Professor Wang Shouming： Recalling the famous teachers in the Chinese Department of East China Normal University
Author: Wang Shouming (Professor, Department of Chinese as a Foreign Language, East China Normal University, librarian of Shanghai Literature and History Research Institute)
In the autumn of 1958, I entered the Chinese Department of East China Normal University, and suddenly I have passed a year. After graduating in 1962, I stayed in the Chinese Department to teach. Although I was transferred from the Chinese Department to the Department of Chinese as a Foreign Language, I spent most of my time in the Chinese Department of Normal University. Most of the teachers of Chinese Department who taught me when I was at school or taught me after work, except Xu Zhongyu and others, have died in the west, but the past is still often in front of me.
Mr. Xu Zhongyu made great efforts for the construction of Chinese Department.
On the evening of December 17th, 2014, the 6th Shanghai Literature and Art Award awarded "Lifetime Achievement Award" to 12 teachers, one of whom was Mr. Xu Zhongyu.
Mr. Xu was born in 1915 and is 103 years old this year. When I entered the school, he was supposed to be in his prime, but in 1957, when he was "speaking out", he advocated that universities should be "taught by professors" and "academic supremacy", so he put on a "Rightist" hat in early 1958 and was deprived of the qualification to go to the podium. I took off my hat in 1960, and I had to listen to my teacher’s lecture in 1961. What he gave us was "Selected Works of China Ancient Literature". In a big classroom on the third floor of the school’s literature and history building, Mr. Wang was stiff and his face was angular. In Mandarin with a southern Jiangsu accent, he told us about the book of songs, such as tenderness, sincerity, resentment and innocence, Liu Xie’s Wen Xin Diao Long and Zhong Rong’s Mr. Wang’s lectures are extremely rigorous, and he has a strong taste of "scholasticism". He often holds cards in his hand and solicits extensive quotations. Later, I learned that Mr. Wang was diligent in writing transcripts by hand, and accumulated tens of thousands of cards, accounting for more than 30 million words in calligraphy!
At the end of the "Cultural Revolution", Mr. Wang served as the head of the Chinese Department, later as the honorary head, and was also responsible for the work of the East China Normal University Committee of the NLD; During this period, I first served as the director of the ancient Chinese teaching and research section, then as the deputy director of the department, and joined the NLD. Although my major is different from Mr. Wang’s, I have more contacts. Mr. Wang was over 60 years old when he presided over the Chinese Department, but he still made great efforts for the construction of the Chinese Department with abundant energy. He attaches great importance to the cultivation of students, and tries out the exemption system, credit system and elective course system in the department. At that time, graduate students had not officially started enrolling students. He proposed the mode of "directional training", that is, senior undergraduates who are interested in their studies can choose their tutors according to their own specialties in some aspects, and after passing the examination, they will "directionally train" with their tutors. Mao Shi ‘an, a famous literary critic today, was a student of 1978 at that time. It was in this way that he became a "directional cultivation" student and was personally promoted by his teacher. At that time, some students had published some good novels or poems before entering the school, and they were very diligent in writing literary works after entering the school, such as Zhao Lihong and Sun Yong. According to this situation, Mr. Wang suggested that students who have made achievements in creation can use literary works instead of graduation thesis, which also contributed to the formation of "East China Normal University Writers Group". Because of my work, sometimes I go to my husband’s house, and every time I go, I always see a manuscript spread on his desk, either written by him or being judged by others. At that time, Mr. Wang was the editor-in-chief of three magazines, namely, Research on Literary Theory, Research on Ancient Literary Theory and Guidance on Chinese Self-study.He has worked hard for these magazines. In the early 1980s, Mr. Wang and President Kuang Yaming of Nanjing University jointly initiated the resumption of the course "College Chinese", which should leave a strong mark in the history of higher education in new China. The textbook College Chinese, edited by Mr. Wang, is a second edition, which is now the tenth edition, with a total print run of more than 20 million copies!
Figure | In the early 1990s, old alumni returned to school to participate in the celebration activities and took photos with the teachers in the front row. In the front row, Mr. Xu Zhongyu is the third from the right, Mr. Shi Cunzhi is the third from the left and Mr. Shi Zhecun is the fourth from the left.
