Seeing the clouds in Yunnan ~ Shen Congwen's article

Author: Shen Congwen

Yunnan is named after clouds, but after a year and a half, mainlanders will definitely be similar to locals. For the clouds in Yunnan, except for the knowledge of sunny and rainy days, they will never simply appreciate its beauty. After seeing Mr. Lu Xilin's photography, many people will wake up again and realize that they were born or lived in Yunnan. One of the characteristics of Yunnan is that the clouds in the sky have changed surprisingly. Especially in the evening, the color, shape and demeanor of the clouds are really touching. The war gave many people an education about life, walked many roads, crossed many bridges, slept many beds, and suffered many unimaginable hardships. However, what really has profound educational significance may be that many places have their own weather, and different weather affects a little personnel. Clouds are local: the clouds in the north of China are thick, and so are people. The clouds in the south are lively, so are people. The clouds on the seashore are fantastic, and the clouds on the Bohai Sea and the South Sea are different, just as the people on the two seashores have different temperaments. The clouds in Henan and Hebei are yellow, and it seems that you can make a nest head by grabbing it. The clouds are thick and fine, and people are thick and fine. The clouds in Hunan are gray, hanging in the sky for many years, and there is no character at all. However, orange chili pepper is produced in a large number in this place, and it has matured in this weather, but it has increased the development and enterprising spirit of Hunan people. Although the clouds in Sichuan are similar to those in Hunan, Emei in Wuxia stands between the sky, and the peaks divide and thicken the clouds. The clouds have life and people have life. On the rich colors, the clouds on the sea surface of Qingdao should be second to none. Sometimes the five colors are in harmony, ever-changing, and the sky is like a brocade carpet with novel patterns. Sometimes pure and pure, the sky only sees a piece of green jade, and there is nothing else, which seems to make people feel light, gentle and musical. For most of the year, the sky is a magical picture, with the breath of youth, which stirs up people's fantasies and dreams, and a mirage appears under this sky. Mirage is not always in people's eyes, but it will always be in people's hearts. It is not unreasonable that the career of Qin Huang Hanwu also ended in a dream of eternal youth. The cloud in Yunnan gives people a very different impression. Its characteristic is simplicity, which affects people's temperament. It should also be sincere and simple. Clouds in Yunnan seem to be made of snow and ice from Tibetan mountains and perennial heat waves in the South China Sea through a magical procedure. The tone is surprisingly simple. Only simplicity shows greatness. Especially around dusk in Enigmatic, the scenery is very moving. It is completely ink painting, and the style is detached and bold. Sometimes the corner of the sky is as black as a piece of paint. Although its color is unusually black, it feels very light. In any place, "dark clouds cover the sky" is a heavy and terrible symbol as usual. The darker the dark clouds in Yunnan in the evening, the less it will get in the way, and it means that the weather will be fine the next day. A few years ago, when China antiquities were transported to London for exhibition, I remembered that there was a paper written by Zhao Songxue, called "Qiu Jiang Dieyi". The white paper of Chengxintang was heavily smeared with thick ink, but it gave people a very beautiful impression. The clouds in Yunnan are just the same, and it seems that they only feel black and beautiful. However, if we go to a hill outside the suburbs around dusk, or take a boat in Dianchi Lake, when we see this cloud, we will bow our heads and sigh gently. Specifically, there will be a feeling of "great rivers and mountains", and abstractly, there will be a feeling of "the deceased is like this". I may feel a little pain in my heart, suffering from a quiet black cloud hanging in the sky. Because this thing gives us a kind of silent teaching, which is much more brilliant, profound and beautiful than the current articles of politicians, speeches of propagandists and satirical articles of miscellaneous artists. Maybe that's why I feel pain. Such a beautiful cloud has educated people who make a living in this world. What is it? Is it a profound and broad ideal of life? Or the passion of a simple and beautiful poem! If you compare it with what you see, hear and all on the ground, it really makes people feel miserable! In this beautiful sky, in terms of personnel, what we can see every day is nothing but false news in official newspapers, price changes, empty papers and small miscellaneous feelings. In addition, it seems that we only encounter "legal tender" everywhere. Big officials, small officials, businessmen and bank clerks are directly busy with legal tender, and teaching students is also indirectly busy with legal tender. The saddest phenomenon is that there is no business school that is too big. In recent years, when registering for classes, as usual, the number of people will be the largest. These people are enthusiastic about studying economics and accounting, but they have no lofty ideals for life, and their purpose is to work in banks only after graduation. "Bustling, all for profit, all for profit." Several acquaintances in the academic affairs office can't help feeling helpless. Professors who teach this field also think that the atmosphere is not good. An expert in social studies runs to the bank as soon as the opportunity comes. Those who study library, study classical literature and study foreign literature are all at leisure because of this, and many people seem to lose confidence in their profession because of the opportunities of relatives, friends and fellow villagers. Those who have children for further education are not opposed to their children changing their careers. It is considered safer to work as clerks in banks or financial institutions from a practical point of view. Most excellent brains are confused by real fiat money and