汪曾祺：自由生命体验的艺术世界

Wang Zengqi advocates the freedom, equality, and joy of life for both himself and others, and believes that people are born free. This is not only a famous saying by Rousseau, but also an interpretation of human rights by the Enlightenment philosophy. However, people with these 'inalienable human rights' are often trapped in 'chains' and unable to enjoy their freedom, as seen in many literary works. In Wang Zengqi's works, however, life never gives up the desire for freedom. Guided by his philosophy of life, the characters he portrays form a group of free, joyful, and equal figures, creating a picture of life in his literary world. The male characters in his works enjoy the happiness of a free life, and the female characters are full of passion for life, pursuing and expressing themselves boldly. They are not bound by social norms or ethical constraints, but rather follow their own principles of life, allowing the flow of emotions to surge with the spring of life.

In addition to worldly life, Wang Zengqi's works also depict the lively and vivid human nature in the solemn Buddhist temples. The monks in his works, such as those in the novella 'Shoujie,' enjoy various pleasures in life. The leading nun Renhui in 'Ren Hui' never gives up the call of passion in life, either. As the leader of Guanyin Temple, she unleashes the potential of life, raises funds for vegetarian food, repairs the temple, prepares vegetarian meals, and learns to perform the flame-mouthed skill. Under Wang Zengqi's pen, the solemnity of Buddhism and the pleasure of life are not incompatible. We can say that if Buddhism attains the highest realm of life through 'precepts,' then Wang Zengqi's works achieve the highest realm of life through 'compliance.' His 'compliance' is to follow the call of life, to release the instincts of life, and to obtain the experience of life, reaching the ultimate realm of life. As Bakhtin said, 'terror is eliminated in the bud in Rabelais's works, and everything is transformed into joy.' In Wang Zengqi's works, all external factors that hinder the carnival of life are eliminated by the principle of joy. Therefore, we can always read warm life care and sympathy from his works. He cares about life, the dignity of life, the true beauty and suffering of life, and he and his characters and readers resonate with each other in their attention to the essence of life. Wang Zengqi uses his texts to explain the 'dispelling of ghosts' for the world, affirming the legitimacy of secular life and human freedom, and realizing the freedom and equality of the artistic world created by his free life experience.