Breeding righteousness through a book
Print Edition
Nothing entertains us better than reading a book, says a renowned Chinese writer. When Bing Xin (1900-1999), a pioneer of children鈥檚 literature in modern China, expressed this belief in 1987, she was gazing upon an era when entertainment news was on the rise across the globe.
鈥淓ntertainment news has increased, which is fine, but I believe the most pleasant thing about life is to read books,鈥 she told Cao Zhengwen, editor of the 鈥淛oy of Reading鈥 section of the Xinming Evening News.
Cao鈥檚 interview with Bing Xin at her apartment in Beijing took place about two years after American educator Neil Postman published his book, 鈥淎musing Ourselves to Death,鈥 which criticized televisions for diluting rational thinking that was typical of typography.
To encourage more people to read, Cao launched the 鈥淛oy of Reading鈥 section in the Xinmin Evening News in 1986. During the 22 years when the 鈥淛oy of Reading鈥 survived and thrived, he interviewed quite a few cultural figures and invited them to write for the newspaper. Bing Xin was one of them. Cao later sifted and edited the stories of their life as bookworms and critical thinkers into the book entitled 鈥淎 Record of Interviews with Cultural Icons,鈥 which was published late last year.
Thanks to Cao鈥檚 effort, today鈥檚 readers can have a rare glimpse into the spiritual world of typical Chinese intellectuals of a bygone generation, a world of simplicity, sacrifice and selflessness.
The book tells us not only how joyful they were in reading, but also how just they were in adversity. In other words, the book teaches us how to bring out the better part of ourselves as well as how and what to read.
One hardly understands today鈥檚 China 鈥 her value or her future 鈥 without knowing the spirit of personal sacrifice for societal good as embedded and embodied in righteous people like those recorded in Cao鈥檚 book. Though written in Chinese, the book is commendable as a necessary guide for anyone aspiring to be a China hand.
鈥淲hen I was young, I held those righteous scholars and writers of modern China in high respect,鈥 Cao told Shanghai Daily. 鈥淪o I tried my best to interview them when I was responsible for the 鈥楯oy of Reading鈥 section. I had collected a huge stack of notebooks documenting their profound knowledge and upright characters.鈥 For example, Qin Mu (1919-1992), a renowned writer, was quoted as saying that only an upright person can write a good article from a candid approach. Wang Yuanhua (1920-2008), a literary critic, said he liked the works of Lu Xun (1881-1936) because he respected Lu Xun for his critical thinking.
鈥淥f Cao鈥檚 nearly 70 books, this one is not that bulky, but it鈥檚 significant in that it has faithfully recorded and revealed the truth of many cultural events through his interviews,鈥 said Yang Baiwei, editor-in-charge of the book and deputy editor-in-chief of Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House. 鈥淭he book tells readers around the world about the integrity, courage and profound learning of modern Chinese literati.鈥
And it鈥檚 more than about literati. Their stories, told in the plain language that鈥檚 a trademark of Cao鈥檚 writing, reflect a larger picture of Chinese culture that breeds righteousness.
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