The story of joining the party
Before meeting the young scholars, Teacher Gu Hailiang introduced to me the story of two of them who decided to join the Party.
One was a researcher who had thought of being "academically neutral"; the other was a person who was far abroad and had no conditions to join the party. After participating in the compilation and research of "Ma Zang", they all underwent a change in their thinking: one became a party member not only in terms of identity but also in ideology and theory because he deeply felt why Marxism could win in China; one first joined the party emotionally and ideologically, and then had a deeper understanding of "joining the party", not only in terms of identity, but also in ideological theory.
Behind the compilation and research of "Ma Zang" is the charm of Marxism. When Marxism appeared in China, it was the fierce collision of various ideological currents in China, but only Marxism stood out in various ideological trends and in various plans for exploring ways to save the country and the people, and tested its truthfulness in the turbulent century-long history of the CPC leading the Chinese people to continue to struggle.
These young Marxist scholars said that Marxist thinking has a youthful temperament, so young people are the group of people who need Marxism the most. Today, for these young scholars, the choice of Marxism has also become an important marker of academic growth.
(Qin Mengting)
Ma Zang, Science Press.
On June 24, another latest achievement of the Mazang project, the second volume of the second part of the "Mazang", the first and second volumes of the third part, and the first and second volumes of the fourth part, were officially published. So far, "Ma Zang" has been published in 14 volumes, with a total of 9 million words.
This major basic academic and cultural project, which was launched in March 2015, is to compile and integrate the relevant documents related to the spread and development of Marxism in China, make up for the shortcomings of Marxism in the dissemination of literature in China before the founding of the Communist Party of China, effectively answer why Marxism can stand out in the current of modern Chinese social thought, why it can become the universal consensus and inevitable choice of China's advanced elements, and better present the theoretical logic and historical logic of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
Professor Gu Hailiang, as the chief editor of "Ma Zang", played an important leading role; many experts and scholars with profound achievements in the theoretical circles also guided and participated. Led by these well-known "stars", the high academic quality of "Ma Zang" is guaranteed.
However, it cannot be ignored that every achievement of "Ma Zang" has the participation of a group of young scholars; in turn, the "Ma Zang" project is also a training project for young scholars.
Group photo of the "Ma Zang" team. Courtesy of the Center for the Compilation and Research of Ma Zang, Peking University
In the compilation and study of "Ma Zang", young Marxist scholars were tempered. What kind of message of the times can we read from these young people? The Yangtze River Daily Reading + Special Correspondent rushed to Beijing to have close contact with the "Mazang" team, and invited 7 young scholars to represent and gain a deeper understanding face-to-face.
Ideology is the "wind bone" of Marxist research
Read +: Can you introduce yourself to your academic background?
Liu Qinglin: I got involved earlier, so let's talk about the situation I have.
At present, there are 15 young teachers and postdoctoral fellows involved in the compilation and research of "Ma Zang" in the School of Marxism of Peking University. In addition, there are young scholars from Tsinghua University, Wuhan University, East China Normal University, Shaanxi Normal University, Nanjing Normal University and other universities. They are around 28 to 35 years old and have an even male-to-female ratio.
We, the young scholars, who are doing the compilation and research of the Mazang, are currently confronted with the news, newspapers, books and archives from the late 1870s to the 1920s. This means that the proofreading and evaluation of these socialist and Marxist documents should use knowledge in many fields, such as China's modern and contemporary political history, ideological history, history of the Communist Party of China, history of Sino-foreign ideological and cultural exchanges, modern and modern world history, history of the international communist movement, the basic principles of Marxism, and the history of the development of Marxism.
So you will find that the young scholars behind "Ma Zang" have complex disciplinary backgrounds. I studied in the Department of History and studied the history of socialist communication. Pei Zhi, Wang Qian, Sun Chao, Ye Fan and I have now become assistant professors at Peking University Horse Academy.
Pei Zhi: I am mainly engaged in the early spread of Marxism in China, the ideological history of the Communist Party of China, and the study of the sinification of Marxism. Because the topic of my doctoral dissertation was related to the spread of Marxism in China, in May 2017, I was asked to participate in the doctoral stage.
