Break My ‘Fortress Besieged’ !
Before I introduce myself, I want to share everyone a book — Fortress Besieged by Qian Zhongshu, a famous Chinese literary scholar and writer.
Set on the eve of the Sino-Japanese war, Fortress Besieged recounts the exuberant misadventures of the hapless hero Fang Hung-chien, who after aimlessly studying in Europe at his family’s expense returns to Shanghai armed with a bogus degree from a fake university. On the liner back, Fang’s life becomes deeply entangled with those of two Chinese beauties — while when he does finally make it home, he obtains a teaching post at a newly established university, encounters effete pseudo-intellectuals, and falls into a marriage of disastrous proportions. A glorious tale of love, marriage, war, calamity, disillusionment and hope, this is one of the greatest Chinese novels: combining Eastern philosophy, Western traditions, adventure, tragicomedy and satire to create a unique feast of delights. — — Summary from goodreads
The story took place almost 100 years ago, but amusingly, most Chinese students nowadays are still repeating the same thing as what Mr.Fang experienced in the book. I have been deeply influenced by the values and philosophy of this book, and I have…
