World of Scattered Endings: Chopped-and-Screwed Late Qing History

Author: Tan Boniu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Not really. If someone were to say how great a Hanlin scholar is or how great the Hanlin Academy is, Gong Zizhen would scoff and proudly say, "What's so great about a Hanlin scholar? What's so great about the Hanlin Academy? Every woman in my family is a Hanlin scholar, and my home is a Hanlin Academy!" Hanlin scholars? The Hanlin Academy? What nonsense! Hmph! Listening to important figures tell jokes has always been a tough job. The usual procedure is: the important figure finishes telling a joke, bursts into laughter, looks around, and the audience understands and bursts into laughter. From this exchange with Li Hongzhang, it's clear that Zeng Guofan is unconventional and is clearly a master of humor. The fiery Peng Yulin didn't hesitate and "used old fists," but Peng Yulin was short, less than 5'7", and Li Hongzhang, who was over 5'9", wouldn't have feared him. Li Hongzhang "also used dirty tricks." As a result, the Chief of Staff and the Commander of the Navy "tangled on the ground," losing all their dignity. As for who won the fight, there is no historical record to prove it. According to my analysis: Hongzhang has the advantage in physique, and Yulin is skilled in combat techniques. If they fought at first, it would likely be a 50-50 match, and others would surely rush in to break it up. In the end, it should be a draw. According to Qing-era notes, the "current emperor" Tongzhi appeared at least three times in public outside the Forbidden City and in Beijing. He once sang loudly in a tavern, earning loud cheers from the crowd; he went to Liulichang to buy Xuan paper in bulk, asking the shop assistant to collect the money at the Meridian Gate, but the shop assistant dared not enter the gate and had to return the money with an eunuch; he even posed as a Jiangxi scholar and mingled with examinees heading to the capital for the imperial exams. Of course, the place where he appeared most often was a brothel.
This book is a miscellany. The "miscellaneous" aspect first refers to the variety of genres, including column articles, book reviews, historical essays, and prose that combines research with. Second, the "miscellaneous" aspect refers to the variety of writing styles, including colloquial language and simple classical Chinese. Third, it is a mix of text and illustrations. While there is some suspicion of following trends, each color illustration is carefully annotated. Beyond the captions, the annotations may explain the content of the artwork, provide some research on the artist's life, or offer some reflections on the subject, hoping to make this book stand out slightly among "picture-story" books and avoid being too tedious.
The title "" is explained as follows. "" naturally refers to the late Qing situation. Although there were ten years of "rejuvenation" (according to the definition of American sinologist Mary C. Wright, referring to 1860-1870), it ultimately disintegrated and collapsed overnight. "" is larger than a country. According to Huang Zongxi's saying, losing a country is not as frightening as losing the world. Thus, the combination of "" and "" carries both a historical judgment and an expectation for the future. Life and death change constantly, love and hate intertwine, the great path is chaotic—everything is boiled together in one pot.
I say, this is pure nonsense, and I won't do it again. That's why I came up with this title. But I couldn't help adding a subtitle: "." I think the main title is a bit too "grand," so adding a small, humble supplement might help balance things out. To be honest, it's out of fear and insecurity—I dare not be proud of speaking grandly and deceiving myself. If the readers can understand this, I will be very grateful.