Known as the "Grinch of the Late Qing Dynasty", he is proficient in nine languages, including English, French, German, Latin, Greek and Malaya, and obtained 13 doctoral degrees. He was the first person in China who was proficient in western science, language and oriental Chinese studies in Qing Dynasty. He translated three of China's Four Books, The Analects of Confucius, The Doctrine of the Mean and The University, and achieved great success.
He has written English books such as China Oxford Movement (formerly known as Circulation of the Qing Dynasty) and China People's Spirit (formerly known as Justice in the Spring and Autumn Period), and is keen to publicize the culture and spirit of the East to westerners, which has had a great influence. There is a saying in the West that you can't go to China without seeing the Three Great Halls, but you must see Gu Hongming.
The life of the character
1857, 18 In July, Gu Hongming was born in a British rubber plantation in Penang (Penang, Malaysia), northwest of Nanyang Malay Peninsula. In his early years, his ancestors moved to Nanyang from Hui 'an County, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, China, and accumulated rich property and prestige. His father, Gu Ziyun, was the manager of a rubber plantation run by the British at that time. He speaks fluent Minnan, English and Malay.
His mother is a blonde westerner who can speak English and Portuguese. In this family environment, Gu Hongming has an amazing understanding and memory of language since childhood. Mr. Brown, a childless rubber gardener, liked him very much and adopted him as his adopted son. Let him read Shakespeare, Bacon and other works from an early age.
When the Browns returned to England in 1867, they brought 10-year-old Gu Hongming to the most powerful western empire at that time. Before leaving, my father burned incense in front of the ancestral tablet and warned him: "No matter where you go, no matter whether you are English, German or French, don't forget that you are from China."
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Anecdotes of characters
At the beginning of the 20th century, Mr. Gu Hongming attended the Washington Conference on behalf of Beiyang Government. At a cocktail party, a superficial American lady sat next to Gu Hongming. Looking at this eccentric old man in China, she couldn't find the topic at the moment. I finally couldn't help learning the broken English with the Chinatown accent when I came on stage, and asked word by word, "Do you like soup?" Do you like this soup? ) Gu Hongming nodded and smiled politely.
The lady thought that the China native couldn't understand even the simplest English, so she stopped answering him. After three rounds of drinking, Gu Hongming stood up and spoke fluent and elegant English, which amazed the audience. Gu Hongming sat down and imitated the lady's accent. He whispered to the lady who was already flushed with shame, "Like a speech?" Did you like my speech? )
Baidu Encyclopedia-Gu Hongming