Wang Yue: I was born in 1992, my undergraduate degree is Peking University Law School, and my master's degree and doctoral degree are majoring in the basic principles of Marxism at Peking University's Marxist College.
Ye Fan: I completed my master's and doctoral studies at the Department of History of Moscow State University, and my research direction was the history of the Communist Party of China, a total of 11 years.
Wang Qian: I studied in the Department of History of Peking University at the master's and doctoral levels, majoring in world history.
Zhang Kai: My Ph.D. majored in the study of sinification of Marxism at the School of Marxism at Wuhan University.
Wang Wei: I studied journalism at Chinese Min University as an undergraduate, studied scientific socialism and the international communist movement at Peking University with a master's degree, and studied the history of Marxism with Gu at the doctoral stage. In the year of graduation, Ma Zang began to launch the third part, and the third part mainly involved the early dissemination of Marxist thought in newspapers and periodicals and letter texts.
Liu Qinglin: Some are assistant professors, some are doctors and postdocs. Whether it is a senior scholar or a young scholar, the professional direction of the "Ma Zang" team covers almost the above research fields. In the past, I was used to doing personal research, but "Ma Zang" gave me a kind of thrill: using different professional knowledge with my colleagues to overcome academic difficulties together. I see the unusualness of young scholars. The team brings together a group of people who are fluent in English, German, Italian, French, Russian and Japanese. Like Wang Qian, she has dabbled in English, German, Italian and Latin alone.
Wang Qian: I myself am from the history of history, others include sociology, law, philosophy and so on. Professor Gu Hailiang attaches special importance to the interdisciplinary comprehensive research in different fields of humanities and social sciences, taking history as an example, an important idea that Teacher Gu tried to run through the compilation and research of "Ma Zang" is to deepen the study of The Sinification of Marxism with historical methods and establish a new school with the characteristics of Peking University. Because previous research has focused on theoretical generalization, the deliberation of the original historical materials is somewhat rough, and the research on the history of ideas is insufficient. However, in fact, an important ideological connotation of Marx and Engels theory is to combine the humanities and social sciences well, which also gives it a wider audience and radiation.
Therefore, this enlightens us that, as young Marxist theoretical scholars in the new era, we must consciously cultivate such an ideological trait and mission: we must have a broad vision of humanities and social sciences, carry out standardized professional academic training, base theoretical research on the basis of solid empirical research from the initial stage, enhance the rationality and profundity of theoretical research, combine academic and political nature, and enhance the academic depth, breadth and academic gold content of Marxist theoretical disciplines.
Treat the scientific nature of Marxism with a rigorous study style
Read +: "Ma Zang" is a magnificent project and the "first" in China. Many scholars have mentioned that the compilation work is very tiring and arduous, how is it "bitter"?
Wang Yue: The summer vacation when I first joined the project team, I encountered a problem with the recognition of traditional characters. I took the undergraduate and graduate students of Peking University to do the data collection work, called the "census", and searched for texts related to the introduction of Marxism into China from the vast journals, newspapers, and magazines of modern times.
This is actually the basic work, there is no particularly high technical requirements, nothing more than "finding a needle in a haystack". But when I first touched the text, I was a bit dumbfounded, although I had seen traditional characters before, but such a large number of readings, or vertical, no punctuation, text, this is the first time. At the end of the day, you may only be able to find one or two articles, which is particularly difficult.
Two years later, not only will I no longer be overwhelmed by traditional characters, but also rely on the accumulation of two years, and write several papers, some of which are also published in top journals. This is the "explicit" result brought to me by "Ma Zang".
"Hidden" achievements are the improvement of their own scientific research ability and academic literacy. Teacher Gu Hailiang's requirements are particularly strict. When editing texts, in order to ensure the accuracy of the annotations, it is necessary to check a lot of information and read a lot of auxiliary literature. For example, a look up the Times a hundred years ago, or a record of a strike in Paris, France in 1899, often takes several days and tens of thousands of words to write a footnote of less than a hundred words. Including the editor's note at the end of the main text, it also needs to be worded. In particular, the qualitative issues involving some historical figures and historical events can only be determined after repeated communication and consultation with teachers.
