A speech by Mr. Feng Qiyong, an expert on redness studies, at the Literature Museum
Before the opening ceremony, the host, researcher Fu Guangming, briefly introduced Mr. Feng Qiyong’s achievements and views on the three major aspects of redness studies over the past decades. Contributions to the field of Red Mansions: First, the study of Cao Xueqin’s family history and the writing of "A New Examination of Cao Xueqin’s Family History"; The second is the study of the fat version of "A Dream of Red Mansions", and the writing of "Study of the fat version of "A Dream of Red Mansions""; The third is the study of "A Dream of Red Mansions" The study of ideas. Then, Mr. Feng started his speech.
Regarding the thought of "A Dream of Red Mansions", it is a long-term debate and unresolved issue in our academic circles. There are different opinions dating back to the late Qianlong period and the early Jiaqing period after the publication of "Dream of Red Mansions". Until the 1950s, a great debate on the ideology of "Dream of Red Mansions" was held nationwide. There are two kinds of opinions in the debate. One is that it reflects the new sprouts and new ideas of capitalism; the other is that it is feudal national thought and there are no new ideas. I support the former view, which reflects the emerging new ideas of capitalism.
In 1983, when commemorating the 200th anniversary of Cao Xueqin's death, I wrote "The Unexploited Talent of Eternal Articles". The article focuses on analyzing the emerging new ideas of capitalism in "A Dream of Red Mansions". It has been almost 20 years since this article was published. I received many letters from colleagues and readers, most of whom agreed with this point of view. After that, I studied various rare books and versions of "Dream of Red Mansions" to further test whether my views were reasonable. On this basis, in 1999 I started writing "Research on the Thoughts of the Dream of Red Mansions". It is expected to be published in late September this year.
Let me analyze the ideological roots of "A Dream of Red Mansions".
1. The external source of thought, that is, the general environment of the world. Cao Xueqin was born approximately in the 54th year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, that is, 1705 AD (disputed), and died in the 27th year of Qianlong's reign, that is, 1763 AD. He was born at the beginning of the 18th century, and 400 years had passed since the European Renaissance. During this period, the worldwide trend of humanistic thought further developed, which was characterized by opposing the theocracy and autocratic rule of the Middle Ages and respecting and promoting human values. , people have to control themselves. At the same time, science was vigorously promoted, resulting in Copernicus' solar theory. The Chinese feudal dynasty was at its peak during the Kangxi and Qianlong periods, while the West entered the scientific era of further understanding of the world. In 1760, the Industrial Revolution began in England. In the 25th year of Qianlong's reign, the manuscript of "The Red Mansion" was born and disseminated in society. At this time, the steam engine invented by Watt had begun to be used in industry, bringing the climax of the Industrial Revolution.
At that time, China was severely isolated from the world, but it was not impossible for the wind to blow in. In the 10th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1582), Italian missionary Matteo Ricci came to China to preach and brought Western civilization and science and technology. In the 30th year of Wanli, Matteo Ricci came to Beijing and presented the self-ringing bell to please the emperor. At the same time, he brought the Map of All Nations, a world map, which broadened the horizons of the upper class and scholar-bureaucrats. Later, the Jesus priest Tang Ruowang came to China during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty and brought Christian teachings, Western civilization and scientific knowledge. Christian doctrine advocates that everyone is equal before God and opposes concubinage. These ideas cannot help but affect Chinese society, especially the upper-class intellectual circles.
2. Internal ideological roots and domestic political and economic conditions. Since the late Ming Dynasty, China's capitalism has gradually developed from its inception, and the commodity economy has entered social life, forming several large commercial cities, such as Nanjing. In the late Ming Dynasty, Nanjing was very prosperous, with numerous shops and signboards. Relatively large commercial cities include Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou, etc.
After the Manchus entered the customs, they caused great damage to the Chinese economy at that time. Afterwards, after Shunzhi and Kangxi, policy adjustments were made, and the economy gradually recovered and developed. By Qianlong, the economy not only returned to the economy of the Ming and Wei periods, but also developed considerably.
The textile industry, which is related to Cao Xueqin’s ancestors, was restricted in the past. Each household was not allowed to exceed a certain number of looms and shuttles.
