The Path to the Pinnacle of Chinese Literature

The Path to the Pinnacle of Chinese Literature

—— Wang Sanfeng Challenges Global Perspectives

By Nan Tai

Culture is the soul of a nation, and civilization is the face of a country. The standing of a nation and country in the world depends on the advancement and nobility of its culture and civilization. Literature is the crystallization of culture, while culture is the foundation of literature; literature is the brilliance of civilization, and civilization is the fruit of literature. Though culture and civilization have no tangible form, they can be embodied through literature. Therefore, the state of literary development of a nation and country reflects its actual status in the world. In this regard, the power displayed by literature is far greater than that of an aircraft carrier. The iron hooves of the Saracen cavalry once trampled across Europe, only earning Russia the hatred and contempt as a "barbaric nation". It was the literary works of Russian literary giants such as Pushkin and Tolstoy that removed this demeaning label, making Europe recognize Russia as a civilized race.

Such is the power of literature.

We once prided ourselves on Chinese literature being unrivaled, yet in 2002, it revealed its true state to the world and suffered a great humiliation on the global stage.

In 2002, the Norwegian Nobel Institute and the Norwegian Book Club invited over a hundred renowned writers and scholars from more than 50 countries worldwide to select literary and artistic works from all centuries. Ultimately, 100 works were ranked by the number of votes received. European and American literature accounted for 82% of the list. However, China—with a population of 1.4 billion, thousands of state-level writers, and millions of online writers—only had one collection of short stories and novellas by Mr. Lu Xun at the very bottom. For Chinese literature, which had always carried an air of arrogance, this gap was far too stark. Was it the tyranny of Western discourse hegemony, or was Chinese literature truly weak? There is no need for distinction. We must acknowledge the fairness of the selection: misunderstandings may exist, but political bias was never the cause. For a boxer knocked off the ring, arguments are meaningless; what matters is to stand up, step back onto the ring, defeat all opponents who have beaten him, and stand atop the ring as the champion.

Famous writers cherish their reputations, but what do unknown writers have to fear? The Chinese nation is one that constantly strives upward, refuses to admit defeat, and grows stronger through setbacks. We should thank the Norwegian Nobel Institute for hosting this "Literary Olympics of the World"—a whip that woke up a nation. This is why Nan Tai publicly challenges the world and vows to climb to the peak of world literature.

Wang Sanfeng is the "suicide commando" sworn to reach this pinnacle. Whether it is a desperate fight of the underdog or a bold rebellion against the heavens, there are no cowards in the ring. Even if the challenge fails, it is better than being a shrinking turtle. Regrettably, however, Wang Sanfeng began writing in 2002, was drafted in 2010, and has since undergone 15 years of polishing while being submitted for publication—yet it has still not found an appreciator. There is no need for complaint: true strength must be demonstrated on the battlefield, and real combat power must be shown in the ring. Whether Wang Sanfeng is a weak pretender or a true hero, the 1.4 billion Chinese people and the whole world will be the judges in the ring.

Wang Sanfeng will set up two rings: one to challenge all of China, and one to challenge the world. The domestic ring serves as both training and a qualification round to represent the nation; the world ring is where the truth is revealed and the winner is decided.

I. Wang Sanfeng’s Domestic Ring

Contemporary Chinese literature is represented by the "Mao Dun Literature Award", but contemporary literature is only a tiny part of Chinese literature and far from representing the overall level of Chinese (ethnic Chinese) literature. Therefore, Wang Sanfeng aims to stand on the shoulders of the greatest works in the over 2,000-year history of Chinese (ethnic Chinese) literature. This requires strategic vision: one must not only recognize existing achievements but also identify gaps. Only by learning from existing accomplishments and filling these gaps can we stand on the shoulders of our predecessors. Existing achievements need no elaboration, as countless research papers have discussed them thousands of times. What, then, is missing?

