After dinner, Yi Zhongtian returned to his apartment and continued to write "China History of Yi Zhongtian: Qin and the World". A month later, the book was successfully completed, and energetic Yi Zhongtian accepted an exclusive interview with Wu Huaiyao in Shanghai.
□ This interview will take you beyond the great aura of star scholars and see the true face of Yi Zhongtian in daily life.
Writer on this issue: Yi Zhongtian: "20 13 Eighth Rich List of Chinese Writers" pays tribute to writers.
1947 was born in Changsha. He worked in Xinjiang and taught at Wuhan University and Xiamen University. He has been engaged in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research in literature, art, aesthetics, psychology, anthropology and history for a long time. In 2005, he landed on CCTV to give a lecture on history, which was well received by the audience. In 2006, he opened the Three Kingdoms, which set off a climax of viewing and became a star scholar overnight. 20 1 1 published sixteen volumes of Yi Zhongtian's collected works; On February 5th, 20 13, Yi Zhongtian's History of China, Volume VI, A Hundred Schools of Thought Contend, made its debut at the Eighth Cultural Festival of the Writers' Rich List.
Moderator of this interview: Wu Huaiyao, founder of the brand of Chinese writers' rich list.
1984 was born in Hong 'an, Hubei, and studied in Modern Chinese Dictionary. 17 dropped out of high school and went to Beijing to be an editor; 2 1 year-old entered the well-known media as an in-depth reporter; The first rich list of Chinese writers at the age of 22 caused an unprecedented sensation, which made China literature attract worldwide attention overnight. The rich list of writers has been successfully held for eight years and has become a super symbol of reading for all. Oscar, praised by hundreds of millions of readers as the cultural circle of China, has accelerated the arrival of the era of reading for all.
Unilateral textual research
"Don't do anything meaningful but boring."
Wu Huaiyao: Last time we met, you were still writing Qin and the World, and now you have finished it. Has the specific listing time been set?
Yi Zhongtian: According to the plan, it will be launched in Xi 'an on April 15.
Wu Huaiyao: Some of my writer friends are exhausted and relieved after writing a work. You give me the impression that I'm not tired. Why?
Yi Zhongtian: (Laughter) I value two things. One is that it makes sense to do so. Second, what I do must be interesting. I won't do anything meaningless. I can occasionally do something meaningless, preferably both meaningful and interesting. Writing the history of China is both meaningful and interesting.
Wu Huaiyao: It's really cool to write 36 volumes of China history by one person. Is there anything that makes you unhappy in the process of writing?
Yi Zhongtian: If I don't like to write a paragraph or a section myself, I must abolish it, even if I write more. I'm not afraid to waste this time rewriting!
Wu Huaiyao: This reminds me of the master in martial arts novels. He fought bravely and competed with himself for internal strength.
Yi Zhongtian: (Laughter) If the author is not moved and unhappy, how can he move the readers? It's impossible. If you fall, you don't know yourself. If you don't write well, you may start from the wrong place, so you must find a way.
Wu Huaiyao: Let's give an example.
Yi Zhongtian: I read the first chapter of Volume 8 four or five times at first, but it doesn't feel right. Finally, I changed the starting point that no one thought of. I read the Records of Historical Records word for word, and found a character neglected by historians, namely Liu Ying, the son of Liu Bang and Lv Hou and the second emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. I found a problem in the historical materials. According to historical records, Emperor Hui of Han Dynasty was emperor for four years before his coming of age ceremony. In contrast, Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, was 16 years old when he ascended the throne, one year younger than Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty. However, a few days before he ascended the throne, he was crowned and held an adult ceremony. In other words, his father, Emperor Han Jingdi, knew that he was dying, so he held an adult ceremony for his underage son Liu Che in advance, and let him become emperor directly. Generally speaking, Hui Di should be crowned after he ascended the throne. Why did it take four years? This is a problem that no one has noticed.
"If you are tired of writing, just watch a bad movie."
Wu Huaiyao: Only by uncovering the details of history can we see the truth. What secret did you find?
Yi Zhongtian: Be sure to get the details straight. Details determine success or failure. Many secrets are often in that detail. There's a secret behind this. Of course, I will expose them. Please read the History of China, Volume 8. Let's not talk about it now Leave some suspense (laughs). Let's write history. If the history we write is to repeat what others have written in another language, what is the point? You have to find something. If you want to find something, you must be present. The only way for us to go to the historic site now is to read the original works, and the secret is hidden there.