At that time, many weaving workshop owners went to Cao Yin. Cao Yin, who was in charge of Jiangnan Weaving at the time, reported this opinion to the emperor. As a result, he got the emperor's permission to cancel the limit on the number of looms. According to historical records, by the Daoguang period, one family could operate 600 looms. As the economy develops, the seeds of China's capitalism have also developed in big cities, and the entire social economy has also advanced.
After the Qing Dynasty stabilized, land annexation occurred. Powerful people (royal relatives and ministers) enclosed land, rich people bought land, and wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few rich people. Working people were exploited and became increasingly poor, resulting in a serious wealth gap in society. The prosperous times of Kangxi and Qianlong are not for everyone, and the people are still poor.
Since the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, in order to consolidate the rule of the Qing Dynasty, literary inquisition has been carried out continuously to attack intellectuals with different political opinions. Therefore, Cao Xueqin had to use metaphors to write "Dream of Red Mansions" in this era of literary inquisition, which is true and false.
During the Kangxi and Qianlong dynasties, Confucius and Mencius were vigorously promoted, and the Neo-Confucianism interpreted by Cheng and Zhu were regarded as classics and orthodox. This proposition was used in the imperial examination to determine the level of talent and learning, and ideological dominance was very serious. Where there is oppression, there is resistance. Even with the threat of severe literary inquisition, there are still a group of literati who criticize Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and the imperial examination system, such as Wang Chuanshan, Li Zhi, Tang Zhen, Dai Zhen, etc.
Li Zhi (1527-1602) said that the Analects of Confucius, Mencius and other Confucian classics were only the essay records of his disciples at that time and were "not the ultimate theory for all ages". He criticized Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. The Qing Emperor arrested him on charges of "daring to advocate chaos, confuse the world and falsely accuse the people". Li Zhi later committed suicide in prison. He advocated equality between men and women and believed that Zhuo Wenjun's remarriage was a courageous act and a daring woman. These thoughts of his had a great influence on Cao Xueqin, which was reflected in the novel "A Dream of Red Mansions". Cao Xueqin was a rebel who opposed Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and the imperial examination system with a literary and artistic image.
Before the advent of "A Dream of Red Mansions", the struggle between feudal ideas and the new ideas sprouting from capitalism was fierce due to the development of foreign environments and domestic situations. Some literati pointed out that the imperial examination system was more poisonous to people than "burning books and entrapping Confucian scholars". Feudal society's oppression of women was even more cruel, which is described in Wu Jingzi's "The Scholars". Dai Zhen, a thinker in the Qing Dynasty, believed that "post-Confucianism kills people with reason" just like "cruel officials kill people with law". When we read "Dream of Red Mansions", we need to understand the historical background and social conditions of the novel, so that we will have a different feeling when reading it.
Now let me talk about the thoughts of "Dream of Red Mansions".
1. Anti-orthodox, anti-imperial examination, and not pursue an official career. Jia Baoyu in "A Dream of Red Mansions" is young, talks crazy, does nothing, and hangs out with his sisters all his life. He usually refuses to study and disdains official career. Xue Baochai persuaded him to study and gain fame. He asked Xue Baochai to go out, which made Xue Baochai unable to step down. He opposed reading those classics and believed that Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was fabricated by Zhu Xi and the Cheng brothers. Dai Zhen once asked his private school teachers: Can they understand Zhu Xi's explanation of Confucius and Mencius? They were not from the same era and were separated by one or two thousand years. How could Zhu Xi understand and explain what Confucius thought? The teacher couldn't cope. Dai Zhen also said: Reading requires unobstruction. You must not be deceived by the ancients, nor by yourself. You must think that reading a little book is great, and you must think independently. "A Dream of Red Mansions" is permeated with this kind of thinking, which is to fight against the ruling class and orthodoxy, not to follow the official career arranged by his ancestors and fathers, and to promote the path of free life. His idea of ??not becoming an official was different from that of Ji Kang, Ruan Ji, and Tao Yuanming. He had a spirit of resistance, which was an inducement to the intellectuals of the Qing Dynasty.
2. Promote free love and free marriage. Past novels also contained this aspect, such as Wang Shifu's "The Romance of the West Chamber". Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying fell in love at first sight and fell in love freely, but in the end they were united by marriage granted by the emperor, and were included in the orbit of imperial power, without resisting to the end. Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion" ended with the emperor granting a marriage, which was included in the track of etiquette. In "A Dream of Red Mansions", Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu did not fall in love at first sight, they just had a good impression at the beginning.
