Newsletter No. 331

No. 331, 19.1.2009 「寫這本書追求兩點：第一是 把一件重大的歷史事件，以 能取信於讀者的方式寫出 來；第二是作者一定要會 講故事，讓讀者看了就放 不下來。」戴晴如此評價 自己的新作《在如來佛 掌中─張東蓀和他的 時代》。 1949年國共內戰期 間，國民黨將領傅作義率領二十五萬大軍死守北平，燕京 大學教授張東蓀居中斡旋，促成傅向解放軍投降，毛澤東 甚至親自稱許：「北平和平解放，張先生第一功」。但就在 兩年後的1951年，這位立下北平和平解放首功之人，竟被 指叛國，毛澤東改口指他是「壞分子」，鄧小平上台後仍決 定不予平反。 戴晴認為，環繞張東蓀的這段疑竇叢生的歷史一直不清不 楚。她說：「一個民族如果不知道自己的歷史，如何能從中 汲取教訓？怎麼會有未來？」秉持這種信念的她，歷時八載 抽絲剝繭追尋張東蓀的故事。花了這麼長時間和這麼大的 勁才寫成這部歷史調查紀實之作，是她始料不及的。 她認為自己和歷史學者寫法之不同，在於她的書不只寫給 專業的同行看，還要讓廣大讀者都能讀懂和有興趣讀。 她說：「要把讀者抓住，這樣你的史實和史識才能傳給他 們。」寫罷此書，戴晴的感想是：「如果中國學人在知識、 智慧和風骨上，都像張東蓀這位前輩學人這樣，那麼，我覺 得中國還是有點希望。」 戴晴此書和幾部前作都在香港出版，她認為曾是英國殖 民地的香港是言論和思想自由的寶地，角色就像清末民初 時的租界一樣，起到了保護言論自由和促進思想傳播的作 用，對於推動中國進步非常重要。所以她說：「雖然我是中 華人民共和國北京市民，但我的言論自由體現在香港。」 戴晴認為把此書交給中文大學出版社出版，是正確的決 定。她說：「這書寄到我北京的家裏時，我給社長寫了封 信，說：『兩分鐘前我收到書，高興，喜歡，喜歡你們的封 面設計，喜歡你們的封面用紙，喜歡你們的書腰，喜歡你 們的內頁用紙。』後來出版社回信說：『我們用上了心、反 覆琢磨的地方，全讓你看出來了。』」中文大學出版社的出 版方向之一，是重新評價中國近現代史，而戴晴此書正符 合這個方向。 ‘I had two things in mind when I set out to write this book. First, the significant historical event it deals with must be presented in a crediblemanner. Second, the author must be a good storyteller so that readers would find the book hard to put down,’ says Dai Qing about her new book Zhang Dongsun: The Man and His Era . In 1949 when China was embroiled in a civil war, Peking was defended by a garrison of 250 thousand under the command of the Nationalist general Fu Zuoyi. When the Communist army was about to attack the city, Zhang Dongsun, a professor with the Yenching University, played a pivotal role in bringing about the surrender of the Nationalist garrison to the communists, earning praise from Mao Zedong: ‘Mr. Zhang was the chief contributor to the peaceful liberation of Peking.’ However, just two years later, this once highly acclaimed scholar was accused of treason in 1951 and became a ‘bad element’ in Mao’s words. The verdict was not revoked even after Deng Xiaoping took power. The so-called ‘treason case’ of Zhang was shrouded in doubt and questions. Dai says, ‘How can a nation have a future if its citizens are ignorant of its history and cannot learn from it?’ She spent eight years investigating the story of Zhang Dongsun. She says she did not expect to spend so much time and effort completing this work of historical investigative journalism. Dai believes that the main difference between this book and those of historians is that hers targets both her academics and general readers so the writing style must be captivating. She says, ‘You can’t pass historical facts and insight to the readers unless you capture their attention.’ Dai adds, ‘If the knowledge, wisdom and integrity of contemporary Chinese scholars can be on a par with those of Zhang Dongsun, China has a future.’ Dai’s new book and a number of her previous works were published in Hong Kong. In her opinion, this former British colony is instrumental to the progress of China because like the concessions in late Qing and early republican China, it is where freedom of expression is protected and dissemination of thought is promoted. She says, ‘I am a resident of Beijing and a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, but my freedom of expression is realized in Hong Kong.’ Dai Qing believes that she has made the right decision in choosing the Chinese University Press (CUP) as the publisher of her book. She says, ‘When copies of the book were sent to my home in Beijing, I wrote an email to the director of the CUP, saying, “Two minutes ago I received the book. I’m happy and I like it very much. I like the cover design. I like the cover paper. I like the promotional band around the book. I like the printing paper.” The CUP replied, “You’ve pointed out all the details where our attention was focused.”’ The publication of Dai Qing’s new book is in line with one of the goals of the CUP, namely, the re-evaluation of modern Chinese history. 應笑書生不自量？─戴晴寫張東蓀 An Intellectual in Politics: Dai Qing on Zhang Dongsun 中文大學出版社出版的相關書籍 Related Books Published by the Chinese University Press 徐慶全 Xu Qingquan 《革命吞噬它的兒女：丁玲、陳企霞「反黨集團」案紀實》 The True Story of ‘Ding Ling–Chen Qixia Anti-Party Clique’ (left) 潘明嘯著、歐陽因譯 Michel Bonnin, translated by Annie Au-Yeung 《失落的一代：中國的上山下鄉運動（1968-1980）》 Génération Perdue: Le Mouvement d’Envoi des Jeunes Instruits à la Campagne en Chine, 1968-1980 (right)