China and the West

Discussion of David Kuebrich with Zhao Luorui.
Zhao rejects the idea of a free translation in favor of being as faithful as possible to the original. Striving for a meticulous fidelity to both Walt Whitman's content and style, she revises repeatedly in search of a judicious blend of accuracy, fluency, and what she speaks of as 'idiomatic grasp'. Commenting on the relative difficulty of translating Whitman, Zhao says that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was 'easy'. T.S. Eliot lent himself to a rather literal translation ; Henry James was 'very difficult', but Whitman is 'impossible'.

Gu Cheng traces his first reading of Whitman to his adolescence in the 1960s, but he claimed that the dynamic impact of Leaves of grass never really hit him until 1983, when he was in search of a new poetics.
"Eager to unveil the page of heart
But I happened to pen
Selected poems from Leaves of Grass
With the shadow of the eupatorium
Shading a live-oak."

[Mansfield, Katherine]. Mansifei'erde duan pian xiao shuo xuan [ID D30023].
Fang Ping schreibt im Nachwort : "… Fiction that exposes social maladies and reveals the dark sides of capitalist society usually belongs to the critical realist traditions. Mansfield was a woman writer with a profoundly artistic temperament. Although she clearly demonstrates in her writing that she is not the sort of artist who shuts herself up in the chamber of pure art – in her stories unfortunate women and suffering children appear again and again, characterized with care and sympathy – to her, art ought to be art in the final analysis. She wrote in the way an artist paints, taking particular care with colours, lines and composition. .. She experiences and represented life in a way that was unique to herself. She avoided employing naturalistic techniques to give a direct transcript of shocking scenes in real life… If Mansfield devoted all her talent and native intelligence to achieve a refined, transcendent, almost impassive style in her writing, she was not other-worldly, nor detached from any human feelings. She loved and hated, and she loved humane people… "

Aufführung von The Cuchulain cycle by W.B. Yeats. [At the hawk's well, On Baile's strand, The only jealousy of Emer, The death of Cuchulain]. May 28-29, 1983, under the auspices of the National Science Council of the Republic of China at National Taiwan Normal University. Regie : Richard Londraville. Mitarbeiterin : Professor Chi-hsia Tai, National Fu-Hsing Dramatic Arts Academy, Taipei. Assistant : Fang Po.

Londraville, Richard. Staging of the Cuchulain cycle by W.B. Yeats. Yeats never seemed satisfied with the music commissioned for his plays. The dance which he wanted was much closer to Oriental than to Western form.
I chose to produce Yeasts in the style of the Chinese opera, but to take advantage of a tradition which is very close to Yeats's own dramatic criteria. The dance is stately and dignified, yet remarkably evocative, suggesting emotions ranging from the heat of battle to the sorrow of a grieving widow. The costumes are so stylized as to be recognized by the audience immediately, and in spite of the beautiful silks and embroidery there is no problem in distinguishing between a faithful wife and a harlot, a general and a scholar. Music presents a problem in that the gongs and drums of the Wu-chang section of the orchestra are usually too loud to be used when the actors are speaking. For the more delicate dances I have chosen Chinese filk melodies. In an attempt to make use of the kind of instruments favored by Yeats, I have included the bambook flute, the Pi-pah and the Chêng.
One of the traditions of the Chinese theater which I shall use virtually without alteration is masking. Both the painted faces and the masks of the characters in Chinese drama correspond almost exactly with the types of characters in Yeats's plays. Thus my Chinese audience will be able to recognize heroes, villains, and clowns before they utter a line of dialogue.
A felt that my choice of Yeats's four plays should be among those which were closest to the spirit of the Chinese drama.
Reviews
David Wei-yang Dai, China times ; May 19, 1983.
It seems that Yeats took an imaginary trip to China. If he were still alive and saw this production, he would be glad that his ideals of the theater have been realized through an old stag convention.
Tzhy-lai Huang, Ming-sheng daily news ; May 29, 1983.
This is the first time that an English play is staged in the style of Chinese drama. It is an attempt to present a form of art enriched by the connection, with a cross-cultural consciousness, of Eastern and Western ideas.
Chun-ming Ying, Ming-sheng daily news ; May 29, 1983.
This innovative attempt will arouse refreshed interest in and better esteem of Chinese drama, especiall in the young generations.
Central daily news ; May 31, 1983.
What a marvelous play ! Foreign audiences were greatly amused, and Chinese audiences were enthralled. The script itself has been the weakest point of Chinese drama. The form of representation has been perfectly refined after a long history of development. Yet the scenario itself is lagging behind. If this innovative experiment is well accepted, we may also try to stage other world plays in the style of Chinese drama.
Letter from Richard Brzustowicz ; June 6, 1983.
I feel that Yeats's work has very immediate cultural relevance to the current state of Chinese culture…

Yi, Wubing. Lüe lun Deng dai Geduo ji qi ta [ID D30774].
The techniques in Waiting for Godot successfully presented the social reality of an absurd contemporary Western society. The absurd themes and techniques are seamlessly one. However, the play was informed by the bourgeoisie philosophy, particularly its idealism and mysticism. It portrays irrational and illogical characters, and it promotes 'unconscious instincts', thus resulting in a play that is opaque and even harmful to prevent the people from knowing and reforming the world.

