There are many celebrities in Southwest Associated University: Mei Yiqi, Jiang Menglin, Zhang Boling, Wen Yiduo, Shen Congwen, Liu Wendian, Qian Zhongshu, Yang Zhenning...
University is about wisdom and talent. concentration place. If a university does not have a group of teachers and students with unique personalities, no matter how abundant its funds, beautiful its scenery, or its rigorous academic style, its charm will be diminished. At that time, Southwest Associated University fully interpreted the charm of the university, which is still memorable today. (Excerpted from "Many Things in the Republic of China" written by Xie Yiqun? Published by Jiuzhou Publishing House)
Mei Yiqi, captain of the Southwest Associated University
Mei Yiqi (1889-1962), served as captain in 1931 President of Tsinghua University
"The so-called great scholar does not mean a building, but a master." This famous saying on education was attributed to Mei Yi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Southwest Associated University and President of Tsinghua University who once presided over the affairs of the Southwest Associated University. Qi’s words. Speaking of Southwest Associated University, people cannot forget Mei Yiqi.
Mei Yiqi, a "gentleman of few words"
Mei Yiqi is a person who talks less and takes more action. Not only did people call him a "gentleman of few words", but his students also praised him for his words. Taciturn, he wrote a limerick: "Probably or maybe it is, but we dare not say, but the school always thinks that it may not be possible."
Chen Yinke once said: "If a government's decree can be compared with Mei's If the gentleman speaks so carefully and rarely, then that government is the most ideal."
But it was such a man of few words who took on a great responsibility during those special years of the Southwest Associated University. When Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Nankai University were ordered to move to Kunming, Mei Yiqi once made a "high-profile" speech: "In this stormy autumn, Tsinghua University is like a boat, drifting in the stormy waves. Someone is catching up with the negative waves." It is the responsibility of driving it. This person must not retreat or shrink, but must have the courage to move forward with perseverance. Although it feels like a long night, we believe that it will be clear soon. We will sail this boat back to Tsinghua University, and then he can dare to say to his fellow Tsinghua alumni, "I am thankfully not guilty." "In the early days of the founding of the school, the three leaders were in charge of school affairs, but Jiang Menglin and Zhang Boling were in charge of school affairs. He mostly attended important government affairs in Chongqing and had other official duties. Many matters in the Southwest Associated University, which was located in a corner, fell on Mei Yiqi.
In the early days of the Southwest Associated University, Zhang Boling said to Mei Yiqi, who was his student: "You are wearing my watch." Although Jiang Menglin's social prestige and political status at that time were both higher than Mei Yiqi, but he maintained a detached attitude of "doing nothing about the affairs of the UN General Assembly". "In terms of equipment, funding, and the number of teachers and students, Tsinghua University has the largest number. From a secular point of view, Tsinghua University is not worthy of this alliance. On the other hand, it can also be said that Tsinghua University has the largest share of the United Nations General Assembly. Overwhelming advantage." Someone said this. No matter what others say, Mei Yiqi still talks less and does more. He continued the style he formed at Tsinghua University during his time at Southwest Associated University.
Mei Yiqi became the president of Tsinghua University in 1931. Before that, it was common for Tsinghua teachers and students to chase the president and professors. No president could stay in Tsinghua for a long time. , and a few years later, Mei Yiqi is still firmly in the position of principal. When asked what his secret is, Mei Yiqi said: "Everyone will do this or that, and no one will want to misfortune Mei!" His ability No one wanted to overthrow him. After Mei Yiqi became the president, he pursued the principle of "professors running the school", emphasizing both democracy and strict laws. Tsinghua University affairs have always been in order. In less than ten years, Tsinghua University's appearance has completely changed and its reputation has skyrocketed.
When he was at Southwest Associated University, Mei Yiqi continued this trend, which made every leader of the functional department in charge of Southwest Associated University's school affairs a convincing and well-educated scholar.
Shen Panwen, a former Southwest Associated University student and professor at the Department of Chemistry at Nankai University, said, “There are absolutely no non-teachers and idlers in the school leadership team, so there is no problem of laymen leading experts.”
