Jakarta, 27 Oct (ZXS) -- Question: How can Indian-Chinese literature promote mutual learning among civilizations?
——Interview with Yuan Ni, chairman of the Indo-Chinese Writers Association
Lin Yongchuan, reporter of China News Agency
Indonesian Chinese literature (abbreviated as Indo-Chinese literature) was once brilliant in the fifties and sixties of the last century, and has a wide influence in Southeast Asian countries. In 1998, Yuan Ni and several like-minded people founded the Indonesian Chinese Writers Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Indo-Chinese Writers Association"). In a recent interview with China News Agency's "East-West Question", Yuan Ni believes that the inheritance and creation of Chinese literature can allow more Indonesians to understand Chinese culture and Chinese civilization, and can also let more Chinese understand Indonesian culture and Indonesian civilization, and promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning between Indonesia and China.
The following is a summary of the interview:
China News Agency: When did Indian-Chinese literature originate? What was his experience?
Yuan Ni: Indo-Chinese literature has a history of more than 100 years and can be divided into three historical stages.
From 1875 to 1942, it was known as the founding and golden age of Indonesian Chinese "Malay Literature", referred to as the stage of "overseas Chinese literature"; From 1942 to 1965, it was called the "Overseas Chinese Literature" stage; From 1966 to the present, it is called the stage of "Indonesian Chinese Literature" (abbreviated as "Indo-Chinese Literature").
The historical process from "overseas Chinese literature" to "overseas Chinese literature" and then to "Indian-Chinese literature" reflects the change of Indian-Chinese writers and language changes in various periods, which is closely related to the evolution of Indonesian social history.
Talking about the development history of Indo-Chinese literature for more than 100 years, we cannot ignore the period of "Malay Literature" experienced by Chinese ancestors more than 100 years ago, because it was popular in Indonesian Chinese society for half a century.
"Malay Literature" appeared on the eve of Indonesia's national awakening in the second half of the 19th century, and its largest, most active and accomplished writers were Chinese writers. Many of the earliest Malay-language newspapers and periodicals in Indonesia were founded by ethnic Chinese, such as "The Malay Horn" founded in 1860, which began to serialize the popular Malay translation of the classic Chinese novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
Indonesian Malay literature "Lily with Thorns" was published in 1912. Photo courtesy of respondents
According to statistics, by 1896, Indonesia had 17 magazines and 13 Malay and Javanese newspapers, and initially formed a newspaper distribution network throughout the country. At that time, Indonesian Chinese began to get involved in the printing and publishing industry, and had their own printing houses and publishing houses. It is these publishing houses founded by ethnic Chinese that provide a living soil for Chinese Malay literature and a garden and channel for Chinese Malay writers to publish their works.
Indonesian Chinese literary activities began with the translation and rewriting of classical Chinese romance novels, such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Xue Rengui's Expedition to the East", "Water Margin", "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", "Journey to the West", "Mulan", etc., which have been circulated for more than 50 years in the form of popular "Malay Literature" or puppet theater, and have become an indispensable spiritual food for Indonesian Chinese society during that period.
Journey. Photo courtesy of respondents
According to the incomplete statistics of French scholar Sur Meng, during that period, Indonesia published more than 3,000 kinds of translation and rewriting works and original works of Chinese descent, more than 800 translators and authors, and nearly 1,500 long and short stories of Chinese origin. From these figures, we can get a glimpse of the prosperity of "Malay literature" at that time.
The first episode of Indonesian Chinese Malay Literature. Photo courtesy of respondents
In the early twenties of the last century, the consciousness of the Chinese community in Indonesia rose, and Chinese groups, Chinese schools, and Chinese newspapers and periodicals sprung up one after another, the most influential being the "New News" in Jakarta in 1921.
During this period, a group of well-known Chinese cultural figures such as Ba Ren, Zheng Chuyun, Zhang Guoji, Wang Jiyuan, Yang Shao and others visited Indonesia, sowed seeds in the cultural circles, successively influenced a large number of young Indian and Chinese writers and editorial talents, promoted the vigorous development of Indonesian Chinese literature, and formed the prosperity of "overseas Chinese literature" from 1942 to 1965.
Indonesian Chinese literary works in the fifties and sixties of the last century have a variety of themes and styles, reflecting the history and current situation of overseas Chinese and Chinese from all aspects, describing the unity and friendship of Indonesian Chinese and various ethnic groups, which is the peak period of creation in the history of Indonesian Chinese literature.
From the mid-sixties to the end of the nineties, the Indonesian authorities strictly banned the use of Chinese Chinese, and Indo-Chinese literature was seriously affected. At that time, only a semi-official Chinese-language Indonesian Daily was allowed to be published to convey government regulations, decrees, and policies. Fortunately, in order to attract readers, the Chinese editor of this newspaper has added several supplements, and some young people insist on writing and submitting articles with Chinese, and "Indian-Chinese literature" is like a small grass in a stone crack that stubbornly survives.
China News Agency: In 1998, as soon as the ban on Chinese was lifted in Indonesia, you and like-minded people founded the Indo-Chinese Writers Association. What was your original intention at that time?
