Selected Works of Lu Hsun
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7 =-t SELECTED 1{ORKS OF VO L[I ME FOU R Y,.rj\\r^r 1!a- r.-::4i r.ar\. SELECTED WORKS OF LU HSUN VOLUME FOUR i-, :'fir 4\. itr .y 2 Lu Hsun with his wife and son Taken in September 1933 FOREIGN LANGUAGES PRESS PEKING 1960 T EDITOR'S NOTE Translated by Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang 'Ihe essays in this volume come from four collections: Frinqed Literature* and three volumes of Essays of Chieh.-chieh-ting. Fringed Literature, a collection of sixty-one essays written in 1934, was first published in 1936. The thirty- six essays in the first series of Essagrs of Chieh-chieh-ting were also written in 1934, the forty-eight in the second series in 1935, and the thirty-five in the third series in 1936. The three collections of Essays oJ Chieh-chieh-ting were all published in July 1937 after Lu Hsun's death, the first two having been edited by Lu Hsun, the last by his wife Hsu Kuang-ping. Between 1934 and 1936, when the essays in this volume were written, the spearhead of Japanese invasion had struck south from the northeastern provinces to Pe- king and Tientsin. On April 17, 1934, the Japanese imperialists openly declared that China belonged to their sphere of influence. In 1935, Ho Ying-chin signed the Ho-Umezu Agreement whereby the Kuomin- tang government substantially surrendered China's sovereign rights in the provinces of Hopei and Chahar. In November of the same year, the Japanese occupied Inner Mongolia and set up a puppet "autonomous gov- ernment" there. In 1936, they set up a North China Garrison Headquarters, continuously increased the num- ber of troops along the Peking-Liaoning Railway, sent secret agents and smuggled goods into all parts of China + So called because most of the essays in this collection appeared Printeil in the People's Repu,blic of Chi,na in literary supplements surrounded by patterned borders. to create incidents and stir up trouble, in preparation for From 1934 to 1936, a full-scale war of aggression to conquer al1 China. De- Lu Hsun lived in Shanghai where the White Terror was rampant. spite these acts of provocation, the reactionary Kuomin- Though he had tuber- culosis and his health was tang government maintained its policy of non-resistance, failing he went on fighting, ieading the progressive writers, courageously betraying the country to Japan and devoting all its energy exposing and attacking the reactionary measures of Chiang to suppressing patriotic movements, launching fifth Kai- a shek's government and defeating its ,,cu1tural offensive.,, offensive against the revolutionary base of Chine,se the During this period he also resolutely combated. various Communist Party. 1934, the In Red Army, led by the reactionary trends in literature. He severely criticized the Chinese Communist Party, set out on the famous Long sycophantic writers represented by Lin yu-tang, as well March . in order to advance north to fight Japan. On as those who advocated beltes-lettres in the style of the August 1, 1935, the Chinese Communist Party published late Ming dynasty, or talked of standing aloof from the "Appeal to Fellow-Countrymen Concerning Resist- mundane affairs and posed as a cultured 6iite. He also ance to Japan and National Salvation." On November 28, exposed such "pedlars of revolution', as yang Chun-jen, it published the "Ten-Point Programme for Resistance to such ' o. Lu Hsun not only made Japan and National Salvation," calling for the establish- clear in these courageous fights, ment of a national .united front, for the cessation of civil but o of Resistance to Japanese war, and for all:out resistance to Japanese aggression. Aggression he openly set down in writing his support of This call.of the Pbrty immediately gained wide support the Chinese Communist Party. In his ,,Rep1y to a Letter from the whole people including, of course, literary cir- frorn the Trotskyites'l he said: .,I count it an honour to cles. On December 28, 1935, the Society for Nationai have as my comrades those who are now doing solid Salvation was set up by cultural circles in Shanghai. In work, treading firmly on the ground, fighting and shed- May 1936, the All-China Association for National Salva- ding their blood in the defence of the Chinese people.', tion was established, and over a thousand patriotic pub- He was referring here to th,e Chinese Cornmunist party lications appeared in different parts of the country. At led by Chairman Mao Tse-tung and the Red Army of that time the common demand in the literary and art Workers and Peasants. movement was to unite all writers and