By Peng Shituan

30 Years of Literary Friendship Thai Princess Sirindhorn and Chinese writer Wang Meng

By Peng Shituan

Princess Sirindhorn visiting Wang’s home in suburban Beijing on April 6, 2013.

Nearly 30 years ago, on Feb. 19, 1987, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand met with Wang Meng, a famous writer and then Chinese Minister of Culture, at Phuping Palace, the winter residence of the Thai royal family in Chiang Mai. That meeting heralded a longstanding friendship between the two literary masters.

At the end of 2004, to celebrate the 60th birthday of Princess Sirindhorn, members of the Confucius Institute at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok invited Wang to write an article for the bookPrincess Sirindhorn in the Hearts of the Chinese People. In the essay, Wang recounted his encounters with the Princess since they first became acquainted. The princess visited Wang’s home in 2001, and revisited in 2008, leaving an inscription reading“Good Friends”. During his lecture tour to Thailand in 2009, Wang visited the Princess at her residence. When Wang’s wife passed away in 2012, the Princess visited Wang’s home to give her condolences. In 2013, the Princess revisited the Chinese author and completed a piece of calligraphy which included four Chinese characters meaning “A Meeting of Old Friends”. It was the same year that Wang, as a member of the panel of judges, voted for Princess Sirindhorn to win the award of one of China Central Television’s “People of the Year in Promoting Chinese Culture”.

A Reply to the Princess

In his essay “Meeting H.R.H. Princess Sirindhorn,” Wang describedthe entire process of his first meeting with the Princess at Phuping Palace under the scorching Chiang Mai sun. Upon meeting him, the Princess jokingly asked him if he would be able to continue writing now that he had become the Chinese Minister of Culture, an extremely busy position. Their comfortable rapport helped Wang relax. He then shared how he felt about the Princess’ children’s book,Kaew the Naughty, and asked for her to sign his copy of the book.The courtesy call, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted nearly an hour because of enthusiastic conversations on literature between the two. Before Wang’s farewell, the Princess gifted him a Thai-language copy of the bookDragon’s Landwhich she wrote aTher her first visit to China in 1981, with an apology that the Chinese edition was out of stock. Considering the Princess’excellent English proficiency, Wang presented her an English-language copy of his own fiction collectionThe Butterfly and Other Stories. The Princess later found the Chinese edition ofThe Butterflyand even published a Thai edition in 1994. She personally penned the book’s preface.

At Wang's home, she talked about her Chinese language learning, her tours in China, her literary creations and her ongoing translation of a novel by Chinese writer Fang Fang.

Princess Sirindhorn poses with Wang and others at her palace in Bangkok in 2009.

After the 1987 Thailand visit, Wang composed a group of five poems, one of which goes:

“A Reply to H.R.H. Princess Sirindhorn — Imitating Baruch de Spinoza”

Upon seeing me, the Princess asked: How can you continue to write now that you have become Chinese Minister of Culture?

I have striven not to laugh at the world,

Not to weep at it, nor to hate it,

But to write about it,

So I can write.

This poem was inspired by Spinoza, a 17th century Dutch philosopher, who was once quoted as saying, “I have striven not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, nor to hate them, but to understand them.” According to an article by Cui Jianfei, one of Wang’s assistants, the minister later presented the poem to the Princess, who copied it into her notebook about Chinese poetry and highlighted her illustrations of the poem in a book. “As long as you have a strong will, staying away from secular distractions, you have the energy to write, and I’m thus encouraged to continue writing,” she wrote.

And so she did. Over the years, she has published a number of China-related books and translated many literary works by Chinese authors including Wang, Tie Ning, Wang Anyi, Fang Fang and Chi Li. In January 1994, the Princess came to Beijing for advanced study on Chinese language and literature. At the launching ceremony of the Chinese edition ofA Selection of Poetry and Paintings by Princess Sirindhornhosted by China’s General Administration of Press and Publication, Wang extended congratulations to the Princess and exchanged views with her. That occasion was later mentioned by the Princess in her bookSnowflakes in Clouds and Fog.

Top left: During her April 2013 visit, Princess Sirindhorn painted a piece of calligraphy featuring four Chinese characters meaning,“A Meeting of Old Friends”.

Bottom left: Wang and his late wife Cui Ruifang (first from right, front row) receive Princess Sirindhorn at home in early 2001.

Right: Wang shows the Thai version of The Butterfly, translated by Princess Sirindhorn, to documentary producers from Shanghai Television in 2001.

Good Friends

Wang once stated in an article that it was the greatest honor for him to welcome the Princess to his home four times between 2001 and 2011. On Feb. 24, 2001, during her time studying at Peking University, the Princess, accompanied by the Thai ambassador to China, visited Wang’s home. There, she talked about her Chinese language learning, her tours in China, her literary creations and her ongoing translation of a novel by Chinese writer Fang Fang. She also gifted Wang her latest bookSnowflakes in Clouds and Fog. Wang presented the Princess his recently published tetralogy(Season of Love, Season of Gaf f e, Season of Hesitation and Season of Carnival) as well as earlier worksFlying Side by Side and A Dream of Red Mansions and Modern Literary Theories, because he knew that the Princess had great interest in the poetry of the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. At the invitation of Wang, Chinese writer Zhang Qie, who had recently returned from a visit to Thailand, was also present, revealing that the Princess would be awarded the International Literary Prize for Understanding and Friendship by the China Literature Foundation (CLF), a subsidiary of the Chinese Writers Association. Six months later, on August 24, the Princess accepted the award from Wan Li, honorary president of CLF, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Wang attended the award ceremony.

