Love this post. Saved it for rereading! There's so much to think about and unpack in it. Your mention of caregivers is a gentle reminder to me. I should call my father and grandma more...
Glad you like Lin Yutang's book. I can say that he was one of the few Chinese literary figures who had a clear mind in the great confusion of the 20th century. Admirable yet approachable humorist.
Thanks for introducing me to Lin Yutang! Will read more of his books that you have recommended. He writes beautifully with wit. And I continue to take inspiration from his outlook on life and living.
His short stories 吶喊 and 狂人日記, and his political articles. For Lu Xun, the traditional Chinese society was a room without a window made of steel where people were dying in sleep, where people ate people, or where the old sucked the blood out of the young. My memory is rather blurry, but if I remember it correctly, Lu Xun told Lin Yutang that one cannot, and should not write humorous articles in China. Start with his short stories. Most of them are great.
Thanks, Hyun Woo. I will check it out. Just seeing a blurb intro for 狂人日記 A Madman's Diary, similar to what you mentioned -- The "madman" sees "cannibalism" both in his family and the village around him, and he then finds cannibalism in the Confucian classics which had long been credited with a humanistic concern for the mutual obligations of society, and thus for the superiority of Confucian civilization. Wow.
Thanks, Martin! Where in China are you thinking of? I will visit Chongqing with my parents. Someone had recommended me this book. Have yet to read but you may find it interesting - ‘China: A New History’ (by J.K. Fairbank). I hope your wish of visiting China next year comes true.
I'm sorry about your grandfather. That must be hard, just can't imagine. HK and Guangzhou sounds great. Let me know how it goes. All my grandparents left China for Malaysia to escape Japanese captivity during WWII. Fast forward, I am married to a Japanese, living in Japan, and learning Japanese language now.
Love this post. Saved it for rereading! There's so much to think about and unpack in it. Your mention of caregivers is a gentle reminder to me. I should call my father and grandma more...
Glad you like Lin Yutang's book. I can say that he was one of the few Chinese literary figures who had a clear mind in the great confusion of the 20th century. Admirable yet approachable humorist.
Thanks for introducing me to Lin Yutang! Will read more of his books that you have recommended. He writes beautifully with wit. And I continue to take inspiration from his outlook on life and living.
Reading Lin Yutang's assessment of China, oddly, made me think about Lu Xun. What a sharp contrast they make.
Interesting. First time hearing about Lu Xun. What book of his were you thinking of? Which of his writings would you recommend?
His short stories 吶喊 and 狂人日記, and his political articles. For Lu Xun, the traditional Chinese society was a room without a window made of steel where people were dying in sleep, where people ate people, or where the old sucked the blood out of the young. My memory is rather blurry, but if I remember it correctly, Lu Xun told Lin Yutang that one cannot, and should not write humorous articles in China. Start with his short stories. Most of them are great.
Thanks, Hyun Woo. I will check it out. Just seeing a blurb intro for 狂人日記 A Madman's Diary, similar to what you mentioned -- The "madman" sees "cannibalism" both in his family and the village around him, and he then finds cannibalism in the Confucian classics which had long been credited with a humanistic concern for the mutual obligations of society, and thus for the superiority of Confucian civilization. Wow.
Exactly. It sounds as if Lu Xun and Lin Yutang had lived in different countries.
I've enjoyed your posts, hopefully I will visit China next year, all the best for the new year.
Thanks, Martin! Where in China are you thinking of? I will visit Chongqing with my parents. Someone had recommended me this book. Have yet to read but you may find it interesting - ‘China: A New History’ (by J.K. Fairbank). I hope your wish of visiting China next year comes true.
I'm going to Hong Kong first, my grandfather was a prisoner of the Japanese there during the second world war. I'm then taking the train to Guangzhou.
Chongqing looks amazing, right in the middle of China, such a big country!
I'm sorry about your grandfather. That must be hard, just can't imagine. HK and Guangzhou sounds great. Let me know how it goes. All my grandparents left China for Malaysia to escape Japanese captivity during WWII. Fast forward, I am married to a Japanese, living in Japan, and learning Japanese language now.
After HK and Guangzhou I'm flying to Tokyo to see a Japanese friend, so excited!