EACS-2016. Book of Abstracts

Modern Literature 21st Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies 50 reoccur in Frog, a novel about the family planning policy and “a self-criticism,” in Mo Yan’s own words, as he had advised his wife to abort their second child. The female protagonist of the novel is portrayed as a half-angel-half-devil woman. A brilliant obstetrician who brings thousands of babies to the world, she is also a committed member of the Communist Party who loyally defends and carries out the party policy and conducts many abortions, and is therefore condemned as a baby-killing demon. Focusing on Frog and analyzing how the novelist utilizes frog, the totemic animal of fertilization, as a metaphor for a legendary female human creator to whom all children, generation after generation, owe their lives, this paper suggests that the novel is a narrative of the novelist’s traumatic past and that it eventually evolves into a political allegory in which some subtle details invite a daring interpretation, relating the aborted babies to the young people who lost their lives in Beijing in the summer of 1989. Chen Shuowin (National Chung Hsing University) Hymn of Beauty in the Tides: Study on ZhuWeiji’s Aesthetic LiteraryWorks and Translations in Shanghai during the 1930s Key words: aesthetic literature, Zhu Weiji, Green Association, Shanghai during 1930s, cultural translation During the late 1920s and early 1930s in Shanghai, a number of social groups advocating Aestheticism emerged, one of which was the Green Association. The members of the Green Association included Zhu Weiji ( 朱維基 ), Lin Weiyin ( 林微音 ), and Xia Laidi ( 夏萊蒂 ), among others. They released several publi- cations such as Green (lu, 綠 ), Sounds and Colors (Shengse, 聲色 ), and Poetry (Shipian, 詩篇 ) in different years. Among the members, Zhu was the soul of the association. In addition to editing the aforementioned publications and composing Poetry, Zhu (1904–1971) also devoted himself to creative works. He eventually translated the theory of literature and art by Walter Pater, a British Aesthete (1839–1894), and numerous Western aesthetic literary works. For instance, in collaboration with Fang Xin, he co-translated the poetry collection Narcissus, which included Charles Baudelaire’s work(1821–1867), and Collected Shorter Fic- tion by Ernest Dowson (1867–1900). Zhu’s preface to Poetry urged its readers “to fight against the tides of time in order to preserve art,” and this influenced the common practice of Aesthetic Literature in the literary circles at that time. However, Zhu’s life, his literary achievements, and his contributions through translations seldom arouse interest among researchers. By re-arranging and analyzing Zhu’s works and translations, as well as his views on art and literature and his criticism of Aestheticism in foreign countries in Green and Poetry, this article hopes to find out how Zhu’s works and translations overcame cultural barriers and transformed the British and French Aesthetic literary elements to interact with the local tra- ditional literature, thereby forming a distinctive Shanghai writing style. The article will also analyze his literary viewpoints and how his translation works showcased the characteristics of Aesthetic Literature in Shanghai during the 1930s. Cheung Lik-kwan (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) Philosophy of Life and Buddhism for Human Life: On Qu Qiubai and Taixu’s Reception of Bergsonism Key words: Qu Qiubai, Taixu, Bergsonism, Buddhism for Human Life, Chinese Leftist intellectuals Henri Bergson was an influential French philosopher from the 1890s to the 1930s. By the WWI, all his major works were translated into most European languages. He was the Nobel Laureate in Literature in 1927. However, his influence dissipated quickly after the Second World War. Bergson was equally famous among intellectuals in early twentieth century China. John Dewey delivered a series of six lectures, titled “Three Contemporary Philosophers,” in Beijing, March 1920. Dewey’s Lectures started the “Bergson Fever” in Republican China. Bergson’s influence in Republican China lasted for about 30 years. Major Western Marxist theoreticians usually categorize Bergson and vitalist philosophers as irrationalists and