Han Qi
On December 24, 2020, it was learned from Brother Jiang Yinghe that Mr. Cai Hongsheng had been treated in the ICU due to gastric perforation, and the news was sudden and worrying. Although I had heard that mr. Had a bad stomach and was emaciated, when I saw him, I was in good spirits and the conversation was always gushing. In the next few days, I often thought about it, and from time to time I asked questions, hoping that Mr. Li would recover soon. However, Mr. Ran was unable to return to the general ward for many days, and on February 15, 2021, Brother Yinghe sent the bad news of Mr. Huanghe's death and mourned for a long time. Mr. Cai has been dead for more than a year, and his voice and smile seem to be still in front of him. May 17 this year (the seventeenth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar) is his ninetieth birthday, re-reading Mr. Wang's treatise, but can no longer call to ask for studies, the past twenty years of interaction with Mr. Every bit is in his mind, only to write about the end of the pen, talk about the table to commemorate.
Photo of Mr. Cai Hongsheng, taken at home on October 17, 2020. Photo by Qin Ying.
As far as my personal academic experience is concerned, my visits to Europe, the United States and Japan have opened up a network of international academic exchanges and broadened my horizons in the study of the history of Sino-Western relations. My visit to the University of Hong Kong in 2001 and my subsequent experience at City University of Hong Kong was another important turning point in my academic career, and I naturally developed a strong interest in the history of Macao, Hong Kong and even Guangzhou in Lingnan. Hong Kong's colleges and universities have collected a large number of treatises and historical materials on the history of modern Sino-Western exchanges, especially monographs on Macao and Hong Kong from the Great Voyage to the late Qing Dynasty, and can be borrowed from each other interlibrary, which is very convenient.
Since December 2002, at the invitation of Mr. Zhang Longxi of the City University of Hong Kong, I have been on a seven-month visit to the Intercultural Research Center, and I have the opportunity to read many treatises on the history of Guangzhou and Macao, and I have read the 90th birthday commemorative collection of Mr. Dai Yixuan edited by Mr. Cai Hongsheng, "Macao History and Research on Traffic between China and the West", which contains a number of excellent works on the history of Sino-Western exchanges, Mr. Cai's article "Interpretation of the Chronicle Poems of wang Wenchen's Dutch Tribute Envoys" and Jiang Yinghe's papers on portuguese tribute lions during the Kangxi Dynasty. Mr. Cai's article is well written, the words are careful, condensed and concise, the argument is lofty, there is no nonsense, there is quite a literary ingenuity, people can't release the volume, the aftertaste is endless, so the idea of visiting Mr. In Guangzhou was born.
Hong Kong is an important place for cultural exchanges between China and the West, with frequent visits by scholars and frequent academic activities. City University is conveniently located in Kowloon Tong. During his stay in Hong Kong, he was enthusiastically introduced and introduced by Dr Au Chi Kin, often walked to Baptist University to participate in academic activities, and met many gentlemen who studied modern Chinese history. On February 17, 2003, I went there to observe a lecture on the study of modern history, and coincidentally, after the meeting, dr. Zhao Libin of Sun Yat-sen University was also at the same table, who especially mentioned Mr. Cai's teaching style, how he was loved and welcomed by the students, and added to my admiration for Mr. Cai.
On June 23 of that year, I was invited to Guangzhou to give a lecture, and on my first visit to Sun Yat-sen University, Dr. Zhang Xianyong of the Department of Philosophy took me to meet Brother Libin at Yongfang Hall of the Department of History, where I first met Mr. Cai's high-footed Dr. Jiang Yinghe, and I took the liberty of asking him to contact Mr. Cai, hoping to have the opportunity to ask Mr. Cai for help in person. On the afternoon of the next day, I made a special trip to YongfangTang to meet Mr. Zhang Wenqin and Dr. Jiang Yinghe. When I saw Mr. Cai for the first time, I couldn't help but be a little nervous, like a student who rushed to take the exam, and my heart was very nervous. But the gentleman was as warm as a gentleman, a few greetings, like a spring breeze, and the tense atmosphere disappeared. The gentleman talked openly, and from more than three o'clock, they talked for more than three hours. First, he talked about the causes of his research on the "three sisters and six wives" of "Nun Tan", and then most of the topics focused on Mr. Chen Yinke, especially Mr. Chen's contributions to the political and institutional history of the Tang Dynasty, Mr. Chen's interaction with Arthur Waley, and the causes and consequences of Mr. Chen's criticism. Mr. Cai's quick thinking, clear logic, extreme wisdom, profound knowledge and humor left a deep impression on me, and I suddenly had a sense of infinite admiration and hatred. After that, Mr. Cai sent me three kinds of works, such as "Guangzhou and Maritime Civilization" and "Macao History and Chinese and Western Transportation Studies", which I had always asked for.
