Writing
A Few Reading Programs I Recommend
Liang Wendao, Ma Ruifang, Bi Feiyu, Jiang Xun—programs that stayed with me for a long time, compiled on a snowy day.
Preface: These programs accompanied me for a long time, video or audio. On the season’s first heavy snow I compiled them to share.
Liang Wendao: One Thousand and One Nights — Season of Departure
Rating: ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Why: Polished production—photography and music are impeccable. Strong content—some episodes are gems; obscure parts are explained patiently, simple ones reveal complexity and many sides, as in recent readings of Diary of a Madman.
Link: One Thousand and One Nights — Season of Departure
Ma Ruifang on Dream of the Red Chamber
Rating: ※ ※ ※ ※
Why: Starts from the text and characters; characters tell stories, stories tell characters; frequent classical references impress—and above all it’s fun.
Link: Ma Ruifang on Dream of the Red Chamber
Bi Feiyu Reads the Classics With You
Rating: ※ ※ ※ ※
Why: Fun and deep. Texts you once dismissed become brilliant; he dissects them like a butcher and gives angles you never had. Reportedly a Nanjing University public course; also available as a book.
Link: Bi Feiyu Reads the Classics With You
Jiang Xun on Dream of the Red Chamber in Detail
Rating: ※ ※ ※
Why: From life feeling and aesthetics in Dream of the Red Chamber, reflecting life’s “dilemmas.” Compared with literary scholar Ma Ruifang—one emphasizes text, one beauty—each has strengths.
Link: Jiang Xun on Dream of the Red Chamber
Postscript: The reasons are brief—if they’re your kind of thing, you’ll like them from the first episode.