In the early spring of 1995, entrusted by Qunyan magazine, I made an exclusive interview with Mr. Wang in his very simple living room and study. Mr. Wang talked about how he embarked on the literary road, the influence of Lao She, You Guoen, Tai Jingnong and Hong Shen on him on this road, his views on the literary situation at that time, and his experience in cultivating graduate students. This interview was later published in the 6 th issue of Qunyan in 1995. Through this interview, I have a better understanding of Mr. Wang, and feel that Mr. Wang’s mentality is mature without losing passion, heavy but still pure, and he is a person who is cold outside and hot inside, rigid outside and soft inside.
It’s a pity that Mr. Wang’s health has been in violation in recent years. I wish his old man a long life!
Mr. Qian Gurong, who does not compete with others.
Mr Qian Gurong (1919-2017) was also the winner of the 6th Shanghai Literature and Art Award and Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Wang was originally named Guo Rong, and Gu Rong was his pen name. When I first entered the Chinese Department of East China Normal University, Mr. Wang was criticized for publishing the article "On Literature as Human Studies" in 1957. Later, I heard that Xu Jie, Xu Zhongyu and Shi Zhecun had all been labeled as "Rightists". At that time, the main person in charge of Shanghai and Chairman Mao’s "good students" said that it would be boring to criticize all dead tigers in the future, so I had to keep two live tigers, so that my husband could escape, instead of being a "Rightist" and become a "fish escaping from the net". It was in the late 1950s and early 1960s that Mr. Wang gave us the course "Modern Literature in China". It’s been a long time, and I can’t remember the specific content of the lecture, but my husband’s style in class is still vivid. Every class, Mr. Wang always wears a suit and tie, a beret on his head and a suit coat, which makes him personable. It seems a little hot when talking, so I took off my coat while talking and put it on the back of the podium chair; Talking, it seems that it is a little hot again, so I take off the top of my suit again. This natural and unrestrained lens is fixed in my mind.
I got to know my husband after I stayed in school. After I stayed in school, Mr. Shi Cunzhi and Mr. Shi Cunzhi lived in the second village of Normal University. They were partners walking around Biluo Lake in changfeng park, and their personalities were similar. From Mr. Shi, I know that Mr. Shi is an outsider. In the early 1970s, my husband and I went to Dafeng May 7th Cadre School for education. On the rest day, Mr. Common sat on the dormitory bed or sat at the door of the dormitory with a small stool in his hand, reading "Shi Shuo Xin Yu". From this I know that my husband likes Shi Shuo Xin Yu very much. Two years ago, Mr. Wang distributed many of his books to the students, leaving only a few, but there were six different versions of Shi Shuo Xin Yu, which showed Mr. Wang’s love for this book! Mr. Wang said that the "Shi Shuo" is a paragraph, which is suitable for browsing at will. But judging from Mr. Wang’s personality, I feel that he actually loves the "Wei-Jin demeanor" that pursues the true self and is willful and comfortable. In 1987, I joined the NLD. Since 1988, I have served as the deputy director of the department, in charge of graduate work, and Mr. Li Ruifu has served as the head of the East China Normal University of the NLD, so I have more contact with Mr. Li. At that time, when recruiting graduate students, Mr. Wang asked for an essay in the entrance examination, which seemed not required by other professional tutors. To this end, I had a chat with my husband. He said: From the composition, we can see whether the student has "aura", and as for professional knowledge, it can be supplemented. My husband is very modest. Every time I go to my husband’s house, he always asks my aunt to make tea and take out sweets and cakes.When you leave, you must personally take me to the stairs and watch me go downstairs; Every time I talk to my husband on the phone, he always asks "Xiao Liu" (my wife’s surname is Liu).
In the mid-1990s, I was transferred from the Chinese Department, so I lost contact with my husband at work. But sometimes I went to his home. When I went, I saw him playing chess with his student Professor Yin Guoming on the balcony several times. Mr. Wang told me that his chess skill is not high, but he just likes it; And asked me if I would like to play with him. For one thing, I live off campus, and for another, my chess level is really poor, so I have never played chess with my husband!
