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235 Acknowledgments Many debts were accrued on the long and pleasurable journey that led to the publication of this book. Thoughts for the project gradually crystallized over years of intermittent, often random, conversations with Theodore Huters and my engagement with his brilliant scholarship on Lu Xun.Ted’s enthusiastic support and “radical”faith in me and the project shielded me from having to consider the sheer folly of tackling such a daunting subject, which surely would have curtailed its inception. Many of the best ideas in the book were inspired by Hu Ying. Her readings of my work have had such a transformative effect on my thinking and writing that I feel at a loss for how to acknowledge her. Allan Barr was subjected to entertaining half-baked ideas and reading unpolished drafts.He responded with a combination of patience and tough intellectual rigor, challenging me at every turn to become a better scholar. Kirk Denton corrected errors and illuminated blind spots in my work, for which I am ever grateful. Many others lent their time to reading chapters of the book, vastly improving them with their suggestions. They include Andrew F. Jones, Andrew Stuckey, Jay (Jian) Xu, Martin Huang, Sean McDonald, Stephen P. Day, and Zhang Hui. Jon Kowallis encouraged the project from start to finish, generously sharing his knowledge and work. Timothy Chan fielded random queries and lent his expertise in classical poetry. Robert Ashmore and David Schaberg pointed me to sources I would otherwise have missed.In the last stage of revisions,Andrew Stuckey provided much needed suggestions that helped me overcome a critical impasse in the writing. Peter Flueckiger shared helpful advice on book writing. Honda Ko provided a sounding board,technical expertise,and steady support.In response to Joan Judge and Gail Hershatter’s solicitous inquiries regarding the snail pace progress of the book, I finally have something to show them. I only hope it is to their liking. I am indebted to Leo Ou-fan Lee not just for his pioneer work on Lu Xun. His warm encouragement to 236 Acknowledgments me as an undergraduate led to my detour into the world of academia, and quite unexpectedly, this book. Some of the ideas for the book were spawned from conversations in my graduate years with classmates I have yet to acknowledge—Chi Ta-wei,Mirana May Szeto,and Wu Shengqing—long before I even knew I would be writing it. I am grateful to the many friends who supported me through the years, both in work and in play: Carol Fan, Chen Tzu-yi, Emrah Paksoy, Erica Flapan, Erin Runions, Eva Co, Francis Bonahon, Gary (Gang) Xu, Hanno and Jennifer Harms, Genevieve Lee, Jack and Carol Sanders, James Marshall, Jeffrey Wasserstrom, John Xavier, Kenneth Wolf, Kingsley Wang, Margaret Lin Waagner, Michael Casey, Ng Zhiru, Nico Volland, Robert and Ivy Chann, Sean McGhee, Steven Woo,Tan Chang,Vin de Silva,Wingra Fang,Yesim Kurt,Tinhvan Diep, Tony Wan, Wendy Yu, and Yao Ping. For hosting me with warm hospitality on my various trips to China, I thank Ch’ng Tze-Chia, Ma Qin, Wang Min, Wei Jing and the Wei family, Wu Xiaoyong, my granduncle Cai Zaidu and grandaunt Jiang Wenxia. Pomona College and many of its students, staff, and faculty provided me a hospitable home for writing and research. The college contributed to the subvention for the publication of the book and granted me a yearlong leave in 2008–2009, during which a substantial portion of the writing was completed. Grace Chen, the spirited librarian at the Claremont Colleges, was an invaluable resource. Along the way, I was fortunate to have the help of various research assistants,including Lucille Sun and my “right-hand” woman, Cathy Hwang. During the last stages of the writing , the assistance of Ji Zhiqiang (Eddy) was indispensable. He provided help in all forms and manners, always with cheerful alacrity. A version of Chapter 4 was previously published as “Gendered Spectacles:Lu Xun on Gazing atWomen and Other Pleasures,”in Modern Chinese Literature and Culture 16, no. 1 (Spring 2004):1‒36. Portions of Chapter 5 were previously published as “Recycling the Scholar-Beauty Narrative: Lu Xun on Love in an Age of Mechanical Reproductions,” in Modern Chinese Literature and Culture 18, no. 2 (Fall 2006). For meticulously polishing the manuscript,I thank my copy editor,Stuart Kiang.For transforming the manuscript into a book, I am grateful to the consummately professional team at the University of Hawai‘i Press...

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