Yuan Ni: In the mid-sixties, a group of our young Chinese writers who had dropped out of school began to submit articles to the supplement of the Indonesian Daily, and we met and met. In 1996, we contacted some Chinese writers of the same era and some old authors to hold a literary symposium in the name of the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala. Unexpectedly, more than 200 people signed up to participate. At that time, two literary seminars were held, which became a turning point in Indo-Chinese literature. After that, people from the Indian and Chinese literary circles would hold gatherings of varying sizes once a month to slowly gather friendship.
After the social turmoil in Indonesia in May 1998, we believed that we should use our pen to fight for rights and interests, unite Indonesian friends, especially friends in the Indonesian literary circle, and enhance mutual understanding through literature. Together with 15 like-minded people, we founded the Indonesian Chinese Writers Association, the Indo-Chinese Writers Association.
ZXS: Over the past 30 years, how has the Indo-Chinese Writers Association operated? What are the creative achievements of Indo-Chinese literature?
Yuan Ni: For more than 30 years, the Indo-Chinese Writers Association has actively carried out Chinese cultural activities, published new books, held Chinese book exhibitions, and held seminars; Exchange, communicate and cooperate with literary friends from all over the world to expand the lineup of Indian and Chinese writers; Participate in various literary activities at home and abroad; Actively encourage and cultivate young writers and do a good job in passing on the torch.
In order to improve the writing level of Indian-Chinese literary friends, we have successively held various essay contests, translation competitions and seminars. In addition to actively promoting and promoting Chinese culture, we also attach great importance to exchanges with Indonesian non-Chinese writers, promote two-way translation of Indonesian language and Chinese, introduce Indian and Chinese works to non-Chinese readers, and promote non-Chinese Indonesian understanding of Chinese literature and Chinese culture.
The Indo-Chinese Writers Association has jointly published a bilingual poetry collection "The Roar of Indonesia" with the Indonesian Literature Society, which became the first book jointly published by the Indonesian Chinese and non-Chinese literary groups, collecting the poems of 50 Chinese and 50 non-Chinese poets, each of which is presented in Indonesian and Chinese. More than 300 Chinese and non-Chinese writers gathered at the press conference, which caused a great sensation.
March 18, 2000 "The Roar of Indonesia" book launch. Photo courtesy of respondents
In 2004, the Indo-Chinese Writers Association hosted two international conferences in Bandung, and held the 5th World Chinese Miniature Novel Symposium and the 9th ASEAN Chinese Literature Camp, attended by more than 200 representatives from more than 20 countries and regions, which was the first time for Indonesian Chinese literature to hold a world literature conference. In 2014, the Yinhua Writers Association undertook the 14th ASEAN Chinese Literature and Art Camp; In 2018, it hosted the 12th World Chinese Miniature Novel Symposium attended by more than 200 writers from 18 countries and regions, showing the world the strength and level of Indonesian Chinese writers.
The venue of the 12th World Chinese Miniature Novel Symposium. Photo courtesy of respondents
Through frequent exchanges, foreign literary groups learned about the development of Indonesian Chinese literature, and the position of the Indo-Chinese Writers Association in the world Chinese literature community was also established.
Today, the Indo-Chinese Writers Association has 14 chapters in Indonesia. The works of the members of the association cover all fields of Chinese literature, using various forms of expression, and there are many excellent works.
China News Agency: How can Indian-Chinese literature promote mutual learning between civilizations? What role can the Indo-Chinese Writers Association play in mutual learning between Chinese and Indonesian civilizations?
Yuan Ni: Literature knows no borders. As an important force in the world's Chinese literature, Indo-Chinese literature can play a unique role in promoting exchanges and mutual learning between Indonesian and Chinese civilizations, and the Indo-Chinese Writers Association has great prospects in this regard.
When we founded the Indo-Chinese Writers Association, we defined the purpose of the association as uniting Indo-Chinese writers, exchanging writing experience, improving the level of writing, and developing Indo-Chinese literature; To enhance the humanistic relationship between the Indo-Chinese community and other ethnic groups through literary and cultural activities; Through literary and cultural activities, we will enhance the exchanges between Indian and Chinese literature and the cultures of other countries in the world, and strengthen mutual understanding and friendship.
In terms of exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, I believe that the Indo-Chinese Writers Association can play a unique role at three levels: cultural exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and non-Chinese; Exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations between Indonesia and China; Cultural exchanges between Indo-Chinese literature and countries around the world.
Every culture and every civilization has its own unique brilliance. As Indo-Chinese writers, on the one hand, we inherit Chinese culture and present Chinese civilization; On the other hand, it is deeply influenced by Indonesian culture and experiences the charm of Indonesian civilization. Literature allows the two cultures and civilizations to learn from each other and reflect each other, and the cooperation between India and China is unshirkable and promising. (End)
Respondent Profiles:
Yuan Ni, formerly known as Ye Lizhen, ancestral home in Meixian, Guangdong, China, born in Jakarta, Indonesia, the third generation of Chinese descent. Chairman of the Indo-Chinese Writers Association (hereinafter referred to as "Indo-Chinese Writers Association") and Indonesian Chinese writer. Since childhood, he has been deeply influenced by Chinese literature and is fascinated by literary creation. He is the author of a collection of short stories "Flower Dream", a collection of miniature novels "The Lost Key Circle", a collection of essays "Yuan Ni's Anthology", a collection of Chinese-Indonesian bilingual poetry "Man is a Painting", and a collection of poems "Three's Company".