Chapter 10 take a detour

In Hangzhou, people used to take rickshaws, but now they take tricycles or cars. When commuting between Zhaoqing Temple and Jingting Bridge, the workers who drive the cars always prefer to pass along the small road along Huanshaxi, rather than follow the wide road all the time. .Earlier in Beijing, I also often felt that cart pullers like to walk in small alleys, avoiding straight streets, and always turning around in small alleys; when turning in small alleys, it is difficult for two cars to go side by side, so from time to time To "stand makeup". At first I hated this kind of situation. Later, I felt that turning a few more turns was to shorten the distance. "The broken line is bigger than the straight line". According to experience, turning one more turn can save some energy and save gasoline. Working people are good at saving money, so it is sensible to do so. ——Turning at almost right angles on the street according to traffic rules; turning in an alley is Do not take the two sides of the triangle, but only take a diagonal line. If you accumulate one bend after another, the distance can be shortened a lot. Taking the diagonal line of the triangle is the most economical way, so the cars going to and from the side streets always There are so many vehicles traveling between Zhaoqing Temple and Jingting Bridge that they often have to drive on the road along Huanshaxi, which is because they have to take the "diagonal".

"Taking a detour" seems to be undesirable; but "detours" actually have various properties.As mentioned above, when driving in an alley, as long as you don't make a wrong direction and turn a few more turns, you can shorten the distance.I remember Mr. Sun Yat-sen once cited such an example: he kept his appointment to attend the meeting, and the time was already very tight; he told the driver that the car must arrive within a few minutes.The driver did drive the car very fast, but the route he took was out of Mr. Sun Yat-sen's expectation.As a result, the car arrived just in time for the meeting.Mr. Sun Yat-sen was silent at the beginning, and only after he arrived did he inquire: Why is it so fast, but instead takes a long detour?The driver replied: Because of the short cut, the vehicles on the road are crowded and have to stop from time to time, and the time is not accurate. It is better to take a long detour to be sure that you can drive all the way.Mr. Sun Yat-sen trusted the driver and was not afraid of his "detours", so he arrived at the venue on time.Not long ago, I went to the city station to pick up foreign guests. I first went to the Six Harmonies Pagoda to pick up a professor with me. The time was already tight. I asked the driver to take the "second bus" route to the city station. Turning to Chengzhan, the reason is that the route of the No. 2 bus is near Nanxing Bridge for fear of being stopped by a train passing by, and the road surface is bad, so it is better to take a longer detour to be sure.Therefore, I remembered the story of Mr. Sun Yat-sen, admired the driver, and finally caught up with the time.

Since "a hundred flowers bloom, a hundred schools of thought contend", many traditional plays have been staged, and classical literature has attracted the attention of many people. Today, proportionally speaking, there are fewer creations reflecting new life in newspapers, magazines, and stages; .Now we do need more creations that reflect the new life; but the new culture cannot be born out of thin air.Lenin said, "Proletarian culture should be the inevitable result of the collective development of knowledge created by human beings under the oppression of capitalist society, landlord society, and bureaucratic society." Mr. Lu Xun said, "The new class and its culture do not suddenly fall from the sky. It is probably developed in the old rulers and their cultural resistance, that is, developed in the confrontation with the old, so the new culture still has some inheritance, and it still has some choices from the old culture.” He also said, “We If you have art history and you were born in China, you must open up the history of Chinese art... just like eating cattle and sheep, discarding the hooves and keeping their essence to nourish and develop new organisms."

A Hundred Flowers Bloom - "Turn over the history of Chinese art".Introduce the old and bring forth the new - "Abandon the hoof hair and keep its essence." Hundreds of schools of thought contend, on the one hand, they can brainstorm, and on the other hand, they can expose ideas unreservedly, so that they can study together, help each other, and correct.The question is whether we can "abandon", "retain", "absorb" and "criticize".As long as this is possible, why be afraid of detours?As long as you understand the process of the emergence of new culture, you will not be afraid of detours.If we are afraid of taking a detour and stop implementing the policy of "letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend", then it is considered a detour!

Originally published in "People's Daily" on February 12, 1957 (signed by Qin Wen)