This kind of strictness, although it will feel painful at first, but in retrospect, strict and meticulous guidance has cultivated good scientific research habits, and the future academic path will benefit endlessly.
It is not based on seniority and generation, but on learning and truth
Read+: What is the academic environment for young scholars?
Liu Qinglin: "Ma Zang" has a high-level academic platform, and the growth environment for young scholars is very good. First of all, you can ask for advice from top scholars; secondly, you can obtain the most comprehensive literature, and the Mazang Center has established in-depth cooperative relations with many libraries, archives and other documentary institutions at home and abroad. The most important thing is that the predecessors' reverence for learning and the rigorous attitude towards academic research have brought us a great shock. We usually review manuscripts and academic discussions, never based on seniority and generation, but on learning and truth. This attitude towards learning also makes us firm in the basic principles of doing learning.
The research results of young scholars are highly respected, we have a relatively free research space, and independent publication of research papers is encouraged. Professor Gu Hailiang and other senior scholars often give us meticulous guidance on our personal research, leading us to progress in research methods and knowledge theory.
Before participating in the "Ma Zang" project, I mainly studied the influence of Japanese socialist thought on China during the Republic of China period, and after participating in the work of "Ma Zang", I studied historical documents and research methods, and I realized the shortcomings of the past, and I also found that the depth and breadth of Chinese intellectuals' understanding and acceptance of socialist thought and Marx's theory in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty were far from the previous understanding of the academic circles, which is worthy of our more systematic and meticulous study.
Wang Yue: Every year, a large proportion of the new postdoctoral students will be arranged to participate in the "Mazang" project. On the one hand, this setting is based on the high importance of the work of "Ma Zang", which requires the participation of young scholars; on the other hand, it is also because young scholars need more academic exercise and scientific research experience before entering the teaching and scientific research position.
Pei Zhi: Therefore, Teacher Gu particularly stressed that it is necessary to improve his academic research ability in the process of compiling and studying "Ma Zang". From time to time, he will explain to us the academic value of the relevant texts of "Ma Zang", and also personally write a number of academic articles, which have set an academic example and example for us, and taught us the ideas and methods of studying "Ma Zang".
Wang Wei: During the epidemic period, when I was isolated at home, Teacher Gu would annotate my doctoral dissertation from beginning to end on the computer, and call to explain each annotation one by one, from the use of punctuation, to the adjustment of structure, the addition of content, and to which place to add this citation. Often a phone call was made for more than two hours, until the phone was hot and continued.
The truth of Marxism is tested in the course of struggle
Read +: I heard that Teacher Gu Hailiang introduced that some young scholars joined the Communist Party of China in the work of "Ma Zang", what is the specific situation?
Liu Qinglin: It's me and Ye Fan. In the past, I had not considered joining the Party, and naturally I had not thought about what it meant to be a true Communist Party member. I've always wanted to be able to do research from a "neutral" perspective. The change in my thinking was after I participated in Ma Zang. I found that as party members, the division commanders have sincere faith in the party, and they have indeed served the collective and the masses, and have a reverence for academic research - I want to look up to them.
Ye Fan: In the past, I did not join the party, not because I "didn't want to", but because I "didn't have conditions". When I was at Moscow State University, I had the determination to join the Party. Russia's archives contain a large number of archival materials of Chinese Communist Party members, including Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping and other party and state leaders. In the process of research, I was constantly shocked by the original intention of the party members. Therefore, 6 years ago, I made up my mind to join the Communist Party of China. At that time, I was still studying for a doctorate, and there was no party organization abroad to develop party members, so I failed to do so.
After returning to China, I came to Peking University. In the month after I finished my postdoctoral appointment, I submitted an application to the party organization to join the party. A few days ago, my application to join the party was just approved at the branch party member meeting, and I became an honorable preparatory party member of the CPC.