Photo | Spring Tea Party of East China Normal University Committee of NLD in January 1999. The first one on the left is the author, the second on the left is Mr. Qian Gurong, the third on the right is Mr. Xu Zhongyu, and the fourth on the right is Mr. Zhang Shengkun, then deputy director of the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress.
In 2015, I met Mr. Wang at the commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the graduation of the Chinese Department of East China Normal University Night University in 1980, and his style remained the same. I asked my husband, are you still going for a walk in changfeng park? He said that when the weather is fine, he still goes every afternoon, but instead of walking around Biluo Lake, he just sits by the lake for a while. I asked my husband, do you still play chess often? He said, not often. Mr. Wang asked me with a kind smile, is "Xiao Liu" okay?
In November 2016, Mr. Wang attended the Ninth National Writers’ Congress at the age of 98. After Mr. Wang returned to Shanghai, I went to visit him with "Xiao Liu" Mr. Wang is sitting on a cane chair alone, watching the opera program broadcast by CCTV Opera Channel. He has obviously lost a lot of weight, but he is still hale and hearty. During the conversation, he said that he was not the oldest in this generation meeting, and Ma Zhitu was older than himself, but Ma Lao did not attend the meeting. Mr. Wang also talked with us about the recent daily diet and daily life; Also talk about Yu Jiaxi’s Notes on Shi Shuo Xin Yu and Xu Zhen’s Annotations on Shi Shuo Xin Yu. Of course, he also told "Xiao Liu" many times that he had not seen him for a long time. When leaving, my husband insisted on sending us to the door!
On Teacher’s Day in 2017, I called my husband and wished him a happy holiday. From the phone, Mr. Wang’s Mandarin voice with a little soft voice of Wu Nong is still so soothing and full of gas. At the end of the call, my husband asked me to say hello to Xiao Liu again! After hanging up the phone, I conveyed Mr. Liu’s greetings, and we also discussed that after the National Day holiday, it would be a little cooler and we would invite Mr. Liu to have dinner together. We have had this wish for a long time, and we have discussed it with his student Professor Ni Wenjian, but it has never been realized. I wish we must fulfill this wish this fall anyway! Who knows, on September 28th, I received Wen Jian’s WeChat, telling my husband to drive the crane to the west! I can’t believe it! However, after verification, it is finally confirmed that Mr. Wang is really separated from us forever! Unexpectedly, a phone call on Teacher’s Day turned out to be a farewell! Our wish to eat together will never come true!
On October 2, 2017, I saw Mr. Wang again in the lobby of Longhua funeral home. He was lying among the flowers, still wearing a beret on his head, and still looked kind, but we could never hear his beautiful words with a southern Jiangsu accent again!
During his lifetime, Mr. Wang often said that he was incompetent and lazy. In fact, in my opinion, this is a kind of "quietism" life style that Mr. Wang was deeply influenced by "Wei-Jin demeanor", and he can be at ease no matter what situation he is in. Mr. Wang once commented on his teacher, Wu Shuzhuo: "His natural and unrestrained manner, open-minded mind, indifferent to fame and fortune, and his arrogant appearance of disdaining to compete with others have made me infinitely fascinated." What I like about Mr. Qian is his "natural and unrestrained demeanor, open-minded mind, indifferent to fame and fortune, and disdainful of competing with others"!
Two Mr. Shi
At that time, there were two Mr. Shi in our Chinese Department, and their names were similar in pronunciation: Shi Zhecun (1905-2003) and Shi Cunzhi (1904-1994). One was engaged in literature and the other was engaged in language. I stayed in school to work, especially after the Cultural Revolution. People often ask me: How is Mr. Shi in your department? At first I thought I was asking Shi Cunzhi, but later I found out that many of them were asking Shi Zhecun, because both gentlemen were surnamed Shi!
