1877 autobiography by Shen Fu
Six Records of a Floating Life (, "Fu sheng liu ji") is an autobiography by Shen Fu (, 1763–1825), who lived in Changzhou (now Suzhou) during the Qing dynasty. The four extant records are "Wedded Bliss", "The Little Pleasures of Life", "Sorrow", and "The Joys of Travel". Two further "records" are lost (or perhaps were never completed): "A History of Life at Zhongshan" and "The Way of Living".
Yang Yin, the brother-in-law of the prominent writer Wang Tao, found the incomplete manuscript of the work at a stall selling second-hand books. He gave the four parts to Wang Tao, who was in charge of the Shanghai newspaper "Shen Bao". Wang Tao published the manuscript in letterpress in 1877, whereupon it became an instant bestseller. The "Fourth Record" was written in 1808, so the book is believed to be finished sometime after that date. Based on the index, scholars have been able to determine that the fifth record was intended to be called "A History of Life at Chungshan" and the sixth was intended to be called "The Way of Living". The fifth and sixth sections have never been found, despite various fraudulent claims.
The phrase "floating life" (浮生 "fúshēng") originates from the preface to a poem by the Tang-era poet Li Bai: "The floating life is but as a dream; how much longer can we enjoy our happiness?"
Style.
The book is written in what translator Graham Sanders calls "the literary language of poetry, essays and official histories rather than in the more verbose vernacular language used for the popular lengthy novels and dramas of the Ming and Qing dynasties". According to Sanders, this choice allowed Shen Fu to "slip readily into a poetic lyrical mode," although he is also able to address topics as diverse as "gardening, finance, social roles of women, tourism, literary criticism, prostitution, class relations, and family dynamics."
Outline.
The four extant records are:
Plays.
"Six Records of a Floating Life" has also been adapted as an experimental play by East Meets West Mime, mixing elements of mime, dance, pop, and theatre. Ballerina Lindzay Chan played the character of Chen Yun, while Philip Fok played Shen Fu.
Translations.
English
German
French
Danish
Italian
Korean
Spanish
Dutch
Hebrew
Swedish
Japanese
Malaysian
Czech
Russian
Vietnamese
Polish
References.
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