■"Collected Letters of bet365 offer" Information picture

　1988，bet365 offer expressed his determination to "reform" in the poem "Self-titled Portrait": "It is not easy to reform in declining years，After singing the lotus, spring will come again。” “The Decline Reform” was bet365 offer’s conscious initiative to seek change in the late stages of his creative career。This kind of change is reflected in the writing style as the replacement of "troubles" and "absurdities" for "poetry" and "harmony"，In terms of spiritual pursuit, it is characterized by the exploration of modernity。bet365 offer first proposed incorporating "modern consciousness" into text creation in the postscript of "Liaozhai Xinyi" in 1987，In 1992, he also proposed in "Que Lao" that the so-called "reform" is to incorporate modernism into the novel。1980s and 1990s，bet365 offer has broken away from imitating "modernist" techniques such as "stream of consciousness" and "impressionism"，Focus on topics related to modernity。All the above explanations，bet365 offer decided to explore the path of modernity in the "Decline Reform" from 1987。

The modern exploration of the "decline reform" mainly focuses on the following two points: establishing a rational consciousness with an enlightenment nature and liberating the irrational consciousness of individual life。One，Before the "Decline Reform"，bet365 offer’s novel creation is mainly lyrical writing centered on “countryside”。At that time，bet365 offer’s novel creation does not have the lofty social significance of “liberation of human nature”。For example，Yan Zuolei thinks，The monks’ writing in “Ordination” neither avoids the objective facts of the Republic of China，It also does not have the meaning of "the noble feeling of breaking the precept" and "breaking through the shackles of religion"。Same，bet365 offer’s other novels in the 1980s, such as "Da Nao Chronicles", are difficult to interpret with "modern consciousness"。However，Words with an enlightening nature became clearly visible during the "Decadence and Reform" period。Part 2，bet365 offer tried to criticize feudal morality，To liberate the irrational consciousness of individual life。Take the rewriting of "Ruiyun" from "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" as an example，In the original text of "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio"，He Sheng "Don't read it easily"，Adhere to moral rationality，Never give up on the ugly Ruiyun。Rewritten by bet365 offer，He Sheng’s love for Ruiyun is not only about appearance，It’s more about the beauty of the other person’s character。Therefore，Even if Ruiyun’s appearance is damaged，He Sheng does not change his love。Here，bet365 offer broke free from the shackles of moral reason，Attribute He Sheng’s persistence in commitment to emotional factors rather than moral factors，Irrational consciousness is freed from the oppression of feudal morality。

Compared with other literary trends in the 1990s，The heterogeneity of the "Decline Reform" lies in its abandonment of the "labor pains" expression of modernity，Concentrated on the admiration for modernization。90s，The rapid development of the commodity economy has intensified the secularization tendency of literary writing。At that time，Literary and artistic trends that both call for modernity and reflect on modernity are emerging in an endless stream，“New Realistic Novels” is one of the representatives。It should be said，The modern explorations of "New Realistic Novels" and "Decline Reform" have certain similarities: both have expectations for modernity，The call for modernization in the context of the era of reform and opening up is highlighted in daily writing。The difference is，Through the depiction of people’s mechanical life day after day，"New Realistic Novels" reflect the "troubles" of individual life in the process of modernization，However, the "Decline Reform" has no relevant content displayed。Although bet365 offer also has similar "troubles" and "absurdities" in his works，But these negative factors all originate from feudalism。bet365 offer did not stand in the position of reflecting on modernity，But use modernization as a good medicine to eliminate "troubles"。In "Not the Past·Sole"，We can see the protagonist's "reborn" changes in the modernization process: young Saqima reported his mother to the family committee because of a trivial matter，Saqima received a good school education many years later，Became a trainee doctor，Mother looking at the soles of Rina’s shoes in the corridor，I said in my heart "Mom is old"。Saqima is a microcosm of countless children in the wave of modernization，They emerged from the modern education system，Get rid of immaturity and ignorance，Dedicated himself to modernization construction again。In the 1990s when modernization construction needed to be strengthened，bet365 offer’s exploration presents a positive demand for modernization。

When bet365 offer explored modernity, he did not forget to retain the "benevolence" factor of traditional culture。Confucian “benevolence” pursues relationships between people、People and Society、The ecological order of harmonious coexistence between man and nature。To this，bet365 offer agrees。He not only recognizes the inner logic of "benevolence"，I also want to integrate the group consciousness and sense of responsibility in "Benevolence" into the construction of modernity。He said this in 1993，“Where do we get today’s ethics and moral concepts？I think we can only learn from Confucius，曰仁心，曰道道，Or as the people say: talk about human feelings"。From bet365 offer to the Theater Company "Savages"、This can be seen in the criticisms of landlords and other figures in the Republic of China，His expectation for modernity lies more in the return of the spirit of "benevolence" in modern society，Building a harmonious and friendly community in the new era and new context。

In "Ripe Lotus Root", he described a harmonious community full of human touch: Liu Xiaohong got typhoid，Neighbors come to visit，Mr. bet365 offer, who sells cooked lotus roots, specially sent all kinds of food to help her recover from her illness，After getting married, Liu Xiaohong often came back to visit Mr. bet365 offer who lived alone，Unpacking clothes for the elderly。Although the two are not related by blood，Better than father and daughter。After Mr. bet365 offer’s death，There is no second person selling cooked lotus roots in the city，“But the aroma of cooked lotus roots will always be there”。

Precisely because of bet365 offer’s thoughts，The exploration of modernity also shows a positive side。The collective consciousness and sense of responsibility inherent in "Benevolence" represent a limited freedom，Emphasis on the existence of "order"。Under the scale and specification of "order"，We can grasp the "body" of the heart，Perform directional movement according to the preset "Tao"。At the end of the "road"，Individuals can reach the lofty realm of "being in the same flow as above and below" and "participating with heaven and earth"，The community can achieve the goal of "people and our compatriots，The collective identity of "wuwuyuye"。Under the guidance of "benevolence" thought，The ideal of a harmonious and orderly modern community is not out of reach。bet365 offer consciously wanted to shift from tradition to modernity during the "Decline Reform"，As an old-school literati who emerged from the literary and artistic trends of the 1930s and 1940s，In his literary creation, he simultaneously demonstrates the humanistic care and traditional taste of a "Beijing-style" writer。

　(Author’s affiliation: Faculty of Humanities, University of Macau)