by Tam King-fai
Indeed, children of the plains are full of fantastic thoughts about distant
mountains and waters, and their solitude is as boundless as the plains.
Sir, when will you come to this plain of ours and take a look for yourself
at the trees, villages, and endless stretch of wilderness—and, what is
more, the great number of graves, the eternal resting places of our
ancestors? The wind on the plains blows from horizon to horizon, and
one can only sigh in awe.
7]Z IVKM[WZ[ _PW IZZQ^ML I PQ[ XTIQV IVL J]QT PM ÅZ[ ^QTTIOM
here already understood this solitude all too well. They planted trees
IVL OZM_ ^MOMIJTM[ IVL ^IZQW][ SQVL[ WN ÆW_MZ[ IVL OZIQV WV PQ[
land. Generation after generation, they tried every way they could to
enhance the beauty of this place. The plain was then covered with trees
IVLÆW_MZ[IVLOZI[[^MOMIJTM[IVLOZIQV[PW][M[IVLOZI^M[J]\PM
solitude that they felt remained. People here often thought about the
climate in faraway places and events of the distant past. That might
have just been dreaming, but it was also a kind of remembrance, for
they seemed to have seen beautiful places in their former lives. They
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:25:01 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
206
A Garden of One’s Own
PW]OP W PMU[MT^M[" ?Pa Q[ PQ[ XTIKM [W ÆI' ?Pa Q[V¼ PMZM [WUM
variation? And thus they thought of bringing about changes to their
land with their mortal hands.
You may think that this plain of ours must be vast. Not so, there is
a small river three hundred li 1 to the south, and a big one three hundred li to the north. The sea on the east and the mountains on the west are
likewise about three or four hundred li from the village. That is the
entire area of our plain. It is really not that big, but to our ancestors
who lived in the center of it, it was so vast as to seem limitless. For them,
life here was akin to that of a child abandoned on a desolate island. The
thought of transforming their land with their own hands prompted them
to embark on a noble project. They worked when they were not busy
with farming, every man on the plain becoming an engineer. With the
help of chisels, spades, knives, shovels, and anything else that could be
used to remove earth from the ground, they dug up a large watercourse
IZW]VL PM ^MZa ÅZ[ ^QTTIOM PMa J]QT
with the small river to the south and the other end with the big river to
the north. Our ancestors did not leave behind any records, and hence
we are unable to estimate how long this project took. But in the minds
WN PMXMWXTMWN PMXTIQVPMZMIZM[XMKQÅKV]UJMZ[";WUM[IaQ\WWS
PQZaaMIZ[WÅVQ[P[WUM[IaNWZa[WUMM^MV[IaÅNa.ZWUPI\QUM
WVW]ZIVKM[WZ[_MZMIJTMWÅ[P[_QUIVL_ITSWV_WWLMVJZQLOM[
From their boats, they could look at the clouds and see smoke rising
from the city gate.
There is another thing you should know: In those days, our
IVKM[WZ[ _MZM ITT ^MZa PIZL_WZSQVO _QP UMV MVLQVO PM ÅMTL[ IVL
women rearing silkworms and weaving. This is how they managed to
live their days in warmth, plentitude, and safety. They even had leisure
for other things, especially the leisure to contemplate what was lacking in
their emotional lives. They had brought the water closer now—although
it was not as beautiful as the rivers you describe in your writings, it was
ÆW_QVO _IMZ VM^MZPMTM[[¸J] PMa [QTT NW]VL PMQZ IKPQM^MUMV NIZ
from complete, and wanted to create a lofty mountain on the plain.
6W_ PI PMZM _I[ I ZQ^MZ ÆW_QVO Ja PM MI[ [QLM WN PM ^QTTIOM
our ancestors decided to begin their second project on the west side.
With carts of various sizes, shoulder poles, baskets, burlap sacks, shirts,
and anything else that could be used to carry dirt, they moved earth
1
Li, a measurement of length, about one-third of a mile.
