Despite vast changes since the 1990s, Liang Xiaosheng's impassioned voice remains uniquely powerful — his works continue to offer readers genuine intellectual fulfillment.
—Zhang Yiwu, Literary Critic

Liang traverses disparate eras as history's witness, kindness's advocate, justice's champion, and life's chronicler. His writing forges an indomitable force that transforms literature's union with truth, goodness, and beauty from ideal into reality.
—Chen Xiaoming, Peking University Professor

(Liang Xiaosheng) creates works aligned with our times yet probing society's conscience and the human soul. His literary responsibility and patriotic spirit establish him as this era's moral compass in artistic creation.
—People's Daily (Overseas Edition)

★Winner of the National Library "Wenjin Book Award" in Social Sciences

★A culmination of Liang Xiaosheng's decades-long cultural reflections, offering a profound analysis of China's foundational culture and national character.
The author examines traditional culture through history, literature, and the arts, distilling the essence of Chinese cultural traits and spiritual temperament. The book not only explores ancient China's core cultural attributes but also traces modern cultural evolution and contemplates future trajectories.

★Scholarly yet accessible, blending intellectual depth with humanistic warmth.
More than an academic treatise, this work presents China's cultural richness through multiple lenses while radiating deep empathy. Its discussions on human nature, morality, and civilization provoke introspection about cultural psychology and social development.

★Includes exclusive supplementary essays on "A Lifelong Journey", revealing the historical and cultural logic behind its characters.

Liang Xiaosheng's "Four Books on Chinese Humanities Observation" includes:
"An Analysis of Social Strata in China"
"The Character of Chinese Culture"
"The Humanity and Life of the Chinese People"
"The Chinese People: A Look at Daily Life"

This award-winning work by Mao Dun laureate Liang Xiaosheng presents a bold dissection of China's cultural DNA and national psyche.

Merging contemporary realities with global cultural contexts, Liang delivers a razor-sharp yet nuanced critique. Through dual lenses — macro-historical analysis and micro-textual deconstruction — he deciphers Chinese cultural traits: from Confucianism's clash with Zhu Yuanzhang's authoritarianism, to Qing dynasty oppression and folk cultural resilience, to Republican-era contradictions.

Vivid case studies bring insights to life:
The patriarchal order reflected in Lin Daiyu's "jealousy" in Dream of the Red Chamber,
Social metaphors hidden in poetry from Tang and Song dynasties,
The spiritual codes within "Classic of Poetry" and "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio".

The book further interrogates modern Chinese cultural psychology and societal values. Serving as both a prism refracting the Chinese spirit and a catalyst for re-evaluating tradition, it offers guidance for cultural belonging in today's world.

Liang Xiaosheng

He was born in 1949 in Harbin with ancestral roots in Rongcheng, Shandong. He is a renowned contemporary Chinese writer and scholar. Currently, he serves as a senior professor at the School of Humanities of Beijing Language and Culture University, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and a researcher at the Central Research Institute of Culture and History. To date, he has authored over ten million words of literary works, including essays, novels, commentaries, and documentary literature. His representative works include "Tonight There’s a Snowstorm", "The Rings of Time", and "Educated Youth". In 2019, he won the 10th Mao Dun Literature Prize for his novel "A Lifelong Journey".

Chapter 1: Cultural Signatures in Chinese History
The Dual Nature of Culture
How "The People Are Supreme" Outweighs Half the "Tao Te Ching"
Imperial Illiteracy: Why Ancient Rulers Didn't Read
Decoding the Qing Dynasty
The Janus-Faced Republic
Nuwa vs. Eve: Creation Myths Compared
Not All Antiquity Was "Feudal"
A Nation's Artistic Temperament

Chapter 2: Literature as Moral Conduit
China's Enlightenment Education Tradition
Poetry and Folk Songs: The People's Voice
Official Histories vs. Folk Narratives
Hu Shi and Lu Xun: Two Reformist Paths
"Aristocratic Spirit" vs. "Scholar-Official Ideals"
Qin Prose and Han Rhapsodies
The Execution of Ji Kang: A Cultural Turning Point
Artistic Legacy of "Classic of Poetry"
"Romance of Three Kingdoms": Historical Views and Folk Deconstructions
Cultural Soft Power Reexamined

Chapter 3: Literature as Human Study
My Calling
My Life with Literature
The Kinship Between People and Books
"How People Ought to Be in Reality"
—Supplementary Notes on A Lifelong Journey
Literature's Purpose: Guiding Hearts Toward Goodness
Humanistic Literature: Historical Truth, Realism, and Beyond
Why Lin Daiyu Wasn't "Jealous"
Folk Memories in Strange Tales
The Hidden Stories Behind Poetry From Tang and Song Dynasties
A Century of Cultural Expressions
The Ethics of Criticism