Wu Huaiyao: Can I understand it this way-you go to the historical site alone to give readers a live broadcast of history.
Yi Zhongtian: I quite agree with this statement. The history of China is characterized by live broadcast. I have to request a live broadcast. Of course, not all history can be broadcast live, and sometimes you have to be a historical news commentator. Maybe some clips are the tone of news commentators. After all, we should embody the historical view. It is not enough to have a sense of history.
Wu Huaiyao: How to relax yourself when you feel tired from writing?
Yi Zhongtian: Read detective stories or bad movies.
Wu Huaiyao: Can I watch bad movies?
Yi Zhongtian: I live in seclusion in a small town in the south of the Yangtze River. There is no cinema in our town. My TV can watch movies on demand.
Wu Huaiyao: You disgust yourself and become a director.
Yi Zhongtian: I want to see how bad it is. Bad movies must be brainless. You don't have to worry about it, just sit on the sofa and watch it.
B-plane detail control
"Engineers' thinking and artists' thinking should have both"
Wu Huaiyao: As far as I know, before the launch of your new book, you will go on stage in advance to personally communicate with the host about the activities and matters needing attention. If the height of the podium exceeds 65,438+0.2 meters, the organizer will be required to add mats. Can you grasp the details like this?
Yi Zhongtian: There is a problem with people who pay attention to details. They tend to be transactionalists.
Wu Huaiyao: What is a trader?
Yi Zhongtian: Trivial and trivial, paying too much attention to details, entering another misunderstanding and becoming a mother-in-law.
Wu Huaiyao: Do you think you have such a problem?
Yi Zhongtian: (Laughter) I didn't ... Doing things is like planning before building a city, laying the foundation before building a house, and then carrying out construction according to the drawings. This is the so-called engineer thinking. There is also a kind of thinking called artist thinking, which is the other way around. (Gesturing) A piece of rice paper was laid on the table, and he picked up a pen. After dipping in ink, he accidentally dropped a drop of ink on the paper, and then he took advantage of the situation to draw this ink into something. This is an artist. We need both engineer thinking and artist thinking.
Wu Huaiyao: Your way of speaking is a bit like an artist's thinking. What do you say before you go on stage? How do you say it?
Yi Zhongtian: Like an engineer, I planned the topics and contents in advance, and I didn't know what to say until I arrived at the scene. I'll hang up and improvise according to the situation.
"No one is more stupid than anyone these days, so don't pretend."
Wu Huaiyao: Will there be an embarrassing moment when the speech is blank?
Yi Zhongtian: We must have been blank before we arrived at the scene, but we won't be blank when we arrive at the scene. Last August, I was invited to participate in the sword talk in Xi Huashan. I was completely unprepared for the first sentence. The host asked me why I came to Xi 'an, and I said that in Xi 'an, the quantity is also from Shaanxi, and the quantity is from the city. Everyone is a hard-won villager ... The atmosphere at the scene was very active at once, and the effect of the next communication can be imagined (laughs).
Wu Huaiyao: Now that you mention it, I think of one thing. Last year, your book From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period was first published in Wuhan University. According to local media reports, more than 65,438+00000 people crowded the playground in Wu Meiyuan. Students who didn't buy tickets staged a drama of "boys climbing the courtyard wall and girls crying with anxiety". At that time, there were 1000 people without borders, and 10000 people were completely connected with the sky. At that time, you go on stage first.
Yi Zhongtian: The 20th anniversary of Wuhan University/KLOC-0. Alumni Yi Zhongtian reports!
Wu Huaiyao: The first sentence will ignite the scene when you talk nonsense in public. Why do you always do this?
Yi Zhongtian: I tell you, there are only four words-be honest with each other. Many people can't achieve the effect they want to pursue, not because of skill, but because of Tao. We talk too much about skills, 36 strategies in the workplace and success in learning. These are all killing skills. The most fundamental thing is to be honest. If it can be published, add three words: don't pretend to be X, especially these days, no one is more stupid than anyone else. Nowadays, people are smarter, especially after 90. You can tell by pretending. If I can't answer your question, I will honestly say that I can't. I haven't studied this problem, and I dare not talk nonsense. This is honesty. There must be skill. I don't think skills are important.
Wu Huaiyao: About a week ago, you opened the WeChat public platform. Is someone in charge now?
