2020 is my fiftieth year of teaching. Under the influence of colleagues and friends, a commemorative collection of essays was compiled. The original book was called "A Strange Acquaintance" to tell me about some of my unknown past. Later, Mr. Hu Jingzhi and Professor Wei Dazhi wrote a long article entitled "Studying Eastern and Western Civilizations, Walking the Academic Road", and everyone who read it said yes and suggested that it be the title of the book.
Professor Yu Longyu, an internationally renowned Indian scholar
The manuscript came out and circulated among acquaintances. Some people said after reading it: It is simply a miracle that a person who came from a small language and made a big change of profession actually became the head of the Chinese department, the dean of literature, and it was also in the Southern Liyuan Garden, where masters and big coffee gathered. Later, he did not forget his original origin, returned to the study of Indology, and won the "Outstanding Hinologist Award" personally awarded by the President of India. Professor Jindal, a national treasure scholar and chairman of the Council on Cultural Relations (ICCR), said in his speech at the award ceremony: "Professor Yu has enriched the great value exchange activities between China and India. Among these values, the mind is a divine light. He reminds us of Guanyin Bodhisattva, who holds a lotus flower and contemplates the great compassion of the world. Mercy makes the world as good as the morning sun is to the day. ”
I dare not be too proud of everyone's false rewards. I think I'm just a late-blooming "gadget" at best. And we know that anyone who wants to do one or two meaningful things to succeed is inseparable from opportunities. Where do my opportunities come from? To answer this question, I have to talk about the night that changed the trajectory of my life.
Professor Yu Longyu's alma mater, Peking University
In 1984, after thirteen years of living in two places, I was determined to go south to Guangdong to solve the difficulties of separating my family. Where to go specifically, and what is the living environment in Guangdong? These questions always come to my mind. Before the Spring Festival this year, a lou friend on the fourth floor of the Red House told me: "Zhang Weidong of the Department of Chinese came to Shenzhen University last year, and he has returned in the past few days, so why not ask him about the situation!" So, on a starry night, I came to Wei Dong's dormitory. When his wife, Teacher Liu Lichuan, saw me, she said, "I'll go to the door and have a good chat." "Apparently, she's making room for me.
The things asked at that time were childish and ridiculous in hindsight, could they understand any Cantonese? Prices are so expensive, is the salary enough? Wei Dong listened to me patiently and then answered them one by one. Finally he said, "Brother Long Yu, don't go anywhere, just go to Shenzhen University." The problem of your separation between the two places, as fast as half a year, slow as a year, will definitely be solved. "He also said that the secretary and principal of Shenda love Cai very much." When I returned to Peking University this time, in addition to taking the winter vacation for the Spring Festival, there was also the task of recruiting talents. ”
Wei Dong and I were not acquainted. Listening to these few words, the Shandong people's honesty and enthusiasm poured into my heart. I said, "Okay, that's it." Tomorrow, I'll go to the school's personnel office and ask if my files have been sent. If you haven't already, don't send it, wait for the deep adjustment. Suddenly, the door opened. When Teacher Liu saw that we were still talking, he said, "You will continue to talk tomorrow." "As soon as I looked at my watch, it was already two o'clock in the morning. He said goodbye to their husband and wife and went back to his dormitory with a day of stars.
Shenzhen University - Yu Longyu was transferred in 1984
In July 1984, I bid farewell to Yanyuan, who had studied and taught for 19 years, and came to Shenzhen University, which was newly built for one year. About two months later, I attended the inaugural meeting of the Department of Chinese. Guests such as Jao Tsung-yi and Mr. Lo Kang-yee from Hong Kong and Professor Cheng Xianghui from Macao came to congratulate them. In this way, I went from being a Hindi teacher to Chinese teacher. All the teachers of the Chinese Department, Mr. Tang Yijie, director of the Institute of Traditional Chinese Studies, Le Daiyun and Hu Jingzhi, the heads of the department, and Feng Zusheng and Zhang Weidong, the deputy directors, not only did not look down on me, who had made a big change, but also supported and defended me everywhere. Teachers Tang Yijie, Le Daiyun, and Hu Jingzhi encouraged me to insist on the study of Indology and become a scholar of "Three Links between China and The West and India." Other teachers, too, wanted me to excel in Indian studies. Whenever I needed their help, it was incumbent upon me to be proactive.
One day, Mr. Ji Xianlin wrote to him, saying that he was studying the history of sugar and knew that the Department of Chinese was developing an electronic retrieval system for the Quan Tang Poems, hoping to provide him with some ancient script materials about "sugar" and support his "Research on the History of Chinese Sugar". I went to Wei Dong with the letter and asked him for help. He was very pleased and said, "Mr. Ji Xianlin is so well informed, which shows that the retrieval system we have developed is useful." Before and after, he and his research and development team made great efforts and gave Mr. Ji a lot of support. Mr. Ji wrote about this in his writings. I am full of respect for Wei Dong's persistent scientific research spirit. In addition to the Quan Tang Poems, he also led the teachers and students of the department of Chinese to develop the electronic retrieval system of "Red Dream" and the "Chinese Canon". This is a huge research project, he often wears the stars and wears the moon, and does not work day and night.