1. Painting a Portrait of the Chinese Nation

This is the sacred duty of Chinese writers, yet it is a heavy debt owed for thousands of years. In the history of Chinese literature, only Mr. Lu Xun publicly stated that he painted the soul of the Chinese people, and Mr. Bo Yang wrote The Ugly Chinaman. However, Ah Q depicts only the dark side of the Chinese nation—the "unwiped dirty bottom" that cannot represent the nation itself; The Ugly Chinaman is no different. Literature that acts as a "doctor" is good literature, but what we need now is to inspire the Chinese nation. Historically, the Chinese were once called the "Sick Men of East Asia". Today, signs reading "I am not Chinese" have appeared on travelers’ suitcases at international airports! Good heavens, what is happening here? Shouldn’t we reflect deeply on the image of the Chinese nation in the eyes of the world?

Among the Chinese people, there are figures like Ah Q, but also like Lu Xun, Zhuangzi, and Laozi. Wang Sanfeng depicts the full figure, face, and mind of the Chinese nation. He is the image of the elite of the elite of the Chinese nation, created to showcase the beautiful side of the Chinese nation to the world. Whether it is accurate or not, the 1.4 billion Chinese people are the judges. Nevertheless, in terms of its conception and theme, this work has already surpassed all previous works in the history of Chinese (ethnic Chinese) literature.

2. Forging a Literary Business Card for China (and Ethnic Chinese)

He who fails to plan for the whole cannot plan for the part; he who fails to plan for eternity cannot plan for the moment. For the literature of a country (or nation), a "literary business card" is the "king of literature" for that country (or nation). A country (or nation) without a literary business card indicates that its literature is not yet mature as a whole, has not produced a "monarch" who leads the entire literary history, and lacks an outstanding work that is equivalent to an entire literary history—just as visiting China without seeing Tiananmen or the Great Wall would be a regret. To become the literary business card of China (and ethnic Chinese), a work must meet the following criteria:

It must be at least a world-renowned masterpiece, and even better if it reaches the pinnacle; otherwise, it cannot face the world with pride.

It must be a full portrait of the Chinese nation, focusing on its "face" and "mind"; otherwise, it is meaningless.

It must demonstrate the advancement of Chinese culture and the nobility of Chinese civilization; otherwise, it has no value.

It must illuminate the world and benefit all humanity; otherwise, others will not be willing to accept it.

Based on these four standards, the only work in the history of Chinese literature eligible for this title is Wang Sanfeng.

3. Creating a "National Treasure"

Culture defines direction, while military force safeguards security. The "pen" and the "gun" are the two wings of a nation—no country can do without either. However, there are many military "national treasures", and as the crystallization of culture, literature should be the vanguard treasure of culture. But which literary work can bear the heavy title of "national treasure"? The two wings of culture and military must be balanced; if one is strong and the other weak, the "great roc of national rejuvenation" will struggle to take flight. Even if it barely takes off, it will lose its way and become unbalanced.

"Culture" must be weighty, with the world and humanity as its focus, and must be "the greatest in the world". The commanding heights of global morality are the battlefield for competing in "culture" and "civilization". The third goal of Wang Sanfeng is to climb to the peak of these global moral commanding heights. It requires the support of two assertions: "Chinese culture is the most advanced in the world" and "Chinese civilization is the noblest of humanity". Wang Sanfeng proves that Chinese culture is the most advanced in the world by answering the "three ultimate questions of humanity"; it verifies that Chinese civilization is the noblest of humanity through the "Four Sentences of Hengqu". It is the only work in the history of Chinese (ethnic Chinese) literature that has climbed to the peak of the global moral commanding heights.

How heavy is this "treasure"? A comparison with America’s "world number ones" makes it clear: America can dominate the world with over a dozen aircraft carrier strike groups, but it cannot make its culture the world’s best. It leads the world in military, economy, and technology, yet it cannot make its civilization the noblest of humanity. This means that Wang Sanfeng is heavier than all of America’s "world number ones" and its over a dozen aircraft carrier strike groups. Is that not weighty? Is there any other work in the history of Chinese literature with such heft?

Wang Sanfeng is fighting a "world war" in the cultural arena—not a trivial matter. Wang Sanfeng dares to challenge the world and is willing to undergo the strictest inspection by the Chinese people before setting out.