abstract fiat money, losing their due sensitivity and flexibility, as well as a deeper understanding of "life." You can imagine what other ordinary clerks and ordinary citizens are planning all day. Even if the clouds in Yunnan are a little more beautiful, it seems meaningless to the real majority. In the past two months, there have been continuous alarms in this city. All the 2, citizens in the city have gone to the suburbs early and put a neck in the sky. Everyone has seen a few floating clouds in the sky, looking up at the results, but it has only increased many people's worries about the gain and loss of wealth. "My Vietnamese currency has gone down", "My gasoline has gone up", "My career made a fortune of 5, this year" and "I earned 83, from the government", which is only mentioned by a dozen mature people. In addition, there may be three or five professors, who have no other entertainment except playing cards all day long. Thinking of winning or losing mahjong cards the night before, they talked to themselves in a sarcastic way: "I don't lose cards." Of course, this kind of professor is unreasonable. After the alarm is lifted, you might as well go to your old partner's residence and play for eight more laps to prove what you lost. If a person is willing to climb underground, thinking that it is the best posture to survive, others will advise him to stand up and try to walk, or more expect him to stand up and be an individual, of course, there will be no result. In such a society and such a mental state, Mr. Lu came to Kunming to exhibit his photography in Yunnan, telling us that there is something worthy of attention besides Yunnan legal tender. That is to say, with the clouds in the sky, how handsome, elegant, gentle and noble the clouds with pure colors are! The large audience and good criticism just show that as long as someone can read the clouds, they can get a kind of poetic interest and enthusiasm from the clouds, and it is expected that this precious feeling will be transferred to another person. In other words, even if the cloud in Yunnan can't directly educate people, it is expected that an artist's heart and hands will indirectly educate people. Mr. Lu's interest in photography seems to be to introduce this kind of beauty to most people, so the theme of clouds is handled particularly well in his works. Every cloud has a different temperament and flowing beauty. Not delicate, not artificial, not over-decorated, a natural, heart-to-heart seal, simple and kind, the success of the work is inevitable. However, I think that getting "praise" is not the ultimate goal of the artist, but it should have a deeper meaning. I mean, what should we do as a nation if a terrible vulgar realism is prevalent among all levels of social organizations, eroding the conscience and ideals of most of us, and at the same time, it seems that many people are becoming visible and invisible, and what some outstanding elements in society dream of is just muddling along, without a noble emotion, and lacking the courage to pursue a beautiful and great moral principle with this emotion? The purpose of college students' reading is either to stand at the counter as a clerk or to sit in the office as a clerk, without thinking or thinking, as long as they have a bowl of rice to eat, they will have a way out. Even those who do political talks, give speeches, write poor satires, study science and engineering, play literature as a cultural person, run a party, and believe in religion ... Especially those who are in power and are officials, their way out is all about the present. Of course, everyone has a way out in front of them. Is there any hope for the future of this country? If we can really watch the clouds and clouds in the sky silently like Mr. Lu, we may gradually edify, enlighten and transform us, so that we can get used to gazing into the future, not daring to fall, and not willing to fall. I think this is the final goal of an artist. It is precisely because this nation is striving for development and survival that the war has been going on for three years. Although it has been defeated, it has killed thousands of people and sacrificed countless wealth, but it is not discouraged. I believe that persisting in the war of resistance will inevitably turn over. Just because there is a strong and great ideal behind this war, so that we can bear the hardship under any circumstances. The reason why we can stand it is not only that we want to develop and survive, but also that we want to think about the latecomers, so that they can live in this land better and more like people! Our responsibility is so heavy and difficult, so most intellectuals must have a relatively simple outlook on life, pull it up and push it forward, that is, they are in business, and they also need a little knowledge before they can put the development of enterprises and the development of the country on the same goal, advance in different ways, reach the same goal by different routes, and fight the war to the end! Let's take a simple example: if we can estimate how many devious and cunning enemies are at the other end of the Yunnan-Vietnam railway, we will know that we should pay attention to the distance when we are ready to dump inferior goods to Kunming and assign the responsibility of selling inferior goods to large and small businesses in Kunming. You must choose the location and the right angle to take photos, and you can expect better results. Being a man is always different. It is always easy to choose between the enemy and the goods in the eyes of experienced merchants, even if there are more enemies and tricks. If you only want to make a fortune, you will forget the righteousness at the expense of profit, and "do whatever it takes" to turn inferior goods into domestic products and make a makeover, but it is just a matter of changing hands! The promotion of inferior goods is just one of several tangible events. In addition, the middle and upper classes of rulers and the intellectual class have done more than that. What kind of thing and behavior does not affect the future and destiny of the whole country! We are not allowed to relax! So I think Mr. Lu's photography is not only for people to see, but also for people to think deeply.