In this second set of essays, Dai Qing aims her literary gun at several targets—both to the political left and right. At the same time, she reveals a certain tough-mindedness on policy issues in China and a strong sense of nationalism, views that are not generally associated with intellectuals of her political and cultural stripe.

In translating and editing Dai Qing's Zawen [Piquant Essays], we have tried to retain the author's original if somewhat disjointed style. This includes Dai Qing's tendency to combine the main narrative with quick asides on related issues that may occasionally confuse the reader. Dai Qing's original notes appear as footnotes on the bottom of a page on which they are referenced. Additional explanatory notes provided by the translators are placed at the end of each essay. These notes help to clarify (...) for the reader the most obscure events, personages, and Chinese terminology. We have kept these to a minimum to prevent unnecessary interruptions to Ms. Dai's free-flowing narrative and to retain the original quality of the essays, thereby avoiding undue elaborations and explications for the unacquainted. The essays are presented in no particular chronological order; some have been dated by Dai Qing and others not. (shrink)