The Regression of Progress

Han ShaogongShanghai Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaJun 2023

Rating 3.9
Word count
259K words
Chapters
28
ISBN
9787532145027

Tags

Essays and Miscellany Social ObservationIntellectualsHumanistic CareIntellectual EnlightenmentEra ReflectionPhilosophical EssayLiterary DialogueSpeeches and InterviewsPopular ExplanationModern China

Summary

Lectures, dialogues, and interviews are a quick way, a 'simple procedure' in Han Shaogong's words, to release thought and feeling. As one of the few writers in contemporary Chinese literary circles who works this way, Han Shaogong is deeply learned, keen-minded, and full of creative vigor, always at the forefront of intellectual trends and literature. 'Big Themes, Small Pieces: A Dialogue between Han Shaogong and Wang Yao' is brilliant and colorful; its first chapter, 'Questioning the Revolution,' won the 2005 Annual Prize of Contemporary Writers Review.

Editor's review

Progress and Regression is Han Shaogong's essay collection following A Dictionary of Maqiao, a work of remarkable intellectual penetration that earns a Douban rating of 8.4, thanks to its distinctive speculative depth and literary texture. The book is not a straightforward historical or philosophical treatise; rather, with a writer's acuity and a thinker's composure, it performs a surgical dissection of "progress," the core narrative of modernity. Han questions the linear, singular, inevitably forward-moving view of progress, reminding us that beneath the surface of runaway technology and surging economic growth, humanity may be undergoing a kind of "regression" in spirit, ethics, ecology, and even everyday happiness. Drawing on the transformation of rural China, cultural collisions in the tide of globalization, and the spiritual predicaments of modern people, his touch is cool and restrained yet carries enormous reflective energy.

As an editor, I believe the book's value lies in the rare "reverse thinking" it offers. In an age that universally worships speed and growth, Han invites readers to pause and consider the price we may be paying. His arguments are rooted in concrete Chinese experience yet carry universal concern, elevating the book beyond simple nostalgia or anti-modern sentiment into a profound critique of civilization. Stylistically, he continues his condensed, precise, image-rich manner, with exceptionally high density of thought; each essay is like a prism refracting a complex spectrum. Reading this book is an intellectual challenge and a spiritual recalibration; it may not supply definite answers, but it will surely broaden our view of ourselves and our times.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. Read slowly and savor it; many passages deserve repeated chewing and reflection
  2. Read alongside Han Shaogong's fiction (such as A Dictionary of Maqiao) to understand his intellectual trajectory
  3. Connect the reading to present social realities and your own experience for interactive reflection

About the publisher

Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1952

Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House takes modern and contemporary Chinese literature and folk literature as important publishing directions, while also covering social novels, classic works, and prose and miscellaneous writings, and has long introduced foreign literature and philosophical works. Its books include masterpieces such as Lao She's Teahouse and Camel Xiangzi, Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, and Xiao Hong's Tales of Hulan River, as well as translations such as Gilles Deleuze's Nietzsche and Philosophy, Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, and The Pillars of the Earth trilogy. Its authors include Lao She, Lu Xun, Xiao Hong, Zhou Ying, Liu Yuyu, and Jiang Yi, reflecting a publishing character that balances original literature, academic translation, and general reading.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 自序
  3. 演讲
  4. 进步的回退
  5. 冷战后：文学写作新的处境
  6. 现代汉语再认识
  7. 超越民族主义
  8. 怎么赚钱
  9. 文学：梦游与苏醒
  10. 情感的飞行
  11. 一个人本主义者的生态观
  12. 困惑与信心
  13. 对话
  14. 革命追问
  15. 个人解放
  16. 社会重建
  17. 文化透镜
  18. 语言拼图
  19. 历史重述
  20. 文体开放
  21. 访谈
  22. 鸟的传人
  23. 胡思乱想
  24. 世俗化及其他
  25. 穿行在海岛和山乡之间
  26. 人们不思考，上帝更发笑
  27. 一个棋盘，多种棋子
  28. 中国文学及东亚文学的可能性

FAQ

Does the book's theme mean the author opposes technological progress? Not simple opposition. What Han questions is the narrow equation of "progress" with one-directional technological and economic development; he calls attention to values that may be neglected or sacrificed in the process, such as ecology, community, and spiritual tranquility. It is a deepening and reconsideration of the concept of "progress."
How is this book related to Han Shaogong's earlier work A Dictionary of Maqiao? They are intellectually continuous, both showing deep concern for language, culture, and rural China. A Dictionary of Maqiao deconstructs local knowledge through the dictionary form, while this book directly engages the reflection on modernity in essay form; it can be seen as an extension and deepening of his thought into a broader field.
Is this book suitable for academic research reference? Very much so. It offers rich intellectual resources and distinctive Chinese case studies for literary, sociological, philosophical, and cultural studies; its non-linear, literary mode of argument can inspire interdisciplinary research.

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About the author

Han Shaogong Author · China · 1953

Han Shaogong, born in Changsha, Hunan, in 1953 with ancestral roots in Li County, is a contemporary writer and one of the principal advocates of the "root-seeking literature" movement of the 1980s. His work spans fiction and essays, with representative titles including Dad, Dad, A Dictionary of Maqiao, South of the Mountains, North of the Water, and The Book of Day and Night. He has received the Lu Xun Literary Prize and the Newman Prize for Chinese Literature, and his works have been translated into multiple languages. His fiction often takes local language, folk memory, and rural experience as points of entry and is notable for formal experimentation, while his essays attend to social reality and cultural conditions in a calm, reflective tone. This collection holds 21 of his works, including selected writings, essay collections, and a revised edition of A Dictionary of Maqiao, reflecting his continuing exploration between fiction and nonfiction.