During their long time together, the two also quarreled, and with the interference of Xue Baochai, as well as the interference of Shi Xiangyun and Xi Ren, Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu got to know each other through their long time together and formed a love relationship. Jia Baoyu's choice was not an easy one. His selection criteria were that the two people had the same thoughts, the same affection, and a rebellious thought. This was a challenge to the "well-matched" marriage selection criteria in the feudal era. The first eighty chapters and the last forty chapters of "Dream of Red Mansions" cannot be confused. The first eighty chapters were written by Cao Xueqin. They included freedom of love and marriage, and contained modern thoughts, which was remarkable at the time.
3. Oppose the superiority of men over women. Feudal society favors sons over women. He said: Women are good, men are bad. Advocating that women are superior to men was a rebellion against the orthodox ethics of the time, an attack and challenge to the patriarchal society, and an indictment of the feudal society. It contains the idea of ??equality between men and women.
4. The idea of ??equality and friendship. In "Dream of Red Mansions", the maids said that Mr. Bao was neither superior nor inferior. When he was happy, he played with the maids and servants, and sometimes even apologized to us. Second Master Bao does not treat the maid as a slave and says that all people are equal. The slaves in the feudal family are the remnants of the slavery system, and "Dream of Red Mansions" is critical of this. This idea of ??equality and friendship was not allowed at that time.
5. Cao Xueqin wrote: Where is the mutual seeking. That is where there is an ideal place to be clean. Propose an ideal society and take the path of free life. People are equal, friendly, and respect women. This is something that can only be realized in the future world. He was an advanced thinker, placing his hope in the future society and criticizing the society at that time. This kind of thought is reflected everywhere in "A Dream of Red Mansions", and its connotation is very profound.
Cao Xueqin’s thoughts are conscious and natural. Cao Xueqin's father left no poems and articles, but Cao Xueqin's grandfather Cao Yin had some poems handed down. He hoped that his descendants would study hard and pursue an official career, but Cao Xueqin went against the teachings of his predecessors and went his own way. In "A Dream of Red Mansions", there is a scene where Jia Zheng beats Jia Baoyu so badly that no one can intercede. While beating him, Jia Zheng said: If I don't beat you, you will "kill your father and regicide" in the future. It shows that Cao Xueqin is rebellious and does not listen to his father's teachings. I think these ideas expressed by Cao Xueqin develop from unconsciousness to consciousness.
Finally, let’s talk about the special expression techniques of "Dream of Red Mansions".
"A Dream of Red Mansions" begins with a dream, and all experiences are just a dream. Dreaming is not uncommon, who doesn’t dream? The Cao family's journey from getting rich to being ransacked was the same dream. They dreamed of prosperity and wealth, but when they woke up, the rice was not yet cooked. Life can be described as "a dream". There are two characters in "A Dream of Red Mansions": one is Jia Yucun; the other is Zhen Shiyin. It is repeatedly said in the book that they are mainly afraid of causing disaster, but they are also afraid that others will not understand the true feelings and treat the novel as a joke. For this reason, Cao Xueqin wrote a poem: "The paper is full of absurd words, and there are a handful of bitter tears. It is said that the author is crazy. Who can understand the meaning." How well this poem is said! Kind and sincere. Finally, he sighed: Who can really understand the taste?
Let’s talk about truth and falsehood in writing. From false to true, true is also false; from true to false, false is true. In "A Dream of Red Mansions", what is true and what is false is false. People in the world regard the true as false and the false as true. The untalented Zhen Baoyu embarks on an official career and becomes an official; but the talented Jia Baoyu cannot become an official. .
The name Jia Zhen in "A Dream of Red Mansions" is so wonderful and has rich connotations. Jia (false) is his Jane, and true is Jia (false). People are born true, but after reading the Four Books and Five Classics, their natural nature becomes false, and truth becomes false. Its ideological connotation comes out. Xue Baochai was a person who was nurtured by the Four Books and Five Classics. She taught Lin Daiyu: I also read "The Romance of the West Chamber" and "The Peony Pavilion". Later, when my family found out, I burned and tore them up, and then I learned the rules. But Jia Baoyu did not believe in the Four Books and Five Classics. He did not pursue an official career, only had fun and lived his own life. He was a rebel in feudal society.
Mr. Feng is 80 years old and in poor health. At the end of the speech, warm applause broke out in the multi-functional hall of the Literature Museum that can accommodate 400 people to thank Mr. Feng for his wonderful speech.