Fu Lei's Family Letters is a book of letters written by Chinese translator and writer Fu Lei to his elder son Fu Cong. Between 1954 and 1966, Fu Cong spent a lot of time away from home to train as a piano player. As a result, writing letters became Fu Lei's usual way of communicating with his elder son. Fu Min, Fu Lei's younger son edited(编辑) the letters and the book was published in 1981.
The book is a full display of Fu Lei's family tradition and value. To Fu Lei, education is not only family matter, but also something with great social(社会的) value. The purpose of education of a person, as shown in Fu Lei's Family Letters, is to make that person useful to society. In his letter on 26 January 1955. Fu Lei praised his son Fu Cong after winning a piano competition. Fu Lei wrote, "We are happy because you make your country proud. We are even happier because you bring joy to people through music! I am so excited when I think about your future. You will progress endlessly and serve more people, encourage them and heal them.
In his family letters, Fu Lei also advised his son to read famous Chinese texts. When reading these books, he told Fu Cong to fully understand their meanings and connect ideas with feelings, for that would help him become a better person. To Fu Lei, learning to be a good person comes before any academic(学术的) training. On 27 December 1954, Fu Lei wrote, "Everyone should be a good person before becoming an expert in any area Otherwise that person will not achieve much, no matter how knowledgeable he or she is."
Fu Lei's Family Letters has great influence on people in China. The book has been sold more than one million copies in China and has been translated into Japanese and Korean. It helps many young students understand how they should live their lives.
