History is often misunderstood

It seems that I am not only influenced by the "Confessions" in the West, but I think that a person's "truth" is more important than anything else. Moreover, its significance lies not entirely in the questioning of one's own soul and the calmness of life, but as a written record, the emphasis is on the enlightenment of the heart of future generations. Qu Qiubai's "Historical Misunderstanding" is such an article with "the true meaning of a person".

——In my mind, she is a strange essay in modern Chinese history, which can be called "modern divorce".

In ancient times, there was a saying that "when a person is about to die, his words are also good". Imagine that when Mr. Qiubai was facing death and could even eat a mouthful of tofu and said "Chinese tofu is delicious", when he reflected on his decades of life, his words could not be "good". What's more, he was not a martial artist in the first place, his literary literacy is so superb, his soul is so beautiful and slender, and he was born in a family with his own noble temperament. And he is no longer a fanatical May Fourth youth, he has a side-by-side calmness about the cause he is engaged in—this is the fate of his fellow contemporaries who are different from those of the times, and it is an inevitable trend of the humanistic feelings in his life. As a result, death fulfilled his precious pen and ink.

- He is really worthy of the title of "killing himself".

Originally, there was no shortage of backbone scribes in our Chinese people, whether it was Su Wuwen Tianxiang, Shi Kefa Xia Wanchun, they were all the fulfillments of Meng Fuzi's three "personality aesthetic principles" (the rich and the noble cannot be lewd, the poor and the lowly cannot be moved, and the mighty cannot be bent); And the belief and life persistence - for the "sweat and green" and "stay in the heart". Mr. Ran Qiubai is different, he is a modern person, he has a broad view of life and society, and can think introvertedly; He is able to die generously and sincerely confide in himself. In this sense, his death and his pen and ink have transcended the times and the reality in which he lives; His spirit full of sorrow, breaking free from the mud in front of him, slowly extended through the clouds of sorrow in the sky to the afterlife, extended to the realm of thought of our descendants, and told us.

In fact, Qiubai's inner loneliness is indescribable. He began by writing, "Those who know me say that I am worried, and those who do not know me say what I want"*1 is really one with the ancient philosopher who stood in the field thousands of years ago, looking at the fields and was inexplicably melancholy. I don't know if this counts as a kind of inheritance of national cultural feelings? However, Qiubai's feelings are definitely incompatible with the martial arts movement he has joined in. This is also a qualitative conflict between all cultural people who are innocent and idealistic at heart and social movements with a purpose – either to transform themselves or to leave after sobering up.

- Qiubai was killed at this moment. Because of this, he was able to write such a big article with such depth of field.

We imagine what kind of realistic situation and life situation is it for a young man who "committed suicide by his mother and was separated from his family" who came to Beijing to study alone and had no money to enter a "Russian language academy" that "does not require tuition"? You know, it was 1917, when the whole world was in turmoil. And this young man just wanted to "find a bowl of rice to eat in the future". Therefore, it is logical that he came into contact with "New Youth" and "New Society", longed for a "new country", participated in the "May Fourth" and became "one of the general representatives of the Russian Language Academy". In this way, he also had the opportunity to go to Russia and have the opportunity to be a translator for Chen Duxiu. However, at this time, he was also amazed at the fact that the yearning to delve into Russian literature and imitate Russia to make a revolution in China were incompatible. It's just that at this time, he was in the "Shape and Posture Forbidden" (please note: Qiubai used this word twice), and he couldn't help himself. So in the restless year of 1927 in China, the "misunderstanding of history" became even more paradoxical - he actually became the "general secretary" who did not understand military affairs after a serious illness. In his words, because he "stole the false name of the so-called 'Marxist theoretician'"; At this time, his "impulse to be unable to do it himself" and his "petty-bourgeois temper" hated by the Bolsheviks inevitably came into serious conflict with the "Armed People's Movement" and the "twenty-eight and a half Bolsheviks" of the Lingering Soviet Gang—and he was inevitably criticized, neglected, and abandoned—and even tragically and comically fell into the hands of the enemy.

Qiubai said that he "is not a 'political animal' at all" - this could not be more painful; He also called himself a "drama", and called his life a "burlesque" - saying that "it is to Zhihua (his lover Yang Zhihua), and I only pass through a little tone, and I always wear a mask." Listen, what kind of unspeakable soul-to-soul journey is this? Especially when summing up a life and facing the end of life, what kind of regret and self-reflection is this?

Therefore, this is not enough to make the younger generations of cultural people have great vigilance in the three dimensions of life, faith, and society. Therefore, through the text of Qiubai, I often hear the sound of sighs from the heavens - looking up, it is a white-haired historical old man and another gray-haired cultural old man staring at each other, and their sighs resounded throughout the land of China......

- It also reminds me of the famous painting "The Death of Marat" again.

Marat, one of the leaders of the Jacobins during the French Revolution, suffered from a skin disease and had to spend hours in the bathtub for spas. Deeply hated by the opposing Girondists, he orchestrated the murder — having a royalist woman, Charlotte Corday, who falsely claimed to be the widow of a Republican with five children, approach and kill Marat.

David, a master of neoclassical painting, happened to be Marat's friend and was furious. Three months after Marat's murder, he painted "The Death of Marat", which is both a tribute to his deceased friend and a strong metaphor for the world. Pictured: Marat leans back in the tub, blood staining the water and towel in the tub. His head was tilted back, his face was calm, and he had slept as if he had slept on; A bloody dagger fell to the ground, and Marana's right hand holding the quill fell to the ground not far from the dagger. But in his left hand he held a piece of paper, on which was clearly written: "On July 13, 1793, Marie Anna Charlotte Cordai, to the citizen Marat: I am very unfortunate, and it is enough to count on your charity." In front of Marat was an old wooden box that had been used as a small table temporarily, with inkwells and paperwork. On the edge of the table was a note that seemed to be about to fall, which read: "Please give five francs to a mother of five children whose husband gave his life for the republic"—yes, what a mockery.

The dagger that fell to the ground and the quill that touched the ground, the two sheets of paper that the dead man and the murderer expressed very clearly—even if the superficial meaning of the painting is accurate—conveyed who and how Marat was killed, and at the same time she had a deep ironic aftertaste. Taunt what? It is up to the imagination of later generations of readers – the Jacobins at that time, in any case with their so-called popular justice, ultimately failed – first Napoleon as emperor and led France into endless wars. After that, it was the royalists who returned to power...... I do not want to discuss the history of the French Revolution here. But in the end, radical things always have to turn back and repeat the steps that history has arranged. It's just that these radicals were absolutely self-righteous at the time, and always wanted to use the decisive method to reorganize society, but in the end they could not accept the test of history.

I really don't know if this is a rule? A law of things that is suitable for ancient and modern China and foreign countries? After thinking about it, Han Feizi's words fell on my ears: "Smell, although there are officials who are chaotic, there are people who are only kind; I don't hear it, but there are people who are in turmoil and there are good officials"*2.

- So, I seem to be more confused.

*1 See the "Book of Songs" section on "Huang Li".

*2 See "Han Feizi Says Outer Prince's Bottom Right"

Text by Hanono