Qu, Shijing. Beikete de fan xiao shuo [ID D30775].
The first critical stuy of Beckett's Trilogy, in which Qu read the three novels in the context of anti-fiction, noting that Beckett's characters were 'dehumanized human beings thrown into existence in the world of existential philosophy, who represent the decadent and twisted ideology of the bourgeois. Beckett's methods of composition are not only irrational but abstract.

Anthology of English literature annotated in Chinese = Yingguo wen xue ming pian xuan zhu [ID D31008].
Yang Zhouhan portrayed Donne as a unique poet who simultaneously challenged his predecessors but defied later imitations. He viewed Donne's poetry as a record of the inner sufferings of the poet constantly struggling to fit into the new faith ; and above all, he read Donne's prose as what he called 'diluted poetry'.

Lisa Rofel erhält den M.A. der Stanford University.

Aufführung von Yi jiu ba si =一九八四 = Nineteen eighty four : a novel von George Orwell durch das Luofuguo jiao yu xue yuan xue sheng hui zhou nian xi ju = Northcote College of Education Students' Association in Hong Kong.

Haffenden, John. Talks to Iris Murdoch. In : Literary review ; vol. 58 (April, 1983).
In the interview, Iris Murdoch described her as a 'Christian Buddhist'.

Sun Tzu [Sunzi]. The art of war. Ed. & with a foreword by James Clavell. [ID D33470].
Foreword
Sun Tzu wrote this extraordinary book in China two and a half thousand years ago. It begins:
The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected.
It ends:
Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results. Spies are a most important element in war, because upon them depends an army’s ability to move.
I truly believe that if our military and political leaders in recent times had studied this work of genius, Vietnam could not have happened
as it happened; we would not have lost the war in Korea (we lost because we did not achieve victory); the Bay of Pigs could not have occurred; the hostage fiasco in Iran would not have come to pass; the British Empire would not have been dismembered; and, in all probability, World Wars I and II would have been avoided—certainly they would not have been waged as they were waged, and the millions of youths obliterated unnecessarily and stupidly by monsters calling themselves generals would have lived out their lives.
Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
I find it astounding that Sun Tzu wrote so many truths twenty-five centuries ago that are still applicable today—especially in his chapter on the use of spies, which I find extraordinary. I think this little book shows clearly what is still being done wrong, and why our present opponents are so successful in some areas (Sun Tzu is obligatory reading in the Soviet political-military hierarchy and has been available in Russian for centuries; it is also, almost word for word, the source of all Mao Tse-tung's Little Red Book of strategic and tactical doctrine).
Even more importantly, I believe The Art of War shows quite clearly how to take the initiative and combat the enemy—any enemy.
Sun Tzu wrote: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
Like Machiavelli's The Prince and Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings, Sun Tzu's truths, contained herein, can equally show the way to victory in all kinds of ordinary business conflicts, boardroom battles, and in the day to day fight for survival we all endure—even in the battle of the sexes! They are all forms of war, all fought under the same rules—his rules.
The first time I ever personally heard about Sun Tzu was at the races in Happy Valley in Hong Kong in 1977. A friend, P.G. Williams, a steward of the Jockey Club, asked me if I had ever read the book. I said no, and he told me that he would be happy to send me a copy the next day. When the book arrived, I left it unread. Then one day, weeks later, I picked it up. I was totally shocked that in all of my reading about Asia, about Japan and China particularly, I had not come across this book before. Since that time it has been a constant companion for me, so much so that during the course of the writing of Noble House many of the characters in it refer to Sun Tzu in all his glory. I think his work is fantastic. Hence this version of his book.
Unfortunately little is known of the man himself or of when he wrote the thirteen chapters. Some ascribe them to approximately 500 B.C. in the Kingdom of Wu, some to approximately 300 B.C.
About 100 B.C. one of his chroniclers, Su-ma Ch'ien, gives this biography:
Sun Tzu, whose personal name was Wu, was a native of the Ch'i state. His Art of War brought him to the notice of Ho Lu, King of Wu. Ho Lu said to him, "I have carefully perused your thirteen chapters. May I submit your theory of managing soldiers to a slight test?"
Sun Tzu replied, "You may."
The king asked, "May the test be applied to women?"
The answer was again in the affirmative, so arrangements were made to bring 180 ladies out of the palace. Sun Tzu divided them into two companies and placed one of the king's favorite concubines at the head of each. He then made them all take spears in their hands and addressed them thus: "I presume you know the difference between front and back, right hand and left hand?"
The girls replied, "Yes."
Sun Tzu went on. "When I say 'eyes front,' you must look straight ahead. When I say 'left turn,' you must face toward your left hand. When I say 'right turn,' you must face toward your right hand. When I say 'about turn,' you must face right around toward the back."
