Six Records of a Floating Life (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Shen Fu (Author), Leonard Pratt (Editor, Translator, Introduction), Chiang Su-Hui (Editor, Translator, Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: November 17, 1983

Six Records of a Floating Life (1809) is an extraordinary blend of autobiography, love story and social document written by a man who was educated as a scholar but earned his living as a civil servant and art dealer. In this intimate memoir, Shen Fu recounts the domestic and romantic joys of his marriage to Yun, the beautiful and artistic girl he fell in love with as a child. He also describes other incidents of his life, including how his beloved wife obtained a courtesan for him and reflects on his travels through China. Shen Fu's exquisite memoir shows six parallel layers' of one man's life, loves and career, with revealing glimpses into Chinese society of the Ch'ing Dynasty.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leonard Pratt is the bureau chief for NBC News in Hong Kong. Chiang Su-Hui was born and educated in Taiwan. She has a degree in Chinese law and has worked as an educator, writer and broadcaster. Leonard Pratt is the bureau chief for NBC News in Hong Kong. Chiang Su-Hui was born and educated in Taiwan. She has a degree in Chinese law and has worked as an educator, writer and broadcaster.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (November 17, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140444297
• ISBN-13: 978-0140444292
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Chinese
  • #66 in Books > History > Asia > China

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A passionate and romantic story, August 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Six Records of a Floating Life (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

"Six Records" (also known as "Six Chapters of a Floating Life"), c. 1805, is an extraordinarily frank autobiography that is totally unprecedented and unparalleled in the history of Chinese literature. It describes the life of the author Shen Fu and his beloved wife, Ch'en Yun (1763-1803), in extremely revealing detail. The intimacy and joy shared by the couple are as unusual by normal standards of Chinese married life as is the author's daringness in revealing them to others. Their close, playful relationship stands in defiant opposition to the staid decorum of married life expected by Confucian ideology.

A thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring read. Ch'en Yun is a woman ahead of her time who admirably balances her love of learning and passion for life with her duties and obligations as a traditional Chinese wife.

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The wonder of nothing special, November 7, 2005

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Six Records of a Floating Life (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

There are so many contradictions within this quirky memoir that it could only possibly be true.

This is a memoir of life right around the start of the 19th century. It recounts the adult life of Shen Fu, a man who appears to have been ordinary in the extreme. Although educated, he did not pass the literary tests of the civil service. At best, his career could have been a secretary under one of the successful examinees, but his times weren't always the best. His positions never lasted, and his business attempts failed. Often, he sold his possessions and his wife's down to the clothes on their backs (or less). He fell out with his family, in a time when filial duty was enforced by law, and became outcast in almost every sense.

But his life never wholly failed, either. Perhaps it was the glow of nostalgia, but his twenty-three years of marriage were always a joy to him, even when his wife's health failed, and even when she may have been the source of some of his problems. They had their times of poverty, but never to the point of starvation. He was honorable enough to quit a corrupt position when it offended his honor too deeply. He was devoted enough to heal the familial rifts. His joys and Yun's were simple - travel, each other, the beauty of the full moon, and maybe a little too much wine shared with happy company. Shen Fu and his devoted Yun never demanded much from their lives, and usually got enough to enjoy.

The text wanders. The first three chapters chart the ups and downs of the marriage to his beloved wife. She died early, from some frightening disease. Still, she and he accepted it stoically, or mostly did. The fourth chapter collects a few decades of moments together, the sights and sounds of travel. With his wife and after her, Shun Fu visited temples, sacred caves, and pleasure districts, reported in some drifting collage of personal history. Despite the "six" promised in the title, we have only four. It's probably better that way, according to the appendices.

I really think I would have liked Shun Fu. He was honest enough, loving enough, and devoted enough to his children. Even when his own situation deteriorated badly, he fostered his son as best he could and sheltered his daughter with people who could marry her well. He never wholly succeeded or failed, but muddled through the chances that appeared to him. He was no grand hero, nor villain, nor idle dreamer, nor driven workaholic. He was just a guy, living some guy's life pretty well. Maybe he dressed up his memories just a bit, but don't we all?

//wiredweird

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming and touching autobiography of a poor scholar, December 7, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Six Records of a Floating Life (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This is a most charming and touching story of a poor Chinese scholar-painter struggling to make a decent living under poverty and mounting debts. In his autobiography, Shen Fu shares with us his experiences, his love for a talented wife and other simple things in life, his family and friends, and travels throughout Manchu China. Despite mounting poverty, he has great passion for living and these records of his experiences and impressions are as relevant to us as it were to him 200 years ago. A highly recommended book and a definite "must-read" over the weekend.