Xuelin Essay | the academic process, not only the growth of knowledge and the creation of wisdom, but also the condensation of affection

"Thinking and "Cruising""

Youth may not only be an age division, but also mean whether they have the courage to blaze new trails, have the determination to continue to do research that may be "unpopular", face setbacks and changes around them with resilience, and then transform these into the motivation of unremitting struggle.

Every scholar has his or her own discipline and field, but there is no fixed boundary between academic and real issues. For the humanities and social sciences, in the face of intertwined practical and academic problems, "general" is more important than "specialization". Of course, they are dialectically transformative, preferably both.

In the case of human geography, this is a thriving field of knowledge that is very relevant to the times. I am confident in its future and welcome more young people to join this field of study.

The frontier issues in the study of human geography and related disciplines can be summarized into three broad points:

The first is the relationship between human emotions, values, and technology.

People enjoy the benefits of big data and intelligence, but they also face huge challenges, resulting in hidden worries about human existence and rights. Under the impact of the wave of informatization and digitalization, it seems that it is difficult for people to find their own value and adhere to the "place". Where are the people? This is the biggest real-world issue that human geography should focus on and echo.

The second issue is the issue of space justice.

We live in a world of great uneven development and volatility. Social problems are actually spatial problems. At different spatial scales such as global, national, regional, urban, and community, differences and disparities exist to varying degrees. The great differences and isolation of social space are the biggest obstacles to human civilization and the top priority of human geography.

The third issue is the coordination of man and nature.

In the face of a world full of uncertainties, ecological, environmental and natural disasters have become frequent. How humans deal with their relationship with nature and better respond to disasters, ecological and environmental crises. The establishment of a "community of human-natural destiny" is a very good goal. This is also the time when human geography is on display, and the key is how to promote and implement it through interdisciplinary intersection and alliance.

Continuous thinking about these issues requires frequent interdisciplinary thinking and "cruising", representing three main research directions: the history and methodology of geographical thought, urbanization and urban and rural governance, and sustainable science. They require thinking about the world and sensitivity and judgment to life.

"Writing and Updating"

The study of the history of disciplinary thought and the "vertical and horizontal" of interdisciplinary intersection are important ways to solve confusion.

The ancient Greek geographer Eratosenes invented the word "geography", which means to record or write about the earth. This is the lowest and highest demand for geographers.

Recording or writing is complicated. Whose records? What is recorded? For whom and why? When, where and how is it recorded? Is the record true or false? What's the point? These questions have been controversial, and the answers are mixed. This is the difficulty of geography, but it is also its charm.

The spirit of the geographer is to constantly record and update the record with his experience and abstraction of the place and even the earth, and thus to record and update life.

Any record, in the final analysis, is a matter of self. Domestic academic circles often regard the "self" as very low, or regard it as a scientific or objective enemy, and avoid it. Isn't the ego the most authentic kind of objective existence even for scientific research?

Especially in modern human geography, the topic of self and others becomes the focus of discussion. The attention and elaboration of postmodern geography to place, self, body, imagination, narrative, and individual is not only a critique and response to "scientism", but also an inevitable return and awakening of self-consciousness. Jumping out of these nouns or "isms" and facing the real or intricate reality is a truly scientific and academic attitude.

For scholars, it is more important to continue to record. Recording without stopping is our profession and our destiny. Our destiny is revealed through our writing.

"Inheritance and Transcendence"

Scholarship is a process of passing on the torch and going forward and going back, during which there is not only the growth of knowledge and the creation of wisdom, but also the condensation of love and righteousness. If you can have the latter, you can say that you are very lucky.

Academic heritage sometimes crosses disciplinary, ethnic, national, cultural and other boundaries. The factors of a person's growth are actually multifaceted, and the most important point is "real".

Geography is a discipline based on the earth and pays attention to the relationship between man and land. When I stumbled into the field of human geography from economic management and regional economics, I had the privilege of pursuing a doctorate with Academician Landing Avenue. Teacher Lu taught us that when thinking theoretically, we must combine practical problems and "get in and out." This is consistent with the "geographical flavor" emphasized by many teachers, that is, to grasp the actual geographical or spatial problems first, and then feedback to practice through theoretical performances and explanations. This is not only a great test and challenge for me, but also a kind of correction and supplement, so that people can truly appreciate what "reality" is.

When I was a postdoc with Professor Cai Yunlong, I opened up a second research direction: the history of geographical thought and methodology. Through the process of interpreting the classics of geography through this cold bench, we can truly understand and feel the value and spirit of geography, and strengthen this choice. When Teacher Cai talked about the criteria for selecting talents and cultivating talents, the first thing he mentioned was a "real" word. Now, I also pass on this "real" word to my students and students who want to join my team: to be realistic, to be realistic.

In addition, when He was ill, Mr. Xu Zhuoyun also specially wrote a review for the humble work "The Body of the Country: TheOry and History of the Development of Urban-Rural Relations in China", which was published in the magazine "Reading". After that, I also had other support and help for me, whom I had never met. He is a Chinese intellectual with a world vision and a sense of home and country, and his qualities of ancient enthusiasm and perseverance have also influenced me.

Scholarship and life still need coordinates and frames of reference, the so-called "take the law from above, only get it; take the law in the middle, only get below it." When you really understand what a standard is, it is actually only the beginning of academic self-awareness and self-confidence. Some high standards may never be met. However, it is necessary to have the spirit and attitude of making real efforts inch by inch, so that there is a possibility of transcendence. It transcends not others, but the original self.

Therefore, true scholarship is the experience and understanding of life. This is especially true for human geography.

"We and the Times"

The trend of ambition is far-reaching.

Human geography is not only my profession, but my life aspiration. With this as the ambition and love of the field of study, can we be unswerving in the road under our feet, and can we obtain a steady stream of enthusiasm and motivation from it.

Whether it is honor and applause, or encountering setbacks and lows, ambition and enthusiasm will always make people have both a cool head and a tenacious will.

To enjoy the process, face the problem head-on. "Scale" (in fact, it also has a standard meaning) is crucial for professional learning. No one can exhaust all of human geography, and everyone should gradually find a theme that suits them and is worth fighting for all their lives in the process of enjoying learning.

Through the door of geography, we explore the ultimate question of human civilization and human destiny. Whether we can solve such a grand proposition depends on our minds, visions, and minds, as well as the weak steps we take. All of this comes together to be the power of geography.

Therefore, do not be afraid of "big", but bravely break through the established paradigm of the discipline and personal stereotypical thinking, and face the ultimate problem. Breathing with the times and sharing a common destiny may create an era.

It is necessary to cross-border exchanges and form a joint force. Young scholars should form a community with their peers, peers, students, and other communities. The "university" is actually a "universe," and the greatest benefit it brings to us is the sharing of knowledge and creation. The intersection and unity of disciplines is very important. The single and faint "I" is connected and maintained, and the "we" are shaped and formed.

In the words of my new book, Between Time and Space: "We are governed by a force that is not at our disposal, and which in turn associates unrelated characters." "This is our destiny, but also the destiny of the times and the world.

(The author Ye Chao is a professor at East China Normal University)