There is only Southwest Associated University in my heart, not Tsinghua University
In eight years, Southwest Associated University has been able to "same as different, and different as not to harm the same; the five colors complement each other; the eight-note ensemble, the final harmony" "Quiet", Mei Yiqi has merit. Mr. Fu Rengan said that Mei Yiqi "only has the United Nations General Assembly in his heart, and no Tsinghua University."
Indeed, Mei Yiqi, who has a good democratic style, often says "I follow the crowd" and there are few conflicts that cannot be resolved. When dealing with specific issues, Mei Yiqi also paid great attention to the relationship between the three schools.
For example, in order to solve the living difficulties of teachers, Tsinghua teachers from the School of Engineering organized the "Tsinghua Service Club" to carry out survey, design, production and other services. In addition to Tsinghua teachers, the profits also provided subsidies to colleagues at Peking University and Nankai University. Many teachers from Southwest Associated University praised the spirit of cooperation among the three universities when recalling those years. Mr. Zheng Tianting said: "In the eight years of Southwest Associated University, the most valuable thing is friendship and unity. This is true between teachers, teachers and students, and among the three schools."
Mei Yiqi did not let everyone down. At that time, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Nankai University were merged into one school in Changsha, which was called a "temporary university." After arriving in Changsha, I learned that Jiang Menglin was still in Hangzhou. Ye Gongchao asked him when the two principals from Nankai University and Tsinghua University would come. Jiang Menglin expressed that he was not optimistic. At this time, some people said that if Zhang Boling and Mei Yiqi didn't come, they would break up the flames! Mei Yiqi, who later came to the Southwest Associated University, lived up to everyone's trust. He manages the Southwest Associated University in an orderly manner and is worthy of being the "captain" of the Southwest Associated University.
(Article source: Singtao Global Network)
Jiang Menglin, "inaction" at Southwest Associated University and withdrawal from Peking University
Jiang Menglin (1886-1964), From 1919 to 1945, he worked at Peking University for more than 20 years
In 1938, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Nankai University moved to Kunming and were officially renamed Southwest Associated University. Jiang Menglin served as the Standing Committee of Southwest Associated University as the president of Peking University.
Wen Liming, a researcher at the Institute of Modern History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the grandson of Wen Yiduo, said that at the beginning of the merger of the three universities, there were frictions in staffing and departmental settings. It was not until 1941 that they became better integrated. He Bingdi recalled in "Sixty Years of Reading History and Reading the World" that "the friction between Peking University and Tsinghua University was more serious at first, mainly because Peking University had the oldest qualifications and was inferior to Tsinghua University in terms of strength at the United Nations General Assembly."
However, whenever he competes with Tsinghua University for interests, Jiang Menglin always chooses to give in. Qian Mu narrated a story in "Memories of Southwest Associated University Mengzi Branch": One day, Jiang Menglin went to Mengzi from Kunming, and Peking University teachers and students gathered to welcome him. Many professors complained at the gathering about the unfairness of the General Assembly. For example, the dean of the School of Liberal Arts was often re-elected by Feng Youlan of Tsinghua University instead of Peking University. Qian Mu said in his speech that after a successful recovery in the future, each school will still be independent and should not compete with each other in today's critical period. After hearing this, Jiang Menglin immediately said, "What Mr. Qian said today has become a conclusion. There is no need to dispute this issue. Let's discuss other matters." All the professors were speechless.
"Chiang Menglin's non-competition when he was at the Southwest Associated University made the Southwest Associated University a success. If he had fought, it would have become the Northwest Associated University." Ma Yong commented on Chiang's "inaction". The Northwest Associated University was established in Xi'an in September 1937 and consisted of Peking University, Peking Normal University, Beiyang Institute of Technology and Peking Research Institute. It fell apart within a year.
In Ma Yong’s view, Jiang Menglin’s indifference was more due to the intellectual’s consideration of the overall situation rather than his personality. "Jiang Menglin is a very stubborn person and will never follow others' opinions."
