Kaijuan, which was founded 25 years ago, has a certain influence in the cultural world with its bookish atmosphere. Recently, when Kaijuan ushered in its 300th issue, it officially announced the cessation of publication through the "Kaijuan 300" gathering.
Over the past 25 years, the elegant and pleasant white-covered journal Kaijuan has published reading essays and casual writings by scholars from different periods, with one issue per book and one printed sheet per page. Yang Jiang, Huang Shang, Huang Miaozi, Huang Zongjiang, Fan Yong, Ding Cong, etc. have contributed to it and written inscriptions. Mr. Yang Yi once gave Kaijuan a message before his death: "It is like a small literary salon in your pocket." This article is the author's impression essay on the 300th issue of Kaijuan.
During the “Kaijuan 300” gathering, some participants signed the 300th issue of Kaijuan
It’s the 300th issue of Kaijuan, so I’m certainly feeling emotional. When I think of Kaijuan, there’s always a sense of picture between the fragrance of books and the rhyme of ink: a table, a book, a small lamp, and the honest back of Brother Ning Wen.
I regularly receive "Kaijuan" from Brother Ning Wen. The envelopes are all copied with pen, and there are occasional messages between the pages. Every stroke of the pen makes me feel as if I can see the person in person. But I also feel a little ashamed - I feel a little disappointed when I think that I will never receive such a small white-covered magazine with the handwriting and body temperature of a friend again.
To be honest, I have written very few articles for Kaijuan, but I have been given gifts every time. At the end of last year, I received the 293rd issue of Kaijuan from Ning Wen in an envelope with the address of "State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Wuhan Municipal People's Government". On the envelope, Ning Wen specially wrote a rare handwritten message: "Kaijuan is about to enter its 300th issue. Please take some time to write some thoughts."
Zhang Chonghe wrote the title for "Opening the Volume"
After thinking about it, I can't remember at all when I met Brother Ning Wen, nor when I started to receive "Kaijuan" as a gift - in fact, it doesn't matter whether I remember it or not. What matters is that birds of a feather flock together, and people with similar auras will always come together, such as the scholarly atmosphere brought by "Kaijuan".
Just like its cover, Kaijuan always shows its true colors and records the original appearance of readers.
Yang Jiang wrote the title for "Opening the Volume"
Every time I met Brother Ning Wen, he was usually in a hurry, wearing a sun hat, with a slightly hunched back. He spoke the simple and plain Nanjing dialect. I had the impression that he would take out one or two books from his bag at any time and give them to you or ask the old gentleman to sign them. Occasionally, we would have a meal together and talk about old times and other editing matters, but soon he would say goodbye in a hurry, saying that he had to catch the train back to Nanjing.
Kaijuan was founded in 2000 by Mr. Cai Yuxi and edited by Dong Ningwen. In the preface to Kaijuan Random Talks by Dong Ningwen, Cai Yuxi wrote: "I often think that a person has been doing the same thing for more than 20 years. Although it may be a trivial matter in the eyes of others, he does not think it is trivial, persists in doing it for more than 20 years, which is not simple." "Reading will give us a sound mind, will bring us closer to being a qualified citizen with a sense of family and country, and enable us to live smartly and wisely, and prevent being deceived and brainwashed."
I remember that I had not met Ning Wen at that time, and of course I had not participated in "Kaijuan". In addition to reading magazines, there were already some good BBS reading forums. I remember that I often visited Qingyun Academy and Tianya's "Xianxian Shuhua" (unfortunately, these forums have disappeared one after another). There were not many people in the early days, and there were quite a few simple-minded people. I spent two or three years in them reading and chatting, wrote some articles, and met book friends such as He Jiagan, Yang Yun, and Fan Xiaowo. Later, more and more people came, and the noise arose, so I gradually faded out.
The atmosphere of Kaijuan is actually somewhat similar to the magazine Reading during Shen Changwen's period, and Tianya's early Xianxian Shuhua. It is quiet and interesting, a place for readers and a gathering of old-school literati. It has truly achieved "advocating reading and thinking, and advocating short essays with substance", and focuses on the old stories of literati and the editing and reading of books. Every time I receive an issue and flip through it, there are always two or three articles that I find very interesting to read.