Looking back at Moscow now, I can say that I "joined the party" ideologically and emotionally. In the past, when I was engaged in the study of party history, I saw that the Communist Party of China had gradually developed from a small party with only more than fifty people to the world's largest party with more than 90 million members, and understood what "history and the people chose the Chinese Communist Party." After working at Peking University, I joined the research team for the compilation of "Ma Zang" and gained a deeper understanding of Marxism. The courses I have listened to in the Marxist Academy in the past three years and the words and deeds of the teachers I have come into contact with have also made me understand how Marxism has successively surpassed other social trends and theories and become our guiding ideology.
Marxist scientific socialism was introduced to our country at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, when it did not appear alone, but was introduced together with anarchism, syndicalism, neo-villageism, Bernsteinism and other schools of thought under the banner of socialism – but only Marx's scientific socialism has withstood the test of time and practice. In its constant struggle with other schools of thought, it proved its truth and was thus accepted and believed by the Chinese. If the study of Party history has made me a member of the Communist Party ideologically and emotionally, then the study of Marxism has made me a Member of the Communist Party both theoretically and organizationally.
Reading +: For other Party members, has the compilation work brought about changes in thinking?
Wang Yue: What I feel particularly clearly is the sense of national responsibility and urgency that modern Chinese. "Ma Zang" brought me back to the early days when Marxism was introduced to China, when Chinese of all classes were eager to bring all kinds of advanced ideas back to China and save China. Although today it seems that the earliest Chinese have various limitations, they are all deeply patriotic. I was also educated in patriotism.
Zhang Kai: As contemporary young Marxist scholars, what we have learned, thought, and done must not only be deeply rooted in the tradition of civilization, but also inherit the spiritual benchmark in the history of the party over the past century. The work of "Ma Zang" sorted out the "source stream", and I often had soul resonance through time and space in my heart, deeply felt the truth power of Marxism, and strengthened the lofty belief of Marxism.
Marxism attaches the greatest importance to practice among all social currents of thought
Reading +: How to look at some of the "theoretical nihilism" concepts that exist in society, as if it does not make much sense to mention Marxist theory?
Wang Wei: On the contrary, the idea of Marxism is almost the one that attaches the most importance to practice among all social trends.
Wang Yue: Although the theory is subjective, it is not equal to subjective utopia, and the most basic view of historical materialism is that theory should be combined with practice, and the theory divorced from practice is not Called Marxism at all. To oppose Marxism by opposing a theory divorced from practice is like setting up a target of one's own. More than 100 years ago, Hu Shi, Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu had a dispute between problems and doctrines, hu Shi believed that we should talk less about doctrines and solve more problems, and Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu believed that if there is no scientific doctrine to guide the direction, then there is no way to solve any problem. Scientists Deng Jiaxian, Qian Xuesen, and Yuan Longping did not study social sciences, but they also regarded Marxism as the guiding ideology of their scientific research.
But these erroneous views themselves are not the essence of the problem, the essence is that many times the people who say these wrong understandings, they neither understand Marxism nor want to understand Marxism, and even in many cases, some young people take the denigration of Marxism as a way to express their "personality", "uniqueness" and "difference". This phenomenon may not be avoidable in every society. But for young Marxist theoretical workers, this phenomenon shows that our work is not yet in place, and we still need to continuously improve the level.
Marxist research calls for more young people with faith and theory
Reading +: The young scholars who participated in "Ma Zang" are only partial representatives, ten or twenty are not enough, how can the results of "Ma Zang" benefit the younger generation and cultivate more young scholars with faith, theory and progress?
Liu Qinglin: Last year, we opened a course on "Research on the History of Marxist Chinese Communication" for graduate students, and the first time it was opened, it was well received. As the lead teacher, I presided over the course, and other scholars involved in the compilation of research were also directly or indirectly involved in the teaching or course guidance. Teacher Gu Hailiang also personally taught two introductions to the students. Judging from the quality of the students' final course discussions and the final papers submitted, the students who chose the courses were still quite interested in the history of Marxist Chinese communication. This course is also updating their basic understanding, and in the past there were many misconceptions about the spread of Marxism in China in modern times. With understanding, they also generate their own thinking and research.
I believe that because of "Ma Zang", a good academic inheritance relationship has been formed. Therefore, it is not only a project with high academic value, but also an excellent platform for talent growth and talent training.
(Yangtze River Daily reporter Qin Mengting)
【Editor: He Equation】