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:25:01 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
Li Guangtian
207
from north and south of the village to the west. They applied themselves
to the work with the same diligence with which they had opened the
river before, digging deep and wide and transporting all the earth to
the west of the village. Then they directed water from the river into the
two ponds newly formed to the south and north of the village. These
they called the South Sea and the North Sea. And thus, as if by itself,
a hill of twenty or thirty yards high rose up to the west of the village.
However, it was made entirely of earth, so they went farther to the west
to take rocks from the mountains there, and to the south to bring back
trees from the southern mountains as well. Thus was the mound of earth
that they had constructed adorned with elegant ranges and luxuriant
forests. As the days went by, the trees became so abundant that they
XZW^QLML IV QVM`PI][QJTM []XXTa WN QUJMZ IVL ÅZM_WWL :IZM JQZL[
and other animals also stopped at the hill for rest and shelter. When they
PIL I NZMM UWUMV NZWU PMQZ _WZS QV PM ÅMTL[ W]Z IVKM[WZ[ _W]TL
climb up the hill with their old and young, bringing with them food and
LZQVS1VPM;W]P;MIIVLPM6WZP;MIÅ[PIVL]ZTM[XZWTQNMZIML
and various kinds of water plants multiplied. At night, one could see the
TQOP[WN Å[PQVOJWI[IVLL]ZQVOPMLIaWVMKW]TLPMIZPM[WVO[WN
the lotus-gatherers. My dear sir, you see what a good life our ancestors
led!
Ah, it brings me sorrow just to talk about it. Although I did not
mean to exaggerate things as you have done in your writings—indeed,
any descendant of the plain would regard what I have told you as truth
and would be happy to have the glories of those days related—I have
ended up lying to you nonetheless. For this is a page from our history—
or perhaps it is just a legend, but this legend is forever engraved in the
memory of those of us who are the sons of the plains.
I left that plain long ago, but have skirted it in my travels on many
occasions. Time has made an old man of this traveler, but I still believe
that the plain has remained the way it was in the past, expansive and
unobstructed, still so simple and ordinary. There are, as in the past,
^QTTIOM[ ZMM[ ÅMTL[ WN OZIQV IVL ^MOMIJTM[ ZI^MTMZ[ WV IJIVLWVML
roads, galloping saddled horses. You may ask: Isn’t there anything left
of your ancestors’ projects? Aren’t there any traces of the hills and the
rivers from long ago? Of course there are; otherwise, how could those
stories about the hills and the rivers have been passed on to us, and how
else would anyone believe in them? I am reminded of the time when, as
a small child, I followed my grandfather to the west side of the village,
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:25:01 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
208
A Garden of One’s Own
PMÅZ[[M\TMUMV\PIM^MZKIUMQVWM`Q[MVKMWVPMXTIQV)[QN QVI
dream, my grandfather pointed at the tip of a black rock buried deep in
>
PMMIZPIVL[IQL¹
to the south and north of the village and found two long and narrow
places that were slightly lower than the surrounding earth. He pointed
PMUW]\WUMIVL[IQL¹
expect, on the east side of the village, there was also a place that was
relatively lower. That naturally was our ancestors’ river. I grew up on
that plain, and spent my childhood there. On the basis of a rock and
several depressions in the ground, I dreamed about the tall mountains,
long rivers, and large seas in distant lands.
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:25:01 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
Li Guangtian
209
Two Thoughts (1941)
Last night, it rained the whole night through. Although the rain was not
heavy, the pitter-pattering kept me awake. In the past, or I should say
in the distant past, I liked to listen to the rain at night while sleeping
by myself in the school dormitory. The sound used to refresh me,
transporting me to thoughts of many beautiful things. Everything is
LQNNMZMV VW_
and annoying, especially when Zhao leaves the wooden and enamel
basins lined up under the eaves before going to bed. This way, she says,
we can collect enough water in one night for the laundry and cooking
the following day, and we can save money on water. (The price of rice
has gone up recently, and so has that of water.) Great, so now on top
of drip-dropping, we have dibble-dibble-dop the whole night! How is a
person to fall sleep?