Jiang Menglin's inaction at the United Nations University eventually aroused the dissatisfaction of many Peking University professors, which to some extent also led to his final expulsion from Peking University. . In 1944, Peking University in Peiping, which was about to be demobilized, started a trend of "overthrowing Chiang and promoting Hu". Chiang's old friends Fu Sinian and Zhou Binglin were also part of the "overthrowing Chiang" movement. They hoped to invite Hu Shi, who was still in the United States, to come back as president. The most readily available reason is that Jiang Menglin became the Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan when Song Ziwen became the Executive Dean of the National Government. In 1929, the then Minister of Education Jiang Menglin personally formulated the University Organization Law, which stipulated that university presidents were not allowed to concurrently serve as government officials. .
In August 1945, Jiang Menglin officially resigned as president of Peking University and withdrew from Southwest Associated University. Hu Shi succeeded as the president of Peking University, and Fu Sinian acted as his deputy before he returned to China.
(Source of this article: China News Weekly? Author: Yan Yong)
Zhang Boling, "Providing a suitable academic environment for talented people"
Zhang Boling ( 1876-1951), famous Chinese educator and Chinese Olympic pioneer
Zhang Boling once said that the first thing for university presidents is to find money, and the second thing is to find people. When looking for money, he found the art; when employing people, he also found the most suitable people and put them in the most suitable positions.
“The most important thing in a university is a good teacher.
"Although Nankai is small, it has gathered a group of great professors, including Yang Shixian, dean of the Department of Chemistry, who later served as Southwest Associated University, Chen Xujing, dean of the School of Law and Business, Huang Yusheng, dean of the Normal College, Ding Ji, dean of the Department of Business, and Chen Kezhong, dean of the Department of Chemical Engineering. , Jiang Lifu, the founder of modern mathematics in China, etc.
He Lian, a PhD from Yale University and a professor at Nankai Business School, has been offered high-paying offers from other universities and research institutions many times, and his work and responsibilities are more flexible. At ease. He wrote in "He Lian's Memoirs": "Principal Zhang stood up and said with great enthusiasm and sincerity that I should stay in Nankai because Nankai needs me more than the Chinese Culture and Education Foundation. He promised to explain my situation to Professor Tao and proposed to allocate a portion of the university budget for my research in the next academic year. He also suggested reducing my teaching hours. I was deeply moved and immediately decided to stay in Nankai. I suggested to him to set up a research institution in Nankai, and he agreed. ”——This is the Nankai Institute of Economics, which later pioneered modern higher education in China.
Wu Dayou is a world-renowned physicist who graduated from Nankai University and once taught there. What he said Perhaps the best explanation for why teachers choose Nankai is: “I think that one of the necessary conditions for a good university is naturally good scholars and teachers, but the higher ideal is to be able to provide talented people with A suitable academic environment allows him to develop his talents. ”
Nankai is often in a state of deficit, but Zhang Boling has this belief: the accounts of educational institutions should be in deficit. If any school authority has a balance in the bank account at the end of the year, it proves that he is a miser and has not fully Use the money to do good things. Zhang Boling always tries his best to use every penny on students and teaching.
The teachers are also more satisfied with the streamlined organization and high efficiency of Nankai. Liu Wuji, dean of the English Department of Nankai University, wrote in his memory article: "This talented leader sets an example and guides people to serve the ideal of "public power" like him..."
It should be pointed out that teachers and administrative staff in Nankai often hold cross-term positions. Secretary-General Huang Yusheng has a master's degree in educational psychology from the University of Chicago. The registered director and his wife are chemistry teachers loved by students. Hua Wuqing is an architect. An expert, Yu Chuanjian received a master's degree in education from Columbia University in the United States? (Source: Tianjin Daily - Tianjin Daily)
Wen Yiduo: Students are allowed to smoke in class
Wen Yiduo is. Zhu Ziqing, one of the professors at Southwest Associated University during the war, said in the "Preface to the Complete Works of Wen Yiduo": "He is a fighter. But he was also a poet and a scholar... He was always a poet, and as a poet and scholar, he was always a fighter. "While at the Southwest Associated University, he vividly interpreted the three roles of poet, scholar and fighter.
