Qingming recalls the deceased - Ren Youlin: Duan Qing, the tiger girl of the gate

On March 26, 2022, Duan Qing, a famous historical linguist and professor at the School of Foreign Chinese of Peking University, died of illness at the age of 68. Professor Duan Qing has devoted his life to the teaching and research of Medieval Iranian, Sanskrit, Pali, Gandhara and other related fields, and has made outstanding achievements in the fields of Indian studies, Buddhist teaching, Silk Road literature and Sanskrit Bayeux Sutra, and is well-known in the international academic community. On the occasion of the Qingming Dynasty, in memory of the deceased, the surging news (www.thepaper.cn) special issue a group of commemorative articles to share with readers.

Duan Qing

Duan Qing and I were classmates of Peking University's Institute of South Asia who studied for a master's degree in 1978-1982, her supervisors were Ji Xianlin and Jiang Zhongxin, and my supervisor was Chen Hansheng. After graduation, we went our separate ways, and when we met again in Beijing 20 years later, we were all gray hair. Although we have different teachings, our interactions are open and our hearts are connected.

"A pure scholar, a very hard-working scholar" – Duan Qing recalls his mentor Ronald Emmerick

In May 2020, I packed up historical photographs and found one with two German professors in Lhasa, Tibet. Suddenly remembering that these two professors Duan Qing should know, he casually sent it to Duan Qing. She responded immediately, wow! Isn't that Professor Emmerick. I didn't even know he was her PhD supervisor at the University of Hamburg in Germany.

I then introduced her to a photograph of two German orientalist professors on an inspection trip to Tibet in July 1983 when I was at the Academy of Social Sciences, and told her about our activities there—a visit to the Institute of Nationalities of the Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, a visit to the Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences and drepung Selagandan monasteries in Lhasa. I told her that Professor Emmerick was worshipped by the monks at Drepung Monastery because he recognized that the inscription on the temple door that was not recognized at that time was the Ba Si Pa sacrifice text.

Later she replied that unfortunately he was no longer alive and was buried on September 11, 2001, with cancer, first stomach cancer and then lymphoma. She said affectionately that she was a pure scholar, a very hard-working scholar. She added that I had basically surpassed him.

My gut feeling, she was confident when she said this. You can see that she is confident. Another time she told me: "I now use English, and I write english fluently, better than German." ”

Duan Qing, Duan Qing, why do you and your mentor have cancer? Good people don't live long, God is unfair! You are always full of energy and laughter on weekdays, why did you go first? You have to tell me, are you really tired? Mr. Ji and Emmerick's legacy, you inherited, developed. You are also a pure person, a very hard-working scholar.

Will be the door tiger woman

On July 1, 2021, Yan Baoyu, the former head of the German Department of Peking University, passed away, and my parents, Yan Baoyu and Wu Qiongmei were classmates of Southwest United University during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and I asked her to send my condolences to Professor Yan's family. Later, we talked about our teachers and parents online.

Here's what was recorded at the time:

Duan: In the future, we will not only be classmates, but also good friends.

Duan: I used to be ashamed to talk about my parents. But, now I find it appropriate to say more. Their generation was very difficult, born in the age of war. They have made their own efforts and are worthy of our pride in them.

Ren: Tell me about your parents? It's a soldier, right?

Duan: My father was originally from a large landlord. There is a street in Taiyuan called "Liu Lane", which is equivalent to Wangfujing in Beijing. The shops on the entire street used to belong to my family. When I arrived at my grandfather, the situation was not good, and I lost half a street of shops. But there is still half a street.

Duan: In the Capital Wind, the old man in it is the director of the Post and Telecommunications Bureau, and my grandfather is this official. At that time, this official managed the Yellow River to repair water conservancy.

Duan: My grandfather died early. The Yellow River repairs water conservancy and repairs the diarrhea. Gone in his 50s.

Duan: But my family still has 500 acres of paddy land and 1,000 acres of dry land.

Duan: This is all my grandmother told my brother.

Duan: During the July 7 Incident, my father happened to apply for the Department of Architecture at Tsinghua University in Beijing. After the incident, Tsinghua did not enroll students. On his way home, he met the underground party. As a result, he participated in the Shanxi League.

Duan: Have you heard of this? He was the instructor of the Second Column. The third and fourth columns were wiped out by Yan Xishan. The second column, with many communists, ran out of the encirclement.

Duan: The League will kill the Second Column.

Duan: The young people of that year, in the face of the Japanese attacking, had no hesitation and threw themselves into the death squad. I don't know if today's young people can do it.

Ren: And then...

Duan: Let's talk about it later. I'm writing important articles.

5 hours later

Duan: Later my father was an Eighteen Arhats in the Air Force. In fact, he was the most accomplished of the Eighteen Arhats. But the eighteen arhats written on the Internet are all the children of other people. So very little was written about my father.

Duan: The so-called Eighteen Arhats of the Air Force are the backbone of the original creation of the Air Force.

Duan: He is an expert in airport construction.

Duan: Nixon came, and the Wakabashi airport was transformed by his commander-in-chief.

Duan: Shanghai Hongqiao is the place he chose. It can still be used today.

Duan: My father is level 9, major general. Resignation at the rank of deputy corps.

Ren: Duan Shikai?

Duan: Exactly!

Duan: Baidu doesn't know who built it.

Ren: You can only find and search for public information. A little more is gone.

Ren: Actually, our parents never talked, didn't want to, or for some reason, didn't want to talk about their own experiences. This has the limitations of their time. But as far as we say, we should try to explore. In fact, this is indispensable to a generation and the backbone of Chinese history.

Duan: Yes!

Duan: I admire my father. He is Taiyuan Chengcheng (?) Middle school students, with excellent English, can play the piano. But when it's time to go to war, don't hesitate.

Duan: The Second Column was later incorporated into the Eighth Route Army. He was in charge of the armed forces behind enemy lines.

Duan: The armed forces behind enemy lines in shanxi are all under his control...

Respecting the fighting history of my father's generation and adhering to the responsibilities and obligations of my generation is the inheritance, this is the bloodline! Duan Qing is worthy of being a tiger girl, the soul of the nation.

At last year's party, she also met with her classmate Jing Dailing to compete in butterfly swimming in Beijing this year!

She promised me that if I went to the Hotan Museum this year, I would take the two of us with me!

Duan Qing is gone, in fact, she is not gone! She's real, she's an elf and still around us! Her wisdom, her persistence, her strength, her competitiveness, inspire us, she is at the top of the level of two different academic worlds at home and abroad, navigating two worlds, calling us, guiding us, integrating into the world, moving forward...

(Beijing, 1 April 2022)