Strings and Songs
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Summary
Since ancient times, human destinies have been closely interwoven, as people face life themes common to past and present alike—parting, sorrow, war, the rise and fall of dynasties. These themes form an indispensable part of Chinese culture. Chinese culture cannot be separated from the expression of poetry; poetry is an art of imagination and music, and a vital carrier of culture. One after another, these luminous poems are preserved in the classics and have become the cultural strength of the Chinese nation.
In "String Songs," a private reading journal made public, Qi Zhi leads us into thirty classics, stories, and figures. Like carving and polishing, we savor the wisdom and charm of traditional culture. Let our present and past lives and emotions illuminate one another as we share a journey through the classics across time and space. Starting from the "Classic of Poetry," the source of five thousand years of Chinese civilization, we cross the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," seek out the "In Search of the Supernatural," and follow the imagination and wisdom of distant ancestors, wondering at such myths and tales of gods and spirits as Meng Jiangnü weeping at the Great Wall, Jingwei filling the sea, and Song Dingbo selling a ghost. In the light of the civilization of ancient sages and worthies, we sigh over the fortunes and integrity of writers and scholars, and discuss such historical figures as Qu Yuan, Jia Yi, Cao Cao, the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, and Lü Buwei.
"String Songs" is also a high-quality primer on the classics, helping us understand, draw close to, and learn from the classics, and thus to love them.
Editor's review
As a coming-of-age novel, Xian Ge moves readers most through its profound depiction of spiritual hunger.In an era when books were scarce, the protagonist's craving for literature and art is like a life instinct: a chance book loan, an open-air film, or a hand-copied poetry collection can become a light illuminating ordinary life.Qi Zhi does not simply romanticize that era; through the boy's clear eyes he sees both the hardships of material life and the richness of the spiritual world.The novel's many characters are vivid and full: whether a performing arts troupe actor devoted to artistic ideals or a village teacher who persists in reading amid hardship, they embody the moving stance of ordinary people guarding the flame of the spirit under specific historical conditions.
In literary terms, Qi Zhi continues the tradition of small-town narrative in contemporary Chinese literature, but with greater restraint and composure in narrative pacing and emotional control.The novel does not deliberately create dramatic conflict; instead, through the accumulation of everyday detail, it lets the atmosphere of the era emerge naturally.This approach is itself a contemporary interpretation of the spirit of xian ge bu chuo: in today's noisy and restless times, reexamining those simple yet precious cultural memories may offer us some kind of spiritual reference.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers curious about or nostalgic for cultural life in the 1970s and 1980s
- Literature lovers who enjoy delicate, warm narrative styles
- Readers interested in the relationship between coming-of-age themes and historical change
- Those seeking spiritual solace in a fast-paced life
Not a good fit for
- Readers who want strong plots and fast narrative pacing
- Young readers who feel little connection to nostalgic subject matter
Reading tips
- Read in a quiet setting to savor the atmosphere of the era that flows through the prose
- Read in dialogue with your own memories of growing up
- Don't rush the plot; it is better suited to chapter-by-chapter reading to appreciate the details
About the publisher
Jiangsu People's Publishing House is known for works in history, literature and the social sciences. Judging from its catalog, it focuses on modern Chinese history, classical literary appreciation and scholarly research. Representative titles include historical works such as Kuomintang-Communist Cooperation and the National Revolution, 1924–1927 and A Record of Combat on the Front Lines of China's War of Resistance Against Japan, literary and visual documents such as Sun Wen's Illustrated Complete Dream of the Red Chamber, and scholarly collections such as Chen Yinke's Collected Works of Hanliu Hall. Translations such as The Dust Bowl and Anti-Intellectualism in American Life reflect an interest in overseas social and cultural studies. Its authors include historians Wang Qisheng, Huang Yuzhang and Guo Rugui, as well as figures associated with classical literature such as Cao Xueqin and Sun Wen. Common categories include history, literary appreciation, essays and miscellaneous writings, and social-science and cultural titles, showing a balance between historical scholarship and literature and between academic and popular publishing. Because public information is limited, this overview is based only on the books in the catalog.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 1 遥远时代的百科全书
- 2 天将夫子以木铎
- 3 麦秀黍离之悲
- 4 原始的生命歌唱
- 5 把日子过成岁月
- 6 华夏大地的创世记
- 7 历史的一种真实
- 8 传说在风中飞扬
- 9 鬼怪也有故事
- 10 生与死之间
- 11 悲歌向天
- 12 以时间为证
- 13 晦暗背景上的星火
- 14 得时无怠
- 15 咏而归
- 16 永远的永和九年
- 17 无“别”不骚客
- 18 陌上的罗敷
- 19 北方有佳人
- 20 一个人的战争
- 21 一种不老的方式
- 22 另一种活法
- 23 怎么也不为“过”
- 24 不问苍生问鬼神
- 25 怎一个愁字了得
- 26 但记几行陈迹
- 27 字里行间的风景
- 28 时代的最强音
- 29 唇边的朝代
- 30 江南的馈赠
FAQ
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About the author
Qi Zhi is a Chinese book author about whom limited public information is available, and no complete biographical details can currently be verified. The library holds two works by this author: Ode to the High: Twenty Moments of Life in Chinese Cultural History and Xian Ge. Both are commonly classified as classic works. Judging from their themes, Qi Zhi's writing focuses on Chinese culture and the humanistic tradition. Ode to the High takes specific moments in cultural history as its entry point, using particular figures and events to trace a spiritual lineage, while Xian Ge continues this concern with cultural themes in a steady style that combines narrative with reflection. Both works are grounded in cultural popularization and humanistic interpretation, and are suited to readers interested in traditional culture and classic reading. Because information such as the author's life, nationality, and dates of birth and death is unavailable, the broader background and full scope of the writing remain to be supplemented by further materials; at present, only the direction of the source material and the expressive interests can be glimpsed from these two works.
