My-Country-and-my-People-吾国与吾民书评

MyCountryandmyPeople—bookreviewMyCountryandmyPeopleiswrittenbyLinYutang,aninternationallyfamousChinesewriterwhowasconversantwithEnglishandhaddeepunderstandingofbothwesternandChineseculture.ThisbookwasintendedforthewesternerswhowanttohaveabetterunderstandingofChineseculture,andwhoindeedneedtohaveabetterunderstandingofchina.ThepublicationofthisbookwaslikeabombshellinwesterncountriesandinChinaaswell,sinceitwasthefirstbookaboutchinathatiswrittenbyaseriousChinesewhoanalyzedhiscultureobjectively.ThisbookhelpsthewesternunderstandChinaandalsohelpsChinesetoreflectontheirculture.Thisbookcontainstwoparts—partonetheBasesandparttwotheLife.Thefirstpart“theBases”focusonthebasesofChineseculture,coveringtheoriginanddevelopmentofChinesepeople,theChinesecharacter,theChinesemindandthelastchapterIdealsofLife,surveyingthementalandmoralconstitutionofChinesepeopleandtheidealsoflifewhichinfluencethefundamentalpatternsoflife.ThesecondpartfocusesonthestudyofChineselifeitselfinitssexual,social,political,literaryandartisticaspects.Statedbriefly,thispartcoversChinesewomen,society,governmentliteratureandart.Overall,thebookwasorganizedlogically.Astheauthorsaysinthepreface,veryfewpeopleunderstoodChina—thewesternscholarsweresoarrogantandviewedChinabythewesternstandard,consequentlyreachingnoconclusionotherthanthatChinaisabarbariccountryandtheChinesepeopleisabarbaricpeople;theChinesescholars,however,werethesamearrogantandproud,unwillingtoadmittheweaknessofChineseculture,onlywritingsongsofextollinganddefendingChinesecultureandtheirpride.WecanborrowtwofamouswordsfromJaneAustin—prideandprejudice,tocharacterizetheattitudesoftheseChineseandwesternscholars.OnetypicalexampleofextremeprideisGuHongming,afamousChinesescholarandprofessorofPekingUniversity,who,thoughconversantwithEnglish,Germanandmanyotherwesternlanguage,wasextremelyconservativeandindiscriminatelydefendedeverythingofChineseculture.HewasunwillingtocuthislittlebraidlongaftertheoverthrowofQingdynastyandkeepitallhislife.Exceptthesubjectivefactors,therewereotherhugedifficultiesconfrontingthescholarsinsurveyingChinaandChineseculture—Chinaissobig,withapopulationofover400millionsandavastlandover10millionsquarekilometerandmorethanfiftypeoples;Chinesecultureissocomplicated,derivedfromafivethousandyearsofuninterruptedhistoryandhavenouniformreligionthatdominanttheculture.TohavearealunderstandingofChinaanChinesepeople,onemusttravellotsofplacesaroundthevastcountrytowitnesstheChinesepeople’slife,thefarmers,thecitizens,thedrudge,thevendors,watchingthem,listeningtothem,feelingwhattheyarefeeling,thinkingwhattheyarethinking;onemustalsospendtimeintheirstudies,readingtheChineseclassicbooksandstudyingthefolkliterature.It’shardforaforeignscholartodoallthis,consideringthelanguagebarriers,thelackofChinesecommonsenseandthehugeculturalgapbetweenChinaandthewest.Comparativelyspeaking,itismucheasierforaChinesescholar,whoisbornandraisedinChina,receivingtraditionalChineseeducationandisconversantwithboththeChineseclassicsandfolkliterature,inoneword,hehaseverythingneededtostudyChineseculture.ButtheChinesescholarmustalsocommandscientificmethodofstudyinghistoryandculture,whichiswhatthewesternscholarsaregoodat,andhealsoneedakindofdetachment,thatis,hemustdetachhimselffromtheenvironmentsothathecanviewtheChineseculturewithacoolmind.BeforeLin,therewereafewattemptsmadebybothChineseandforeignscholarstoviewChineseculture,butnoneonetheirworkscanbecalledasuccess.TheyeitherviewChineseone-sidedly,ortoosubjectively.FromthefailureoftheprioreffortsofotherscholarsderivedLinsomeimportantlessonsandinspirations,thelessonsbeingviewingChineseculturefromanarrowperspectiveisimpossibleandsubjectiveorpersonalemotionsaretobeavoidedwhensurveyingaculture,theinspirationbeingthepossibilityofsurveyingChineseculturefromamacroscopicview.ChapterOneTheChinesePeopleChinesepeoplehassurvivedfivethousandyears,keepingitsvitalityandintegrityandabsorbedinmanyotherminoritypeople,whilenoneofhersisters,theotherancientcivilizedpeople—ancientGreek,AncientIndiaandAncientBabylon—remainsalivetoday.Generally,apeoplewouldstartgoingdownhilltoextinctionafterreachingitspeak.TheGreekisagoodexample,whichreacheditspeakinaboutthesecondandthirdcenturybutquicklyfelldowninthefourthcentury.NonationotherthanChinahassurvivedaslongasoverfivethousandyearsandstillremainsayoungandvital,fortheyaredoomedtodegenerate.Araceorapeoplemaydegeneratebothinitsphysicalandspiritualaspects.Afterreachingthepeak,anaturaltendencyofaraceistobeindulgentinallkindsofpleasure,withthearmyleftuntrained,theofficialcorruptedandtheformeraspirationandfightingwillnowheretobefound.NeitherChinanoranyothernationscanavoidthisdegeneration,butonlyChinasurvived.ThesecretliesinChineseculture.AfundamentaltraitofChineseculturemustbemoderation,or“thedoctrineofgoldmean”,whichkeepremindingChinesepeopledonotgotoextremesunderanycircumstance—intimesofprosperity,donotoverindulgentinpleasurebutprepareforthepitfallsinstead;intimesofadversity,donotbeoverwhelmedwithsadnessbuttookanotherattitudeoflifeandliveon.ThisisatypicalConfuciandoctri