Qi Rushan's Notes

Author: Qi Rushan
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: Qi Rushan (1877-1962), a theorist of traditional Chinese opera. As part of the "Qi Rushan Works Series," this volume includes two of Mr. Qi's books: "Qi Rushan's Notes" and "Notes." The editing is based on the "Complete Works of Qi Rushan" published in Taiwan, where both types of notes are included in Volume 8. Notes were Mr. Qi's preferred form of writing, and the forty-five pieces collected in this volume (fourteen from "Qi Rushan's Notes" and thirty-one from "Notes") well represent his writing style and reflect his personality—his keen interest in human nature and his profound understanding of the world. His merits are beyond words, and readers will judge for themselves. The notes come in various forms—lyric, narrative, and critical—voluminous and captivating, leaving readers unable to put them down. His writing mirrors his character: bold, lively, witty, and youthful in tone; his observations are broad and insightful, filled with substance, clearly showing his cross-era experience. Qi Rushan is Qi Rushan—few can match his concern for human nature or his insight into the world. He does not follow others' voices, nor does he conform to others' views. He avoids painting with either red or black. He advocates "stepping off the beaten path," meaning "there is a beaten path, but one chooses not to follow it." Thus, we have the freshness of "Willows Swaying in the Wind" and the vitality of "Peach Blossoms Amidst Rain." His connection to Peking Opera and shadow puppetry, his views on the standards of Chinese beauty, his entanglement with the Cao Xueqin family and the Jia Mansion, and the story of Sai Jinhua and Waldorf—