As I listened to the rain last night, scattered thoughts arose in
my mind. At times I would fall asleep and then have strange dreams.
When I awoke—who knows whether I was truly awake or not?—my
imagination would begin to wander. No, it was not just my imagination;
rather, illusions began to appear before my eyes. I dreamed that I was
walking on a very slippery road covered with stone slabs, which seemed
to lead up to a high mountain. The road was very steep and narrow—
so narrow that there was only enough room to put one foot down. On
both sides of the road was a deep pool. The water was very clear, but
the bottom was not visible. One could only see waves crashing upon
each other. Was this a dream? No, I was revisiting a familiar place. I had
often been here in my dreams, and had often climbed up this steep road,
R][TQSMPMLQNÅK]TIVLLIVOMZW][ZWIL_MPI^MWZI^MTQVW]Z_ISQVO
life.
village. I saw my father working among the thick rice seedlings. Oh
aM[ PM _I[ IT_Ia[ _WZSQVO QV PM ÅMTL[ *] 1 LQL VW KITT W] W PQU
When I woke up, I could not help wondering why I had not called out
to him. Don’t I always want to call out for him? Thousands of miles
away from home, in cities, in villages, on wide streets or country roads,
whenever I see an old farmer with a dark face and kind eyes, wearing
KTWPM[WN NILMLJT]M1IU[IZTML"1[V¼\PIUIV.IPMZ'0I[PMÆML
from some calamity at home? Has he come to look for his son? Let me
catch up with him, call out to him, hug him! But by then, he has already
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:25:03 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
210
A Garden of One’s Own
gone away. Why, then, hadn’t I called out to him in my dream? Perhaps
1 _I[ INZIQL PM _W]TL I[S ¹,QLV¼ aW] [Ia aW] _W]TL [MVL UM [WUM
UWVMa W Å` ]X PM Z]VLW_V PW][M JIKS PWUM'º ¹AM[º 1 _W]TL [Ia
¹1 LQL XZWUQ[M aW] PI IVL Q Q[ _ZWVO WN UM VW W PI^M TQ^ML ]X W
my word. But you can’t really blame me. Then again, I know you would
never reproach me like that, because you are too kind. As for the house,
I know how broken down it is. I have seen it in my dreams—holes in the
walls, wood chips falling from the eaves, and wild grass growing on the
rooftop.... I know that there have been too many storms in the past few
aMIZ[º
Stranger still, I saw—not dreamed—a baby. This baby had not
smiled for a long time. Perhaps he was dying.... But then, all of a
sudden, the glimmer of a smile appeared on his face. There clearly
was a brilliant world in that smile, and it lit up everyone’s heart.
Unfortunately, very soon after that, his smile fell under a shadow, and
I said to myself, this is our country, this is China. Half-asleep and half-
awake, I murmured a few lines, all incomprehensible and bewildering.
They lingered on my lips—no, in my heart—over and over, as if they
would drone on forever. They seemed to go like this:
There is warmth in the coldest place,
There is cold in the warmest place.
1VQKMIVL[VW_WVMKIVÅVLOZW_P
And the place near the sun is most desolate.
What does this all mean? Even I cannot say.
What else did I see in my dreams? What else did I think about? Let
me see.... Oh, yes, I remember.... There seemed to be a lot of things
that I missed in my dreams, things that passed by me, or came so close
PI PMa W]KPML Ua ÅVOMZQX[ J] PMV [TQXXML I_Ia TQSM I Å[P PI
M[KIXML PM OZQX WN I Å[PMZUIV Ja [_QUUQVO PZW]OP PQ[ ÅVOMZ[ ?M
MTT W]Z[MT^M[ W ¹PWTL WV Wº PQVO[ J] PWTL WV W _PI' ) Å[N]T WN
sand? A handful of water?
