Text│ Peng Xiaoliang
Huang Pei, formerly known as Rong Dingchang, was born in Jingxing, Hebei Province on July 12, 1919 (june 15th of the lunar calendar), and grew up in Tianjin as a teenager, successively attending Tianjin Public School, Nankai Middle School, and then shanghai, enrolled in Jiangsu Provincial Shanghai Middle School. In October 1939, at the age of 20, Huang Pei was admitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering of the National Jiaotong University, graduating in June 1944. On September 5, 2012, at the age of 93, Huang Pei died of illness at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital. In his long-lived career, he has rich experience, diligent study and good thinking, brilliant pen and flowers, writing, etc., and has become a legendary figure in the history of modern Chinese literature. This article intends to start from the 1940s related letters sorted out from the archives of the Bank of Communications in the Shanghai Municipal Archives, analyze and interpret their ins and outs, and trace the experience of the young Huang Bao in Chongqing and his family lineage during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
01
Fall mountain city meets nobles
Chongqing during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
In the winter of 1942, Huang Pei and his friend Huang Zongjiang left Shanghai under the trampling of the Japanese army's iron hooves, and after a long journey, they were displaced all the way to Chongqing in early 1943. In the article "Picking Up the Mountain City", he wrote down his impression of arriving in Chongqing: "For this mountain city, I clearly say that I like it. But more so, it was the lonely and sleepy life of being a stranger in a foreign land at that time: "I often had to walk back to my accommodation around one o'clock in the evening, a small hotel or a friend's house, and when I walked on the cobblestone road in the middle of the night, I watched the rats passing through the streets, and listened to the monotonous sound of knocking on doors that could not be opened. It almost reduced my greatest pleasure in town. It wasn't until Huang Zongjiang rented a very simple old house that he finally had a relatively fixed residence, "in my opinion, it is already a very comfortable place to sleep", and laughed at himself as "this road is not fasting".
Letter from Rong Dingchang (Huang Bao) to Qian Xinzhi
In order to get rid of the dilemma, he repeatedly asked to see Qian Xinzhi, chairman of the Bank of Communications, and Qian Xinzhi's reply must focus on study. In March 1944, in the reception room of the Bank of Communications, he was cordially received by Qian Xinzhi, who cared for him and encouraged him, which made him feel like a spring breeze and full of gratitude, and asked Qian Xinzhi to write a letter of recommendation to Weng Wenhao. On March 14, Huang Pei sent a letter to Qian Xinzhi expressing his gratitude and imploring Qian Xinzhi to give relief to his family members living in shanghai.
Chairman of the New Board of Directors:
Respectful. A few days ago, I was flattered, and I was encouraged, and I gave a letter of introduction, and I felt deeply. Chang suffered family difficulties and came to Chongqing alone, repeatedly making a plea, and Xian Mian continued his studies. However, the widowed mother and weak brother were stranded in Shanghai, suffering and helpless, and repeatedly seeking help, which was still impossible, and Chang himself had no need for food and books. Because the chairman of the board of directors loves the younger generations and has compassion for the loneliness, he has to take care of the lawsuit a few days ago, and the spring is as warm as possible, and he is deeply grateful. With the courage to respectfully plead with the chairman of the board of directors to pity his loneliness, to give subsidies, he is employed every day, dare not to repay, the grace is received, and the sense of death is even. For this reason, please be safe
Rong Dingchang revered
March 14
The edict was sent to Mr. Zhang Danfeng of the History Department of Shapingba Central University.
In the letter, Huang Bao confessed to Qian Xinzhi the miserable situation of the family's miserable situation and difficult life, and also expressed his desire to fulfill the obligation of the eldest son to take care of the widowed mother and weak brother, but unfortunately he was unable to catch it, helpless, earnest words, and it was pitiful to read.
Huang Pei once wrote an article entitled "Nankai Reminiscences", fondly recalling the campus life when he was studying at Nankai Middle School, and was particularly impressed by mr. Zhang Xun (zi Danfeng), a geography teacher: "Among the teachers in Nankai, mr. Danfeng has been in contact with me the longest. "Later, he transferred to the interior and was reunited in Chongqing." I remember several times when I went to the city to spend the night in the editing room of the Zhonghua Bookstore, and silently confronted the famous rats in Chongqing at night under the bright electric lights, and I still don't forget it. After that, he went to teach at the Central University, and in the CUHK building in Shapingba, he saw Wang Peijiang's poem "Jialing Water-colored Daughter Skin" hanging between the walls of his dormitory, and his impression remains to this day. "The reply mentioned in the above letter should be sent to Zhang Danfeng of the History Department of Central University to receive it, which is exactly this period.
