-- Library of Chinese Classics and Classics-Reciting Project

There seems to be a predestined relationship between the publication of Library of Chinese Classics and the global trend of classics reciting.

Roughly they began to appear at the same time. The Library of Chinese Classics was first unveiled in 1995, when the trend of reading classics took shape. Both of them can be dated back a dozen years. At present, both China and the outside world have taken a totally new look, evidencing that any fantasy may come true. It was also at that time that Chinese people began to know the Internet. China entered the Internet era around 1995, and from then on the nation has witnessed a stunning growth. Nowadays Chinese researchers lead the world together with cyberspace forerunners in the development and application of IPV6, known as the second generation of the Internet standards.

The 128-bit encryption technology enables the second-generation Internet to provide as many IP addresses as all sand granules on the earth. The working space and imagination of humans have never been expanded so immensely and impetuously. Children and fantasts in the age of astronautics are considering how to designate every granule of the galaxy and even the entire universe an individual IP address, so as to push mankind into the so-called "era of digital universe," in which ancient myths and modern fantasies may come true and Laozi's philosophy and computer mouse may coexist in harmony.

Fairy tales are as same as children's stories. What have been fulfilled with a child's heart will last forever. The innocence of children is immortal, and children tales as well. The voices of children are sound from heaven. Just like touching computer mouse with their tender hands, reciting Laozi and The Analects is also a funny game for children. Classics-Reciting Project is just as popular as computer mice and the Internet amidst children. Initially some adults were astonished at the popularity of reading classics among children, and after thinking over the phenomenon they eventually understand and consent it.

Will children become pedantic and hackneyed after they recite Laozi?

Are we still acquainted with Laozi, a great philosopher who insisted "virtuousness is eventually attributed to newborns?"

Do we really understand Laozi, an everlasting masterpiece that advocates the innocence of children?

When reading Laozi（another meaning in Chinese is an old man）, are we affected by the spotless but playful nature of children conveyed in the book?
 ……

We should not worry so much, but hold the innocence of children from scooting away.

What we need is to be simple. Just as Laozi says, "The practice of Tao consists in substracting day by day, Substracting and yet again substracting till one has reached inactivity." Why may children be so interested in the games that adults consider boring and puzzling? Why can children always find fun from what adults think outdated and meaningless? Why do many classic authors regard curiosity about common phenomena and enthusiasm for a repeated story as the symbol of youth?

A couple of husband and wife who have still remembered their solemn pledge of love during the last days of their lives; two old friends who still look at each other with curious eyes and are delighted to find out each other's appeal and charm as though they met for the first time, without losing amity and trust towards each other… These people are living in a fairy world, a world that is attributed to newborns, a world that grows day after day, a world that keep pace with the time, a world that boasts everlasting life and endless creations, a world that develops fast and never stops its pace of growing, a world where Laozi, The Analects and the Book of Changes prevail, a world belonging to Chinese people, a world of honest people, a world where humans and nature are in harmony, and a world that is simple but fantastic.

Therefore, we are grateful for the writers, organizers and sponsors who creatively introduce the world to Library of Chinese Classics -- a milestone in the spreading of ancient Chinese cultures. Thanks to those people and their selfless endeavors, we thus have chance to re-experience childlike innocence conveyed in the series of books.

Thanks to their selfless efforts and their venerable spirit of resisting secular lures, we thus understand what are childlike persistence, the spirit of constant self-improvement and the pursuit for spiritual perfection, as well as the trademark of Chinese culture. 

Thanks to their persistence and sincerity, we are thus able to inherit, revive and bloom the childlike innocence and fancy creativity of Chinese nation.

We are also grateful for those foreign scholars and friends who have devoted to the spread and revival of Chinese culture in different times. Thanks to their sincere endeavors, we believe that as a member of global family, Chinese nation and its splendid culture originate and belong to the world, and are linked to the world from beginning to end.