When I awoke in the morning, it was still drizzling and I felt
melancholy. I always long for a sunny world after a night of rain. It
doesn’t matter how dark, cold, or wet it is at night or how strong the
wind is, as long as you can see the sun and the blue sky when you open
your eyes in the morning, how wonderful it is! But what appeared in
front of my eyes now was still the same dreary rain. Then my wife,
Zhao, also my supervisor, was here again to remind me of my duties.
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:25:03 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
Li Guangtian
211
;PM_PQ[XMZMLQVWUaMIZ¹/WIVLJ]aPZMM jiao worth of bean paste, three turnips, one jiao _WZP WN OIZTQK [XZW][º ;PM _I[ SMMXQVO PMZ
voice down for fear of waking Xiao Xiu, but I wanted to scream and
wake up the whole world.
Of course, I had to go get food for the day. As I stepped out of the
house, a gust of chilling wind sprinkled water all over me. Sure enough,
the basins were full of water. The Yong Ning River must be like an
ocean now, I thought to myself. I walked into the kitchen. Oh, no! The
ZWWN _I[ZMITTaTMISQVOJILTaIVLPMZQKMIVLÆW]Z_MZMITTIUM[[1¼[
so true what they say about having to be prepared for rainy days as long
as you live. Zhao has always been a very meticulous person, but this
time, even she had been careless. I felt as if even my heart was soaked
through and through. What can you do?
When I came back from the market, I found Zhao cleaning up
PM _M ZQKM IVL ÆW]Z ?PI MT[M KW]TL WVM LW' 6WPQVO I[ NIZ I[ 1
could see, but she is always so patient, and knows exactly what to d
o in
[Q]IQWV[TQSMPQ[;PMM^MV[UQTMLIVL[IQL¹?PMV1_I[QVKWTTMOMQ
rained one day when I was out. The wind blew open the window, and
the whole place was covered with rain. My books were all damaged, so
you know what I did? When the sun came out, I aired them, page by
XIOM XIOM Ja XIOMº *] ZQKM IVL ÆW]Z IZM VW PM [IUM I[ JWWS[
With rice, you can still separate it grain by grain, but surely you cannot
dry it that way. Flour is even more aggravating. If the weather does not
improve, it will get moldy and rot away. Oh well, let’s just pretend that
we ate it.... But look at you, Zhao, you’re really something—you even
ÅTTML]XPMJQO_WWLMVJI[QV_QPTI]VLZa
After this, I had time to myself, and needed to begin my day’s work.
I sat down by the window and refused to pay any more attention to that
UWZW[M [Sa 1 Y]QKSTa WXMVML I ÅVMTa XZQVML JWWS ) [ZMIU WN TQOP
TQSM I [ZMIS WN []VTQOP ÆI[PML IKZW[[ PM XIOM 7V Q _I[ XZQVML PM
following passage:
There are two contradictory thoughts that have for a long time come into
KWVÆQK QV PM P]UIV UQVL¸W JM JM\MZ WZ W TQ^M JM\MZ 1V W]Z XZM[MV
muddled and chaotic world, it is impossible to reconcile the two.
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:25:03 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:25:03 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
qr
Liang Yuchun
Liang Yuchun (1906–1932) is a precocious and prolific writer. He
began to introduce foreign literature to Chinese readers when he was
still a student in Peking University. He later turned to writing essays,
_PQKP [PW_ KTMIZ [QOV[ WN QVÆ]MVKM[ NZWU PM -VOTQ[P NIUQTQIZ M[[Ia 1V
his short life of twenty-six years, he established himself as an original
stylist, leaving behind two volumes of essays and over twenty volumes of
translation.
4QIVO PI[ JMMV LM[KZQJML I[ PWTLQVO I ¹KaVQKITº ^QM_ WN TQNM J]
clear-eyed may be a more appropriate phrase—he is able to detect
contradictions even in the most mundane situations. The way that he
questions the meaning of tears and laughter is but one example. His
essays do not contain overwrought emotions. Instead, he apprehends
what life has to offer in a leisurely and a somewhat ironic manner. In