Wen Yiduo (1899-1946) was a representative poet, essayist and scholar of the Crescent School, a great A patriot
The class is very popular and students are allowed to smoke in class
Wen Yiduo taught three courses when he was at Southwest Associated University: Chu Ci, Tang Poetry, and Ancient Mythology. The lectures on ancient mythology were illustrated with rich illustrations, and the rather boring topics were explained in an engaging manner, which was very popular. Therefore, not only students from the School of Liberal Arts, but also students from the School of Science and the School of Engineering also came to listen. On Tuodong Road, the School of Liberal Arts is at Daximen, and you have to walk through the entire city of Kunming to attend a class. Wang Zengqi wrote in the book "Human Grass and Trees": "Wen Yiduo is a good actor. Fuxi and Nuwa is originally a very boring subject, but listening to Mr. Lecture makes people feel a kind of beauty, the beauty of thought, the beauty of logic and the beauty of talent. It's worth walking through a city to listen to a class like this. "
Although there are not many people in Chu Ci's class, the atmosphere is very active. In Wen Yiduo's class, students can smoke. "Mr. Wen lights the pipe, we can smoke I also lit a cigarette." Wen Yiduo liked to use a bald pen when writing, so he collected all the scrap pens used by others.
Wang Zengqi said, "There is no one in the world who can speak Tang poetry like Mr. Wen. Second person. " Later, his student Zheng Linchuan recorded Wen Yiduo's wonderful insights into Tang poetry one by one, compiled it into a book "Wen Yiduo On Tang Poetry" and published it.
Wen Yiduo's Speech
When Southwest Associated University was in Yunnan, the School of Liberal Arts held classes at the former site of the Bible College on the mountainside of Hengshan Mountain in Nanyue. The dormitory was very tight. Wen Yiduo shared a room with Qian Mu, Wu Mi, and Shen Youding. No matter how difficult the conditions were, he could still do it. Meticulously concentrate on academic research and study carefully to prepare lessons.
Qian Mu recalled in "Eighty Years of Reminiscences of Parents·Miscellaneous Memories of Teachers and Friends": "There was a long table in the room. At night, a lamp burned spontaneously and was placed in front of the seat. At that time, Duofang diligently read the Book of Songs and Songs of Chu. When encountering new insights, he wrote them in pieces while sitting silently under the lamp. "
When he was at Southwest Associated University, Mr. Wen often stayed in the library and concentrated on studying. The professor loves to give names to people. For example, Mr. Zhu Ziqing's studio is called "Xianyu Game Studio", Mr. Wei Jiangong's study is called "Xuewubushi", and a professor jokingly gave Mr. Wen the name of the owner of the studio: "Why don't you go downstairs to the master". What I'm talking about is that Mr. Wen never goes downstairs. It is precisely because of his seriousness and rigorous academic attitude that under extremely difficult conditions, Wen Yiduo completed the academic monograph "Chu Ci Collation" in 1944. After its publication, it was recognized by the academic community as a masterpiece in literature research. , whose spirit is really admirable.
When Zhiyin became famous, he wanted to be a traitor to the old world
Wen Yiduo Zhiyin
At that time, the life of the professors and their families of Southwest Associated University was very difficult. The ladies even made cakes together and took them to stores for consignment, including the wife of Tsinghua President Mei Yiqi. In those years when prices were soaring, famous professors had to sell clothes, calligraphy, books, and seal printing to make ends meet. Wen Yiduo's rule of sealing was mainly during the period of the Southwest Associated University, and he was very famous. (Source of article: Online)
Shen Congwen: A professor who did not graduate from elementary school
In November 1938, Southwest Associated University made a shocking decision: to hire a 36-year-old writer Shen Congwen is the professor.
The faculty of Southwest Associated University gathered the elites of the national academic circles at that time. There were countless teachers who studied in prestigious European and American universities and returned with doctorates and master's degrees. Most of those who do not have high-level degrees are those who have graduated from top domestic universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University, and have made outstanding achievements in academia. As for Shen Congwen, in terms of academic qualifications, he did not graduate from elementary school; in terms of academic research achievements, he is a writer, not a scholar, and does not have any academic works.
Shen Congwen
Shen Congwen, who had no outstanding achievements in academia, came to be a professor at the United Nations University. This eclectic approach aroused resistance and even anger among some professors, with the most violent attitude The most famous scholar today is Liu Wendian, who is known as the "Master of Chinese Studies".
