pumice
In 2006, he became famous for publishing the novel "Celadon Porcelain". The novel has been adapted into radio dramas, dramas, and television dramas. Later, he published novels such as "Red Sleeves", "Soap Fragrance", "Secret Color", "Kiln Change" and other best-selling books such as the collection of essays "Chinese-style Relations", each of which had a wide and far-reaching impact.
Pumice stone is a trinity of painting the heart, painting philosophy, literature and aesthetics. His artistic expression of painting with his right hand and writing with his left hand is extremely personal and recognizable. He was praised by the media as one of the representative figures of Huxiang literati paintings after Qi Baishi and Huang Yongyu.
Although the author of this article is not very satisfied, I think this is the one that is closest to my original intention so far, thanks to the seriousness of my old classmates.
- Pumice
Pumice with his "blue and white"
Li Jianhua
On the days of the epidemic, it is natural to be lazy, read or chase dramas at will, pass the time, the mind will be relatively normal, and the mood will be slightly relaxed. After watching the TV series "The World of Man" a few days ago, I felt that I had rewinded 40 years to live again, and many existences that seemed to have existed were vividly presented, and even transmitted some information and feelings that could only be understood, outlining the green and red of the human world. This kind of cross-generational work identity is essentially a synaesthetic reflection of human nature, and must have touched on a certain "pain point" and "tear point" that can survive as long as people can survive, which is the unique charm of literature and cannot be replaced.
Recently, Pumice's "Celadon" and "Red Sleeves" are about to be reprinted again. While I am happy about it, I am also a little puzzled: "Celadon" has been reprinted 46 times since the first edition in 2006, and the circulation has reached more than 960,000 copies, not to mention that it has also been adapted into TV series, dramas and radio dramas, and has been translated into Korean, Vietnamese and other languages. Is the publisher looking for some kind of business opportunity? Or is it the general desire of society to "go back to the 1980s and 1990s"? Most likely the latter. After an era undergoes some kind of tribulation, there must be a "literary fever", because literature is both a soothing agent for pain and a forerunner of new enlightenment in the future. I feel that a "re-enlightenment" of thought is coming, or is already approaching.
Pumice Shi (real name Hu Gang) and I are 79 students at Xiangtan University, majoring in philosophy. At that time, we didn't pay much attention to choosing a major, as long as we could go to college, solve the hukou, and eat the national grain. Frankly speaking, I didn't put much effort into my major for four years at Pumice University, only "60 long live", and the time and energy was spent on free reading and on being a "literary youth". Under the auspices of Huang Rui (real name Huang Xinhua), Fu Shi, me, and Liu Zhong set up the "Horizon" and "Wilderness" poetry magazines, bringing together a group of poetry lovers inside and outside the school, and it was not until the senior year that they remembered how to graduate. A few years after graduating from college, I came up with three "professional rules." First, 50% of the time spent on the major after graduating from mixed college (other times should of course be used to read non-professional books); second, what major to study is not necessarily related to what will become in the future (such as pumice stone); third, the students with the highest credits in the undergraduate major are not necessarily the best in the future professional field (I still don't like graduate students with guarantees). What is particularly interesting is that most of the college students of that era had a literary complex, no matter what major they studied, they liked to read literary works, or write some poetry and prose, etc. Now the professional thinking of college students is a little scary, and some even know what to learn in the future in middle school. Professional and employment-oriented university education may have worn away many people's interests, and I don't know how many "geniuses" have been destroyed.
Pumice is an extremely intelligent but not very peaceful person. After graduating from university, he stayed in school to work in the government, but always insisted on literary creation, and published several short stories. Later, can not stand the poverty, went to the sea to do business, during the ups and downs, several ups and downs, now is a famous writer, film and television screenwriter, entrepreneur, but also take into account the creation of calligraphy and painting, his right hand painting, left hand characters, can be called a must in the world of calligraphy and painting. In order to make various friends, gather literary style, popularity and wealth, he also opened a small restaurant and created a kind of "pumice wine". He originally boasted that he "does not drink, does not smoke, and has only sex", but in recent years, he has become more and more drunk, and even when he is drunk, after all, he is not young, whether he wants to strengthen his color through alcohol, I don't know.
