Liu Sifen is in the study. Liu Sifen’s calligraphy works. The "70 Years of Liu Sifen's Art and Literature Career" series of activities will be grandly launched on September 26. The activities include "Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting - Comprehensive Exhibition of Liu Sifen's 70

Liu Sifen is in the study.

Liu Sifen’s calligraphy works.

The "70 Years of Liu Sifen's Artistic and Literary Career" series of activities will be grandly launched on September 26. The activities include "Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting - Comprehensive Exhibition of Liu Sifen's 70 Years of Art and Literature", "Batang Poems" series, "Liu Sifen The launch event of the new book "Customized Art and Literature Chronology", the stage play and film and television works adaptation activities of Liu Sifen's historical novel "White Gate Willow", and the "Cultural Bat Hall - Academic Seminar on the Seventy Years of Liu Sifen's Art and Literature Career", comprehensively displaying this A cross-border "generalist" literary and artistic achievement.

In 1944, Liu Sifen was born into a family full of literature and art. His father, Liu Yisheng, was a famous newspaperman, poet and literary critic in early China. He is known as the founder of a new school of modern Chinese poetry appreciation. His works such as "Tang Poetry Xiaozha" have far-reaching influence.

Liu Sifen served as deputy minister of the Propaganda Department of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles. He has profound attainments in novel creation, academic research, art, calligraphy and other fields. He said: "I never set limits on my life." He can switch between different identities with ease. His long historical novel "White Gate Willow" won the fourth Mao Dun Literary Award, the country's highest award for novels. He is the first and only writer in Guangdong to win this honor so far.

He is also engaged in the study of classical literature and has published academic works such as "Selected Poems of Three Lingnan Schools", "Selected Poems of Huang Jie", "Notes on Su Manshu's Poems", "Chen Yinke's Poems in His Later Years and Others". Liu Sifen's interest in recent years has mainly focused on painting. His figure paintings have been exhibited in various places and are known as new literati paintings.

However, although he is regarded as a "generalist" by others, he has always modestly considered himself an "amateur". Liu Sifen nicknamed himself "Bat Hall", referring to himself as a bat that is "like a bird but not a bird, like a beast but not a beast".

He told the reporter the story of a bat: There was a bat who went out to find friends. It went to find animals, but the animals thought it could fly and was a bird, so they refused to accept it. So it had no choice but to look for birds. Unexpectedly, the birds thought that it had no feathers and should be a beast, and refused to accept it. As a result, the bat "has no position" and is unable to advance or retreat. It is quite lonely and embarrassed.

Liu Sifen said, this story reminded me of myself. Due to the influence and teachings of my parents, I have been obsessed with writing and painting since I was a teenager. My biggest "ambition" at that time was to be a cultural person, to be able to make good use of the little understanding God gave me, and to live a fulfilling life. . Unexpectedly, the development of world affairs went against his expectations, and fate pushed him into politics. Although my interest in writing and painting has never diminished, and I have been working tirelessly for my teenage dream, I have never been a "professional" for even a day. The result is this: in the eyes of the writing world, he is engaged in politics (or still paints); in the eyes of the painting world, he is also engaged in politics (or still writes), and in the eyes of his colleagues who are engaged in politics Among them, he also writes and draws. This situation is exactly like the bat in the story. He believes that he is neither a pure writer nor a pure painter, but a free and spontaneous "cross-border" cultural person.

During the interview, the 80-year-old Liu Sifen was always cheerful. Just like his attitude towards life, life is about playing to the fullest. "I have been playing for more than half a century and have no regrets."

a

Talking about the novel "White Gate Willow": Only good works can stand the test of time

Reporter: Why did you write the book "White Gate Willow"?

