Six Records of a Floating Life


Six Records of a Floating Life is an autobiography by Shen Fu, who lived in Changzhou during the Qing dynasty. The four extant records are "Wedded Bliss", "The Little Pleasures of Life", "Sorrow", and "The Joys of Travel". Two further "records" are lost : "A History of Life at Zhongshan" and "The Way of Living".
Yang Yin, the brother-in-law of the prominent writer Wang Tao, found the incomplete manuscript of the work at a stall selling second-hand books. He gave the four parts to Wang Tao, who was in charge of the Shanghai newspaper Shen Bao. Wang Tao published the manuscript in letterpress in 1877, whereupon it became an instant bestseller. The "Fourth Record" was written in 1808, so the book is believed to be finished sometime after that date. Based on the index, scholars have been able to determine that the fifth record was intended to be called "A History of Life at Chungshan" and the sixth was intended to be called "The Way of Living". The fifth and sixth sections have never been found, despite various fraudulent claims.
The phrase "floating life" originates from the preface to a poem by the Tang-era poet Li Bai: "The floating life is but as a dream; how much longer can we enjoy our happiness?"

Style

The book is written in what translator Graham Sanders calls "the literary language of poetry, essays and official histories rather than in the more verbose vernacular language used for the popular lengthy novels and dramas of the Ming and Qing dynasties". According to Sanders, this choice allowed Shen Fu to "slip readily into a poetic lyrical mode," although he is also able to address topics as diverse as "gardening, finance, social roles of women, tourism, literary criticism, prostitution, class relations, and family dynamics."

Outline

The four extant records are:
  1. "Wedded Bliss", in which the author mainly puts the focus on his wife Chen Yun, with whom Shen Fu fell in love when they were both young. Although Chen Yun is not considered beautiful, she pursues beauty in other areas. She considers painting and embroidering to be necessary to composing poetry, and regards a simple life as an ideal existence. Shen Fu considers her to be not only his wife but also his close friend who can share in his hobbies and his feelings, which was considered an unorthodox approach to marriage in Chinese society at the time.
  2. "The Little Pleasures of Life", which gives a vivid description of the leisure activities enjoyed by Shen Fu: the joys of his childhood, his adult life cultivating flowers, and his experiences of composing poems with other scholars. He tended to be close to nature in childhood, but in adulthood he had very little time to focus on nature, and was often chained to worldly possessions. Many of the episodes in this section are involved with discussions of aesthetic experiences.
  3. "Sorrow", in which Shen Fu points out that most of his frustrations are due to his uprightness and his commitment to words. Though this chapter opens with the author's own sorrow, its content also addresses the difficulties of Chen Yun's life; which also grows out of her character, and with the author’s endless love for his wife and his resentment over her unfair fate.
  4. "The Joys of Travel" portrays beautiful scenic spots that the author has visited, and records anecdotes, local customs and historical allusions. Shen Fu expounds his belief that it is the gaining of experience that counts, rather than following what others have said.

    Plays

Six Records of a Floating Life has also been adapted as an experimental play by East Meets West Mime, mixing elements of mime, dance, pop, and theatre. Ballerina Lindzay Chan played the character of Chen Yun, while Philip Fok played Shen Fu.

Translations

English
German
  • Sechs Aufzeichnungen über ein unstetes Leben
  • Sechs Aufzeichnungen über ein unstetes Leben - translated by Rainer Schwarz
  • Aufzeichnungen aus einem flüchtigen Leben
French
  • Six secrets au fil inconstant des jours - translated by Pierre Ryckmans
  • Récits d'une vie fugitive: Mémoires d'un lettré fou - translated by Jacques Reclus
Danish
  • Kapitler af et flygtigt liv
Italian
  • Sei racconti di vita irreale
  • Racconti di vita irreale - translated by Lionello Lanciotti
Korean
  • 부생 육기 :심 복 자서전
Spanish
  • Relatos de una vida sin rumbo
  • Seis estampas de una vida a la deriva
Dutch
  • Verslagen van een vlietend leven: Biografie van een liefde - translated by Daan Bronkhorst
Hebrew
  • החיים הסחופים
Swedish
  • Pilblad i strömmen: En kinesisk konstnärs självbiografi
Japanese
  • 《浮生六記：うき世のさが》沈復作，佐藤春夫·松枝茂夫譯，東京：岩波書店，1938年9月
Malaysian
  • Hidup bagaikan mimpi : Riwayat hidup sa-orang pelukis dan sasterawan tionghoa
Czech
  • Šest historií prchavého života
Russian
  • Шесть записок о быстротечной жизни - translated by Kirina Ivanovna Golygina
Vietnamese
Polish
  • O upływającym życiu: Opowieść w sześciu rozdziałach - translated by Katarzyna Sarek