On a cold winter day in 1953, 26-year-old Li Ao sat alone in his quiet study, holding a black pen in his hand and a crumpled manuscript paper in front of him.
This is Li Ao's first article published in Taiwan, "The Elderly and BZ", and it also represents the beginning of his literary career.
Li Ao stared at the manuscript paper, his eyes flashing with the unique light of a young man. Passionate about life and the future, he firmly believes that words can change the world and change people's hearts.
This is also his original intention to join the literary world, and it is his most primitive literary dream.
He writes line by line on the manuscript paper, the pen in his hand moving smoothly across the paper, like the passion rushing in his thoughts. He stopped his pen and looked out the window at the shadows of the trees, and an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.
This emotion comes from the love of words, as well as the longing and expectation for a better future.
Li Ao clenched the pen in his hand and continued to write. He knew that this was only the first footprint of the literary road, and that there was still a long, long road ahead. But he has infinite motivation, which comes from the original literary dream in his heart.
This dream is urging him to move forward, even if the road is bumpy, he must continue to explore the power of words.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is 2004. This year, Li Ao, who is in his 70s, is already a veteran in the literary world. He has experienced the changes of an era and witnessed the development of Taiwanese society.
The gray hair on the top of his head reminded him that time is not forgiving, but the passion for literature in his heart is still burning as when he was a teenager.
In this year, Li Ao published his masterpiece - the novel "Beijing Fayuan Temple". As soon as this thick novel came out, it caused quite a stir in the literary world.
Everyone is talking about the work, believing that it is highly likely to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In bookstores, the shelves of "Beijing Fayuan Temple" are often crowded, and Li Ao's supporters and book lovers rush to buy it, for fear that they will not be able to buy the bestseller. For a time, the book was completely sold out, and the publisher reprinted several editions, but the supply still exceeded demand.
Seeing that his hard work was so sought after, Li Ao felt happy and proud. He knew that this was not only an affirmation of his literary attainments, but also a literary achievement of his era.
He lived up to his literary dreams back then. This is one of the most gratifying and proud things in his life.
At the peak of Li Ao's career, in 2005, the result of a selection activity unexpectedly hit him hard.
This year, the selection of "Top 60 Chinese Literature in the 20th Century" was held in Beijing. The event was composed of more than 30 well-known scholars and literary critics to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of Chinese literary works in the 20th century.
The announcement of the selection results has attracted wide attention in the literary world. Li Ao was originally full of confidence, thinking that his achievements in the literary world over the years, and the success of "Beijing Fayuan Temple", he would inevitably be selected.
However, when he got the list and flipped through it, he was surprised to find that his name was not among them.
Li Ao's eyes widened, and he checked the list repeatedly, unable to believe the result. His heart was full of loss and unwillingness. For many years, he held himself in high esteem, believing that his literary attainments were among the best among his contemporaries.
However, this result ruthlessly overturned his conceit.
Li Ao paced back and forth at home, feeling complicated. He couldn't accept the result, but he had to face the bitter fact that he had been denied by the competition.
This hit Li Ao very hard, and it also made him fall into deep self-doubt.
The news of Li Ao's defeat quickly fermented in the literary world and aroused heated discussions from all walks of life. Mr. Li's supporters were indignant at the results, arguing that the judges had clearly made mistakes.
But some people also believe that Li Ao has publicly claimed to be the first in the literary world many times, and this overly arrogant attitude should also cause reflection. For a time, the debate about whether Li Ao was a master or not was full of newspapers and the Internet.
At a time when you are talking about various points of view, the views of literary critic Xie Youshun are particularly eye-catching. He believes that Li Ao is indeed not a pure literary scholar, he can only be regarded as an excellent scholar and critic, and he is not good at literary creation.
Xie Youshun pointed out that many of Li Ao's works lack the artistic conception and charm that literature should have, and are not restrained and delicate enough. Li Ao likes to express his thoughts directly, but this is not good for the creation of novels.
Literature needs more ambiguous and layered language expression.
This view was quickly shared by many. After brainstorming, a broad consensus was finally formed in the literary world - Li Ao is an outstanding critic with a unique historical perspective, and he is also a pioneer who inherits Lu Xun's style.
He has made profound contributions to modern Chinese literature, but he is not the most outstanding writer. The results of the selection exercise became understandable and acceptable.
Although Li Ao failed in this selection, his writing spirit and literary contributions still left a deep inspiration for future generations.
We must not judge a writer's achievements by personal speculation alone, but must stand the test of time and readers. Writers must earn recognition through their pen, and cannot rely on boasting and self-promotion.
Li Ao has made unremitting efforts on the road of writing for 50 years, and this spirit is worth learning from every writer Xi He also continues to innovate and try in different fields, constantly breaking his own limitations.
This spirit of exploration is also admirable.
Master Shen Congwen once said that only by breaking through oneself in writing can we reach a higher level. Li Ao has a deep understanding of this, and he has devoted countless efforts to creation throughout his life, and he has never stopped writing even in his later years.
Therefore, we should not limit our horizons, but open our minds and appreciate Li Ao's excellence. Although there are some regrets, his life still leaves a strong mark.
His spirit will also inspire those who come after him to continue to innovate and break through themselves.