Liu Sifen: In the spring of 1980, as an entourage of Vice Minister Zhang Jiangming of the Propaganda Department, I went to Guiping, Guangxi to participate in the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Academic Symposium". On the boat passing by the Xijiang River, I was introduced by Wang Xiaoyin to the editor of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Company. Xing Fuyuan talked about historical papers along the way, which was quite congenial. Finally, he asked me to write a historical novel, the length and subject matter of which I would decide.I was influenced by my family since I was a child and have a special liking for traditional Chinese culture. Later I studied in the Chinese Department of Sun Yat-sen University. It has always been a dream of mine to engage in literary creation. Being formally invited to contribute naturally greatly aroused my creative impulse. After coming back, after some consideration, I decided to use the history of the "disintegration of heaven and earth" in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties as the background, with a group of reform-minded intellectuals in the Jiangnan area as the protagonists, and through the bumpy and tortuous roads they have traveled, To reveal the social and historical roots of my country’s early democratic ideas. After submitting my idea to the publishing house and getting approval, I started creating.

Reporter: What was the biggest challenge in writing "White Gate Willow"?

Liu Sifen: The challenges faced in writing "White Gate Willow" were that in addition to having never written a novel before, I also faced two major problems: First, as a native of Lingnan, I can be said to be completely alienated from the customs, mountains and rivers of Jiangnan; I could only rely on historical materials to let my imagination run wild. It wasn’t until I finished writing the first part that I went on a field trip to Jiangnan to catch up on “life.” Second, with a thinker like Huang Zongxi as the protagonist of the novel, how to turn abstract thoughts into images and how to show the growth process of a thinker? Since there have been no similar works before, this also posed a great challenge.

When modern people write historical novels, they must have a higher footing than the ancients, so that they can show the ideological and social development of people today. The great turmoil of dynasty changes in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties caused Chinese society to pay a very heavy price. From such a huge historical turmoil, what exactly did Chinese society gain, and what emerged that could represent the essential progress of the times? After thinking about it, I think it was the birth of early Chinese democratic thought represented by Huang Zongxi, Wang Fuzhi, Gu Yanwu and others. This is something we are born and grew up in, not something imported from the West. It truly represents the progress of the times. Therefore, I decided to use early democratic thought as the theme to express. From this ideological perspective, I reviewed that period of history from the perspective of historical materialism, which was completely different from the previous views.

Reporter: After "White Gate Willow" won the Mao Dun Literature Award, what impact did it have on your creation and life?

Liu Sifen: Winning the Mao Dun Literature Award is an honor, but whether a work wins the award or not is not the most important thing. Only works that can withstand the test of history and time are truly good works. "White Gate Willow" has been recognized and loved by readers for decades from the 1980s to now. I think this is the most important thing. After finishing "White Gate Willow", I stopped writing and turned to painting.

Reporter: After completing the creation of the novel "White Gate Willow", your interest and main energy shifted from writing to painting and calligraphy. Why don't you continue writing novels?

Liu Sifen: This terrible "White Gate Willow" has consumed me for 16 years - from the age of 37 to 53. It can be said that I am the most mature, energetic and sensitive artistic sense in my life, so I am also the most mature person in my life. The most creative stage. In order to write this novel, I have put all my efforts into it, and finally completed it, which can be regarded as a result. Next, of course, you can write something else, but whether the level can be maintained is a question; even if it can be maintained, but there is no breakthrough or transcendence, then there is no need to waste your own energy and the readers' time. What's more, I'm just an amateur author. Whether I write or not depends entirely on my interest. When the interest comes, just work hard day and night; when the interest passes, throw away the pen and quit, and there will be no embarrassment of looking forward and backward. Life lasts only a few decades. Since you already have other goals in mind, why not try to change your way of life?

Maybe I belong to a generation that has personal experience of the years before and after the reform and opening up, so I cherish from the bottom of my heart that I can catch up with today's heyday; facing the vast realm of art, I can't help but feel excited. The feeling of exhausting my spare efforts to visit famous areas and explore all the treasures arises spontaneously; I feel that only in this way can I not live up to the blessings of the times.It was this irresistible "temptation of the times" that made me turn to painting and calligraphy after completing the creation of "White Gate Willow", intending to pursue another dream of my boyhood.

b

Talking about literati paintings: Chinese art should adhere to traditional aesthetic ideals

Reporter: Your literati paintings combine traditional Chinese aesthetic ideals with originality, showing strong personal characteristics. Why did you choose to paint literati paintings?