After Qian Xinzhi received the letter from Huang Bao, he immediately replied on March 16, hoping that he would go to the interview again, and the draft letter is as follows.
Dingchang Renshi Brother Huijian:
The handbook of March 14 was exhibited and listened to. When the Taiwan driver entered the city, Xi Came to talk and knew the details of the situation. Where you can do your best, when the cotton is thin, in order to repay the fate also. This compound is the ode
Xueqi
Brother money
Three, sixteen
Seventeen sent.
One day in late March, Huang Pei met Qian Xinzhi again, and Qian Xinzhi generously donated money and gave him two thousand yuan. This generous gift of charcoal in the snow made Huang Bao, who was in a foreign land and poor, grateful to Shu Zero, and followed Qian Xinzhi's instructions to return to Jiaotong University to continue his studies. On April 1, he sent a letter of thanks to Qian Xinzhi and reported on his visit to the Resources Committee on March 28 to see Weng Wenhao. It is recorded below.
Jun Jian, Chairman of The New Board:
A few days ago, the tendency to be flattered, too generous, the sense of indelity is not similar, when a little book, in the day before the school to class. On the twenty-eighth day of the previous month, Minister Jin Gurudwara of the Resources Committee was met by Director Wu's secretary. In the future, the daily expenses will be granted by the chairman of the board of directors. Sincerely, Fu Weijunjian. For the most part, please
Jun'an
Yu WanRong Dingchang revered
April 1
Please send it to Kowloon Po Tong Tong University.
After Qian Xinzhi received it, he personally wrote a note at the end of the letter: In late March, he received two thousand yuan from Rong Jun.
In the summer of 1944, after graduating from Jiaotong University, Huang Bao enlisted as an interpreter in the US Army and began his legendary life journey. In the most difficult stages of his growth, in the days when he was worried about food and clothing, the gratitude for the generous funding of money was always unforgettable.
02
The origin of family change
Yellow clothes and madame
So, what is the "encounter with family difficulties" mentioned by Huang Bao in the letter? Why was his mother widowed? This brings us to the experience of his father, Rong Jingyuan.
Rong Jingyuan, a native of Yidu, Shandong, graduated from Shandong Higher School in 1909, went to Germany to study, and after half a year of preparatory studies, entered Weilian University (i.e. the University of Berlin) to study mining law and general law for one year. In October 1910, he entered the Yachen Industrial University (now translated as RWTH Aachen University, known as "MIT in Europe") to study mining for four years, and practiced underground engineering in coal mines and various hardware mines for one year, graduated in October 1915 with a degree in mining engineers, and led workers to practice in mines for one year in November. He returned to China in September 1916 and arrived in Beijing in October to submit his diploma to the Ministry of Education, which was approved by the Minister of Education for the record. Since 1917, Rong Jingyuan has been appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, successively serving as a miner, mine director and director of the coking office of Hebei Jingxin Coal Mining Company, and later served as the preparatory coking commissioner of Zhongxing Coal Mining Company.
In the early morning of June 21, 1942, Rong Jingyuan wrote his last diary in his apartment, which contained words such as "Heaven dies I also", and then took the Sal potion orally, and then used a paper knife to cut his neck and died. When his wife found out, it was too late to be treated. The reason for Rong Jingyuan's suicide in this extremely tragic way is unknown. According to the analysis of his friends, it may be caused by the hardship of life, "the day before his death, the home was stolen, his clothes and shoes were lost, or he was angry for a while, and it is not known whether he made a decision." But this speculation seems to make some sense. What was it that caused him to give up his life at all costs? Perhaps it has become an unsolvable mystery.