Of course, Pumice still focused on literary creation, planning to complete the tetralogy of "Celadon Porcelain", "Red Sleeve", "Soap Fragrance" and "White Aya". He is very frank, the reason why he named "Qinghong Soap" is also because of "lustful", for him who likes to paint, he is naturally sensitive to color. I heard that "White Aya" is still a tentative name, possibly with another name "White Ink", he has been entangled in the miserable wind and rain of White Aya and the struggle of the soul at the boundary between white and black. "Celadon Porcelain", "Red Sleeves" and "Soap Fragrance" have been published, of which "Celadon" has the greatest influence, which can be called a classic of official novels, and is a realistic version of the "textbook" of official-business relations and the relationship between men and women. "Red Sleeves" and "Celadon" are sister pieces, both related to the auction industry he himself has worked in, except that the protagonists of the former are women and the latter are men. "Soap Fragrance" is purely about the relationship between men and women, and Pumice is very proud that he has deciphered the true code of men and women's hearts, but because some of the descriptions are too delicate and too blunt, they often make people (especially women) feel that they "can't see it". Of course, a novel is evaluated as "can't be read", often there are two possibilities, one is too "rotten", the other is too "yellow", "Soap" is of course the latter, especially from the evaluation of women. "White Aya" is also a new crack in the relationship between men and women, and it is estimated that it is also tragic. But so far I haven't heard him mention it, and it is estimated that I have not finished writing it. Friends often encouraged and urged, and he always used the excuse of not having "life experience". Of course, no one will believe his lies, he has never lacked "life experience", may be thinking hard, how to break through the original mindset, write a new meaning of the relationship between men and women, and then present a new literary concept.
The reason why the pumice works can be loved by readers is mainly to grasp two themes: the relationship between government and business and the relationship between men and women, and to carry out a kind of "nationalization" to dig and refine, which he generally calls "Chinese-style relations". "Chinese-style relations" should be one of the themes of contemporary Chinese literature, and works such as "The Name of the People" and "Chinese Painting" have also been praised for revealing "Chinese-style relations". Even "The World of Man" is a multi-level interpretation of "Chinese-style relations" based on family affection. Although "relationship science" can be said to be something at the level of "national essence" in Chinese society, it is not the "right way" after all, not to mention that it will change "tricks" with the changes of the times, if it is not captured in place, it is fatal to literary works. I remember that when Pumice Stone was creating "Celadon Porcelain", in order to "ground the gas" of the work and for the realism of life, he often called me to "blackmail" paragraphs. In the 80s and 90s of last century, the popular "duanzi" reflected the real life at that time on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was also a full embodiment of the relative freedom of speech, and some friends even said that its literary value was no less than that of Tang poetry and Song Poetry. The reason why Pumice is confident in the creation of "Chinese-style relations" is because no matter how the content and form of these relations change, their "underlying logic" will not change, which is probably Yu Xiuhua's logic of "having a plan". Man is always a higher animal with a "purpose", which is by no means a moral derogatory to man, but an elevation of man's authenticity.
The biggest confidence in the creation of pumice novels may not come from his rich life experience, but from his philosophical thinking, which is also his "proud". Especially in the Internet era of knowledge sharing, professional learning is not how much knowledge is mastered, but strict professional thinking training. Philosophical thinking is a kind of rational critical thinking, and the experience and cognition of life and the community of life are always sober and calm. The works of pumice are full of philosophical wisdom, and many wonderful clips and classic quotes dealing with various relationships have appeared on the short video platform, and friends with hearts must be impressed. I remember the famous writer Xue Xue said, "The best literature must have a philosophical realm", but to find this realm in pumice works, it is also necessary to have philosophical literacy. Of course, this also indicates that there is still a huge space for pumice creation, even if it is still confined to "Chinese-style relations", or addicted to official businessmen and men and women, there should be more philosophical ideas to fill and improve, especially the philosophy of life, the philosophy of mind, political philosophy, women's philosophy, phenomenology, and so on. With a new realm, the work is naturally attractive, and it is expected that "White Aya" will have a new breakthrough and a new realm.