Yi Zhongtian: Yes. Wechat is a new thing, strange to me, and I am also stupid. I still have to study hard and keep pace with the times. The world is changing too fast, although the back waves of the Yangtze River push the front waves, and the front waves die on the beach. I still don't want to die on the beach. I hope the front waves can keep up with the back waves.
C face obsessive-compulsive disorder
"Never let others help you with your food."
Wu Huaiyao: You seldom give people trouble. Never ask anyone to help you with your food even when you eat?
Yi Zhongtian: This is a cultural issue. Westerners come by themselves. Some people in China don't know why others have to come. I think it's because emperors are eunuchs who pick vegetables, which are good in the top and effective in the bottom. Everyone follows, and when there is a little place, ask someone else to pick up the food. This is so boring. Better to rely on yourself than to go to others for help. I have always advocated that everyone should clean up the snow in front of his house so that others will not be hit by frost.
Wu Huaiyao: At a party, I met an expert and scholar who likes to comment on bestsellers. I asked him about the cover colors of several bestsellers he had criticized, including Yi Zhongtian's History of China, but he couldn't answer any of them.
Yi Zhongtian: The opinions of such people can be ignored. Why did you ignore him? So you made some criticisms, and my answer is the same. Why should I torture myself with other people's mistakes? As for asking me to correct his mistake, I'm sorry, I have no obligation. Why should I give him lessons for free?
Wu Huaiyao: Disdain?
Yi Zhongtian: Disdain is very serious. More precisely, it doesn't matter whether you care or not. One's opinion can be changed, but it can't be changed for those who deliberately find fault. There are two situations in his so-called misunderstanding or misjudgment. The first is that he deliberately finds fault with you, and he opposes everything you do, so you can't change him. In the second case, he doesn't understand at all. He didn't even look at it, taking it for granted that the next sentence would be explained to him, but he shrugged it off. Why do you want to find someone who doesn't care about you?
"The first thing to get up is to boil water."
Wu Huaiyao: He lived in seclusion in a small town in the south of the Yangtze River and devoted himself to writing the history of China. This is your main status quo. Do you have a regular schedule?
Yi Zhongtian: Yes, I basically get up at 8 o'clock. The first thing I do when I get up is to open the kettle and boil water. When I boil water, I go to the toilet. After going to the toilet, I boil water to make tea. When the tea is ready, I'll take a shower. After I took a shower, the tea was ready. After drinking tea, I will write on the computer. I don't delay at all. I can't sit in front of the computer for about an hour. At this time, I can't have breakfast right away.
Wu Huaiyao: Why can't I work immediately after breakfast?
Yi Zhongtian: After breakfast, lunch and dinner, I can't work for about half an hour. When you are full, the blood will go to the stomach, and the heart will send the blood to the stomach for peristalsis and digestion. If you use your brain at this time, your brain will transfer blood, which is not good for your stomach. So half an hour after dinner, I don't sleep, read or write. What should I do? I wash clothes and water flowers in the morning. Anyway, I just do some housework, walk around and work until noon. Before going to bed at night, look at the historical materials needed for the next day and write down some key words or sentences and logical relationships. A good brain is better than a bad pen.
Wu Huaiyao: Well, your time management method is worth learning.
Yi Zhongtian: Time is not squeezed out, but arranged. The key is to arrange time reasonably and improve efficiency. What I appreciate most is the slogan of Shenzhen: Time is money, and efficiency is life. Many people are completely inefficient. In principle, when I'm on a business trip, I won't run outside in traffic jams. If I have to, I will make phone calls, send text messages and arrange all kinds of things in the car. I can't waste time.
Wu Huaiyao: Did you develop these habits when you were a child?
Yi Zhongtian: I have always been. I had a worksheet in middle school, which was very planned. I keep a diary every day. I keep a diary for only one purpose, that is, to remember what I did today. I wrote a diary, and I didn't feel anything. For example, I will keep a diary today and talk to Huaiyao this afternoon, but I can't remember anything. At the end of each year, I will take stock to see what I have done this year and whether time has been wasted.
Wu Huaiyao: Are you afraid of wasting time?
Yi Zhongtian: For me, the first thing is time. Nothing is more precious than time.
Wu Huaiyao: People are social animals, and you are alone most of the time. Do you feel lonely at home, making friends with the ancients and going up and down?
Yi Zhongtian: My first pleasure is always at work. If I have nothing to do, I'm in trouble. I'm going to get sick if I have nothing to do. As for the question of loneliness ... it's a little gossip, so I won't answer it (laughs).