Mr. Shi met me shortly after I entered school, and he was also my tutor after I stayed in school. Mr. Wang is Geng Jie, rigorous in his studies, poor in life and sincere in treating others. He joined the revolution in his early years and was legendary. I have been in contact with my husband for a long time, and he has a great influence on my study and life. I have written another short article about Mr. Shi, which was published in the third issue of Century in 2017, so I won’t say much here.
Mr. Shi is famous. However, I have never been in contact with Mr. Shi during my four years in college, and I have never been told by him. I only occasionally saw him in a corner of the reference room of the Chinese Department. He was hunched over sorting cards, sometimes with a pipe in his mouth. It gives me the feeling that he is not like a "foreign market villain" at all. Knowing that Mr Wang had translated the novel Under the Yoke by Bulgarian writer Ivan Vazov, he borrowed this book from the library to read. The real contact with Mr. Wang was after the beginning of the "Cultural Revolution". During the "Cultural Revolution", I also worked in the reference room for a while, and I began to have a "nodding acquaintance" with my husband. I gradually discovered that he could not only translate, but also write novels, and was proficient in classical literature and the study of inscriptions. He was a knowledgeable and humorous person. I also heard that Mr. Wang joined CY in his early years, that is, the Communist Youth League, and later left for some reason. After the Cultural Revolution, I lived in Taoyuan Square, Yuyuan Road, and my husband’s "Beishan Building" was above the post office next to Qishan Village, Yuyuan Road, not far apart. I always went to pay my respects to my husband during the New Year. Every time I go in through the back door of the post office, because the stairs are dark and my husband’s house is hit, many bookstores can’t put it down, so I have to pile it up at the corner of the stairs, so I have to be extra careful when going up the stairs. Mr. Wang’s room faces south, with a big desk by the window and a small bed on the north wall. Sometimes he sits at a desk full of books and newspapers in a nightgown with a cigar in his hand; Sometimes he leans against the small bed with a hair-pressing hat, holding a book in his hand, and the light on the shelf of the iron bed is still on. Mr. Wang is hard of hearing, so you must talk to him loudly.The topic of his conversation is all over the world. Once I talked about Zhang Ailing, there was a craze for Zhang Ailing at that time, and my husband thought that she was too high. Because I am not engaged in modern literature, and I have read very few novels, I have not been able to have a deep talk with my husband. On another occasion, Mr. Wang talked about Shikumen in Shanghai. He said that this kind of building is the best, and three generations live together happily! According to the students who have listened to Mr. Wang’s class, he never gave a lecture and didn’t follow the script. He gave a lecture on Biography of Xiang Yu for a class, and copied one of the vertical editions of Historical Records from three annotation books as a teaching material. During the lecture, he not only talked about the text, but also talked about the historical and cultural knowledge in the annotations, quoting classics and quoting extensively. After one semester, a biography of Xiang Yu was not finished, but the students benefited a lot. In 1993, Mr. Mi Shou won the Shanghai Outstanding Contribution Award for Literature and Art, but he said that this award should be awarded to young people, which means nothing to me.
Figure | Inscription on the book presented to the author by Mr. Zhao Shanzhi in 1986
The two Mr. Shi have different personalities, Mr. Shi is unsmiling and Mr. Shi is humorous, but I think they still have some similarities: they both participated in the revolution in their early years; People are honest and sincere; Everyone can be awarded the last place.
Everyone gathered in the teaching and research section of classical literature.
When I was studying, the teaching staff in the Classical Literature Department of East China Normal University was very strong, and there were many people who taught us.