Again the girls assented. The words of command having been thus explained, he set up the halberds and battle-axes in order to begin the drill. Then to the sound of drums he gave the order 'right turn,' but the girls only burst out laughing.
Sun Tzu said patiently, "If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame." He started drilling them again and this time gave the order "left turn," whereupon the girls once more burst into fits of laughter.
Then he said, "If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders are clear and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers." So saying, he ordered the leaders of the two companies to be beheaded.
Now the King of Wu was watching from the top of a raised pavilion, and when he saw that his favorite concubines were about to be executed, he was greatly alarmed and hurriedly sent dow’n the following message: "We are now quite satisfied as to our general's ability to handle troops. If we are bereft of these two concubines, our meat and drink will lose their savor. It is our wish that they shall not be beheaded."
Sun Tzu replied even more patiently: "Having once received His Majesty's commission to be general of his forces, there are certain commands of His Majesty which, acting in that capacity, I am unable to accept." Accordingly, and immediately, he had the two leaders beheaded and straightaway installed the pair next in order as leaders in their place. When this had been done the drum was sounded for the drill once more. The girls went through all the evolutions, turning to the right or to the left, marching ahead or wheeling about, kneeling or standing, with perfect accuracy and precision, not venturing to utter a sound.
Then Sun Tzu sent a messenger to the king saying: "Your soldiers, sire, are now properly drilled and disciplined and ready for Your Majesty's inspection. They can be put to any use that their sovereign may desire. Bid them go through fire and water and they will not now disobey."
But the king replied: "Let our general cease drilling and return to camp. As for us, we have no wish to come down and inspect the troops."
Thereupon Sun Tzu said calmly: "The king is only fond of words and cannot translate them into deeds."
After that the King of Wu saw that Sun Tzu was one who knew how to handle an army, and appointed him general. In the west Sun Tzu defeated the Ch'u state and forced his way into Ying, the capital; to the north he put fear into the states of Ch'i and Chin, and spread his fame abroad among the feudal princes. And Sun Tzu shared in the might of the kingdom.
So Sun Tzu became a general for the King of Wu. For almost two decades the armies of Wu were victorious over their hereditary enemies, the Kingdom of Yueh and Ch'u. Sometime within this period Sun Tzu died and his patron, the King of Wu, was killed in a battle. For a few years his descendants followed the precepts of Sun Tzu and continued to be victorious. And then they forgot.
In 473 B.C. the armies of Wu were defeated and the kingdom made extinct.
In 1782 The Art of War was first translated into French by a Jesuit, Father Amiot. There is a legend that this little book was Napoleon's key to success and his secret weapon. Certainly his battles depended upon mobility, and mobility is one of the things that Sun Tzu stresses. Certainly Napoleon used all of Sun Tzu to his own advantage to conquer most of Europe. It was only when he failed to follow Sun Tzu's rules that he was defeated.
The Art of War was not translated into English until 1905. The first English translation was by P. F. Calthrop. The second, the one that you will read here, is by Lionel Giles, originally published in Shanghai and London in 1910. I have taken a few liberties with this translation to make it a little more accessible—any translation from ancient Chinese to another language is to a certain extent a point of view and have inserted some of Giles's notes, according to the Chinese method, immediately after the passages to wrhich they refer.
I have also, for simplicity, deliberately eliminated all accents over Chinese names and places. It is, really, almost impossible to translate the Chinese sounds of a character into Roman lettering. Again, for simplicity, I've used the old-fashioned method of spelling. Let all scholars great and small please excuse me!
I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this book. Sun Tzu deserves to be read. I would like to make The Art of War obligatory study for all our serving officers and men, as well as for all politicians and all people in government and all high schools and universities in the free world. If I were a commander in chief or president or prime minister I would go further: I would have written into law that all officers, particularly all generals, take a yearly oral and written examination on these thirteen chapters, the passing mark being 95 percent—any general failing to achieve a pass to be automatically and summarily dismissed without appeal, and all other officers to have automatic demotion.
I believe, very much, that Sun Tzu's knowledge is vital to our survival. It can give us the protection we need to watch our children grow in peace and thrive.
Always remember, since ancient times, it has been known that... "the true object of war is peace."

