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The Peoples Republic of China will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2009. Looking back at the past 60 years in the capacity of a journalist, I cant help but admire a generation of literary masters from the pre-New-China years who made unforgettable contributions to the cultural prosperity of the Peoples Republic. In particular, the private libraries of the four following masters are evidence of their contribution. I have photos of these libraries and will provide background information on these libraries and their owners.

Bing Xins Library

Taken in 1990, the picture portrays the library of Bing Xins library. Bing Xin (1900-1999) rose to national prominence in the May Fourth New Culture Movement in the early 20th century. She and her husband Wu Wenzao came back to Beijing in the autumn of 1951 via Hong Kong under the pretext that they needed to make some more arrangements in Hong Kong before setting out to work in Harvard. Bing Xin made contributions to the literary prosperity of New China. She published stories, translated some foreign writers, and visited foreign countries as friendship ambassador. And she read books all her life. I photographed her in her sitting room in my 1983 visit to her house. At that time her 8-m2 bedroom doubled as her study. After moving to an apartment in Professors Building of the Central University for Nationalities, she had her large library as seen in this photo.

She loved books all her lifetime. In her evening years she declared life began at 80. She wrote memorable essays. She emphasized the importance of education and reading for the future generations.

Xia Yans Library

This photo was taken in 1991 at Xia Yans home. In 1929, Xia Yan (1900-1995) joined the League of Leftist Writers, a literary organization that leaned toward communism. As a writer, he produced influential works. In 1954 he was appointed vice minister of the Ministry of Culture. He observed that in the early years of New China, prominent Chinese writers in USA and Japan such as Cao Yu, Lao She, Huang Wu and Bing Xin came back to China. Wu Zuguang and Zhong Jingwen came back to the motherland from Hong Kong. They contributed to the cultural foundation of New China.

Talking about books and reading, Xia Yan said that books classified and united people. According to Xia, the Chinese literati were steeped in the tradition of reading books and there are numerous book lovers. How could history and thought pass down from one generation to another without books? He criticized the narrow-minded and myopic practices that crippled writers and hurt cultural undertakings.

Xia Yan read extensively and yet interactively. He had cataract operations twice in his twilight years and had to use a magnifying glass for reading. As shown in the picture, books and magazines were everywhere in his small library. Xia stressed that it was most important to understand what books said and figure out important issues. He insisted that the number of valuable books in a library did not matter.

Yu Guangyuans Library

The picture was taken in 1992 at the house of Yu Guangyuan (1915- ). The preeminent scholar has a huge collection of books. He reads books in both Chinese and foreign languages. He reads, among other things, sociology, politics and economics. With unique contributions to theoretical issues such as political economics, reform, state policies, Yu Guangyuan gives priority to extensive reading, which he says has pushed back his horizons. He comments that reading, his great pleasure and pastime, is beneficial to both his mental and physical health.

Yu Guangyuan is best known within the academic circles for his razor-sharp viewpoints and profound knowledge. The prolific writer has diligently explored the experiences, drawbacks, setbacks of the development since 1949. He has written books and papers on key subjects. His scrutiny of the past and the present spans theoretical fields and goes beyond his personal experience, reflecting his understanding of the realities and the books he has read. His books and papers mirror the progress modern China has experienced. He comments that many theoretical writings suffer under close scrutiny because writers lack creativity and they read not extensively enough.

Xiao Qians Library

This photo was taken in 1993 at the house of Xiao Qian (1910-1999), a World War II journalist who spent his war years in Europe. When he came back to China, he devoted himself to journalism and research in the field of cultural history. He translated the Tales by Shakespeare and The Good Soldier Svejk. In his evening years, he translated “Ulysses” by James Joyce in partnership with his wife Wen Jieruo. Other key works he wrote in his last years include “Miscellaneous Memoirs of Old Beijing”, “Miscellaneous Memoirs of Cultural Revolution” and “Miscellaneous Memoirs of the European War”.

The library at Xiao Qians house was full of books. Books were heaped like hills. Xiao Qian said that he had benefited from reading persistently and extensively. He pointed out that one cant avoid superficiality if one reads and commits oneself to things for utilitarian purposes. □