It was Mr Cheng Junying (1901-1993) who taught The Book of Songs. Mr. Wang graduated from Beijing Women’s Normal College, was taught by Li Dazhao, Hu Shi, Huang Kan, etc. He participated in the May 4th Movement, and heard that he played the role of Liu Lanzhi in the drama Peacock Flying Southeast directed by Li Dazhao. When she was in Beijing Women’s Normal University, she and her classmates Lu Yin, Wang Shiying and Chen Dingxiu were called "Four Childes". In 1923, Lu Yin, a female writer, wrote the novel "Old Friends on the Seaside" with the theme of "Four Childes". Mr. Wang is not tall, fair-skinned, and his behavior shows the demeanor of a good family. In the pulpit, she read "Guan Guanluo dove, in the river continent, a gentle and graceful lady, a good gentleman" in a sweet voice, which left a very deep impression on us. Since the early 1960 s, she has served as the deputy director of the department, and she is very diligent in her work. She can often be seen bending over her desk in the office of the department head. For our young teachers, we are always considerate and caring for women. Mr. Wang is weak in appearance, but in fact he has a tenacity in his heart. During the Anti-Japanese War, she was in Shanghai and encouraged each other with her close friend Zheng Zhenduo and others to "maintain national integrity". At that time, in order to repay the medical expenses of treating the eldest son, I reluctantly sold the books such as Four Reserves in my family, and I would never do anything shameful. After the Anti-Japanese War, the wooing of Kuomintang dignitaries and the invitation of friends of the National Social Party to be officials were all ignored. In 1964, her husband, Professor Zhang Yaoxiang, a famous psychologist, died, and I went to the funeral home of Wan Guo to attend the memorial service. She had three daughters and two men, but both of them died before her. Even in this situation,Mr. Wang still works and lives tenaciously. She has made great achievements in the study of The Book of Songs, and her works published successively in her later years, such as Random Talk about The Book of Songs, Translation Notes of The Book of Songs, Selected Translation of The Book of Songs and Analysis of The Book of Songs, have been well received by academic circles. In the early 1990s, she also wrote the novel "Colorful Lost in England", as a sequel to "Old Friends by the Seaside", which wrote the legendary life of "Four Childes".
Xu Zhen Tuan (1901-1986) taught ancient poetry. Mr. Wang graduated from Nanjing Normal College and studied poetry and music from Wu Mei. I remember one night in a classroom in the Literature and History Building, when Mr. Wang told us a poem, his expression was very bleak and his tone was very cold. When he talked about the words "Peach blossoms after horses and snow before horses", he was doubly sad. This scene is unforgettable so far. Later, I learned that it was the day before that Mr. Wang’s only son died unexpectedly in Beijing! Although Mr. Wang teaches ancient literature, he is actually very interested in foreign literature. According to Mr. Wang, when he was studying at the university, his translation was praised by Wu Mi, who taught western literature at that time. Mr. Wang is fluent in English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish, and is also proficient in Esperanto. In a lecture, Mr. Wang told us that he started learning Italian with an Italian version of Dante’s Divine Comedy and an Italian-English Dictionary. He told us that he had studied Japanese several times, but because of his resentment against Japanese aggression, he failed to learn it in the end. He told us his views on a famous translator’s translation of Madame Bovary by French writer Flaubert. He thought that the translator’s translation language was very fluent and easy to read, but his style was quite different from the original, and he translated the aristocratic language of the original into the language of the Tianqiao entertainer, and so on. Rumor has it that just after the "Cultural Revolution", the school had not arranged Mr. Wang’s work well. At that time, a department in Beijing suggested that if East China Normal University didn’t need this person, it was ready to transfer him to Beijing to work in Esperanto.Mr. Yin has translated and introduced a large number of China’s literary works to foreign countries in Esperanto, and also created some poems in Esperanto, which have spread abroad and are very influential internationally. Of course, the school still didn’t let Mr. Wang go north. In 1982, the Institute of Ancient Books Arrangement was established in Normal University, and Mr. Wang was the first director.