II. Wang Sanfeng’s World Ring

Discussing literature inevitably involves writers and works. There are three types of writers: lone travelers who write for themselves, national heroes who write for their country, and "human writers" who write for all humanity—the latter are the greatest. Literary works are judged by four criteria: beauty lies in charm; greatness lies in culture; nobility lies in civilization; value lies in contribution. The work that contributes the most to humanity is the most valuable.

In addition to speaking out for the Chinese nation, Wang Sanfeng aims to become a "literary moon" that illuminates the world and benefits all humanity. To achieve this, it must surpass all masterpieces and reach the pinnacle of world literature. Is Wang Sanfeng worthy? Let us examine it from the following four aspects:

1. It Must Be the Most Beautiful Work in World Literary History

The beauty of literature lies in charm. Hegel said, "When comedy reaches its mature stage of development, we arrive at the endpoint of the study of aesthetics as a science." Wang Sanfeng is not only the only "praise-through-comedy" novel that reaches this endpoint of aesthetics but also remedies the common flaw in world literature: "tragedies have deep emotion but no charm, while comedies have charm but little emotion". It is a rare work in world literary history that integrates "charm and emotion".

2. It Must Be the Greatest Work in World Literary History

The greatness of literature lies in culture. Culture is the soul of a nation, and only the world’s most advanced culture can illuminate the world. Yet no nation considers its own culture to be underdeveloped—so who is truly the most advanced? Only measurement with a globally recognized ruler can convince everyone, and that ruler is the "three ultimate questions of humanity"—the world’s greatest puzzle that neither science nor philosophy can answer. Wang Sanfeng is the first work in world literary history to publicly answer these "three questions", which is proof of its "greatness".

3. It Must Be the Noblest Work in World Literary History

The nobility of literature lies in civilization. Civilization is the face of a country and the proof that humans are the "soul of all things". Mainstream global opinion holds that Western "democracy and freedom", represented by the United States, is the banner of human civilization—which is why global elites flock to the United States, making it a "paradise for elites". However, Wang Sanfeng argues that "democracy and freedom" are only intermediate "constructed civilization" that grants freedom in basic necessities but not freedom from birth, aging, illness, and death. Only the "innate civilization" that meets the requirements of the "Four Sentences of Hengqu" is the endpoint of human civilization. Wang Sanfeng is the only work in world literary history that fully meets the requirements of these "four sentences", which is proof of its "nobility".

4. It Must Be the Most Valuable Work in World Literary History

The value of literature lies in its contribution, and the work that contributes the most to humanity is the most valuable. The protagonist Wang Sanfeng is both a "Buddhist envoy" and a "Chinese envoy", tasked with representing the Chinese nation in conveying the "universal truth" discovered by Sakyamuni Buddha to all countries and nations worldwide. Its contributions to humanity are as follows:

A person’s life gains true meaning, and humanity achieves true success, only when they understand "Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?" As the first work in world literary history to publicly answer the "three ultimate questions of humanity", Wang Sanfeng is the literary work that awakens humanity from its slumber, enabling people to achieve true success and find true meaning in life.

Conflict arises from distinction. If all family members knew the universal truth that "the entire universe is one entity"—that "I am you, you are me, and the whole family is one person"—where would conflict come from?

The prevalence of corruption stems from ignorance. If everyone knew the universal law that "one reaps what one sows", who would dare to do evil? The entire country would surely become a nation of gentlemen.

Endless wars and uncontrollable pandemics in the world all stem from ignorance. If everyone knew the universal truth that "the entire universe is one entity", and that harming anyone or anything is harming oneself, wars would cease immediately. If everyone knew the "law of cause and effect"—that evil begets evil and good begets good—and refrained from sowing evil causes, there would naturally be no evil consequences like pandemics.

In short, all seemingly insoluble problems facing humanity will melt away instantly like snow under boiling water when confronted with universal truth and universal law. This is the greatest contribution of Wang Sanfeng—which expounds universal truth and law—to humanity, and the reason it is the first "literary moon" in world literary history.