I’ve long been thinking about writing my autobiography. The exact day of such an idea is now not known, perhaps sometime in July 2004, well already 9 years ago. At that time I have written some 100 pages of my life in a few days but then the writing stopped and can never be resumed owing to busy life and businesses. Because since July 2004, my business seemed picked up and my social life seemed revived with my active engagement in churches and friends in Hangzhou. The situation changed in September 2007 when my last income was over and I had to fight for another income until now.
On March 1, 2012 exactly, I’ve redesigned my private site, organized the directory system and the files needed for preparing for my essays, and also integrated all discretely distributed files into several specially assigned files. And after the restructuring of these private files and data, I am ready again to write my essay, step by step, one by one. I planned to pick up topics as I consider as most relevant and interesting, for example, my PhD application history in 2010-2011. I planned to start from Zhejiang University, and then Nanyang Tech University and then rest of all others. After this I want to continue with my story in the church in Hangzhou, or with my telling the resume writing. I plan to finish the writing in three years, and in thousands of pages. There are so many to write, but there is so little time for it. But in fact, this plan was also not realized.
And nearly half a year later on August 23, 2012, I took the thing a bit more serious and declared the official writing of my autobio in my diary as shown below in my Chinese text:
“经历了几年的徘徊以后,我决定在近期动手写自己的传纪,辅之与同期国内的变化过程。写作需要几年的时间,况且不一定一气呵成,因为内容会很多,可能有数 千页之多。另外因为本人还要解决生存和成家二件大事,写作时间有限 我决定用中文写作。本来我是不写中文的,因为我已经习惯于用英文了。 但怎么多年来西方世界向我关闭了大门,我已经厌倦了英文,德文,法文,俄文,以及其他所有西方语言。 当然我并非表示就喜欢中文。 在我还没有时间使用另一种语言以前, 我暂且使用中文。 英文我还得要保留,毕竟是当今的世界语。 但有朝一日, 我会使用一种真正的世界语。 传纪的内容不会发表在此地,但我会提供一个链接供有兴趣者访问。我不想将我的东西发布到无法保证能让浏览者自由浏览的地方。 这个QQ上以及天朝的任何媒体上我不准备花任何力气。”
The main initiative and plan for this autobiography, when translated looks like this:
“My autobiography shall also record the major historical development in China at the same time interval. Several years are needed to complete the writing, amounting to thousand of pages and thus cannot be completed coherently. I have also decided to write in Chinese rather than in English. I used to plan to write in in English because I am used to it (English), but over the last years (more than a decade), the Western orld has closed its door to me, therefore I am tired of English, German, French and whatsoever other languages are concerned. Of course that does not mean that I like Chinese, not at all. While I am not able to use another non-western language, I will use English temporarily. English will be maintained anyway because … However, one day, sooner or later, I will use a real world language…”
It’s easily seen that my decision to abandon English in favor of Chinese was not kept and I am still writing my English autobio as you see here.
Two days later, I have prepared my foreword of my autobio, also in Chinese. The original Chinese text looks like this:
关于本自传 2012年8月25日
经历了几年的徘徊以后,我决定今天 – 2012年8月25日星期六,动手写自己的传纪,辅之以同期中国国内各行各业的演变过程。如果必要,还涉及国际上的相关发展。
任何人写任何东西都有他或她的动机和目的-有经济的,政治的,学术的,宗教的。。。五花八门。 我当然也有。首先, 我要立传,为自己立传,向世人描绘一个真正的我,以使人了解我真正的面貌,因为由于种种原因,存在许多误解 我也要让人了解许多未知的真相。我要澄清许多谣传甚至污蔑,因为许多无资格无能力的人也试图来对我说三道四品头论足。 我也需要立言,阐述我对一些问题的看法。使读者受益, 也使我来到这个世界走一遭,能留下有益的东西给后人。当然我需要留名,让我不再被世界埋没和遗忘。 另外我也有经济方面的考虑,因为我目前没有任何收入,期望这本自传能为我带来一定的收益,好让我脱离贫困和苦难。
我的过去,跟所有人的过去一样, 五味杂陈。 成功,失败,幸福,悲伤。。。交替循环。我曾经获得过国外一流大学学习研究的机会;我曾经在业内最有名的公司企业工作。我在很年轻的时候就进入中央部委工 作。 我曾经会数门外语。 如果不是我的政治见解,如果不是为了爱情,如果不是为了亲情,如果不是因为疾病。。。,今天的我应该是世人所说的成功人士。然而,如今的我,却身无分文, 孤苦伶仃。我为别人付出了全部,反过来却变成乞丐。
我的人生,也跟世人一样,远非完美。 有些人把我想象成单纯善良纯洁的男人,其实我做过难以启齿的事情-虽然就那么几次, 内心也常有肮脏不堪的思想。不过为了避免过分破坏自己的形象,我在本自传里避而不谈,只是读者心知我绝非圣贤就是。
那么本自传到底有何特色?本自传主要与其他自传区别在于,完全是事实的描写,既不夸大,也不过分谦虚。完全忠于事实,也就是本人自己过去50年的经历 (1962 到2012)。 自传的体裁与格式也会有所创新。
写作需要持续几年的时间,不一定能一气呵成,因为内容会很多,可能有数千页之多。另外因为本人还要解决生存和成家二件大事,写作时间有限
我决定用中文写作。本来我是不写中文的,因为我已经习惯于用英文了。 但怎么多年来西方世界向我关闭了大门,我已经厌倦了英文,德文,法文,俄文,以及其他所有西方语言。 当然我并非表示就喜欢中文。 在我还没有时间使用另一种语言以前, 我暂且使用中文。 英文我还得要保留,毕竟是当今的世界语。 但有朝一日, 我会使用一种真正的世界语。
传纪的内容不会发表在天朝的任何媒体上,但我会提供一个链接供有兴趣者访问。我不想将我的东西发布到无法保证能让浏览者自由浏览的地方。我不准备在天朝的任何媒体上花任何力气。
我也不准备出版它,因为过程太复杂,费用太昂贵,而收益甚少。
有关是否完全免费让读者阅读本自传以及如果其他人想翻译与出版本自传之事将另作考虑。”
I will translate the main ideas of this foreword as follows:
