Xu Anqi: Energetic and righteous---------------------------------

Energetic, righteous and magnificent - yang Xianjin teacher impression

Text/Anqi Xu

I met Teacher Yang Xianjin a few years ago, although there is no direct intersection in work, but in retrospect, almost once a year, for some reason, or active harassment, or indirect contact, always taught, benefited from Elder Yang.

When I was in charge of a times review website, Elder Yang gave away his own handwritten calligraphy works, in which the words "easy to know are difficult" are obviously an encouragement to me to do the work of popularizing social cognition. When I participated in the work of cultural societies, Elder Yang once made concise and earnest suggestions. At that time, I didn't care, but in hindsight, Elder Yang was worthy of being an elder with deep experience, and some joints were already contained in his incisive words. It's just that I don't pay attention to it myself, so it is inevitable to take a detour. Yang Lao's new book launch symposium was full of celebrities, but he also reserved a seat for me and my friends, and I brought two grassroots authors to the meeting, and they both felt insightful. Ask Yang Lao about the cost of publishing books, and the quotation you get is always the most realistic.

This energetic and approachable old man has an extraordinary life experience. Born in June 1947 in Gaoling Village, Feicheng City, Shandong Province, Yang Xianjin was conscripted into the army in 1964, and Yang Xianjin successively served as an assistant and section chief (division level) of the Security Bureau of the General Office of the Central Committee, the director of the Editorial Committee of Zhongnanhai Album, and the secretary, president and editor-in-chief of the Party Branch of Xiyuan Publishing House. After his retirement, he worked full-time in cultural publishing and calligraphy art research and creation. As a calligrapher, he founded the unique "Yang's Calligraphy". He is also a backbone member of a number of national cultural societies, covering a wide range of topics, and has studied the Yang Lian, poetry, and folk culture protection.

Yiwen yiwu, also bitter and happy, decades of wind and rain life, Yang Lao's struggle process reflects the huge historical changes of the country. His thick experience is like a big book. Although he rarely talks about his past, anyone who consults and advises him can feel his acumen and wisdom from the perspective of scales and claws. This is exactly what has been honed in countless years of practice, and it is the manifestation of the sublimation of experience full of vitality. However, the increase in age and experience did not bring sophistication and smoothness to Yang Lao, on the contrary, he maintained his simplicity and integrity, and maintained the study and absorption of new things. Growing up in the period of the triumphant march of the Republic, the ideals and style of youth ran through Yang Lao's life. His gaze was like a torch, his righteousness was magnificent, like a sword hiding sharply, and a cold plum alone.

Yang Lao, who is nearly 75 years old, has a capable temperament and is full of spirit in his speech. He speaks quickly, reacts quickly, thinks fast, acts fast, and the fierce force of work does not lose to young people. We once visited Elder Yang with a young friend, and afterwards we all felt that Elder Yang's words swept away the negative emotions brought about by the pressure of our respective work, as if our hearts were open. What keeps Elder Yang in such a state? It is not so much about relying on what kind of health care and what kind of money treatment, but rather relying on their own "spiritual energy".

Elder Yang's life is a life of continuous absorption of nutrients and self-cultivation in the spiritual field. Immersed in the Qilu Taishan culture since childhood, the traditional sub-history of the classics, poetry and songs nourished his youth. After enlisting in the army, as a guard soldier defending the Party Central Committee, he was influenced by Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and other proletarian revolutionaries of the older generation. Having solved the question of position, one has a fundamental consciousness in studying any knowledge. Wandering in the cultural ocean of Zhongnanhai, he immersed himself in the study of its scenic spots, historical evolution, architectural gardens, as well as the calligraphy and painting art and cultural ideas of the Red Revolutionaries. He also grew into a prominent journalist. In addition, after decades of tempering, he laid the foundation for calligraphy creation in his youth and became more and more proficient.

A while ago, Elder Yang asked me to recommend a text editor who could help him sort out some old documents and pay for them. I thought it was a simple job and it wasn't hard to recommend. But when I was in Yang Lao's office, I was shocked to see a large stack of copybooks compiled by his diaries since he was in his twenties, as well as the hundreds of pages of printed articles he had written in recent years! Elder Yang told me that most of the diary was still at home, had not been sorted out, and the manuscript was only a part. It seems that sorting out Yang Lao's documents is by no means a simple task. People who do not have a certain amount of affection and cultural depth cannot do this work. And Elder Yang is not just a retired cadre with rich experience! In the fifty or sixty years from adolescence to old age, how much exploration has been opened in the airspace of culture, how much cultivation has been carried out in the field of thought, how much mental journey has been recorded, how much joy and sorrow have been tasted, and how many times have he overcome himself and faced difficulties... These bits and pieces are hidden in the text. Vivid diaries from different eras are enough to reflect the side of the times. The abundant article also shows excellent writing skills, close social contact, and diligent work status.

Seeing the heavy manuscripts on the desk and the mountains of books in the office, you can understand why Yang Lao is always happy and full of will, as if he does not care about all difficulties. Indeed, with enough "mental energy," you don't have to be too unexpected and you will be grateful for life. Compared with the self-pity and self-pity of some senior cadres after retirement, and the sigh of people walking tea and cold, Elder Yang has long opened a full period of struggle in the new life orientation. Summing up experience but not nostalgic for the past, inheriting traditions but not departing from the times, valuing friendship but not pandering to others, Yang Lao enjoys the current years. Practice calligraphy, write articles, edit books, plan events, organize meetings, network with friends... His schedule is always full, and all efforts convey positive cultural energy.

There are many excellent qualities in Yang Lao that are worth learning. His diligence beyond his age is admirable. He was punctual and strict and never spoke empty words. He has a plank and an eye, and he acts vigorously. He does not like to take advantage of others, and is good to people as much as he can, especially willing to help young people. In essence, it is to maintain the spirit of dedication brought from the Red Age, which has not degenerated under the social trend of "everything looks to money", and has not disappeared in the secular environment of indifference and self-preservation. He speaks out in righteousness, dares to speak out against undesirable phenomena in society, and is not a "peacemaker." These qualities make him rich in human temperature and charisma.

In the front hall of the office, four copies of the calligraphy of the great men are impressively on the wall: Mao Zedong "to be the people's gentleman, first be the people's student"; Zhou Enlai "struggled hard and was not afraid of difficulties"; Zhu De "studied conscientiously"; Liu Shaoqi "learned the skills well and built the motherland". These spiritual food nourish the personality of the owner and guest of the office. The light that transcends the times seems to still penetrate the mind and shine into the heart. On the other side is the couplet "Forbidden Garden Zhaosheng Overview, Three Seas Writing Divine Works", which includes the Zhongnanhai complex of Yang Lao's most of his life.

Flipping through Yang Lao's diary, a passage from September 1964 came into view: "Participation in labor is a fundamental condition for ensuring that a revolutionary will always revolutionize and never degenerate... Labor can promote the integration of theory with practice. Knowledge comes from practice. "It's been 58 years since I wrote this diary. Elder Yang also spent his whole life practicing this sentence written by himself when he was 17 years old, and to this day, he is still working and struggling.

Just move forward, and calmly - the spiritual "calcium" is sufficient, and it is rare and rare!

March 2022

Author: Anqi Xu, a native of Beijing, alumnus of Peking University, freelance writer. He is a director of the Beijing Shijingshan District Writers Association, and was the deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhou magazine, with nearly one million words of works.

Editor-in-Charge: Spring and Autumn