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 A spy was executed during russo japanese war. Photo shot by Unknown in 1905

“The villagers had all ganged up on a “bad” man and beaten him to death. Even gouged out his heart and liver.”

The quote reminds me of this execution scene possibly viewed by Lu Xun in 1905. Notice the smiling Japanese soldiers and the surrounding people with numb facial expressions. Lu Xun believed that waking up the numb spirits is more beneficial to rebuilding China than simply healing their bodies. Then he decided to become a writer from a doctor. 

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”Diary of A Madman” Engraving print by Unknown.

“Although I wasn’t aware of it in the beginning, now that I know I’m someone with four thousand years’ experience of cannibalism behind me, how hard it is to look real human beings in the eye!” - Diary of A Madman by Lu Xun

As he realized he was also part of this people-eating culture that feudal ethics created, the madman was desperate. Lu Xun wanted to wake up people to fight against feudal ethics, as the first republic political structure has been built but people haven’t changed much since. 

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Picture by Ding Cong.

“Some people were standing outside the front gate. The Venerable Old Zhao and his dog were among them. Stealthily peering this way and that, they began to crowd through the open gate.” - Diary of a Madman by Lu Xun

Madman saw everything and everyone was staring at him. He thought that they all wanted to eat him. It’s an illustration of how the feudal ethics has negatively impacted people and eating their souls.    

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Engraving Print by Unknown in 1985.

“I couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a a good loud laugh. Now that really felt good.” - Diary of A madman by Lu Xun

The Madman thought he had uncovered the villagers’ conspiracy to eat him so he laughed out loud. It’s a reflection of Lu Xun’s struggle. He thought he could wake up the numb spirit of the Chinese people by fighting against the feudal ethics and the empirical political structure. He was happy that he could become a writer to make an impact. However, as time went by, he realized that the culture was so deeply rooted that it was very very hard to change. 

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Engraving Print by Zhan Ziliu in 1983.

“Since I couldn’t get to sleep anyway, I read that history very carefully for most of the night, and finally I began to make out what was written between the lines; the whole volume was filled with a single phrase: EAT PEOPLE!” - Diary of A Madman by Lu Xun

The madman is mad because he thinks so differently from people at his time. The madman is not mad because he can understand the meanings between the line of the traditional culture textbooks, which is EAT PEOPLE. Monsters eat people’s flesh. The feudal ethics eat people’s souls.

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Engraving Print by Unknown in 1985.

“Something’s not quite right. When I made my way out the front gate this morning, there was something funny about the way the Venerable Old Zhao looked at me: seemed as though he was afraid of me and yet, at the same time, looked as though he had it in for me. There were seven or eight other people who had their heads together whispering about me. They were afraid I’d see them too! All up and down the street people acted the same way. The meanest looking one of all spread his lips out wide and actually smiled at me!” - Diary of A madman by Lu Xun

Madman acts differently from people at his time. So he was treated as a weirdo by everyone, from kids to adults. However, as it turns out, nobody sees feudal ethics in a better way than him.

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Portrait of Qiu Jin. 

“The villagers had all ganged up on a “bad” man and beaten him to death. Even gouged out his heart and liver.”

As a revolutionist, Qiu Jin sacrificed herself in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. In memory of her, Lu Xun wrote a story named Medicine and created a character named Xia Yu, based on Qiu Jin. In the story, Xia Yu was beaten to death and his heart and liver were gouged out and eaten. 

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Be independent and not enslaved 

Be progressive and not conservative 

Be in the forefront and not lagging behind 

Be internationalist and not isolationist 

Be practical and not rhetorical 

Be scientific and not superstitious 

“The elder brother apologized for having needlessly put me to the inconvenience of this visitation, and concluding his disquisition with a hearty smile, showed me two volumes of diaries which, he assured me, would reveal the nature of his brother ‘s disorder during those fearful days.

Cover of The Youth, a writers’ collection to fight against feudal ethics with their pens. It was a flagship magazine at the time of New Culture Movement. Lu Xun’s Diary of Madman was first published in The Youth. 

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An engraving state in commemorating key victories for the liberation of China from Imperialist and Dynastic rule.

“Maybe there are some children around who still haven’t eaten human flesh. Save the children...” by Lu Xun in Diary of a Madman

It shows the May 4th Movement, which is a similar movement to overthrow the QIng Dynasty but in a more physical way. Instead of publishing articles criticizing the Feudal ethics either explicitly or implicitly, people marched on the street and occasionally fought with police during May 4th Movement.

The quote reminds me of these children who haven’t eaten human flesh. These people are treated as madmen at their time, like the madman in Lu Xun’s novel. But history shows that they are the ones who really sees the bad impact of Feudal ethics.

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Picture of Foot binding by Zhong Ling in 1993.

“Elder Brother told me that when parents are ill, a son, in order to be counted as a really good person, should slice off a piece of his own flesh, boil it, and let them eat it.”

The quote reminds me of a similar feudal ethics called foot binding. Foot-binding is one of the cruelest “punishment” on women under Dynastic rules and feudal ethics. It is said to have been inspired by a tenth-century court dancer named Yao Niang who bound her feet into the shape of a new moon. She entranced Emperor Li Yu by dancing on her toes inside a six-foot golden lotus festooned with ribbons and precious stones.

Tiny feet were considered as pretty according to Feudal Ethics. Women’s feet were bound at a very young age to increase their chances to marry to a wealthy husband. Because of footbinding, she could not normally walk and work so it’s a great lost of human labor for the family and only family with abundant labor power are willing to have their daughters’ feet bound.