Miller, Arthur. Salesman in Beijing [ID D34735].
There is another China here than the one I glimpsed five years ago and the one I have read about. In those societies the leveling dogma could never have been so openly contradicted, nor would it have been greeted with free laughter…
There is much tree planting going on, and along the road in from the airport hundreds of acres of nursery containing sophora mainly, but a few other quick-growing species I sould not identify, there being no leaves yet. An immense number of apartment-block guildings, some of them completed and occupied, has filled up whole neighborhoods that were open land five years ago…
One cannot help wondering why the Chinese xould not have accomplished more by this time, and the answer seems partly their stupefying ideology, which has crippled their natural ingenuity, stunned them. They themselves seem to feel something similar now ; they are apparently no longer interested in being angry at Jiang Qing and the Gang of Four who led them backward, and simply want to get on with modernizing the country…
The current hop is that if a controlled amount of private enterprise is unleashed, the national wealth will multiply. In Chinese terms, it is an unacknowledged recognition of what has long been denied : that it may be necessary for a bourgeois interval to precede socialism, that primitive accumulation and development is necessary, after all, before there is something worth socializing. But as contradictory as it sounds, the values of Communism and feudalism are kin – the stress on selfless service rather than individual aggrandizement, the concept of fealty to a hallowed leader or social unit rather than a one-to-one relationship between the individual and his inalienable rights, and higher authority extending up to God…
An interesting short discussion with Ying the other moring on China's isolation led directly to a talk about the two thought-systems China has laid upon herself : first the Confucian, and on top of that, The Marxist. Correct behavior is decreed from cradle to grave – obligations to family and state, relations between the sexes – a veritable web is woven in the Confucian system to catch the individual wherever he tries to move. On top of this grid another, the Marxist, set of obligations is overlaid. But the heavy emphasis on chastity in Chinese Marxist practice is unique – chastity, that is, as a social good. After all, Marx had an illegitimate son and Engels several children out of wedlock…
Yesterday the Chinese Government announced that it was canceling all cultural and athletic cooperation with the United States because of the Hu Na affair. This nineteen-year-old tennis player has decided not to return here…
At the Foreign Languages Institute, where I spent an hour in the afternoon with a dozen faculty and thirty or so graduate students, I learned that there is really no set system behind their decisions as to what foreign works to translate. Heller's Catch-22 is now very popular, and Bellow's Humbold's Gift. Agatha Christie, however, beats everyone else, with at least fice different translations of the same book… Perhaps my awareness of this contributed to my feeling that students and faculty here had no great forward motion, no driving philosophical concept, out of which to form new ideas. It was not an atmosphere of fear of expressing unorthodox thought but of not having yna, it seemed to me…
Whether speaking to foreigner of Chinese, one is constantly told that most of the people support the Deng program. At the same time there is always a line of applicants at the American Embassy seeking emigration visas. This may be not so much a contradiction as proof that there is less difficulty and stigma connected with emigrating than there as before Deng Xiaoping took over…
April 19. Last evening to dinner with Gladys Yang and her husband, Hsien Liu Yang. April 20. In the evening we return to visit Hsien Liu Yang and Gladys Yang, and their two guests, the cartoonist Hua jünwu and Zhang Jie, whose stremely popular novella Gladys has anthologized and which has been made into a hit movie…
April 24. Train from Beijing to Datong… The famous grottoes and hour's dirve from the coal and textile town of Datong are a kind of celestial theatre carved into the sandstone mountain in the mid-fifth century. Vaulted idol-houses, actually, where immense Buddhas sit, one of them four or so stories in height, surrounded with dancing attendants, saints, women servants, and guardians – all carved into the walls of the place in a single integral piece directly out of the rock within the room itself, rather than borught from outside...

Aufführung von Tui xiao yuan zhi si = Death of a salesman = 推銷員之死 von Arthur Miller, unter der Regie von Daniel S.P. Yang, Hong Kong Repertory theatre, 1983.

Guido Samarani ist Assistant Professor di Storia della Cina, Università Ca' Foscari, Venezia.

Mario Sabattini ist consigliere di amministrazione dell'Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia.

Film von Ye dian = The lower depths nach Gorky, Maxim. Na dne. (Moskau : Aprelevskii zavod, 1902) in Beijing und Shanghai.

Ausstellung der National Art Gallery in Beijing. Zum ersten Mal werden in China Original-Werke von Pablo Picasso ausgestellt.

The Jiangsu Beijing Opera Troupe reist in Australien.

Australian landscape painting exhibition in Beijing.

Albrecht Conze ist Vize-Konsul in Hongkong.