We are grateful for the selfless spirit and creative endeavors of all those people, owing to which each ordinary Chinese descendant can realize the greatness of the motherland from the bottom of his heart and understand why Library of Chinese Classics conveys the wisdom and consciousness shared by people around the world and what international background and spiritual power that the books have­ -- just like many other cultural heritages of Chinese nation. Just as a Chinese saying goes, "All men around the world are brothers." The Chinese-English bilingual edition of Library of Chinese Classics just embodies such brotherhood. It is more convenient for Chinese people who know foreign languages to introduce Chinese language and culture to the outside world. Vice versa, it is easier for foreigners who know Chinese to spread their own languages and cultures in China. Trading apples with someone else is different from the exchange of different cultures.

Confucius once said, "When there are three people walking, my teacher is bound to be among them." The sentence is worthy reciting again and again even for us today. Benefiting from human civilization, more than ten publishers joined hands to present the 92-volume series Library of Chinese Classics in 51 categories. The series of books is expected to increase to 100 categories in next a few years. China is part of the world. Chinese people embrace the hearts of gratitude and responsibility and know how to work together with people from other parts of the world and how to learn from other nations in the course of working together. One thing that we learn is how to produce other bilingual editions based on current Chinese-English Library of Chinese Classics, such as Chinese-French, Chinese-German and Chinese-Russian editions. Let us recite these literary classics shared by all human beings together with people speaking different languages including Chinese, English, French, German, Russian and Spanish. Let us recite with people around the world -- young and old, men and women -- these classical literatures that are from China but belong to all people: The Analects, Laozi, Mencius, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, The Scholars, The Peony Pavilion, Romance of the Western Bower, The Complete Works of Tao Yuanming, The Verse of Chu, Mozi, 300 Poems of the Han, the Wei and the Six Dynasties, A Dream of Red Mansions, Journey to the West, Outlaws of the Marsh, Three Kingdoms, Sunzi: the Art of War and Sun Bin: the Art of War, Anecdotes about Spirits and Immortals, Admonitions for the Yan Clan, The Palace of Eternal Youth, Selected Plays of Guan Hanqing, Selected Tales of the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties Periods, A Dream under the Southern Bough, Creation of the Gods, The Tale of Heroic Sons and Daughters, Tending the Roots of Wisdom, Dragon-Carving and the Literary Mind, The Handan Dream, Flowers in the Mirror, The Travels of Lao Ts'an, Six Records of a Floating Life, Guanzi, Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals, The Six Principles of War, Wuzi and Sima's Art of war, Weiliaozi, Three Strategies of Master Huangshi and Li Weigong Answering the Questions of Emperor Tang Taizong, Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine-Plain Conversation, Liezi, Gems of Classical Chinese Poetry, The Poems of Ruan Ji, Precious Mirror of the Four Elements, The Book of Lord Shang, 300 Tang Poems, 300 Song Poems, 300 Pieces of Yuan Opera, Amazing Tales(Vol.1), Yellow Emperor's Four Canons of Medicine, etc.

Before printing technique was development, almost all literary classics were handed down through oral teaching. Printed books help remembering, but cannot replace remembrance with hearts. In fact, printed books cannot replace memory. Oral teaching and heartfelt remembrance are the essential way for culture learning and inheritance. Even now when printing technique are so advanced, people still agree with "borrowing books instead of buying, transcribing books instead of borrowing, bearing in mind books instead of transcribing." This is an ancient indoctrination. The best way to promote Library of Chinese Classics and other cultural exchange campaigns abroad is to print the transnational and timeless wisdom conveyed in the books onto the hearts of people around the world or to rather awaken potential wisdom and consciousness hidden deep in people's hearts through reciting classics. Perhaps for this reason, many people spare no efforts to promote both the publication of Library of Chinese Classics and the Classics-Reciting Project.

Ancient wisdom flourishes because of its profundity. Like a river supplemented by undercurrents, it spouts out with irresistible momentum after enriched by knowledge of people from the root of society. As early as the Warring States Period, Mencius had held in esteem such wisdom. The publication and reciting of Library of Chinese Classics marks the coming of its prosperous era, so we are happy.

Grand Library together with Great Reciting brings big joy and prosperity. We should cherish this opportunity.

(China.org.cn January 12, 2007)