpse of them. Reading the lines "I will not give my new wife to anyone else" (reminded of Chen Julai's description of Pan Boying in "The Ten Madmen") and "Someone reveres the emperor, but what if you read it backward?" made me laugh out loud. If I hadn't seen this entry, I would never have thought that the mighty God, when viewed backward, was actually a Dog! Connecting this to the long poem quoted by Yang Jiang in We Three, we can see that the "many satirical and tormenting poems" mentioned by Mr. Qian in the preface to Huaju Poems have finally come true. Additionally, I hadn't noticed that Mr. Qian had also interacted with Shao Xunmei, who held Mr. Qian in such high regard, even calling him "God." Considering the recent publication by Hu Wenhui on the poem Chenyin discussing Mr. Qian's interactions with Wu Dongqing and his son, we can only sigh that there are still so many gaps in our understanding of Mr. Qian's social circle. Previously, Li Hongyan published a book titled Mr. Qian Zhongshu and Modern Scholars, which now seems to be just Chen Sheng and Wu Guang. Brother Shuimu once compiled and collected the social circle of Hu Lancheng. When he has the time, he might as well compile a social circle of Mr. Qian Zhongshu, becoming the Liu Bang and Xiang Yu of this field.