Li Xing

Dogma should no longer rule over readings of history

By Li Xing (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-19 05:51

History is becoming more popular among Chinese nowadays.

Books on history sell pretty well, with some titles listed in the top 10 for non-fiction.

Publishers, naturally, don't want to fall behind. In May, opening bids were made for the draft of "Savouring the Three Kingdoms," a book by Yi Zhongtian about the political, economic and social intricacies in the Three Kingdoms period, which dates back to the third century AD.

Yi, a professor of history at Xiamen University, was able to secure a 14 per cent royalty - the highest in the history of contemporary Chinese publishing - with a print run of 550,000 copies from the Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing Group.

Some people calculate that Yi can easily make 5 million yuan (US$632,000) in royalties with the contract.

Moreover, through his other books and lectures at China Central Television (CCTV), the only national television network, Yi has become a star. Some teenagers write in their blogs that they'd want to apply for Xiamen University because Yi is teaching there.

In some ways, Yi and a few other professors who also come to CCTV history talk shows are trend-setters.

They talk and write about ancient heroes and villains, or dynastic achievements and failings in a fashion of storytelling. They use vernacular language and make a lot of analogies to turn archaic history jargon into modern, everyday terms.

As a result, they are able to make history a trendy subject for chit-chat around dinner tables or during gatherings, or for leisurely reading during evenings, weekends or holidays.

They are not alone. In Shanghai, senior middle-school students now take a course on world and Chinese civilizations instead of the conventional world history and Chinese history class.

Conventional history textbooks highlight the often-violent changes in dynastic rule and economic and social structures, focusing on emperors or rebels. But the civilizations course offers teenagers a new kaleidoscope of the social, cultural, political, economic, religious and legal heritage that we have inherited from our ancestors.

However, there are also a lot of debates. Some say the civilization textbook editors are creative, but others frown on their departure from established criteria.

As for Professor Yi and others' new rendering of history, critics say they are confusing the academic sense of the studies with the mundane.

It is natural for any new adventure in the academic world to attract debates and discussions, because such brainstorming will provide scholars and the public with more fresh ideas for their creative searches and studies.

Some scholars do have reason to worry that Yi's book will distract teenagers away from the great ancient literary classic, "Romance of Three Kingdoms."

However, I don't believe it is healthy when some people try to interpret the trend in historical narrative or civilizations learning from past dogma and "Cold War" mentality for use in political finger-pointing.

Those narrow-minded interpretations only reminded us of the years when history or current affairs were explained in such a way that we lost track of our rich heritage and our ability to think independently.

We should welcome and keep an open mind to all the new explorations into the past of the Chinese and mankind. These are part of our endeavour to open our minds wider, to enhance our knowledge and analyses.

Email: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/19/2006 page4)