Chapter 4: The Measure of Civilization
The State of Chinese Humanistic Culture
Why Humanities Education Matters Now
Society's Perverse Worship of "Obscurity"
The Inviolability of Beauty
The Pitfalls of Ascetic Culture
Reclaiming University Ideals
Reading as Armor Against Loneliness
What "Being Cultured" Truly Means
Guarding Our Spiritual Homeland
Like Blossoms on Trees: A Cultural Epilogue

Why Lin Daiyu Wasn't "Jealous"

Lin Daiyu's "jealousy" has long been an established interpretation. Nearly every chapter of "Dream of the Red Chamber" depicts her possessive envy, invariably triggered by her "Baoyu brother" in ever-renewing forms.
Yet there was one occasion when Daiyu did not react with jealousy — or rather, when she should have been provoked but remained unperturbed. Her sudden return to jealousy, as usual, involved Baochai — though Baochai had nothing to do with the incident that ought to have stirred her resentment...
Chapter 36 recounts this episode:
Xifeng consults Lady Wang about adjusting the maids' monthly allowances, inevitably touching on Xiren. From the Dowager to Lady Wang, Aunt Xue, and Xifeng herself, all held Xiren in high esteem, favoring her overtly and covertly in matters concerning the servants' interests. Lady Wang even declared her "ten times better than my Baoyu". Thus, Xiren received a raise — more than double her previous wage, from one tael to two taels and one string of cash monthly. Lady Wang added, "From now on, whatever allowances Aunt Zhao and Aunt Zhou receive, Xiren shall have the same". Xifeng then proposed formally elevating Xiren's status, "Why not have her face ceremonially adorned and openly assigned to Baoyu's chamber?" This would effectively make her Baoyu's premarital concubine — unofficially, of course, but functionally equivalent. Had this been approved, Xiren's position would have mirrored Ping'er's, tacitly endorsed by the Garden's leadership. Yet Lady Wang, ever prudent, hesitated, fearing Xiren might no longer dare to curb Baoyu's excesses as the Dowager's senior maid, suggesting they "leave it ambiguous for now and revisit in two or three years".
Immediately after, the text notes: "Unexpectedly, Lin Daiyu encountered Shi Xiangyun, who invited her to congratulate Xiren."
The implication is clear: Xiangyun sought to offer Xiren felicitations and drew Daiyu along — who went willingly.
What warranted congratulations? The raise, of course — a sign of elevated status and privileges. Though Xiren's formal "appointment" remained deferred per Lady Wang's "ambiguity", these discussions occurred within Daiyu's earshot. She was present. The lack of secrecy likely stemmed from the elders' ignorance of her bond with Baoyu. Yet Daiyu, habitually overanalytical, surely anticipated the subtle shift in Xiren's relationship with Baoyu henceforth.
What shift? Henceforth, before any formal marriage, Baoyu would have — however discreetly — a sexual companion. Should he desire intimacy, Xiren would not only comply willingly but consider it her duty. A doubled wage was no trifle. If even carefree Xiangyun might overlook this, how could Daiyu — notoriously sensitive — fail to dwell on it? Isn't hypersensitivity precisely about obsessing over details others ignore? Why then did she cheerfully join the congratulatory visit?
Arriving at Baoyu's quarters, the girls found him "reclining casually in a red gauze robe, with Baochai seated beside him sewing, a fly-whisk at hand".
Daiyu "instantly hid herself, clapping a hand over her mouth to stifle laughter..." Xiangyun, ever tactful, fearing Daiyu's jealousy might resurface, hastily invented an excuse to drag her away. But "Daiyu understood perfectly and smirked coldly..."
Observe how acutely perceptive she became in that moment!
Indeed, Daiyu's jealousy and sensitivity targeted Baochai exclusively. As for Xiren — whatever her ties to Baoyu — Daiyu never showed a flicker of envy. The entire novel contains not a single hint of Daiyu begrudging Xiren. Even Baochai never resented Xiren; rather, she regarded her with warmth.
Thus emerged this paradox: Who was Baoyu's closest companion, sharing his days and nights? Xiren. Who warmed his bed, attended his needs, conversed intimately, and even bore his whims? Xiren. The name "Hua Xiren" ("Flower Assails Men") — bestowed by Baoyu himself — betrayed his fondness. Before the silent rivalry between Baochai and Daiyu even began, Baoyu had already "tested the clouds and rain" with Xiren — after Daiyu's arrival and mutual attraction with Baoyu. What does this reveal?
Is love not the most selfish of passions? How then could this selfishness accommodate Xiren's privileged place? Particularly for Daiyu, who demanded absolute possession, such tolerance seems strikingly uncharacteristic.