This sentence comes from the essay "Genius Dream" written by the modern Chinese female writer Zhang Ailing when she was 18 years old. This is regarded by her as her "maiden work" in her literary career. This essay was an award-winning essay for the Shanghai "West Wind" magazine that year. At that time, Zhang Ailing was still a first-year student at the University of Hong Kong. The original publication "Genius Dream" was published by Shanghai Xifeng Publishing House in 1941.
The original text is as follows:
There is a part of the art of living that I cannot appreciate. I know how to watch "July Clouds", listen to the Scottish soldiers playing bagpipe, enjoy the wicker chairs in the breeze, eat salt water peanuts, appreciate the neon lights on rainy nights, and reach out from the double-decker bus to pick the green leaves from the top of the tree.
In situations where there is no interaction between people, I am filled with the joy of life. But I can't overcome this little biting annoyance for a day. Life is like a gorgeous robe covered with fleas.
Extended information
Zhang Ailing is a uniquely charming writer in the history of modern Chinese literature. Her life-long creations involve novels, essays, and script reviews, among which novels have the highest achievements. Zhang Ailing's novels transcended her time. Her novels all show her personal characteristics in terms of material selection, conception, characterization, narrative structure and language skills, and have achieved outstanding achievements; The in-depth description of small characters is unmatched by any other writer in the 1940s. Therefore, her novels cannot be attributed to any novel genre, but are unique existences and have made unique contributions to the history of Chinese novels.
Zhang Ailing has contributed a number of literary masterpieces, created a new high in realistic novels, and has a coordinate value in the history of Chinese novels.
The achievements of her novels are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
First, it expanded the new vision of female criticism and the new world of female literature
Second, it created a new high in realistic novels
3. Formation of a distinctive artistic style
4. Unique contribution to the history of Chinese literature
Baidu Encyclopedia - Zhang Ailing