Pumice's writing style is a bit like "egg scrambled sauerkraut rice": flavorful, oily but not greasy. Taste is associated with his funny and humorous personality. Pumice usually doesn't talk much, and is always a quiet listener when friends get together. There are also times when a sentence is not prevented from coming out, it must be a classic "famous saying", often with a sentence can harvest the beauty around you, do not obey it. The oiliness of the pumice script is related to his "old way". The text of the pumice stone looks a bit casual, some colloquial, even feminine, there is no deliberate elaboration, there are few idioms and allusions, and even lack of solemn sense, feeling is "oil and gas in oil". But "because it's casual, it's natural." It is precisely because of femininity that it looks ethereal. It is precisely because of the colloquialism that it seems relaxed. (Comments by the famous writer Huang Xiaoyang) Reading pumice "oiled" words, not only will not feel "greasy", but will produce a sense of "hunger", and even feel a certain power. This kind of power should be the Taoist philosophical wisdom of "static braking", "soft kegang", "doing nothing and doing nothing". Relying on the "concentration" of this kind of writing, pumice freely and elegantly copes with the ever-changing social landscape and the real life of constant displacement, controls the infinite expansion of self-iteration, and gradually grasps the authenticity of people. This is the power of the pumice script.
Although I also inherit the principle of "life lies in tossing" and have also had literary dreams, I have only made a small fuss in the narrow space of a small profession so far. Our generation, witnessing and experiencing the earth-shaking changes since China's reform and opening up, often compares the hearts and customs of people's hearts and customs in different periods, often has literary impulses, and always wants to express their sexual and intellectual awareness of society, life, and life through words. The eloquence of the pre-Qin zhuzi, the elegance of the famous wei and Jin dynasties, the humor of the poets of the Sheng Tang Dynasty, and the beauty of the two Song poets are all the realms we yearn for. In order to make a living, we may "go with the flow" in "Chinese-style relations", but the right and wrong of the heart will not change, the green and red will still be clear, and the ecology of truth, goodness and beauty will still be adhered to. Although we can't get rid of the professional problems that are doubtful in everything, we are full of expectations for the beauty of the future world. Especially when sincerity and eagerness are soaked with fickleness and coolness, we will look forward bitterly. Because of yesterday's sun, I will never dry today's clothes.
2022.5.7
Li Jianhua, a native of Taojiang, Hunan, Doctor of Philosophy, Chinese Second-level Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Distinguished Professor of "Yangtze River Scholar" of the Ministry of Education (2009), Expert enjoying special government allowances of the State Council (2006), Senior Professor of Liberal Arts of Zhejiang Normal University (2020), Honorary Dean of School of Marxism of Zhejiang Normal University (2018), Honorary Dean of School of Public Administration of Central South University (2011), Part-time Doctoral Supervisor of Central South University (2000), Executive Vice President of the Chinese Ethics Society (since 2014), National Philosophy and Social Science Foundation Planning Review Expert (2010), National Publishing Fund Academic Review Committee (2011), Honorary Director of the Young Workers Committee of the Chinese Ethics Society (2010), Expert of the "Marxist Theory Research Project" of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee (2009), Member of the Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education (2018-2022), He has served as the president of the Hunan Ethics Society (2014), and was also a member of the 7th Discipline Review Group (Philosophy) of the Degree Committee of the State Council (2014-2020), the vice chairman of the Hunan Federation of Social Sciences (2007-2015), the president of Hunan City College, and the secretary of the Party Committee (2010-2016).