Lu Xun Complete Works/en/duanwujie
Dragon Boat Festival
端午节 von/by/par Lu Xun (鲁迅)
[Dragon Boat Festival]
Fang Xuanchuo had recently grown fond of saying "more or less the same," which had almost become his catchphrase; he didn't merely say it -- it had truly taken root in his mind. At first he had said "all the same," but later, finding this too sweeping, he changed it to "more or less the same" and used it to this day.
Since discovering this commonplace maxim, he had experienced no small amount of new bitterness, yet also drawn considerable new comfort. When he saw elders oppressing the young, he had formerly been indignant, but now he thought: when these young people have children of their own, they will probably put on the same airs -- and there was nothing more to be upset about. When he saw a soldier beating a rickshaw puller, he also thought: if the rickshaw puller were the soldier and vice versa, it would probably be just the same -- and he took it no more to heart. He sometimes suspected he was fabricating an escape route of self-deception because he lacked the courage to fight against an evil society, something close to "having no sense of right and wrong," which ought to be corrected. Yet this view only continued to grow.
When he first publicly presented his theory, it was in the lecture hall of the Shoushan Model School in Beijing. The discussion involved historical matters, how "the ancients and moderns are not far apart," the "similar nature" of all people, and eventually students and officials:
"Nowadays it is fashionable to rail against officials, and students rail the most fiercely. But officials are not some special breed -- they come from the common people. Already there are quite a few officials who were students, and how do they differ from old-style officials? 'In the same position, anyone would do the same' -- in thought, speech, and conduct, there is no great difference... And the many new enterprises founded by student organizations -- haven't most already fallen into corruption and largely gone up in smoke? More or less the same. And China's cause for concern lies precisely here..."
Of the twenty-odd listeners, some grew wistful, some angry, a few smiled -- probably thinking this was his self-justification, since Fang Xuanchuo was also an official.
In truth, they were all wrong. This was merely a new kind of dissatisfaction; though dissatisfaction, it was only well-behaved empty discourse. He considered himself someone who wouldn't stir, supremely law-abiding. So long as his position wasn't in danger, he wouldn't speak up; teachers' salaries were six months in arrears, but so long as he received his official salary, he wouldn't speak either. When teachers banded together, he privately thought they were being indiscreet; only when colleagues mocked them excessively did he feel slight bitterness -- but then he reconsidered: this was perhaps only because he was short of money.
Although short of money, he never joined the teachers' association. When everyone voted to strike, he stopped attending class. Only when the government said "teach first, then we pay" did he begin to resent them; and only when a great educationist declared "a teacher carrying books in one hand and reaching for money with the other is not noble" did he complain to his wife.
"Say, why are there only two dishes?" he asked at dinner that evening, eyeing the vegetables.
She had no modern education and no given name, so there was nothing to call her. He invented a "say." She didn't even have a "say" for him; whenever she spoke facing him, he knew by customary law her words were addressed to him.
"But the ten percent paid last month is all gone... And yesterday's rice was only just obtained on credit."
"You see, they say teachers who want their pay are vulgar. These people don't seem to know that people need to eat, eating requires rice, and rice costs money..."
"Exactly. No money, no rice; no rice, no cooking..."
Both cheeks puffed out; he turned his head the other way -- discussion terminated.
When on a day of cold wind and rain the teachers were beaten bloody before the Xinhua Gate by government troops, some salary was finally paid. Fang Xuanchuo collected his money effortlessly, repaid some debts, but was still short -- for officials' salaries too had fallen into arrears. Even upright officials began to see that salaries could not go unclaimed. When everyone resolved to continue the strike, he wholeheartedly abided by the decision.
Yet the government paid again and classes resumed. But a few days earlier, the Student Union had petitioned: "If teachers don't teach, back pay should not be issued." Though this had no effect, Fang Xuanchuo recalled the government's earlier words, the shadow of "more or less the same" flickered before his eyes -- and so he delivered his lecture.
Accordingly, the theory could be judged dissatisfaction tinged with self-interest, but not merely an apology for being an official. Yet at such times he liked to bring in China's future destiny, and would even begin to think of himself as a patriotic man: people always suffer from lack of self-knowledge.
But new "more or less the same" facts emerged: the government eventually ignored even harmless officials, delaying payments, until some upright officials who had despised teachers became champions at salary assemblies. Only in several newspapers were articles published mocking them. Fang...