"There is a noble price for nobility, there is a low income for low, there is a high loneliness for a high, there is a red fire for touching a fish in muddy water, there is pain for wisdom, and there is a blessing for foolishness."
——Wang Meng, "The Touch of This Life"
Readers who know Wang Meng are not difficult to find that in his works, the word "free and free" often appears, and it is often accompanied by a leisurely and comfortable outlook on life, and it is difficult to imagine that this is a text that a person who has experienced a life of twists and turns can write.
Young and famous, half a life of ups and downs
Joined the party at the age of 14, but was expelled from the party;
At the age of 19, he published his first book, which was a great success;
But he was criticized for his sharp writing style;
29-year-old exiled to the frontier alone with his wife and daughter;
However, the hardships of the frontier conditions did not make Wang Meng give up creation, and he wrote the book "This Side of the Landscape" based on the environment with the characteristics of the frontier, and finally won the Mao Dun Literature Award with this work.
Elegant and interesting, elderly "teenager"
In 1979, the 45-year-old Wang Meng was elected minister of culture, and in later recollections, Wang Meng said that the boldest thing he had done when he was a minister was to propose to reopen the dance hall, which was met with a lot of opposition, but Wang Meng said: "As long as the dance hall is well managed, it can bring rich cultural life to the people."
After stepping down as Minister of Culture, Wang Meng began his own colorful life: writing, swimming, experiencing life, and spreading Chinese culture. Today's Wang Meng still insists on swimming every day, exercising 6 abs, no worse than young people; writing a total of more than 17 million words in his writing career; insisting on walking 7,000 steps a day; traveling around countries to promote Chinese culture; from time to time he will "speak amazingly" and shout "Long live love", it is difficult for you to imagine that this is the life of an 86-year-old old man, showing the youthful atmosphere everywhere.
Nominated for the Nobel Prize, he achieved a lot
Wang Meng's achievements can be said to be unattainable by many writers:
Created a total of 17 million words, influencing generations of readers;
"Youth and Youth", "This Side of the Landscape" and other works have been translated into more than 20 languages, enjoying a global reputation;
He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times, entered the Global Writers Wealth List, and returned with a Mao Dun Literature Prize in his eighties;
Served as a minister of culture and contributed to the cultural and spiritual life of the people;
Awarded the title of "People's Artist";
To talk about why Wang Meng has experienced ups and downs but can have such achievements, and tomorrow year he is over eighty years old but still physically and mentally healthy, like a teenager, I think it has a lot to do with his unique philosophy of life. Living freely and preserving essence is the secret of Wang Meng's youth, and it is also a point that we often overlook in life. We always struggle for life, no matter what age, we want to live a better life, which is not wrong, but the terrible thing is that if you keep tightening a string, it is easy to be completely disappointed in life when it breaks. We should learn to stop and think, live life slowly, and always keep the fresh breath of youth.
Here I would like to recommend to you a book by Wang Meng, which is four wisdom books written by Wang Meng to young people, namely - principle, personality, get, and improve. These four reading books are Wang Meng's thorough study of the thought of Confucius meng Laozhuang, and then use simple and interesting language to collect them into a book, transforming the wisdom of the ancients into the enlightenment of our current life, which is very educational for young people, simplifying complexity, understanding the true meaning of life, readers who want to understand should not miss it, these four books are very worthwhile.
Wang Meng's Chinese Wisdom Reader for Young People 4 volumes (paperback) ¥90 purchase