Zhong Jingwen’s Works

---

 

Zhong Jingwen(1903-2002), the main founder of Chinese folklore, is regarded as “the father of Chinese folklore.” Completed about 8 years, Zhong Jingwen’s Works consists of 16 volumes and more than 10 million characters. It is not only a complete collection of the works of Zhong, but also an important compilation of Chinese folklore and folk art and literature. Its publication  is a big event in Chinese academia and the publishing industry. It is an important centurial parade of Chinese folk culture research. Today’s China is actively committed to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In particular, it pays attention to the revival and inheritance of traditional culture in our contemporary life.

In Zhong Jingwen’s Works, it is stated that the existence and development of a nation depends on its lifeblood. This lifeblood exists in everyone’s heart, namely, the traditional culture, folk culture in particular. Every Chinese person needs to work tirelessly for the inheritance of China’s traditional culture. Zhong said many times that he admired the noble character—working for humanity. Zhong took this as his own motto.

This precious work is of monumental value, because it reflects the achievements of Chinese folklore in the 20th century. At the same time, it contains significant scholarly value for other fields such as studies of traditional Chinese culture, art and literary theory, sociology, linguistics, ethnology, anthropology, comparative literature and world literature. It is a major academic achievement containing the accumulation of Zhong’s lifetime spanning a century. It is instructive to the basic research and modern development of the entire field of the social sciences, and it inspires future generations to carry out further development.

Zhong Jingwen’s Works is also a masterpiece of Chinese pedagogy. Zhong and many other leading academics have a historical responsibility for the modern construction and future development of China’s higher educational cause. They have a strong sense of social responsibility and are dedicated to China’s education with no reservations.

In Zhong Jingwen’s Works, one of his articles written in his later years reads, “Anyway, sorting out my past manuscripts is a work of review. If my past works are really useful, there will be people later to sort and evaluate them. The task before me is to enable more people to write more valuable works. What we want to see academically is a garden full of beautiful flowers, not just one lonely flower.” This paragraph is still of far-reaching significance to modern people and the later generations. The educational philosophy of promoting traditional culture is also an important part of China’s cultural self-awareness and cultural self-confidence, which needs to be passed down.