Complete Works of Wang Zengqi

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In the past four decades of China’s reform and opening up, reading literary works has played a significant role in the spiritual lives of Chinese people. Wang Zengqi (1920—97) has been one of the writers whose works have continued to be published and read by the public. The reason that Wang’s works have been popular is primarily because they are lucid and provide much food for thought. The recent new edition of the Complete Works of Wang Zengqi undoubtedly provides us with an opportunity to understand Wang in a more comprehensive way.

Wang’s literary works manifest his self-consciousness of and ability to trace his way back to an exploration of Chinese traditions, in other words, to achieve a dialogue between the present and the past.

First, Wang transformed the common into the refined and explored ways to combine, integrate and transform various literary styles. In the history of literature, poetry, lyrical songs and drama, they all experienced a transformation from a folk form popular among the general public to a professional style of creation by educated authors. The novel was not a canonical form of literature in ancient China, but now it has gained a significant position. Wang used to read a rich mixture of literary works, such as the Analects, eight-episode essays and the works of the Tongcheng School. This shaped his notion and aesthetic temperament of ignoring the boundaries between common and so-called elegant literature. He was acquainted with various literary forms including drama, essays, calligraphy and painting theory, and modern novels. Only by going beyond the boundary dividing common and elegant literature can a writer create excellent work with proper words showing the vivid lives of people. 

Second, Wang brought forth something new from the old in his literary works and inherited and developed traditional Chinese culture with his own efforts. He stressed the coordination of old and new elements when commenting on the creation of drama. When writing dramas, he tried to introduce some new elements to traditional drama by using techniques including stream of consciousness and psychoanalytical methods.

Third, his works show how Chinese scholars cultivated themselves and set foot in the world. The teaching by Confucian master Mencius that “In hard times, improve one’s own personal virtues; In success, try to benefit other people in the world” expresses the life ethos of traditional Chinese scholars. This  ethos manifests the profound influence of both Confucian and Taoist wisdom. Wang viewed literature as a way to express an author’s own feelings and comfort themselves, while stressing that literature and art should benefit society and people.

 

(edited by CHEN ALONG)