When reading history, flashes of inspiration sometimes come to mind. Unless I put these little sprites down on paper, they will not let me rest. Of course, they are unlike the conventional grand narratives of traditional historians, and even less like the oversimplified, cookie-cutter accounts of history that rely on labels. As everyone knows, some passages in the long corridor of our history have been covered up, and we are not free to discuss them. Other passages may be discussed, but not just any way we please. In short, we can speak only of what may be spoken, and say only what may be said. And when reading history, we can hear the sighs from its depths and feel the bitterness of the present; we can find the roots of the present in history, and the shadows of history in the present. Perhaps this is history’s paradox. It is time to set the record straight. History is not politics’ bedfellow, and historians should not be like Wang Po, hawking their wares. A Western philosopher once said that history is often written incorrectly, and therefore must be rewritten again and again. This is true: in a sense, history is always contemporary history. But its relevance to the present should serve rational living and a better future, not the opposite. Put simply, history should enlighten us and help prevent past tragedies from happening again.