The President of India (front row, right) presented Yu Longyu with the "Outstanding Indian Scholar" award
Wei Dong not only has a strong sense of responsibility for work, but also has a very filial piety. Since 1993, we have all moved into the newly completed Shenda New Village. Everything was fine, just no elevator. After a few years, Wei Dong's mother-in-law said that she was older and could not climb a bit. As soon as Wei Dong heard this, he bought a house with an elevator in a community developed by Hong Kong people. Later, the house price of this community soared, and Wei Dong inadvertently made a large profit. An acquaintance half-jokingly said that this was a reward for filial piety.
As one of the pioneers of the Department of Chinese, Wei Dong is seriously responsible for teaching, meticulous in grading and correcting homework, and cares for students, which makes everyone very moved. To tell you the truth, the department of Chinese, including the later College of Letters, has a positive atmosphere, which can be called a model of Liyuan and has a reputation. Here, there are the merits of tang yijie, Le Daiyun, Hu Jingzhi, Feng Zusheng and other scholars of the older generation, as well as the dedication of the younger generation such as Zhang Weidong and Zhang Bigong. As far as I know, when Wei Dong worked in the Chinese Department of Peking University, he cared deeply for students. Not only is the book taught well, but the class teacher also does a solid job. For those students who are not afraid of hardship and are willing to work in remote areas after graduation, he is more enthusiastic and encouraging, and his work is meticulous. This style of his was brought from Yanyuan to Liyuan. One summer, he guided some teachers and students of the department of Chinese to visit Sandu County, Guizhou Province. After returning to school, everyone said that the harvest was huge, and what they saw and heard was unforgettable.
Yu Longyu (left) presents the Sanskrit Texts and Chapters to Kurkani, then chairman of the Observer Research Foundation in Mumbai, India.
Since the 1980s, many new universities have been established in our country. But the most successful and influential is Shenzhen University. More than 300,000 of her graduates, 80 to 90 percent, stayed in Shenzhen to start a business. In 2018, there was a national university wealth creation list, and Shenzhen University ranked first in the list. This honor is mainly created by the successive Hua Yesheng of Shenzhen University, and of course, it is inseparable from the credit of generations of teachers like Mr. Zhang Weidong, who silently burn themselves to illuminate others.
After passing the age of ancient rarity, I love to look back on the past and hope to do a good job in the tail sweeping project of life. In 2020, I printed another draft of the long historical novel "Zodiac" that I had begun to write at Peking University, sent a copy to the old president Zhang Bigong, and wrote on the title page: "Among the senior scholars of Peking University, Ji Xianlin, Jin Kemu, Liu Anwu, Tang Yijie, Le Daiyun, and Hu Jingzhi, among the scholars of the same generation, Mr. Ji Xianlin, Jin Kemu, Liu Anwu, Tang Yijie, Le Daiyun, and Hu Jingzhi, among the scholars of the same generation, Mr. Ji Xianlin, Jin Kemu, Liu Anwu, and Tang Yijie, Le Daiyun, and Hu Jingzhi, among the scholars of the same generation, Mr. Zhang Bigong, who helped me the most, was the first." Some people say that a person born in a small language, Hindi, has changed his career to the Department of Deep Chinese and become the head of the department and the first dean of literature, which is really an academic legend in contemporary China. In fact, the founder of the legend is Mr. and the colleagues and students of Shenzhen University, and I am just a follower. I am now offering the latest draft of "Zodiac Po", which has been created and revised for fifty years, and is a late homework, please correct it. ”
Commentary on Ji Xianlin (by Yu Longyu and Zhu Xuan) in Chinese and English
The above inscription is a heartfelt word, without any exaggeration. Bi Gong was the one who helped me the most among the scholars of his generation, and Wei Dong was the first person to help me. Without him, my experience after the age of thirty-eight would have had to be rewritten.
Yu Longyu (left) gives poems to the famous oil painter Yan Wenxi (right)
【About the Author】
Professor Yu Longyu, male, born in 1946, from Shanghai. Internationally renowned Hindu scholar, expert in Chinese Indian literature and Sino-Indian cultural relations. In 1965, he entered the Department of Oriental Languages and Literatures of Peking University, majoring in Hindi, where he studied Indian language and literature under Ji Xianlin, Jin Kemu and Liu Anwu. He graduated in 1970 and stayed on as a teacher, and in 1983 he became a lecturer.
In 1984, he was transferred to the Department of Chinese of Shenzhen University, and was promoted to associate professor in 1991 and professor in 1996. He has successively served as the deputy director and director of the Department of Chinese of Shenzhen University, the dean of the Faculty of Letters and the director of the Academic Committee of the Faculty of Letters, the director of the Teaching Department of International Students, and the consultant of the Teaching Department of International Students and the Teachers' College. Since 2005, he has been the director of the Center for Indian Studies at Shenzhen University.
The main social part-time positions include: vice president of the Chinese Society for the History of Sino-Foreign Relations, vice president of the Chinese Indian Literature Research Association, executive director of the China South Asia Society, executive director of the Chinese Comparative Literature Society, researcher and academic committee member of the Oriental Literature Research Center of Peking University.
On December 1, 2016, indian President Mukhji personally presented the "Outstanding Indian Scholar" award at a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace. In November 2019, he was hired by Liu Yandong, president of the International Federation of Confucianism, as an advisor to the association. In January 2022, he was hired as a consultant of Shenzhen Social Sciences (2022–2024). He is the fourth president of the Indian Literature Research Branch of the Chinese Foreign Literature Society (2019–2021).
(Photo courtesy of The Center for Indian Studies, Shenzhen University)
Editor-in-charge: Yang Xiaojun