Reader 2014 Issue 10

Editorial Department of ReadersDuzhe Publishing & Media Corp. · ChinaAug 2014

Rating 4.0

Word count: 76K words
Chapters: 62

Summary

Second half of May 2014. Reader, China's number one spiritual read: come to know yourself anew. "God Sends Rain" by Wang Dingjun. From Buddhism I learned that human judgments of right and wrong have levels. There is absolute right and wrong, where sides band together against outsiders and cannot coexist. There is relative right and wrong, where each side holds its own view and "this is one right and wrong, that is another." And there is a level with no right and wrong at all, beyond them. An old grandfather watching two small grandsons quarrel over candy feels only tenderness and concern; who is right does not matter. Masters of literature always taught me to "enter into it and step outside it," to split my heart into many pieces and give one to every character I write. I heard it and did not believe. Buddhist teaching asks people to contemplate the world from above, treating friend and foe alike: plaintiff or defendant, winner or loser, all are beings turning in the cycle of cause and effect, of birth and death, and all need redemption. I heard it, and I believed.

Editor's review

This issue has a quiet temperament; it is not about how to outdo others but about how to settle one's own heart. Wang Dingjun's piece uses a rainstorm to sketch several layers of right and wrong: disputes of position, each side having its reasons, and a compassion that rises above right and wrong—not sharp, but weighty. The magazine continues its short-piece format, with essays, sketches, and commentary interwoven, all brief—suited to a few pages on the commute, before bed, or in the afternoon, drawing attention back from the noise. It offers no standard answers and does not rush to urge open-mindedness; it simply lays different ways of living before the reader to discern. For those accustomed to rapid scrolling, slower reading is itself a remedy; for those caught in interpersonal tangles or low spirits, that gaze—looking down from above yet full of tenderness—may offer a new vantage point. Better kept on the desk for frequent dipping than read in one sitting.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Adult readers caught in interpersonal disputes who want another angle on right and wrong
People with fast-paced jobs who can only read short pieces in fragmented time
Readers who enjoy essays and short pieces by established writers, favoring plain prose
People who need to relax and soothe their mood before bed or in the afternoon

Not a good fit for

Those expecting systematic knowledge or practical skills they can apply immediately
Readers who prefer long continuous narratives and find short pieces jumpy
Those who dislike reasoning and life-reflection writing, finding it hollow

Reading tips

No need to read from start to finish; pick pieces with appealing titles and read two or three at a time.
Pause where something moves you, note what comes to mind in the margin, and revisit days later.
Save Wang Dingjun's piece for when your mind is unsettled, and try viewing present matters through that third layer.
Schedule it for the commute or bedtime, avoiding slots that require high concentration.

About the publisher

Duzhe Publishing & Media Corp. China · Founded in 2009

Duzhe Publishing & Media Corp. takes Duzhe magazine as its core brand, with publishing directions covering periodicals, books, and textbooks and supplementary teaching materials, among which the Duzhe series of periodicals is its most representative publication. The books in the database are mainly various 2012 issues of Duzhe, such as several issues from No. 14 to No. 24, reflecting the publisher's approach of drawing on the author resources of the Duzhe editorial department and featuring the collected publication of periodical content. In addition to periodical publications, the company is also involved in the publication and distribution of books and textbooks and supplementary teaching materials. However, publicly available information in the database is limited, the common categories are not yet clear, and the representative books are concentrated on issues of Duzhe magazine, making it difficult to fully present its book publishing structure on this basis. Overall, the publisher's characteristic lies in relying on the Duzhe brand to carry out serialized and continuous publishing development around periodical content, with author resources drawn mainly from the Duzhe editorial department and related editorial teams.

版权信息
【卷首语】上帝降雨
【文苑】白菜玫瑰
【人生之旅】心灵静默的时刻
【杂谈随感】传统不死
【文苑】物质还原
【文苑】母亲的老皮箱
【人物】陈寅恪的“四等爱情”
【回忆】一觉睡到小时候
【文苑】谁在我童年时代从窗户旁经过
【两代之间】去月球的行李
【婚姻家庭】老爸的余粮
【人世间】爱是彼此成全
【人生之旅】我不愿做校长
【言论】言论
【文化茶座】藏书家的心事
【点滴】眼力与气度
【人世间】最浓密的情感
【杂谈随感】暴利行业
【品位】旅途的美感
【心理人生】你瞧，我好看吗
【杂谈随感】别以为你能挤进上流社会
【点滴】适口者珍
【人生之旅】离异
【婚姻家庭】秘密
【话题】过度的体检
【点滴】中国人的饮食至爱
【在海外】在肖邦心脏前脱帽
【点滴】昂贵的镜头
【漫画与幽默】漫画与幽默
【漫画与幽默】燃情世界杯
【人物】非典型美国第一夫人
【点滴】不老心态
【青年一代】我带你去取红酒
【杂谈随感】隔座山与隔层纱
【社会之窗】心在哪里安放
【杂谈随感】不要去考验别人的忍耐程度
【名人轶事】一天只有21小时
【两代之间】向日葵
【杂谈随感】笑不出声的笑剧
【婚姻家庭】生死情书
【点滴】奶奶的情书
【文苑】挑战者
【经营之道】卖报纸的大学问
【点滴】水木剧
【杂谈随感】天下人唯懵懂足以成事
【意林】如意
【意林】人生
【意林】夹脚的靴子带来的快乐
【意林】人生与学问
【历史一页】太阳旗下的罪恶
【两代之间】这里会长出一朵花
【知识】黑匣子：你可能不知道的八件事
【生活之友】事关孩子的安全
【点滴】沃尔沃停车位的秘密
【文苑】摆设
【心理人生】记忆留痕
【杂谈随感】生有涯，信息无涯
【名人轶事】赫鲁晓夫的“恶作剧”
【经营之道】汤姆鞋的价值观
【心理人生】卖衣服的心理学
【互动】 “《读者》光明行动”（14） ——用心看世界，用爱传光明

FAQ

Is this book suited to reading in one sitting?

Not really. It consists of many independent short pieces with no plot continuity between them; reading it all at once easily turns into task-like scanning. Better to read two or three pieces at a time, leaving gaps to digest, and pause to think where something strikes you—that is more memorable.

Can someone who has never read Reader start with this issue?

Yes. Each issue is an independently arranged collection; the articles do not depend on one another, so no prior reading is needed. Newcomers might start with the shortest pieces to get a feel for its tone and editorial taste, then decide whether to read the rest closely.

Does reading such articles help with real-life conflicts?

Its role is closer to offering a shift in perspective than providing methods. The piece that divides right and wrong into layers, for instance, gives you a pause when emotions run high, but the actual communication and choices still rest on your own judgment. Treat it as a reference for thinking rather than a cure.

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About the author

Editorial Department of Readers Author

The Editorial Department of Readers is the editorial unit of the Readers Magazine Press responsible for editing and publishing Readers. Founded in Lanzhou in March 1981 and sponsored by Readers Publishing & Media Co., Ltd., Readers is known as "a spiritual reader for the Chinese people" and has accumulated a circulation of over 2.1 billion copies. The department handles topic planning, manuscript selection and publication of the magazine. The database contains 262 of its editorial works, with representative issues including Nos. 16 to 23 of 2023. Based on available materials, public information about the department's specific staffing, history and operational details is limited; its profile is mainly presented through the ongoing issues of Readers, through which it has exerted a steady and broad influence on readers by conveying warm stories, humanistic essays and reflections on life.