Good Friend (First Issue): The First Day Cover of Memory

Author: Cai Xiaobin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The first volume of the "Liangyou" series, "Memory's First Day Stamp," was published by Wenhui Publishing House in January 2007. This series was jointly planned and edited by the Qingdao Daily Press Group's "Liangyou Book Studio" and Yingpan Brothers Culture (Qingdao) Company. "Liangyou" is a serialized literary publication that emphasizes a "contemporary" perspective. It focuses on reflecting life through feelings, refracting the era through events, and is passionate about non-fictional expressions that blend intellectual and aesthetic appeal. It particularly pays attention to the complex and diverse historical and cultural events that have occurred in China since the end of the Cultural Revolution, especially from 1976 onwards. It is especially dedicated to expanding the perspectives of ordinary people and individuals, highlighting personal unique perceptions and life experiences within the broader context of contemporary Chinese history. Its fundamental mode of expression is through a humanistic lens, storytelling, and a present-at-the-scene stance. The name "Liangyou" was chosen to express reverence for the spirit of the old "Liangyou" publishing house in modern Chinese history, and to sincerely carry forward and promote this legacy, which was also a key reason for establishing the "Liangyou Book Studio." The first volume of the "Liangyou" series, "Memory's First Day Stamp," reflects the focus on contemporary folk memory. Works such as Can Xue's "Imprisoning Oneself," Sun Shaoshan's "Reminiscences of Dadu River," Zhao Batian's "The Old County in the 1980s," and Yu Qing's "The Good Old Days of Food" reflect the changing tides of the era and society through personal experiences in vivid memories. As Zhao Batian puts it: "In my memory, the 1980s were pieced together from these fragmented scenes. They stand quietly, sickeningly rich, and under the light of memory, they have become a dilapidated old building. For Sun Shaoshan, the memories of Dadu River are an indelible experience in his life: it was truly an extraordinary mountain. To its east lay the former Soviet Union, and at its foot flowed the border river, the Hubutuo River. The fortifications on this high mountain were built to contain the advance of Soviet troops. Dongning Fortress was once called the Eastern Maginot Line. It was the core of the entire Dongning Fortress. Military historians say it was the largest military fortress in Asia during World War II. And I, lived and worked mining coal in this largest military fortress for a full 16 years. If the above are personal memories and experiences, then works such as "The Doctor Who Died on the Air" (Xue Yuan), "Director Zhang" (Wu Maohua), and "The Simple Soul of Madam Madam" (Zhang Yuanshan) record the people and events that have emerged in social evolution through the memories and portrayals of 'him.' What truly moves readers is "A suicide note from a depression patient" (Oakley). 'I have little time left. I do not hate the world, but at 37, I stand at the edge of a cliff—only two paths ahead: death, or a mental institution. I choose death.' Reading Oakley's rational and calm narration of her suicide note, one feels an icy chill to the bone. At 37, Oakley has chosen death, but her more than 20,000-word note leaves us with a declaration of life's pursuit of spiritual value. Oakley, a female medical master, was once a practicing physician before abandoning her career to engage in online writing. In the autumn of 2005, she entered a mental institution, and in the summer of 2006, she took her own life at home. Her suicide note is a painful self-description by a depression patient, a record of a self-war, and an inner monologue of a spiritual seeker. The note contains a ruthless critique of family education, a fierce conflict between reality and ideals, and a struggle between body and desire. Fu Guangming's "The Past and Present of 'One Hundred Schools Forum'" provides a detailed portrayal and analysis of the "hegemony" of contemporary television culture and the origins of the "One Hundred Schools Forum." Regarding the current popularity of the "One Hundred Schools Forum," Fu Guangming's analysis of viewership ratings and scholars' teaching methods in the text cuts to the chase: "Viewership ratings are the cold-blooded killer of academic integrity and scholars' dignity. Even under the former producer's tenure, 'One Hundred Schools' could not escape this trend. In the middle and later stages of the collaboration between the Literature Museum and 'One Hundred Schools,' scholars began to express dissatisfaction with the television directors, as the directors, under pressure from ratings, started to repeatedly emphasize to scholars the need to tell stories in various ways. Scholars faced only two choices: if they wanted to appear on screen, they had to humble themselves to become storytellers; if they wanted to maintain academic dignity, they had to distance themselves from television." Several critiques and defenses of Yi Zhongtian serve as the best commentary on "the past and present." Jiang Ni's "The Premature Death of a Poetic Heart" offers a reinterpretation of the life and love tragedy of the poet Gu Cheng. Through letters, memories, and accounts from those close to him, it presents a report on life, value, and love. Similarly, overseas, the artist Fu Hong's art and life present a different perspective, reflecting on the distinction between poetry and painting, which is also similar to the current state of poetry and painting in China. "My Last Beijing" (Zhu Bing) and "Love and Roads in Shanghai" (Zhou Peihong) are personal interpretations of the cities by two female authors. In Zhu Bing's view, "The original Beijing has aged, the original siheyuan have aged, but this is not the fault of Beijing or the siheyuan themselves. It cannot be used as a reason to replace the old Beijing with a matchbox-style Beijing or the old siheyuan with new siheyuan." For Zhou Peihong, Shanghai is more about personal delicate feelings: "I descended. The place where I landed was small, my vision limited. When I looked up, the white magnolias in the plane tree branches, with their flying posture, struck me again. At the street corner, a young couple was passionately kissing while leaning on their bicycles. Passersby smiled with subtle blessings. High above, a large billboard with the words 'Dreams' and 'Reality' glowed with an unrealistic orange light in the sunlight. But I knew this was reality, today, now, Shanghai. From the perspective of personal experience and charm, works such as 'A First Day Stamp Full of Memories,' 'Green Headscarf · Green Hat,' and 'Reasons for Preferring Small Men' are the best embodiment. Some experiences are indeed unique, such as the author of 'A First Day Stamp Full of Memories,' who revealed in the text a unique encounter during an international car rally: 'I encountered the only instance of same-sex harassment in my life. The harasser was the woman in the photography team's dark green work uniform.'"