— A memory of Hu Shangli and Hou Rumei, two teachers
Teacher Hu Shangli
The two teachers I most respect, Hu Shangli and Hou Rumei, have passed away one after another, but until now, whenever I look back with some of my former students who were still tirelessly studying in the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japan and the war-torn years, I always talk about these two teachers who will never be forgotten. In particular, they were even more admired and awe-inspired by their lofty patriotic ideas.
I graduated from the third high school in the summer of 1937, and I remember that the shifts were twenty or twenty-one. After graduation, under the care and expectations of teachers and parents, he and his fellow uncle Han Yiqin went to Taiyuan to apply for Youren Middle School. Soon after, due to the Japanese invasion of Pingsui, the Xinkou Blockade War began, Japanese aircraft often bombed Taiyuan, and Youren Middle School moved south to Hongdong County. At this time, I returned home with Yiqin on leave, and in the second half of the year, I returned to my alma mater (three high schools) cram school to continue studying.
I live in the same room as Han Yiqin and Hu Qingguang, and I get along with several other classmates, get along with each other, rely on each other, and have a high enthusiasm for learning. The following year, due to the war, The Three High Schools were forced to relocate, first to the Steep Temple Temple, and then to Guangyingou Village. At this time, the principal was Hou Rumei, and the Chinese teacher was Hu Shangli.
Jinshan Middle School
Before the "July 7" incident, Teacher Hu Shangli was a famous history teacher at Taiyuan Jinshan High School during the reign of Yan Xishan. After the incident, out of the lofty idea of patriotism and hatred of the enemy, he resolutely resigned from his post as a high school teacher and returned to his hometown to go to the guerrilla school of the Three High Schools, which was the anti-Japanese base area behind enemy lines. He assisted Principal Hou Rumei, led teachers and students, overcame difficulties, and relied on the masses to make the school not only persist, but also run it well.
Teacher Hu Shangli is not tall, slightly hunched over, and has a kind face of talent. It may be due to the fact that he has been engaged in education for many years, not only has a considerable amount of teaching experience, but also has a polite and polite character, and has the demeanor of a scholar. When he started the lecture, he was fluent in speech and affectionate, and his voice and smile are still in my deep memory, and I remember that when he was lecturing on chinese language classes at that time, he vigorously advocated the fine study style of "learning without tiring and teaching people tirelessly", emphasizing the combination of learning and thinking. He quoted the "Analects" in the "Study without thinking is reckless, thinking without learning is ruined" to guide us, he also often warned us: in order to really learn things, in addition to learning more and thinking more, but also "not ashamed to ask", he attaches importance to the teaching of vernacular literature, but also advocates learning some ancient texts, ancient poems and other things, I grew up loving to read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Ancient Literature Guanzhi" and other ancient books, and Teacher Hu's teaching has a lot to do with it. I still remember that once the title of the essay was "On the Three Kingdoms", Teacher Hu was very serious about grading the essay, meticulous, good sentence circle on the red circle, the modified words and sentences were annotated next to it, and finally they were asked to be re-transcribed, and the better articles were posted on the wall for exhibition.
Teacher Hu loves to be born like a son. I remember that once the Japanese planes circled and bombed Guangyingou, more than a dozen of our classmates, under the leadership of Teacher Hu, hid in a cave, but he stayed at the entrance of the cave, looking up and watching the movements, until the enemy plane flew away before he let us out of the cave and return to school.
Teacher Hu is very knowledgeable and very skilled in Chinese and foreign history, dynastic years, geographical structure, mountains and rivers, city location, and memory. Once, when teaching the three major peninsulas of Europe (Italy, the Balkans, and Scandinavia), he did not read textbooks or maps, and quickly drew a peninsula on the blackboard, and even the location of important cities appeared on the blackboard without fail. After the class, the students praised in unison: Teacher Hu is really not simple, and he is really worthy of being a famous expert in history!
Teacher Hu Shangli and I have a teacher-student relationship and a comrade-in-arms relationship.
In the autumn of 1940, I was transferred to the Wutai County Government, and later he was also transferred to the Wutai County Council as the speaker of the parliament. After the surrender of the Japanese army in 1945, he was transferred to the Senate Office of the Jijin Bureau, and then I was transferred north to Zhangjiakou to work in the Civil Affairs Department of the Jijin Bureau. We lived together day and night, and became comrades who depended on each other for our lives. I always had to ask him for help in anything important, and we were living together in a cave, and once when I was sick, he helped me drink water and food, and took care of me warmly; of course, if he had any difficulties, I tried my best to help him, and in 1946 we both broke up from the cave because of the needs of work. I visited him once during the Cultural Revolution in 1967.
In 1991, when I was passing through Beijing, I heard that Teacher Hu had died of illness. I was restless at night, and I remembered the events of my stay vividly. "Whoever lives since ancient times has not died, and who has left Dan in his heart to take care of his life", the life of teacher Hu Shangli is a life of struggle for the revolution and the cause of education. His lofty sentiments, indomitable revolutionary spirit, tireless and helpful noble character will always be remembered in people's hearts.
Principal Hou Rumei was a communist party member in the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and had been engaged in educational work for a long time. He was burly, wore a pair of highly myopic glasses, and looked a lot like a general with soldiers. He was our political science teacher at the time. He has a lot of things to do, is busy at work, and often attends meetings and events in the district.
Mr. Lee Public Servant
Once, he led all the teachers and students of the school to Lanjiazhuang (the residence of the district office at that time) to participate in the "Welcome to the Patriotic Democrat Mr. Li Gongpu". After the meeting, he asked the students to learn from Mr. Li Gongpu's patriotic spirit and arduous and simple work style. Mr. Li Gongpu, a democrat from the rear area, talked about the issue of the anti-Japanese national united front and called on young students to actively participate in the anti-Japanese movement and unite as one to overthrow Japanese imperialism. He was not tall, with a red face, an old beard, and spoke with a loud voice. Holding a hemp rope in his hand, he said sonorously and forcefully: There are many people with great strength, and one hemp rope is not as powerful as four hemp ropes together, so as to explain the importance of the united front.
Teacher Hou repeatedly told the students about Chairman Mao's "On Protracted War," and he also stressed that in the language class, it is necessary to increase the number of poems with national integrity, such as "Songs of Righteous Qi" and "Man Jiang Hong," so as to stimulate the patriotic enthusiasm of the students. He summoned me to his office many times to talk about the situation in the War of Resistance Against Japan, and in addition to talking about the situation in the War of Resistance Against Japan, he mainly mobilized me to join the anti-Japanese work at an early date; he also encouraged me to study hard, enhance my consciousness, and join the Communist Party of China at an early date. From the conversation, I realized that he was a member of the Communist Party at that time. In the first half of 1939, I participated in the anti-Japanese work in the three districts, that is, under the recommendation and education of Teacher Hou.
Han Mude calligraphy works
Although Teacher Hou and I did not spend as much time together as Teacher Hu Shangli, it had a great impact on the enlightenment, education and influence of my youth. "Dyed in the cang, dyed in the yellow is yellow", I am indeed Teacher Hou who led me to the revolution as soon as possible. It's been more than fifty years apart, and I still remember it vividly, and I will never forget it. (Text/Han Mude, Photo/Hu Licheng)
Hometown Affection Deep Gratitude Endowment (by Han Maode)
100 anti-war veterans Han Mude
The author introduced, former director of the political department of Shanxi Datong Railway Branch, director of the organization department of Taiyuan Railway Bureau, and director of propaganda)