Only when you have beauty in your heart can you see the beauty of life - Zhu Guangqian's Letters on Beauty

The long past was just a dark sky. The reason why we can still recognize this dark sky is all thanks to the few stars scattered by thinkers and artists. Friends, let us cherish these few stars! Let us also try to spread a few stars to shine on the future, which is as dark as the past.

In 1932, China was in a critical moment of national survival. The land was in flames and people's livelihood was devastated. The three northeastern provinces had fallen to the Japanese cavalry. The Battle of Shanghai and Songhu ended tragically. The Chinese army After continuous defeats, the Kuomintang launched its fourth encirclement and suppression campaign against the Red Army...

At this time, a 35-year-old young scholar studying abroad was concentrating on his studies and writings. He "thought it over and decided to come and talk about beauty with you." Because this young man felt that Chinese society was so Too bad, it’s not entirely a system problem, it’s mostly due to bad people’s hearts.

So he wanted to cleanse people's hearts and seek beautification of life, so he wrote articles about beauty, and talked about his views on beauty, life, ideals, and youth growth. This established his status as a leading figure in Chinese aesthetics.

This young man is Zhu Guangqian. At this time, he may not have realized that when he returns to his motherland two years later, he will not only experience the life-and-death struggle of the country and the nation, but also a fierce confrontation between Western aesthetics and Chinese tradition in the ideological world. His writings started a magnificent revolutionary process.

The biggest result of this struggle is: the birth of modern Chinese aesthetics.

Everything is the best arrangement of fate. Mr. Zhu Guangqian’s contribution to modern Chinese aesthetics is like the brightest star in the dark sky.

86 years ago, that young man prophetically wrote these words in the preface to "Talk about Beauty":

The past is just a dark sky, so we are still Those who can recognize this dark sky rely solely on the few stars scattered by thinkers and artists. Friends, let us cherish these few stars! Let us also try to spread a few stars to shine on the future, which is as dark as the past.

After 1986, re-reading Zhu Guangqian’s four works ("On Cultivation", "Twelve Letters to Youth", "On Beauty" and "On Beauty Letters") again gives us the opportunity to brush away the ambiguity of history. Dust, revisit this aesthetic classic again.

(1)

Only when you have beauty in your heart can you see the beauty of the world

Mr. Zhu Guangqian said in the book that beauty does not fall from the sky; It is half in the object and half in you, in your hands.

In reality, many people cannot feel beauty because their hearts are obscured by too much clutter. Looking at some of the current social news, a driver was angry when he drove a bus into a river and a passenger drowned. A man walking his dog without a leash in a community was beaten when passers-by criticized him. It can be felt that although it is because of trivial matters, people's hearts are filled with hostility and their minds are filled with petty things. Overcrowded and incompetent, tragedies continue to occur.

The benevolent see the mountains, the wise see the water. Facing the vast ocean, Cao Cao casually recited the famous poem "Guan Cang Hai". Because he has the ambition to unify the world in his heart and has a culture that understands the past and the present, he can not only see the sea and rocks, but also the movement of the sun and the moon, the brilliance of the stars, and the beauty of the entire world.

In fact, the love of beauty is inherent in everyone. However, the flower of nature also needs constant care, timely watering, and constant maintenance and cultivation, so that this flower of nature can thrive, bloom its own beauty, and illuminate the beauty of the world.

No matter what profession we are engaged in or what affairs we are busy with, we should not forget to listen to music, read classics, appreciate paintings and sculptures, imprint beautiful images in our hearts, and often feel the influence of beauty, and naturally we will have fewer dirty thoughts. .

Perhaps, beauty has settled deep in your heart as soon as you raise your eyes.

(2)

The art of life lies in the habitat of poetry.

Mr. Zhu Guangqian once said that the life of a poem cannot be maintained by the author alone, but also requires the help of readers. Readers' imaginations and emotions are endless, and so is the life of a poem.

We may not be poetry writers, but we should learn to appreciate the beauty of poetry. In fact, there is poetry everywhere in life, when birds soar in the sky, when flowers bloom on the earth, when people’s faces A smile blooms on the face, and poetry begins to flow in life.

Life is originally a poem with different styles. But just as there are good and bad poems, there are also beautiful and less beautiful poems in life. In daily life, many people also feel that life day after day is boring. The people and things they encounter every day are boring and boring. The reason is the lack of aesthetic cultivation, obsession with fame and fortune, drifting with the world, and no "light of heaven" in their hearts. "Cloud Shadow", I cannot understand the poem of life.

The so-called artistic life is the true life. As we pursue poetry, our horizons will gradually expand, and we will feel that life is more meaningful, and the world of life will become more and more rich and magnificent.

Live your life as a poem, this is the best way to live.

(3)

The uselessness of beauty is its greatest value

After experiencing the ups and downs of the times and the test of blood and fire, Mr. Zhu Guangqian said with deep emotion: Thousands or tens of thousands of years from now, what meaning will the "imperialism", "anti-imperialism", "chairman", "representative", "movie star" and so on that are so turbulent now have to people?

Many vigorous heroes and beauties have passed away, as have many vigorous successes and failures. Only beauty is truly immortal.

In the fast-paced modern life, we are busy every day, catching up with the shuttle bus to work, completing performance appraisal indicators, and grabbing discounted clothes online, but we always forget to look for beauty.

On the surface, beauty may be the least useful. Beautiful things, such as a poem, a picture, a sculpture, a piece of music, etc., cannot help us make money, cannot fill our stomachs, and even waste our time and energy.

But there are always some people who are still pursuing beauty relentlessly and constantly creating beauty.

Because humans are not much different from animals in the material aspect, they are always restricted by nature and are slaves of nature; but on the spiritual level, humans can completely transcend the constraints of nature, create and appreciate the beauty of art, and become The master of nature.

To receive more aesthetic education is to learn more about how to liberate yourself from natural limitations, transform from a slave to a god, and fully feel human dignity.

So, beauty is the most valuable aspect of things, and beauty is the most valuable feeling in life.

In the current impetuous society, the so-called intellectual elites and life mentors are all selling anxiety and urging you to run, but there are few wise and honest masters who can give us a warm and gentle explanation of what is the meaning of running. Truth, goodness and beauty. Thank you for meeting Mr. Zhu Guangqian and the book "Beauty in a Calm Life".

Finally, I can’t help but share again the story of the Alpine road sign that Mr. Zhu Guangqian told us at the end of his 1932 article on beauty.

On the road to the most beautiful Alpine scenic spot in Europe, there is a placard that reads: Walk slowly and enjoy!

Many people live in this world of cars and horses, just like driving in a car in the Alpine valley. They rush by in a hurry and have no time to look back and linger on the scenery, so this rich and gorgeous world becomes It became a lifeless prison.

What a pity this is! Friends, before bidding farewell, I adopted the slogan on the Alpine road and added three words of gift under the Chinese farewell idiom:

"Walk slowly and appreciate it!"