artists, whether tu Hsun's essays of these years made a most glorious old or new, regardless of class and party, except those contribution in the realm of ideas to Chinese revolu- who collaborated with the enemy, to co-operate in the tionary literature. First, he made valuable proposals on questions common task of resisting Japan and saving the country, the of popularization and specialization in Iiterature and to form an anti-Japanese national united front of and art. In his view, the masses were not as stupid ,,They writers and artists. Early in October, Chinese rvriters as some educated men tended to think. want knowledge, they new and artists published a Declaration on Uniting to Resist want knowledge. They want to study and Aggression and on Freedom of Speech, signed by ail rep- they can absorb new things. Of cours,e, if language consists resentative figures in cultural circles. This laid the of nothing but new terms and a new syntax they not understand; but they foundation of the anti-Japanese national united front of will if what need is. given them gradually, writers and artists. they can take it. Perhaps their digestions are stronger than those of many scholars with more preconceived ideas." ("A Layman's Remarks on Writing.") Here he has indicated the relationship between popularization and elevation: the two are not incompatible, but popularization may lead graduaily to elevation. Lu Hsun during this period also expressed most out- C O NTE NTS standing views on critically taking over the cultural heritage. He pointed out that the new class and the new culture did not suddenly drop down from heaven but 1934 developed mainly in the revolt against the old ruling class WOMEN ARE and its culture, developed in the clash with old traditions; NOT TIIE WORST LIARS 11 THE CRITICS OF THE CRITICS 73 thus the new culture must stem from the old and adopt INVECTIVE 75 certain attributes; should adopt the best elements, .'PEKING of its it TYPES'' AND "SHANGHAI TYPES'' 77 those close to the people or to the revolution, abandoning THE NE\I/ YEAR all that was feudal and backward. In his essay "On A CHANCE FOR CHIT-CHAT 22 Using Old Forms," he took Chinese painting as an ex- TWO OR THREE THINGS CHINESE ', z- ample to make a vivid, detailed analysis of this problem. A REPLY TO TIIE INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE . 33 Lu Hsun was a great patriot and a great internationalist. ON THE ADOBTION OF OLD FORMS al He was all for the Soviet Union anil worked indefatig- LET US DO A LITTLE READING 39 THE CASE OF MRS. CHIN LI.C}IAI 4l ably to promote friendship and an exchange of ideas AN ILLUSTRATED PRIMER 4 between the and people, a Chinese the Soviet setting us UPSIDE DOWN 4? splendid example of how to learn from the Soviet Union. THE TAKE-OVER POLICY 49 In "The Exhibition of Soviet Graphic Art" he said: "The TOYS 52 same content may be expressed in a variety of forms, but SNACKS 54 mere slavish imitation will never produce true art." Here NOW IS THE TIME 56 he was advising us to create our own works based on the IMPRACTICAL ADVICE AND SCEPTICISM . 58 example of our teacher, and how to study the best THE REAL NATURE OF THE "RADICALS". 67 achievements of other countries. THE WORLD OF CICADAS 63 IN MEMORY OF .WEI SU-YUAN Lu Hsun's death on October 19, 1936, was an irrepa- 65 SETTLING OLD SCORES . 77 rable loss for the Chinese people. But Lu Hsun's IN MEMORY OF LIU PAN-NUNG . 73 spirit will live on for ever. His magnificent rvritings NOTES AETER READING (1) 77 will always be part of the most prized heritage of Chinese NOTES ATTER REA.DING (2) 79 Iiterature. THOUGHTS ON A CHILD'S PHOTOGRAPHS 81 SETTING THE FASHION AND STICKING TO TRADI- TION 85 HO.w TO FIND CONTENTI\4ENT IN POVERTY . 88 HOW EXTRAOR,DINARYI 91 I I ON PARADING GODS AND BTTING ]VIEN 94 ABOUT DOSTOYEVSKY 227 NOTES AFTER READING (3) 9? NOTES W-ITI{OUT TITLES (7, 8,9) . 1ao .WRITING A LAYMAN'S REMARKS ON 99 FORGETTING MEAT AND FORGETTING WATER . 724 I IIAVE THE CHINESE LOST THEIR SELF-CONFI- I DENCE? . 127 1936 ON.'FACE'' 729 TI{E EXHI,BITION OF SOVIET GRAPIIIC ART . 213 \,4/ANT FATE . 733 I TO CHEAT 246 Pts,EFACE "THE NAPOLEON AND IENNER 136 A TO PAI MANG'S CHILDREN'S PA- GODA'' A REPLY TO THE EDITOR OF "THE THEATRE'' . 137 251 T'O THE EDITOR OF "THE THEATRE'' 143 WRITTEN IN DEEP NIGHT 253 SPOOKS AND SPECTRES IN THE CHINISE WORLD SOIUE RECOLLECTIONS OF CHANG TAI.YEN 266 FE\nr' OF LETTERS . 745 A MATTERS CONNECTED WITH CHANG TAI- YEN 271 RIVAL SCHOOLS OF READING 153 REPLY TO A LETTER FROM THE TROTSKYITES .277 AH CHIN . 156 ]OTTINGS IN MID-SUMMER 281, THE VULGAR SHOULD KEEP OUT OF GENTLE- THIS TOO IS LIFE 286 MEN'S WAY 167 DEATH .