Six Records of a Floating Life

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses suicide and alcohol addiction.

Shen Fu (Chinese: 沈復, literary name: Sanbai) is the author of Six Records of a Floating Life. The text is written from his point of view and recounts his reminiscences and meditations on events and periods in his life. He paints a nuanced and unvarnished picture of himself, acknowledging his flaws and failures both implicitly and explicitly without shying away from his successes or virtues. Shen Fu’s perspective is shaped by the values and expectations of his culture and upbringing; he believes in Confucian ideologies of filial piety, adherence to rites and social rules, and loyalty even as he fails to fully live up to all but the latter quality. He experiences many hardships in his life, both self-made and not, but shows resilience in his ability to endure adversity and continue pursuing happiness.

In the highly stratified and hierarchical society of Qing Dynasty China, Shen Fu was born into a position of significant privilege as the eldest son of a wealthy minor official. He was well educated, with every opportunity to succeed in the prestigious but rigorous official examinations for entrance into civil service. Ultimately, his family’s ambitions for him are let down only by his own temperament, capabilities, and priorities. Despite this, Shen Fu retains a significant store of literary knowledge throughout his life, as is illustrated by the frequent literary references and allusions made in the text. He also appreciates poetry, literature, and other artistic pursuits.

One of Shen Fu’s defining traits is that he loves and values his wife far beyond the prescribed standards of society. He recognizes her value and considers her a close friend and equal, rather than following the example of many of his contemporaries and considering his wife no more than a fetishized and othered possession. He is unrestrained in his praise for Chen Yun’s intelligence, skill, thoughtfulness, and virtue, even on occasions where she clearly outmatches him. He revels in the sheer joy of her company and is grieved beyond measure by her death. He also grants her freedoms far beyond the norm, encouraging her to travel with him outside the home and supporting her education. He also stands loyally beside her to the point of estrangement from his parents, valuing their union over his filial duty and seemingly holding no resentment over her part in the schism.

Shen Fu consistently prioritizes a “floating life,” one untethered by earthly concerns of status, obligation, or worry. He frequently rhapsodizes on the contentment of occasions when he was free to live “as immortals” sequestered away from the humdrum constraints and expectations of work, as in The Villa of Serenity with Chen Yun or aboard the flower boat with Xi-er. He appreciates beauty in all its forms, natural and manufactured, dedicating much of Part 4 to lavish descriptions of landscapes, gardens, and scenery from all across China. In such traits, Shen Fu embodies the principles of Buddhism—prioritizing detachment, contentment in the face of suffering, and oneness with nature—far more than those of Confucianism. He also has a strong sense of justice, resigning from his first independent position as yamen on moral grounds, and earning the loyal gratitude of an underling by protecting his daughter. Shen Fu’s frank and open nature leaves him vulnerable though not oblivious to ill-intentioned machinations, such as those which his brother Chi Tang is implied to have undertaken to deprive Shen Fu of his rightful inheritance and place in their parents’ household.

Shen Fu displays a fondness for drink that sees him spending money on wine even in the depths of poverty, deeming alcohol a necessary component of socializing and entertaining. He also consistently displays a lack of financial acumen, which is highlighted in his repeated willingness to lend money to friends even when in dire financial straits himself and to act as guarantor on loans with no means of protecting his own interests from liability. Such acts show tremendous generosity of spirit and loyalty to his friends but also a lack of regard for his duty to provide for his dependents. He borrows money with no means of repaying it and repeatedly appeals to friends and family for financial assistance even as he spends long periods of time unemployed or underemployed. Such financial instability deprives his family of necessities like warm clothing and medicine and forces his wife to take up the slack of economizing and earning additional money, while also managing their household and dealing with chronic illness. This underdeveloped sense of duty is exemplified in business trip to Guangdong in Part 4, which sees him spending months and a small fortune on pursuing a fleeting relationship with the sex worker Xi’er, whom he ultimately abandons and drives to attempt death by suicide.