Who Can Make the World Stop for Three Seconds -- 2004 Writers' Meeting Anthology

Author: Wenhuibao Association Editorial Board
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: "Who Can Make the World Stop for Three Seconds," excerpted from an article by Mr. Yu Guangzhong published in the Association last year. Mr. Yu Guangzhong actually made a joke, saying that in today's world, who can make the world stop for three seconds? Only photographers. They tell you, "Don't move—One, two, three," and you dare not move. In fact, we all know that there is a power in the world that can make everything stop for three seconds: the moment beauty appears, the true form of goodness, the moment of love's despair. And each of us has our own specific imagination and embodiment of these. Our hope is that when you hold a copy of the Association's anthology, the world will also stop for three seconds. Haha.
In 2004, the Association's anthology followed the same format as the previous year, edited and organized by content into several sections. It still included columns such as "Daily Life," "Commentary," "Records," "Translated Works," and "Dear Comrades."
The "Daily Life" section seems gentle, with works like Yang Lan's "Born Under the Monkey Sign," Lei Shuyan's "Wild Teaching," and Peng Rui'ao's "Five-Year Plan About Mother," which nourish life with deep emotion and humor. However, there is also Jin Yucheng's "Horse Language," where the grandeur, courage, romantic passion, and boundless spirit of horses redefine the meaning of daily life.
It is pleasing that the "Commentary" section received a significantly larger number of articles than in previous years, discussing the of text messages, the lack of privacy in diaries, the relocation of residential areas, and the debate between standard answers and collective cheating. These questions and vigilance in various places are like flags planted in the earth, marking the thoughts of the Association.
Unfortunately, the "Dear Comrades" section became a column for mourning the departed. Those who left last year include Huang Xian, Chen Zhongwei, Zang Kejia, Chen Yuan, Lu Xing'er, Yasser Arafat, and Marguerite Duras. May it be that in our soft calls, the "Dear Comrades" do not signify separation, for life and death may be without boundary.
Newly added content includes the "Greece·Olympics" album. The Athens Olympics brought hope, excitement, and joy to the past year. It was not just a four-year sports event but also, due to Greece's involvement, revealed fresh elements of civilization. Greek civilization, ancient yet ever-renewing, has become a mirror for our time. The writings of the writer Zhang Chengzhi and the philosopher Chen Jiaying leave one reflecting deeply. Another new section is "Hometown and the World," with some contributions from the newly established "Urban Correspondence" column and others written by writers from around the world. In this era of globalization, hometown and the world have become the two poles that stir our nerves. Han Shaogong's "Moonlit Boat Sounds," Xi Ye's "Dream of Guns," Chen Pingyuan's "Professors in Paris," Cate's "An Ordinary Johannesburg Twilight," and Xu Jin's "City Lights" record the temperature of changes in this complex world. Amid these diverse details and sensations, how should we navigate? How should we stand firm?
The "Art" album begins with "The Topic of That Afternoon" (Zhao Chuan), featuring debates on modern art such as "Is the Solitude of the Prophet or the King's New Clothes?" (Lin Guofang). The "Dialogue" section originated from two excellent dialogues: Zhang Ling and Hu Xiaoming's discussion on the Ma Jiajue incident, titled "Spring, the Nature of Heaven," and Chen Danqing, Zhang Yonghe, and others' fierce debate on whether the "New Jiangnan Water Town" architectural style is possible, titled "A Sentimental Jiangnan."
In 2004, special thanks go to Mr. Wu Guanzhong, Mr. Liu Shaha, and Ms. Chi Zijian. Mr. Wu Guanzhong's late-life autobiography "I Bore the Ink, the Ink Bore Me" was published first by the Association, taking us into the passionate and precious journey of an artist's heart. The "Liu Shaha Column" and "Memoirs of Simple Living" (Chi Zijian) were two outstanding columns in the 2004 anthology, with their writing exquisitely presenting a life rich in history, meaning, and emotion. Regrettably, only one piece could be selected during the book editing process. Here, apologies are owed to both the authors and the readers.
In this anthology, the names of two authors are framed in black: Ma Hua and Susan Sontag. If the Association has long advocated a life accompanied by writing and reading, then these two have unintentionally become the epitome of the carefree ideal of "writing life, writing death." Should a writer die in writing?
Sontag's commentary on the U.S. military's abuse of prisoners in Iraq is her last article published before her passing. Even at the end of her life, she offered an important observation on contemporary civilization: "Previously, people kept their private lives secret, almost guarding their mouths like a hen's. But now, people clamor to appear on TV shows, exposing their secrets. The photos reveal not only a culture devoid of shame but also an extreme adoration for brutal acts without guilt."
The young volunteer Ma Hua drowned in a river at the foot of Mount Meili. I have never forgotten the late night when the news of his death reached us. A poet friend in Beijing called excitedly: "You should focus on Ma Hua. Since Gu Cheng passed away, the idealism of poets has been wandering in death for years. But Ma Hua brought idealism to life."