Mr. Yang Yi's message to Kaijuan: "It is like a small literary salon in your pocket" is accurate. Each issue of Kaijuan Xianhua is also very interesting. Mr. Huang Shang once said in the preface to Kaijuan Xianhua (Six Volumes): "Zicong has a wide range of friends and is well-informed. He writes at any time to entertain readers and save them from being confused. His contribution is inestimable. Moreover, his materials are fair, without deletion or reduction. The opinions and demeanor of various authors can be seen from their true colors in just a few words..." As Brother Tianyang said, Kaijuan has inadvertently become a notebook and memorandum of the Chinese cultural circle, like a diary or a chronology, with the value of "first-hand historical materials".
The preface and postscript of my 2022 exhibition "Village Words and Ink Records" were both published on the official account. After receiving the exhibition album, Brother Ning Wen wrote down the full text of the exhibition postscript in "Kaijuan Xianhua" and published it. Now thinking about it, it is extremely precious, because the official account text recording this calligraphy and painting exhibition has long disappeared, and "Kaijuan" may be regarded as the only paper record besides the album.
Ning Wen once edited and published the "Kaijuan Bookstore" series and invited me to participate. I remember that the authors of that issue also included Zhang Ruitian, Tang Yinfang and others. In fact, many of the articles included in their books were published in the "Oriental Morning Post Art Review" which I edited at the time. "Kaijuan Bookstore" "caught" Ruitian and Yinfang, and finally "caught" me as well, so they compiled the texts and interviews published in various newspapers and magazines into a book "Tanswang from Sanliu Bookstore".
The Kaijuan Bookstore series published by Wenhui Publishing House in 2018
At that time, I wrote in the postscript: "Most of the records in "Sanliu Book House Talks" are past events, related to the context, related to calligraphy and painting, and also related to intentional or unintentional "spending time with the elderly" - I really like to chat with those old people. Many gentlemen have passed away. Mr. Zhang Rushi passed away last year, and Mr. Wang Zengqi passed away in 1997. Huang Shang has also passed away for many years - I still remember that when I went to Qingpu with Mr. Huang Shang's family, Chen Zishan, Lu Hao and others to participate in Mr. Huang Shang's burial ceremony, Rong Jie threw red beans, and the grief was moving... I am grateful to Ms. Bao Guangli of Wenhui Publishing House and Mr. Dong Ningwen of "Kaijuan". If it were not for their urging, according to my lazy personality, I don’t know when these words will be compiled ."
Mr. Zhou Tuimi wrote the title for "Kaijuan" in 2002
Shao Yanxiang wrote the title for "Opening the Volume" in 2007
Liushahe wrote the title for "Kaijuan"
Zhong Shuhe wrote the inscription for "Opening the Book" in 2019
Gu Cunyan wrote a title for "Opening the Volume" in 2015
Ning Wen also writes and paints, and he pays attention to brush and ink, and has a simple hobby. Later, he planned some calligraphy and painting exhibitions and asked me to participate. Of course, I obeyed. It is worth noting that later, Ruitian and Ning Wen suddenly had an idea and said that they wanted to hold a "Four Friends of Kaijuan" calligraphy and painting exhibition, and planned to tour the exhibition in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and other places. They invited Yinfang and I to participate, so we were busy for a while. I remember that at that time, each of the "Four Friends of Kaijuan" mentioned by Ning Wen painted a line-drawing portrait of a person. However, later there was the epidemic and other trivial matters. Up to now, this exhibition is still under preparation.
Portrait of Dong Ningwen painted by Ding Cong in 2001
In the age of mobile reading, the disappearance of some newspapers and magazines sometimes seems irreversible and regrettable. Although the paper version of "Opening the Book" has come to an end, in Ning Wen's heart, a new volume has already begun, just as a piece of calligraphy displayed at the "Opening the Book 300" gathering: Opening the book is always open, and closing the curtain does not say thank you.
“Reading is beneficial”, this is indeed true. Of course, we should keep reading forever.
Chen Zishan (center) speaks at the “Three Hundred Books” gathering
March 2025, Shanghai, Sanliu Bookstore
YtHuCT ylb vtsWmL RZSbCWLC araAJND iDAz