Mr. Zhao Shanzhi (1911-1988) also taught ancient literature. Mr. Wang graduated from Guanghua University. He taught us Fan Zhen’s Theory of Deity Extinction during the Qi and Liang Dynasties in the Southern Dynasties, read "the essence of form and the use of form" in soft Mandarin with Suzhou accent, and explained Fan Zhen’s atheistic thoughts to us. Before the Cultural Revolution, Mr. Wang was the dean of the department. At that time, he was always the first to appear in the office every morning and the last to leave the office after work. He is very concerned about the growth of young teachers, from time to time to listen to some young teachers’ lessons and make suggestions. During the difficult period in the early 1960s, some young teachers had a hard life. From time to time, he would greet several teachers to have lunch together in the canteen, as if inadvertently ordering more dishes to improve their food. Sometimes he would take out some fruits from his hand-held artificial leather bag and say that he couldn’t eat them, so he would give them to everyone. Mr. Wang is kind to young teachers, but he is very strict with himself. In difficult times, he felt that he was a Communist party member and should share the sorrow for the country, so he voluntarily paid the party dues 100 yuan every month, which was already a large amount at that time, accounting for almost half of his salary. Besides, Mr. Wang’s family burden was not light. His son died young due to illness, leaving his young grandchildren to live with him. After the Cultural Revolution, I once went to my husband’s house and accidentally talked about the book "Caigen Tan". He explained that this book by Hong Yingming was very interesting, but it was not well collated. I heard that the Japanese paid more attention to this book.They learned a lot of business management ideas from it. During that time, I was teaching Chinese to the Japanese Consul General in Shanghai. There was a word hanging in his office, which was written in Caigen Tan: "The wind came to disperse bamboo, and the wind passed without leaving a sound; The geese cross the cold pool, and the geese go to the pool without taking pictures. " I told the Consul General about the book Caigen Tan, and he said that many Japanese entrepreneurs really attached great importance to this book. Later, he helped me to bring several different versions of Caigen Tan from Japan. I took these books to my husband’s house. My husband talked with me about some ideas that I hope our school can collate and verify the book. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, I have not been able to finish what my husband told me. I am deeply ashamed!
A teacher who teaches teaching materials and methods
Normal students must learn to teach, so Chinese teaching materials and methods are compulsory courses. Mr. Ye Baifeng (1913-1986) taught us the teaching method of textbooks.
Mr. Ye is a descendant of Tongcheng, with a good family background. It is said that he studied poetry and calligraphy from Zheng Xiaoxu in his early years. He is of medium height and slightly thin. He had an operation because of lung disease, his left lung was removed and two ribs were removed, so his shoulders were a little high and his shoulders were low. He told us in class that a qualified middle school teacher must have three things: he can write a good blackboard writing, he can speak standard Mandarin, and he must have a hundred ancient poems in his stomach. Once, he told us about his teaching in a middle school before liberation: he stepped on the pulpit and put his speech on the platform. This day, he was going to talk about "Zheng Boke was in the middle of Zuo Zhuan". He wrote a topic on the blackboard with chalk, and when he turned around, he found that the speech on the table was actually missing! He knew this was a naughty student, weighing himself up, so he took his time, turned around again, and wrote on the blackboard with chalk, "At the beginning, Zheng Wugong married Yu Shen, saying Wu Jiang. Sheng Zhuang Gong and Gong Shu Duan. Zhuang Gong was born, surprised by his style, hence the name "Born". He wrote the whole article on the blackboard word for word, so the students took it orally and listened to it. Mr. Wang said that when you go to a restaurant, you don’t know the taste of the food just by looking at the menu without tasting it, so the teacher must "get into the water" and write it by himself. Mr. Wang instructed a young teacher to write in classical Chinese. The young teacher used the word "wholeheartedly" in his article, and Mr. Wang changed it to "all his heart" from the perspective of classical Chinese.
Some of the fragments mentioned above are just snow mud claws. What I feel happy in my life is that I can be kissed by many giants in college. In addition to the above-mentioned teachers, Wang Xiyan, a famous writer, told us about Lu Xun; Rui Liu, a disciple of Huang Kan, told us about ancient Chinese; Mr. Ding Mianzai and Mr. Lin Xiangmei, linguists, told us about modern Chinese; Mr. Wan Yunjun, a disciple of Wu Mei, a master of ci poetry, taught us about the pre-Qin prose; and Mr. Tan Weihan, a writer, taught us about the teaching methods of Chinese textbooks .. However, due to his ignorance, he was an intellectual.
The original title is "Recalling the Famous Teachers of the Chinese Department of East China Normal University" published in the second issue of Century magazine in 2019. Editor: Zhang Jie, new media internship editor: Zhong Kaiyue. This article is copyrighted by Century magazine. If you need to reprint it, please contact reflections@thepaper.cn, and the infringement will be investigated.