Liu Sifen: The way of literati painting is to emphasize imitation but emphasis on expression, to emphasize physical resemblance to spiritual resemblance, to emphasize object expression to subject expression, and to emphasize technical aesthetics instead of cultural aesthetics. This style of painting originated in the Tang and Song Dynasties and flourished in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. It dominated the painting world for hundreds of years; its artistic concepts were ahead of the curve even in terms of the world art pattern at that time. It was only in modern times that literati painting declined due to various historical and political reasons. However, this style of painting actually embodies the essence of Chinese national culture at a very high level and should be inherited and carried forward under new historical conditions. In fact, it is only when Chinese society has developed to this day and the Chinese nation looks at itself and faces the world with a more confident attitude that the value of literati painting can be re-recognized and recognized, and it can continue to be continued through the infusion of modern spirit. Possibility of development advancement. For me as a literati, this is undoubtedly another kind of "temptation" that makes people fascinated.

Reporter: How can Chinese paintings better go global?

Liu Sifen: We must not underestimate ourselves, blindly follow the lead of the West, and continue to be a vassal of Western culture. It is about returning to and revitalizing the "tradition" of Chinese art itself. Rediscover the three major strengths of Chinese painting: line modeling, simplicity over complexity, and freehand brushwork, and seek breakthroughs in the direction of promoting the unique personality of national culture. Another very important point is that I think that whether it is current Chinese painting, or China's current oil paintings, prints, sculptures, or even all Chinese art, what must be seriously addressed and always adhere to is the traditional Chinese aesthetic ideal. The aesthetic ideal of a nation is the cultural commanding heights of a nation. Only by standing on the commanding heights can we truly compete with others. The traditional Chinese aesthetic ideal is the golden mean, which is implicit, restrained, not going to extremes, and not thinking too much is too much; it is the so-called poetic teaching of being gentle and honest, resentful but not angry, and sad but not sad. In Chinese tradition, there are many things that are not suitable for painting. For example, death, war, disaster, murder, and bloodshed are not painted. Because these extreme and abnormal manifestations of human society or nature are not in line with Chinese culture's emphasis on survival in this world and the golden mean of "harmony is the most precious". This is very different from Western culture, which is based on persistent religious beliefs. Western art is the highest realm of extreme expression of passion, exhaustive forms revealed, and complex expressions. There is no scruple in painting. War, death, bloodshed, beheading, anatomy, all the things that reveal the "original sin" of mankind and its redemption can be included in the painting. These are two completely different aesthetic ideals. I believe that Chinese painting, as well as other art forms, should always adhere to its own traditional ideals, so that its artistic expression can be unique and distinctive. Only by truly making the other party feel incompetent and feeling inferior can we win the respect and status we deserve in the world.

c

Talking about poetry: The best way to learn traditional culture is to read classical poetry

Reporter: You will launch your new book "Batang Poems" on September 26. What is this book about?

Liu Sifen: The "Batang Poetry" series is a set of 9 volumes, which embodies my achievements in the field of poetry research, and selects the classics of famous Tang poetry, the bold and graceful poetry of the Song Dynasty. Special selections were made of Lingnan poets from the Qing Dynasty and modern times who stood up when faced with national changes and national crises, had noble moral character, sacrificed their lives, and used their pens as torches to arouse the public's awakening. The annotations and annotations of ancient poems use modern translations to eliminate reading barriers for readers, allowing them to fully appreciate the beauty of classical poetry.

Reporter: You have conducted in-depth research on classical poetry and published many academic works. Where did your interest in classical poetry come from?

Liu Sifen: It comes from my mother. My mother loves traditional poetry. At that time, the Pacific War broke out, and she fled to Wuzhou, Guangxi with me in her arms. She also read ancient poems on the way. Influenced by this kind of prenatal education and my mother, I have been particularly sensitive to poetry since I was a child, and I was able to write very good poems by the time I was a teenager. I remember that I wrote a five-character poem on the wall poster for welcoming new classmates at Sun Yat-sen University: "I am happy to have new comrades, and I look at the morning sun in my youth. The whip comes from all directions, and we are tied together. The frosty wind in Mobei is strong, The spring grass grows in the south of the Yangtze River. The red flag must be recognized, and the journey of thousands of miles is full of courage! "

