著者

高畑 常信

出版者

徳島文理大学

雑誌

徳島文理大学研究紀要 (ISSN:02869829)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.82, pp.(29)-(75), 2011-09

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In 1939, Lin Yutang's Moment in Peking, (Jone Day Co., New York) was published in English, and some years later was translated into Japanese by Ryoichi Sato. This book describes politics and war, as well as the life and thoughts of the old society's upper class citizens during the early 1900s. However, Yutang falsely predicts the historical changes that would occur related to Chinese Communism, Jiang Jieshi, America and Japan. As well, because he did fully understand the reality of the present situation, his book did not become well-liked in the field of literature. It only became a book that provided a political propaganda for criticizing Japan. But his book is very meaningful and worthwhile because of its description of the old society and culture of China during the last days of the falling Qing dynasty, which had been based on feudalism. The "beautiful old society", which he describes, has been completely destroyed by the emergence of the Chinese Communist Party thus Moments in Pekingis an significant work to explain of the life of the old society.