On Aug. 8, 2008, Princess Sirindhorn appeared at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games. The next day, she visited Wang at his home. Generally, Wang spent each July and August swimming and writing at the Beidaihe seaside resort in eastern China, a tradition of his that had persisted for more than 10 years. Apart from theoccurrence of exceptional circumstances, he would not leave Beidaihe for those two months. For the sake of writing, he even rejected an invitation to attend the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony. When learning about the Princess’ upcoming visit, however, he immediately returned from the beach to Beijing.

At that time, Wang had recently bought a villa in the city’s outskirts, so he decided to entertain the Princess at his new home. On the morning of Aug. 9, Princess Sirindhorn and her entourage arrived at Wang’s house. Wang showed her around the compound’s gardens, adorned by trees and flowers, and picked a peach for the Princess. They updated each other on their respective writing and publications. The Princess painted three Chinese characters, “Good Friends”, with a brush. Six years later, in the same villa, she left another inscription, reading “A Meeting of Old Friends”, and stamped it with her Chinese seal. Both of the calligraphy works were included in the 2015 bookA Collection of Princess Sirindhorn’s China Visit Inscriptions. According to the book’s editor, they are the only collection of the Princess’ inscriptions given to an individual.

In March 2012, Wang’s first wife, Cui Ruifang, died of illness. Upon hearing the news, Princess Sirindhorn commissioned the Thai Embassy in China to deliver a Thai-style wreath to Wang’s home on her behalf, and asked the ambassador to attend the farewell ceremony. Four days after the funeral, the Princess personally visited Wang’s home, bringing not only her new book, but also a copper figurine of an elephant, an icon of peace. Wang was deeply moved.

Before her death, apart from receiving the Princess twice at home, Cui Ruifang joined her husband in a tour to Thailand in 2009, where she called on the Princess and presented two of her books,Sixteen Years in XinjiangandWang Meng and I. Now, at his home, Wang showed the Princess their group photo in 2001 when the couple and their grandsons received the Princess. Afterwards, Wang introduced one of his adult grandsons, who was working at aThai firm in China, to the Princess.

Literary Peers

Whenever Wang and the Princess met, their conversations centered around literature and translation. At Wang’s home, the Princess mentioned her unfinished translation of a book by Shanghai-based female writer Wang Anyi and revealed her hope to visit Wuhan to sample the local“hot dry noodles” illustrated in Chi Li’s novelHer City, which she had translated into Thai. A year later, the Princess finally stood on the Wuhan streets Chi Li described so vividly in her novel and tasted the noodles. In April 2014, at Shanghai Writers’Association, the Princess conducted in-depth exchanges with Wang Anyi and other writers.

In his memoir, Wang recalled his 2009 lecture tour to Thailand. Princess Sirindhorn warmly hosted a lunch for Wang and his daughter, who was in Thailand on holiday with her family, at her palace. In addition to his newly published book, Wang also took along a scroll bearing a four-character Chinese idiom meaning, “The greatest benevolence is like water”, which he had painted for the Princess. Considering that Wang’s lecture was scheduled for shortly after lunch, the Princess allowed him to rest in her palace’s living room — an unprecedented show of respect and hospitality.That aThernoon, the Princess personally attended Wang’s lecture and accompanied him on a trip to the Confucius Institute afterwards. Her hospitality, upbringing and etiquette impressed Wang, who also appreciated the Princess’ efforts in trying to communicate with him in Chinese despite an interpreter being present.

Now, I have finally realized that the “secret” of the longstanding friendship between Princess Sirindhorn and Wang lies in their common love for literature. Each time they met, their conversations were focused on not only cultural exchanges between China and Thailand, but also writing and literary works. In his article “Meeting H.R.H. Princess Sirindhorn”, Wang defined their meeting as one between fellow writers. Indeed, their communications over the past 30 years were primarily interactions between two literary peers, which explains why Princess Sirindhorn could step away from the restrictions of diplomatic protocol and provide spiritual comfort for Wang and his family. This also testifies to the Princess’ great interest in and thorough understanding of Chinese culture, as well as her enthusiasm for promoting Chinese-Thai cultural exchanges.

In May 2011, while shooting a documentary commemorating the 30th anniversary of Princess Sirindhorn’s first visit to China, Shanghai Television Station journalists traveled to Beijing for an interview with Wang. Though struggling with sickness, Wang completed the interview.

Time flies, and Princess Sirindhorn’s China tour continues, as does her friendship with Wang. The communications between the two as fellow writers will continue to help enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Thailand, particularly in the area of literature.

Now, I have finally realized that the“secret” of the longstanding friendship between Princess Sirindhorn and Wang lies in their common love for literature.