Liu Wendian studied traditional culture, especially "Zhuangzi". He said that since ancient times, only two and a half people understood Zhuangzi. One was Zhuangzi himself, the other he did not say, and the other half was him Liu Da professor.
Liu Wendian looks down on new literature. In his eyes, modern vernacular literature is shallow and rough, and of what research value is there? And this Shen Congwen did not even study vernacular literature, he was just a writer of novels. Being the same professor as Shen Congwen, whom he looked down upon, he was very dissatisfied and felt that his status had been reduced. < /p>
When air raid sirens sounded frequently in Kunming, Liu Wendian and his students escorted the university scholar Chen Yinke out of the classroom. When he saw Shen Congwen also running out in a hurry, he cursed in public: "I was killed, so I'm not going to die." People are teaching Zhuangzi to students, why are you Shen Congwen running away?" Shen Congwen, who has always called himself a "countryman", has a sensitive soul. Faced with the repeated brutal injuries from his predecessor Liu Wendian, he said nothing and only taught his writing class seriously, but His Hunan dialect often confused students, but he still cultivated the famous novelist Wang Zengqi, who was consistent with his style and was later called "the last Beijing-style writer".
The biggest legend and biggest regret about Shen Congwen in the literary circle today is that in 1988, the Royal Swedish Academy of Literature decided that the Nobel Prize for Literature that year would be awarded to the Chinese writer Shen Congwen. But in May of this year, 86-year-old Shen Congwen passed away, and the Nobel Prize in Literature is only awarded to living writers.
Shen Congwen (1902-1988)? A famous modern writer, researcher of historical relics, and representative figure of Beijing School novels
“If Shen Congwen was still alive at that time, he would definitely get the disease by October. Shen Congwen's death is the most regrettable thing for me," Ma Yueran, a member of the Nobel Prize for Literature and an academician of the Royal Swedish Academy of Literature, said sadly in Beijing in 2005. This year's Nobel Prize winner in literature was replaced by Egypt's Mahfouz Shen Congwen.
The Lianda University administration was eclectic, withstood the pressure, and insisted on giving Shen Congwen the professorship, allowing an outstanding litterateur to gain his due status at a young age, which is admirable.
Liu Wendian: Arrogant and uninhibited, causing trouble
The unruly Liu Wendian also caused trouble in the United Nations General Assembly: In 1943, Wen Yiduo, acting director of the Chinese Department of the General Assembly, refused to grant him He received a professor appointment letter and dismissed him.
The main cause of the incident was that Liu Wendian left school without authorization and stayed in Mohei in Pu'er County, southern Yunnan, for half a year. He came to Mohei because he was addicted to opium, and Mohei produced good opium. At the invitation of the local school and the squire, he gave a verbal greeting to Jiang Menglin, a member of the Standing Committee of the United Nations General Assembly and a few other people, and then left the United Nations General Assembly courses. half a year.
Liu Wendian usually lectured while smoking opium. The school also arranged for a handyman to carry a teapot and add water to him at any time. This kind of behavior has already caused a lot of discussion among teachers and students. This time, he missed school for half a year because of opium, and the impact was even worse.
Liu Wendian (1889~1958) was born in Hefei, Anhui. His ancestral home is Huaining County. He has successively served as professor at Peking University, president of Anhui University, and director of the Chinese Department of Tsinghua University. He went to Kunming in 1938 and taught successively at Southwest Associated University and Yunnan University.
Wen Yiduo, who was the acting director of the Chinese Department at the time, firmly advocated no longer hiring him. The famous linguist Wang Li interceded for him, saying that the old man moved south with the school from Peking and was still patriotic. Wen Yiduo said angrily: "If you are not a traitor, can you leave your post without permission and not be responsible for teaching?"
How could Liu Wendian, who even looked down upon Chiang Kai-shek, swallow this breath? When I returned to Kunming, I rushed to Sijiaying in the northern suburbs to find Wen Yiduo to reason with him. The two were impulsive and quarreled fiercely. Zhu Ziqing, who was present, tried his best to persuade him.