A collection of essays by Huang Bao
People cannot be revived from the dead, and the Zhongxing Coal Mining Company gives a pension to the Rong family, and all funeral matters are frugal. Although the Rong family's economic situation is not rich, they can barely survive. After Rong Jingyuan hurriedly passed away, he left behind his widow and three sons, the eldest son, Rong Dingchang (that is, Huang Bao), who was 23 years old at the time, was studying in the Department of Electrical Engineering of Jiaotong University, and there was still a year before graduation, and the other two sons were still young. The Rong family lost the head of the family, but also cut off the only source of income, in the fall of Shanghai, fell into the situation of extremely embarrassing life, in desperation, had to go around for help. At this time, Three of Rong Jingyuan's friends, Wu Xu, Zhang Yunzhen, and Tang Zhen, jointly wrote a letter from Shanghai to Qian Xinzhi, chairman of the Bank of Communications and chairman of the Zhongxing Coal Mining Company, who was far away in Chongqing, to tell them about the tragic situation that had happened to the Rong family, and to ask Qian Xinzhi to ask Weng Wenhao, then minister of economic affairs and chairman of the Resources Committee of the National Government, and Qian Changzhao, vice chairman of the Resources Committee, to initiate a donation to the Rong family, and attached a letter of mourning written by Rong Dingchang. After receiving the letter, Qian Xinzhi wrote a letter to Weng Wenhao and Qian Changzhao on August 10, and in addition to explaining the situation of the Rong family in accordance with the letter, he earnestly asked Weng and Qian to "raise a high voice in the Resources Committee, gather 10% of them, and widely solicit from Rong Jun's classmates to solve the upside down and provide relief, and there is no urgent desire to pray." "The draft of the letter is reproduced below.
My brothers Yi Ni and Yi Li (藜) are all recognized:
Venerable. Rong Jun Jingyuan is a student of the official Fei Liude, who previously served in the Resources Committee, and because of the secondment of the coal and coke plant prepared by the ZTE Coal Mining Company, he got along very well in ZTE for several years, but unexpectedly in June this year, he killed himself with economic oppression, and was posthumously pensioned by ZTE Company, and he was forced into a coffin, leaving behind a wife and three sons, waiting to be fed. Brother got a letter from Shanghai friends, Zhi Rongjun and the two gong have an old, and there is no shortage of people with status among his classmates, and said that Rong Jun's eldest brother studied in the Department of Electrical Engineering of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and he could graduate in one year, hoping that each of them would pay the funds raised, and Mrs. Jiaorong would save support so that his eldest brother could make a living after graduation, so as to avoid freezing. Send it to the second paper of mourning with a special attachment, call on behalf of the general, and pray for qia. Can you raise a shout in the Resource Committee, collect 10% of the number, and widely solicit from Rong Jun's students to solve the upside down and provide relief, no urgent, look forward to prayer. Pray for this, praise
Tai Sui, and Waiting for YuFu
annex.
Brother Qian eight, ten
Thirteen sent out.
According to the author's guess, although Qian Xinzhi is also the chairman of the ZTE Coal Mining Company, he does not know Rong Jingyuan, an employee of the company. The Rong family suffered such a tragic situation, and it was a matter of duty for the ZTE Coal Mining Company to contribute to the pension, but in other aspects, it was also impossible to help. Therefore, after Qian Xinzhi received the letter from Rong Jingyuan's friend, he immediately sent a letter to Weng Wenhao and Qian Changzhao in accordance with the request of the letter, along with the two pages of lamentation written by Huang Bao, and also sent it as an attachment to the letter, which was considered to be a painstaking effort. The author has carefully read the Zhonghua Bookstore edition of "Weng Wenhao's Diary", but did not find that Weng Wenhao has a record of this matter, so I do not know whether the Resources Committee mobilized staff to donate money to the Rong family. After a year and a half, when Huang Bao asked Qian Xinzhi for help, Qian Xinzhi naturally had an impression of the rong family's changes, so Gu Nian Rongjia and Huang Bao came to the door to plead, and suddenly felt compassion and gave it a support, so Huang Shou was able to resume his studies at Jiaotong University.
Grace is not remembered, grace is not forgotten. For the benefactor Qian Xinzhi, Huang Bao is only one of the many difficult people he has funded for decades, which he naturally forgot afterwards, reflecting his feelings and open-mindedness as a big banker who "can help the world at the same time"; and for the benefactor Huang Shou, this is the snow charcoal in the most difficult moment of his youth, in a certain sense, it can be said that it has affected his life, and for the sponsors on the way to study, it must be remembered in his heart and unforgettable for a lifetime.
The official public number of "Shanghai Bank Museum".