After several years’ hesitation, I decided today, on August 25, 2012, Saturday, to start my writing of the autobiography, together with the key development events in China and if necessary also those important development in the world at the same time period.
Anyone who writes something has his or her motif or purpose – economic, political, academic, religious …, I not an exception. I want to record myself and to depict a real me to the world and let the world know the unknown of mine. I also need to clarify many rumors and even slanders, as many unqualified persons are also trying to judge me here and there. I also need to establish my own opinions, to benefit the readers, and leave something useful to posterity after a walkaround in the present world. Of course I also need to leave my name in the afterworld and I don’t want my name to forgotten after my death. And lastly there is also money issues as currently I have no income to support my life. I expect that this autobiography of mine will bring with it a certain kind of income to me, in order to help me out of poverty and suffering.
My past, like the past of all other people, is mixed with “five tastes” – success, failure, happiness, sorrow …, cycling alternatively. I have won research and study chances from some of the top universities in the world, I used to work at some of the most famous companies and organizations in the industries of my expertise, I entered into the central government at very young age, I used to speak several world languages… If not owing to my political stand, if not for love, if not for kinship and family, if not caused by my throat damage …, I of today will be among the most successful men of the world. However, today I am penniless, absolutely penniless and lonely. I paid all my life for the benefits of others, and in return I become a beggar.
My life, like that of all others, is far from perfect. Some people imagined me of a naive, pure and kind man. In fact, I have done something which I dare not to disclose to anyone, although these things were rare and only accidental. In my inner heart there are always dirty ideas coming up, although they are suppressed in order not to destroy my good images. I will not depict those ugly faces of mine here. Only the readers shall keep in mind that I am not a saint, that’s enough.
And then what this autobio differs from others? The main difference consists of the fact that it is a recording of facts, shear facts, without either exaggeration or over-humility, and thus loyal to facts. In one word, it is a record of my past 50 years from 1962 to 2012, and there will possibly innovative ideas in how this autobio will be written.
(These texts are the same as above)…
And finally I am not planning to publish it in paper form, as the publishing procedure is too complicated in China and elsewhere in the world and costly as well, while revenue out of it is negligible. Whether readers are eligible for free reading and whether others are allowed to translate it into other languages will be discussed in a separate situation.”
In fact, some of the ideas in this statement were changed already. For example I am now publishing it onto the Internet, allowing all to read it free of charge. And I also cannot control whether or not others are translating it into other languages. There are free translation tools available on the Internet as well as software tools. Otherwise this statement remains true upto now.
After this statement, the writing was in fact not initiated, and readers have to wait for another 9 months or so to see its real progress, and that was just several days ago, in mid May 2013, this year. And now my decision is final and the writing will inevitably begin.
But the writing plan will be changed a bit. I will begin with my very recent days, that is the time of my stay in Huzhou city downtown, and then proceed to that in Hangzhou, back to Shanghai, then Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and lastly my hometown. These are roughly time periods, with many overlaps. Some very special events will be emphasized and depicted in greater details while others will be briefed shortly.
As I said before, the writing will last for several years and therefore it will be modified many times until a final version will be presented.
I will start from the most recent years, from my 22 months (2011.5-2013.3) in Huzhou and backwards upto my early childhood. |