Because Wen Yiduo refused to give in, and Liu Wendian often publicly laughed at his colleagues for their poor knowledge, which offended many people, the public opinion situation was very unfavorable to him. Finally, Liu Wendian reluctantly went to Yunnan University, which was also run by the famous mathematician and educator Xiong Qinglai in Kunming, and served as a professor in the Chinese Department of Yunnan University until his death in 1958.
In that era, professors could move freely. As long as you were truly talented, you could be hired by your own institution without any constraints such as establishment, files, or organizational relationships. This is also a condition for intellectuals to express their individuality.
Qian Zhongshu: "The Dragon of People" among the younger generation
Liu Wendian is a senior professor, and among the rising stars, there is also a madman who also left Southwest United in unhappiness big. He is Qian Zhongshu, known today as "Cultural Kunlun".
Qian Zhongshu was only 28 years old when he became an associate professor in the Department of Foreign Languages ??and Literature at Southwest Associated University, but he was already well-known in the academic world. His teacher Wu Mi said that among the older generation of scholars, Chen Yinke was the strongest, and among the younger generation, the "dragon of men" was Qian Zhongshu. Qian Zhongshu often wears a light brown suit or navy blue dress when giving lectures, with a chic demeanor. He lectures only in English, not Chinese, and never asks questions, making students fascinated and relaxed.
Qian Zhongshu (1910-1998)? A famous modern writer and literary researcher
But in the summer of 1939, Qian Zhongshu left the General Assembly and became a professor of Lantian National Normal University. College professor. The reason for his departure is generally believed by academic circles to be that he was arrogant, spoke unabashedly, often hurt others, and his interpersonal relationships deteriorated. For example, he once criticized the Department of Foreign Languages ??and Literatures of the United Nations General Assembly: "The Department of Foreign Languages ??and Literatures of Southwest Associated University is not good at all. Ye Gongchao is too lazy, Wu Mi is too stupid, and Chen Futian is too vulgar." Among these three people, Chen Futian was the director of the department at the time, and Ye Gongchao later served as the national The minister of foreign affairs of the government, and Wu Mi was his mentor, both of whom were famous scholars of the time.
This harsh comment was widely circulated, but in the 1990s, Qian Zhongshu’s wife Yang Jiang wrote an article to refute the rumors, claiming that there was no such thing.
Another reason is that the United Nations General Assembly originally planned to hire him as a professor, but in the end only hired an associate professor. Qian Zhongshu was unhappy and did not want to stay for a long time; in addition, his father Qian Jibo was at the Lantian National Normal University in Hunan at that time. He teaches in a college and hopes that his son will take care of him.
Chen Ning Yang: There are many "crazy students" among the students at the Union University
Physicist Chen Ning Yang? One of the Chinese Nobel Prize winners
Intellectuals have a strong self-awareness. Therefore, it is easy for scholars to look down upon each other. Feng Youlan, dean of literature at the United Nations General Assembly, who is known by Westerners as "China's only true philosopher in the first half of the 20th century", also criticized people in class. The target of his "attack" was Hu Shi, saying: "Hu Shi was finished in 1927. There will be nothing more in the future, and he will not play a big role."
Hu Shi was originally designated as the School of Liberal Arts of Southwest Associated University. He only served as China's ambassador to the United States immediately, so he did not leave any footprints in the Southwest United Nations General Assembly.
The disputes between these masters may be an annoyance to the parties involved, but they have been passed down to this day and have become interesting stories that can be talked about.
There are also many "craziers" among Lianhe University students. For example, Yang Zhenning, a senior figure who can no longer be seen as arrogant and courteous to others today, was not an ordinary madman at that time.
There are two talented students in the Department of Physics of Southwest Associated University: Yang Zhenning and Huang Kun, who often talk in teahouses. At that time, a classmate heard that Huang Kun asked: "Einstein recently published another article, have you read it?" Yang Zhenning said he had, and Huang Kun asked how it was. Yang Zhenning waved his hand and said disdainfully: "There is no originality (innovation)." , I must be old and confused." (Excerpted from "Many Things in the Republic of China" by Xie Yiqun? Published by Jiuzhou Publishing House)