In the academic circles of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, few people can achieve as remarkable academic achievements as Wang Guowei, so in the eyes of many people, he is like an unattainable and unreachable mountain.
However, such an outstanding man also went to the end of his life under the oppression of the times, and on June 2, 1927, he chose to end his life.
That day was supposed to be no different from usual, but when an old man in a robe and long pigtails hurried to the shores of Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace and wandered around the lake for a long time, more ominous breath flowed in the air. This old man is Wang Guowei.
He lit a paper cigarette by the lake, and no one knew what expression and mood he had when the smoke rose.
It's just that the figure of him calmly jumping into the water after the smoke ran out, but through later reports, it was deeply engraved into the hearts of the people of the world and even posterity.
After he committed suicide by sinking the lake, the calm of the Summer Palace was also shattered by the ripples of Kunming Lake. The miserable scene made people can't bear to look at it directly, and the hundred-word suicide note he left behind was also the most heart-wrenching.
Wang Guowei became Puyi's teacher
In 1877, China's feudal dynasty was already gradually declining, and the arrival of a new era was increasingly heralded. Wang Guowei was born in this turbulent era of imminent transformation.
However, having been educated in the feudal tradition since childhood, he was more inclined to maintain the existing feudal imperial system and maintain the emperor's rule over society. Therefore, when he realized that the times were changing and that China was too weak to resist foreign aggression, his first reaction was not to overthrow the dynasty, but to find ways to make the dynasty stronger.
At the age of 22, Wang Guowei went to Shanghai to study, and in that more advanced and open environment, he was exposed to more new ideas and new cultures, and thus the idea of studying overseas was born. As a result, he soon embarked on a journey to study in Japan.
After completing his studies, Wang Guowei quickly returned to China and began to devote himself to the compilation of traditional culture.
Soon after, the Xinhai Revolution broke out, and with the abdication of the last emperor Puyi, China's feudal imperial system ushered in an end. However, because the transformation also had a transition time, the deposed emperor Puyi and a small number of "small imperial courts" supported by the elderly were still operating in the city of Beijing, and at this time, Wang Guowei was recommended by Dorot Shengyun to come to Beijing as Puyi's teacher.
Wang Guowei, who had received a traditional education since childhood and was indoctrinated with the idea of loyalty and patriotism, still had in his mind the slight idea of "learning the art of literature and martial arts and selling it to the imperial family", so although the times had changed, he still regarded becoming Puyi's teacher as a matter of Guangzong Yaozu, and felt extremely honored about it.
Wang Guowei faced a heavy blow
Unfortunately, after Feng Yuxiang launched the "Beijing Coup" in 1924 and Puyi fled, Wang Guowei suffered a great mental blow.
He even agreed with Luo Zhenyu and other former Qing elders to throw themselves into the Jinshui River to be martyred, but because his family found out and stopped it in time, it did not really cause irreparable consequences.
The kingdom is a fact that many people recognize that they are talented. Tsinghua University has repeatedly issued sincere invitations to him, but all of them have been rejected. Later, after repeated persuasion by friends, Wang Guoweicai accepted the letter of appointment and came to the Institute of Traditional Chinese Studies as a mentor in an attempt to carry forward the traditional Chinese culture.
But as tensions in Beijing have risen, the quiet life on campus has been shattered. Wang Guowei, who taught at Tsinghua University, was hit hard by the news that his eldest son, Wang Qianming, had died of a critical illness at this critical juncture.
In order to arrange the aftermath of the eldest son and the future life of the eldest daughter-in-law, Wang Guowei endured grief and cheered up, however, when he was dealing with these things, Luo Zhenyu, who was both a relative and a good friend, sent him a "letter of renunciation" because of the misunderstanding, ignoring the deep friendship between the two of them for 30 years. This made Wang Guowei, who had received bad news one after another, feel even more desperate.
Soon, with the arrival of the revolutionary storm, Tsinghua University also had to choose to suspend classes. And Wang Guowei, who had spent most of his life immersed in the feudal era and had the ambition to study classical literature, was also easily affected at this time.
Many friends advised him to take refuge abroad, but he always returned dissatisfied. Some people advised him to cut his braids, and he would rather "keep his braids for trouble" than "cut himself to avoid humiliation".
But in this ever-changing era, he has realized that it is difficult for him to re-integrate. Therefore, whenever he talks about the current situation, he always looks gloomy.
Sunken Lake committed suicide
On June 2, 1927, Wang Guowei, who had not been out for a long time, suddenly proposed to go to the Summer Palace. Because he had no money at that time, Wang Guowei also borrowed 5 yuan from his colleague Hou Houpei to use as payment for the fare and tickets.
He soon hired a rickshaw to run to the Summer Palace, and then asked the coachman to wait outside the park, and walked to the garden alone.
It was still early summer, and the climate in the Summer Palace was not so hot. Wang Guowei stood alone by the lake and lit a paper cigarette, his face solemnly contemplative.
The wind by the lake gently blew his face, but it could not take away his sorrow. Finally, when the paper smoke ran out, he seemed to have a decision, and resolutely jumped forward, allowing himself to gradually sink to the bottom of the lake.
The time he committed suicide by sinking into the lake was around 11 a.m., but by the time he heard the news of his death in Tsinghua Garden, it was already around 7 p.m.
Countless teachers and students rushed to the Summer Palace under the leadership of the principal, and at that time, Wang Guowei had been salvaged from the bottom of the lake, and he no longer had the appearance of the front-end Zhuang.
His body was already stiff, wrapped in a worn-out contempt seat, so desolate that he could not bear to look at him directly. And when everyone was holding on to their grief to sort out his clothes, they accidentally found a hundred-word suicide note left for their son:
Fifty years, only one death is owed. After this incident, there is no more humiliation. After I died, when the coffin was buried in the Grass Coffin, it was buried in the Qinghua Garden. Ru and others cannot return to the south, and can also live in the city temporarily. Brother Ru did not have to run to mourn, because the road was impassable, and the canal did not go out. Books can be handled by Mr. Chen and Wu Er. Since the family has someone to take care of it, it will not be impossible to return to the south. Although I have no property, no money, etc., I am cautious and thrifty, and I will not starve to death. On the second day of the first month of May, the father word.
The general meaning is that he wrote in the letter that he had lived for more than 50 years and now only owed one death. After this incident, he was also determined not to be humiliated again. After his death, he only needed to be buried in a hasty coffin and buried in the Qinghua Garden, and the books were entrusted to Mr. Chen and Wu Er to deal with, and although he did not have any property and money left to his family, as long as the family was cautious and thrifty, it would not reach the point of starvation.
Every word reveals his unwillingness to live, which is also considered to be one of the embodiments of his famous teacher's style. But the death of a generation of masters still shocked the entire earthly world.
brief summary:
Wang Guowei chose to commit suicide by sinking the lake, which had his negativity and helplessness, but it was also the embodiment of people's wandering and confusion in the transitional era at that time. Wang Guowei is stubborn, his braids are the exclamation point he left for the times, and his suicide is also to sacrifice his life to the collapsed dynasty and defend his personality and dignity.