Surprised to learn of the sudden death of teacher Chen Qingying, I felt a special kind of emptiness and grief. The dust is like a dream, and all kinds of haunting people who are unforgettable, with thousands of thoughts, and cannot sleep at night. Reminiscing a little bit of the past, as if it were yesterday, and the years do not live, it seems that it is only a blink of an eye, and it has gone through decades of time.
As early as 40 years ago, I became acquainted with Teacher Chen. In 1982, I stayed at the Institute of Tibetan Studies of the Central Institute for Nationalities, which was a newly built research institute in the school, and Mr. Chen entered the institute in 1981. In those years, we were all alone in Beijing, and naturally there was a lot of contact. He likes to drive a night train, and almost always goes to our dormitory to chat for a while during the day, everything is talked about, and the study of Tibetan history is the main topic. I've seen him talk about wine and passion, and I've seen him write a book and concentrate. He does not like to talk about it, but when it comes to scholarship, his eyes are shining. I remember that he and several colleagues in the institute returned from the Sakya Monastery to investigate, and the radiant report explained very well what it means to "combine text reference and fieldwork, academic research and practical care at the same time".
I remember that I just graduated from college and arrived in a new unit, I was not familiar with life, and I was originally immersed in the "literary dream", and now I suddenly turned to the study of Tibetan history, and the so-called foundation was shaking, confusion and discomfort, which can be imagined. After Teacher Chen learned about my situation in the chat, he said that literature and history are not separated from family, and he is also very interested in literature, and he is very familiar with the editor of Qinghai"Hanhai Chao. In this way, I met a learned mentor and a good friend, and it was very rare to listen to the advice. With the encouragement and help of Teacher Chen, I tried to combine history and literature in a state of confusion, and cooperated with him to publish a new compilation of historical stories, "Chang'an Heqin" and "The Adventure of Chambord Mountain - The Story of Tubo Nieqi Zampu", which smoothly completed the transition period of professional changes. Later, he left the Central Institute for Nationalities to work at the Qinghai Academy of Social Sciences, and we still insisted on exchanging letters between us, and we received a lot of help from him. In every correspondence, we talked about academics the most. In one of his replies, he talked about the next step of cooperation, specifically mentioning that "as for how to do it in the future, I think the original plan for the new compilation of historical stories seems to be a little too big." It is mainly from the systematic consideration of Tibetan history, without taking into account the needs of reality. Therefore, I would like to write a topic that meets the needs of reality first, and write a theme that praises national unity, cultural exchanges, and national reunification. Recently, I wrote a "Ba Si Ba Chronology" and felt that some of the topics were very easy to write. The original story of the Princess of Jincheng is also a good topic. In addition, the Great Ci Dharma King and the Mahayana King of the Ming Dynasty also have very good titles. In short, I now think that it is possible to ignore the systematic nature of Tibetan history, first find information, and write a suitable one. I want to find the information, I can draw up an outline, discuss and decide, and write by one person. I think you can first engage in the outline of the Princess of Jincheng, I will engage in the outline of The Eight Siba, and then consider how to write it after it is made, I don't know what you think. ”
The picture shows a letter from Teacher Chen in the 1980s (courtesy of Xi Rao Nyima)
From the short communication, we can see how lofty his understanding and pattern are.
Teacher Chen Qingying wrote a book and said that the results are rich, loyal and humble, and tireless for the teacher. At that time, at the Tibetan Studies Institute, the papers I began to try scientifically were helped by him tirelessly from the selection of topics to the completion of the manuscript.
Later, although we were not in the same unit, by chance, there were not many opportunities to meet, and there were many opportunities to consult. In 1996, Mr. Chen went to minzu University of China as a doctoral supervisor to participate in the students' re-examination, question opening, and defense, plus we were also members of the History Group of the Academic Committee of the China Center for Tibetan Studies. For a while, we also participated in some meetings of the Beijing Municipal Cppcc Committee together, and there were many private contacts. He is a steady, humble and wise elder, often not much to say, but always to the point, pointing to the key points, making people suddenly cheerful. Students at the Institute of Tibetan Studies said that Teacher Chen's comments were not annoying or angry, gentle and elegant, but they quoted the scriptures, appropriately, followed the good temptations, and achieved more with less.
In the subsequent continuous research, I asked Mr. Chen for advice many times. He agreed with my choice of Tibet during the Republic of China period as the object of study, and warned me to "hold fast to the green mountains and not relax." He often gave me some new research information, made suggestions, and helped me a lot. For example, he believes that the Lama Temple Khenpo Gong Kyaw Chungni is a historical figure worthy of attention, "you have already studied, you should continue to go deeper", and also provided some information. Later, he wrote a related article, and the draft was sent to me for a sneak peek. His articles are broad-minded and unique in perspective, and they are quite enlightening to read with points and aspects.
For 40 years, he has been a warm elderly person around me. He not only taught people to do learning, but also taught me the way of being a man, simple and thick, sincere and not pretentious. For example, when he was lecturing in Taiwan, he excitedly sent an e-mail message, telling me to strive for the opportunity to go for a period of time and see those first-hand archives with my own eyes, which would certainly be of special help to my research. Another time, he mentioned, "I recently participated in an anonymous review of an article that referenced your article in many places, but did not write it out, and I made an opinion." However, there does not appear to have been significantly revised at the time of publication. It's not easy for young people either, and I've approved it. I've encountered this kind of thing a lot, and I don't have to care." Its generosity and kindness are evident, such as spring wind and rain, moisturizing things silently.
Personnel metabolism, there will be the sadness of the past. "Hate is just like spring grass, and it is farther and farther to live." Dear Teacher Chen, all the way! (China Tibet Network Special Writer / Hi Rao Nyima )