Reading Notes Week 9: Liu, Part X


About the Author:

- Liu E was born in 1857
- His father was a government official
- Was nicknamed "that mad fellow" due to his wild and energetic personality
- Highly intelligent and studied music, poetry, philosophy, economics, astronomy and medicine
- Had a deep knowledge of flood control which proved useful when the Yellow River flooded and he began to work for the Yellow River Conservancy. His plan worked, largely because he got directly involved with the workers instead of just being an overseer.
- The Travels of Lao Can was his most successful novel, which is about the protagonist, Lao Can, travelling China and fixing injustice, corruption, and various problems. Parallels how Liu himself stepped in and got involved when a problem arose.
- He also stepped in during the Boxer Uprising of 1900, when he saw Russian troops burning stores of rice while the Chinese public was starving. He persuaded them to sell it to the people at a low price, saving many lives and earning him respect as a humanitarian.

About the Story:
- Begins with a preface about crying and its ties to spirituality and how our emotions are what make humans unique and separate us from other animals.
- Main character Lao Can, real name Tie Ying, from Jiangnan.
- Deeply invested in fixing the suffering of others.
-  Confronts Dongzao, a man who has held various official posts, on the nature of positions of leadership and how one governs.

"The greater the official position such a man holds, the greater harm he will do. If he controls a prefecture, then such a prefecture suffers; if he governs a province, then a province is maimed; if he rules the Empire, then the Empire dies!" (Liu, 611) In this quote, Lao Can seems to be saying that he prefers ineffective officials, because if an official actually has power then they will use that power in a way that kills whatever they are governing. I can't say I agree or understand this, but I respect Liu's critical eye towards those in power and how they rule. However, he seems to be advocating for total anarchy, unless I'm misunderstanding his point.


Liu E, The Travels of Lao Can (602-611)

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