Essay 丨 Zhou Zixian: Why Wang Meng?

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Why Wang Meng?

Text/Zhou Zixian

There are so many writers in China, why is only Wang Meng able to win the national honorary title of "People's Artist"?

Before the founding of New China, he participated in the student movement and became a progressive youth with a single heart for the party. After the founding of New China, it gained a new life, and I was eager to feel the beauty of the new era without sleep, praise socialist construction with enthusiasm, and write works that have influenced generations of young people. After the founding of New China, every historical period has written influential works, no matter how much life is floating, it is still cultivating the literary world without regret, tirelessly burying its head in creation, constantly learning, thinking, trying, criticizing, and reconciling. Looking at the Chinese literary world, wang Meng is the only one.

Since Wang Meng published "Long Live Youth" in 1953, in addition to the "Cultural Revolution" period, he has been writing unceasingly, and there have been works coming out, especially in the past ten years, like fruit trees entering a period of abundant production, and there are many works.

Born and raised in a heavy feudal tradition that could hardly be erased, he inherited the traditional ideas, but broke free from the spiritual shackles and threw himself into the torrent of revolution. After the founding of New China, walking in the spring, feeling the ubiquitous vitality of the country and the nation, willing to use blood and life to build a new China, fate played a joke with him, after the teenager became famous, the road of life is full of ups and downs. However, whether in the government or in the opposition, whether advancing or retreating, or failing to give orders, we have never wavered in our revolutionary will and ideals and convictions, we have never lost our enthusiasm for life and our yearning for a better life, and we have never changed our conviction that the country will certainly get better and better. Looking at the Chinese literary world, wang Meng is the only one.

Wang Meng kept learning and reflecting in the difficult situation, found a new path, and kept his original intention. From the cadres of the production team to the former minister of culture, Wang Meng was not confused, always knew what he wanted to pursue, insisted on creating, and spoke for the people. From young fame and middle age to old age, Wang Meng did not care about gains and losses, saying that he was always a student and had always been a labor force in the front line of production.

Literary works are full of selfishness, petty bourgeoisie, and scars, and the works reveal the era of narrowness and extremism, blood and struggle, indulgence and decay, and from beginning to end, authors and works that consistently promote revolutionary ideals, patriotism, reflect on tradition and modernity, and expose and criticize from a rational point of view are becoming increasingly scarce. The only one who can firmly carry forward the main theme for decades is the only one who can look at the Chinese literary world.

From the passionate burning of "Long Live Youth", to the calm exposure and criticism of "A Young Man From the Organization Department", to the collision reflection and opposing thinking of "Activity Into Human Form", to the understanding and sympathy of "Bu Li", "Butterfly" and "Dream of the Sea", idealism runs through from beginning to end, but it is exposed and criticized rationally, and with deep understanding and sympathy. Wang Meng's works are all full of affection for New China, for the Communist Party and communism, and for the country and the people.

Constantly keep pace with the times, keep up with the pulse of the times, keep up with the pace of theoretical development, always be a student, keep learning, hold tradition in the left hand, hold the modern in the right hand, look at the West with the left eye, look at the East with the right eye, constantly reflect and ask questions, constantly think and summarize, open up the East and the West, open up the tradition and modernity, and solve the spiritual confusion and ideological mystery encountered in the process of development. The essence of traditional culture will be excavated, combined with the contemporary situation, expressed in the language of contemporary people, fill the gap in the spiritual world for contemporary people, and help and promote modern Chinese people to firmly establish cultural self-confidence. Looking at the Chinese literary world, wang Meng is the only one.

In recent years, Wang Meng, who is over eighty years old, is a master of time management, constantly learning, constantly thinking, focusing on the interpretation of the Hundred Families of The Sons, using Marxist-Leninist and contemporary analytical tools, reading the old Zhuang Kong Meng, setting off a wave of traditional culture, and finding a strong cornerstone for cultural self-confidence. "Wang Meng Talks about Confucius and Menglaozhuang" is popular among readers, especially young readers, in the Himalayas and Douban.

Literature carries the Tao, to cultural people. 70 years of tireless pen cultivation, ideals and beliefs as firm as a rock, unswerving, insisting on carrying forward the main theme of socialism, carrying forward cultural self-confidence to open up the integration of China and the West, can do this, looking at the Chinese literary scene, only Wang Meng is alone.

"People's Artist" is recognized by the people, recognized by the Party, and recognized by the State. Wang Meng deserves this title.