The best way to learn traditional culture is to read classical poetry. Because the authors of classical poetry are ancient literati, they do not think that they have read and written poetry all their lives. They mainly did it for the imperial examination. Because they are familiar with the Four Books, Five Classics and ancient classics, their spirituality and personality, moral values ​​and values ​​have been cultivated since childhood. Under this situation, they write poems, which are full of the profound heritage of traditional Chinese culture. At the same time, classical poetry is an ancient encyclopedia, with mountains, rivers, vegetation, joy, anger, sorrow, and joy all in it. Moreover, ancient poetry is vivid, catchy, and easy to understand. It is a shortcut to enter traditional culture.

d

Talking about myself: After playing for more than half a century, I have no regrets in life

Reporter: Why do you want to hold a series of activities on the 70th anniversary of your artistic career this time?

Liu Sifen: I am already 80 years old. I feel that I should review and summarize my life. I have been playing for more than half a century. I will show you what achievements, experiences, gains and losses you have, and let everyone judge. If it can give you some inspiration or some advice. Enlightenment, I think this is the biggest purpose.

Reporter: After so many years of academic experience, do you have any experience?

Liu Sifen: Classical poetry, historical cultivation and thinking methods are the three pillars of my literary studies for decades. First of all, poetry is full of the spirit of traditional culture. It is a shortcut to enter traditional Chinese culture through classical poetry. The second historical accomplishment is to read history, understand history, and understand the changes of this era. The third is the way of thinking. I think Marxist thinking methods: historical materialism and dialectical materialism are the only correct thinking methods to grasp the essence of things in the three-dimensional space of human activities. It is consistent with the "Book of Changes"'s understanding of the changes in the universe, the traditional Chinese materialist proposition of "having enough food and clothing, knowing honor and disgrace; having sufficient warehouses, knowing etiquette", and the people's appeal of "not worrying about scarcity but worrying about inequality". Nowadays, many people do not pay attention to thinking methods. If they do not master thinking methods, they will look at all problems in a fog.

Reporter: How to innovate in artistic creation?

Liu Sifen: My novel creation, calligraphy and painting creation, all have a unique personal aspect, and they are rarely repeated. But from my own perspective, I have never deliberately innovated. As long as you give full play to your talents, education, ideas and life experiences, it must be new. The author has no intention of seeking novelty, but readers feel that it is novel.

Take my writing of "White Gate Willow" as an example. I use the concept of historical materialism to examine and think about the history of the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, and understand the political and social phenomena at that time, the judgment of loyalty and evil, and even the relationship between men and women. Naturally everything will be different from the ancients. And using the method of Western realist novels to create will naturally be very different from ancient novels. Of course, as a historical and cultural novel, my accumulation and grasp of Chinese classical culture will undoubtedly play an important role.

In short, I have never deliberately innovated, and I don’t even want to call it innovation. But as long as I fully mobilize and display all my talents, education and accumulation, it will naturally become something new and different. Many artists don't understand this truth, and they always try their best to come up with something new. In fact, it is not necessarily new, and they are often "copied" from others.

Reporter: Do you have any regrets in life?

Liu Sifen: I have no regrets anymore. I have overfulfilled my tasks. I have done everything as a writer, painter, calligrapher, and scholar. I have done everything. It is recommended that everyone play fully and unleash their full potential. It is up to God to decide to what extent.

Reporter: Do you have any suggestions or messages for young people?

Liu Sifen: Human potential is multi-faceted, and it is by no means that we can only do one thing. You won’t know if it works until you try it, so young people should try in many ways to give full play to their potential. You still have a lot of youth to squander, don’t be so nervous, I still won’t accomplish anything before I’m 35. The more you prepare, the more you accumulate. Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. Modern society is developing very fast, and many new things are emerging, which also bring many opportunities. The question is whether you are ready and whether you can seize the opportunities. At the same time, we should make use of our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, and figure out where our strengths and weaknesses are. For example, my foreign language is a mess, I am not good at mathematics, and I am not good at singing and dancing. These are my shortcomings. It is difficult to make up for shortcomings. You must recognize your strengths and maximize them. What you can best grasp are your strengths and your talents.

Written by: Nandu reporter Xu Xiaolei intern Ye Jiayi