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 Shen
Ning is regarded as the most representative documentary writer
among overseas Chinese literary circles. His latest book, A Family’s
Moral Standards over a Hundred Generations is leaping off bookshelves
in China today, boosting his already large fan base.
A Family’s Moral Standards over a Hundred Generations is
a biographical account of the author’s own ancestors, the
four powerful clans of Shen, Tao, Chu and Wan. When these clans
were united through marriage, Shen was the paternal surname and
Tao was the maternal surname. Chu was Shen Ning’s paternal
grandmother’s surname, and his maternal grandmother was called
Wan.
The book tells the story of the family’s long and illustrious
history. Though for generations the family produced a long line
of famed and virtuous members, it always maintained a sense of
humbleness. In ancient times, certain family members were to be
awarded noble titles for their outstanding contributions to society,
but many refused the recognition. Some of the more prominent members
were Shen Ning’s paternal grandmother, descendent of the
famous Tang Dynasty calligrapher and statesman Chu Suiliang, and
her own mother was a descendent of Ming royalty. More modern personalities
that emerged from the family were Shen Ning’s second uncle,
Shen Junru, a prominent left-winger in modern Chinese history,
his maternal grandpa Tao Xisheng, speechwriter for Chiang Kai-Shek,
and of course, Shen Ning himself.
The book begins with his grandmother’s death. “She
is a record of history, heritage and culture; a link between the
past and today,” he writes. He goes on to describe the set
of moral standards that the Shen family has traditionally instilled
in its offspring. The family teaches braveness, responsibility,
independence and pride, and the book illustrates how little this
set of standards has changed over 3,000 years.
In 1983, Shen Ning went to study in the United States, where
he earned a master’s degree in Asian Culture at the University
of Iowa. He relinquished an opportunity to study a doctorate,
choosing instead to teach in San Francisco. From that point onwards,
his American adventure began in earnest. He worked for a number
of American companies, and even held a post with the Federal Government.
Later he took a teaching job at the US Air Force Academy, where
he learned much about the workings of American society. These
experiences would become the foundations of Shen Ning’s special
perception of American life, and inspire his further work. As
well as A Family’s Moral Standards over a Hundred Generations,
he has he penned his own account of life in the states with Fifteen
Years in America, and used his considerable insight into American
culture to write Battle Field—witness of American middle
and primary schools, Business Eye, and American Drillmaster’s
Note.
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