论文部分内容阅读
Liu E (刘鹗 1857-1909, E pronounced ur in burst) is remembered largely as the author of “The Travels of Lao Can”, a realist novel that portrays the last years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). He was exiled for the novel and died in Urumqi, Xinjiang two years later.
Though I had long wanted to visit his former residence in Huai’an in Jiangsu Province, it was not until a winter day in 2009 that I finally arrived at Huai’an and visited the residence.
The gate to the residence was open. An enlarged portrait of Liu E was on a wall. A long red streamer said “Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Liu E’s Death”.
The small residence displayed a wealth of exhibits. There were more than 240 editions of Liu’s famous novel published before and since 1949, including some editions in foreign languages. Other precious exhibits included books donated by Liu’s descendents, a model of Liu E’s former residence, Liu E’s diary and manuscripts and photocopies of title deeds.
One exhibit caught my attention: a copy of “Meeting in Yuyuan Garden” in Shanghai. The painting records a historical event. In April 1902, 19 people gathered in Yuyuan, Shanghai. They were scholars of the Taigu School and relatives of the scholars who had died. Many key scholars of the school were present at the gathering and Zhu Lianfeng created a painting in commemoration of the historical event. Liu E’s staff Hu Zhongying created a copy of the painting at the request of Liu. Today, the original copy is in the collection of Nanjing Museum.
The model of Liu E’s former residence shows that it used to be a gigantic compound. The compound was large enough to contain five rows of houses with a total of 140 rooms. The property was purchased by Liu E’s father Liu Chengzhong in 1866 and 1870 from a man surnamed Liao.
In 1886, Liu E quit the imperial examination at the provincial level held in Nanjing. On his way back to Huai’an, he stopped at Zhenjiang to visit a friend there. In a restaurant Liu E overheard a conversation of two old men at the next table. The old men were mentioning a pretty daughter of a rich family in Liuhe County was at nuptial age for marriage and the family was looking around for a good man to marry the daughter off. Slightly drunk, Liu stood up and said he was the right person to marry the girl. The two old men looked him over closely and found the 30-year-old scholar look fine. Liu’s friend explained who he was and his family background. A few days later, the rich family surnamed Mao agreed to the marriage. However, Liu E had totally forgotten his proposal at the restaurant. His friend made arrangements for the wedding and Liu married the girl whom he had never seen before.
It was not until the wedding had taken place that the father-in-law found Liu had had a wife. The old man flared up and gave two old friends and Liu a hard time. But Liu’s new wife decided to go ahead with the marriage and persuaded her father to accept the situation. The marriage proved a success. This wife was with him while Liu E was in charge of the water control project on the Yellow river. She was with him in Shanghai while Liu E was in Shanghai running a business and writing “The Travels of Lao Can”. Her grandson Liu Huisun, a famed cultural historian, wrote three reference books on the life and works of his grandfather and authored “Historical Manuscripts of Chinese Culture”.
Though Liu E’s novel has survived, the former residence of the family did not have the luck to survive. Ji Zhenhuai, a revered man from Huai’an, revisited the residence in 1978 and what he saw was alarming. The five-row houses he had visited in his childhood years were almost gone. Of the 140-plus rooms, only three has survived. The property had dwindled over decades. Some were sold by descendents. In 1950, a large part of the compound was expropriated by the government for building factories. Another large chunk was demolished to make room for a road project. Liu Defang, a great granddaughter of Liu E, was the last one who stayed at the residence. She remembered receiving Ji Zhenhuai in 1978. The sixth uncle of Zhou Enlai (New China’s premier from 1949 to 1976 and a native of Huai’an) and this family lived in the compound as tenants in the 1920s and 1930s. □
Though I had long wanted to visit his former residence in Huai’an in Jiangsu Province, it was not until a winter day in 2009 that I finally arrived at Huai’an and visited the residence.
The gate to the residence was open. An enlarged portrait of Liu E was on a wall. A long red streamer said “Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Liu E’s Death”.
The small residence displayed a wealth of exhibits. There were more than 240 editions of Liu’s famous novel published before and since 1949, including some editions in foreign languages. Other precious exhibits included books donated by Liu’s descendents, a model of Liu E’s former residence, Liu E’s diary and manuscripts and photocopies of title deeds.
One exhibit caught my attention: a copy of “Meeting in Yuyuan Garden” in Shanghai. The painting records a historical event. In April 1902, 19 people gathered in Yuyuan, Shanghai. They were scholars of the Taigu School and relatives of the scholars who had died. Many key scholars of the school were present at the gathering and Zhu Lianfeng created a painting in commemoration of the historical event. Liu E’s staff Hu Zhongying created a copy of the painting at the request of Liu. Today, the original copy is in the collection of Nanjing Museum.
The model of Liu E’s former residence shows that it used to be a gigantic compound. The compound was large enough to contain five rows of houses with a total of 140 rooms. The property was purchased by Liu E’s father Liu Chengzhong in 1866 and 1870 from a man surnamed Liao.
In 1886, Liu E quit the imperial examination at the provincial level held in Nanjing. On his way back to Huai’an, he stopped at Zhenjiang to visit a friend there. In a restaurant Liu E overheard a conversation of two old men at the next table. The old men were mentioning a pretty daughter of a rich family in Liuhe County was at nuptial age for marriage and the family was looking around for a good man to marry the daughter off. Slightly drunk, Liu stood up and said he was the right person to marry the girl. The two old men looked him over closely and found the 30-year-old scholar look fine. Liu’s friend explained who he was and his family background. A few days later, the rich family surnamed Mao agreed to the marriage. However, Liu E had totally forgotten his proposal at the restaurant. His friend made arrangements for the wedding and Liu married the girl whom he had never seen before.
It was not until the wedding had taken place that the father-in-law found Liu had had a wife. The old man flared up and gave two old friends and Liu a hard time. But Liu’s new wife decided to go ahead with the marriage and persuaded her father to accept the situation. The marriage proved a success. This wife was with him while Liu E was in charge of the water control project on the Yellow river. She was with him in Shanghai while Liu E was in Shanghai running a business and writing “The Travels of Lao Can”. Her grandson Liu Huisun, a famed cultural historian, wrote three reference books on the life and works of his grandfather and authored “Historical Manuscripts of Chinese Culture”.
Though Liu E’s novel has survived, the former residence of the family did not have the luck to survive. Ji Zhenhuai, a revered man from Huai’an, revisited the residence in 1978 and what he saw was alarming. The five-row houses he had visited in his childhood years were almost gone. Of the 140-plus rooms, only three has survived. The property had dwindled over decades. Some were sold by descendents. In 1950, a large part of the compound was expropriated by the government for building factories. Another large chunk was demolished to make room for a road project. Liu Defang, a great granddaughter of Liu E, was the last one who stayed at the residence. She remembered receiving Ji Zhenhuai in 1978. The sixth uncle of Zhou Enlai (New China’s premier from 1949 to 1976 and a native of Huai’an) and this family lived in the compound as tenants in the 1920s and 1930s. □