Writings of Mr. Cai Hongsheng
Since then, I have established good relations with Mr. Cai, Mr. Zhang, Brother Yinghe and many friends of Sun Yat-sen University, and it is a great blessing in my life to be able to harass Mr. Cai from time to time and ask for advice.
On October 28 of the same year, Dr. Zhou Weiqiang and I from Tsinghua University in Taiwan took the opportunity to go to Macao to hold a conference on the history of Sino-Western relations and passed through Guangzhou. The next afternoon at the invitation of Mr. Zhang Wenqin, he gave a lecture at Sun Yat-sen University, entitled "The Dispute between Astronomers and Etiquette", the lecture was presided over by Mr. Zhang, and Mr. Cai Hongsheng, Lin Wushu, and Mr. Lin Zhongze also came to the scene, which surprised and nervous me, and also listened to Mr. Cai's disciple Dr. Zhou Xiang, as well as more than 30 graduate students. After the speech, Mr. Cai made a serious comment and gave a lot of encouragement to my research. Unexpectedly, Mr. Cai also specially wrote his comments into text, with the title of "Sense of Proportion on the Establishment of Arguments", published in his "Reading History and Seeking Knowledge", which is also the only place where Mr. Cai mentions me in his text. Mr. Cai also sent me two books, "Nine Surnames Hu and Turkic Culture in the Tang Dynasty" and "Strategy of the Buddhist Gate in Lingnan in the Early Qing Dynasty", so that my future academic vision of the history of Sino-Western relations extended from the Ming and Qing dynasties to the Tang Dynasty. The most memorable thing for me is that Mr. Cai and Mr. Zhang also specially accompanied me and Dr. Zhou Weiqiang to visit the JinMing Hall, the former residence of Mr. Chen Yinke, which is still vividly remembered. Mr. Cai vividly told us the story of how he listened to Mr. Chen teach the "Yuanbai Poetry Notes", how Mr. Chen "sailed" at night in the sea during his old age and illness, creating a miracle of spiritual production, and the scene of the fanatical Red Guards during the "Cultural Revolution" banging gongs and drums downstairs and criticizing Mr. Chen in the air, so that the younger generations had a real understanding of Mr. Chen's situation in his later years. In the evening, Mr. Zhang Wenqin invited guests, and Mr. Cai, Zhou Weiqiang, doctoral student Dong Shaoxin and others were present and had a very pleasant conversation.
The author took a group photo with Mr. Cai Hongsheng and Mr. Zhang Wenqin in front of the Jinming Hall, the former residence of Mr. Chen Yinke of Sun Yat-sen University. Photo by Dr. Zhou Weiqiang on October 29, 2003.
The Nine Surnames of Hu and Turkic Culture in the Tang Dynasty
In the years since, every Spring Festival or other festival, I will call to greet Mr. Cai, or take the opportunity to ask Mr. Cai for advice, or listen to Mr. Shu's past in the academic circles and his experience in governance, which has benefited me a lot. Every time Mr. Cai sees me, whenever a new work comes out, he will give it to me, sign it, write the date, and they have now become a rare book in my collection. Mr. Cai knew that I was interested in the history of Sino-Western relations during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and sometimes I would find old works to give to. I remember that in October 2004, the 50th anniversary of the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was celebrated, domestic historians gathered together, Mr. Cai was invited to attend and give a report, I was in full swing, listening to the reports of Mr. and other scholars, that day he also specially brought the "Chronicle of the Russian Pavilion" to me, which made me inexplicably moved.
Chronicle of the Russian Pavilion
Because of Mr. Cai and my colleagues at Sun Yat-sen University, I have been to Guangzhou more times in the past twenty years. Not only can I ask him for help in Yongfang Hall or apartment, but I also have the opportunity to see mr. Figure during academic conferences many times, talk to him, and ask for benefits in person, and always have a sense of openness. In November 2004, Mr. Lin Jinshui of Fujian Normal University hosted a conference on the history of Sino-Western relations in Wuyishan, and had the honor to meet Mr. Cai, Mr. Lin Wushu and Mr. Zhang Wenqin, and to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Wuyi together. In November 2006, the Hong Kong Museum of History held a meeting on the centenary of Mr. Lo's birthday, and also had the honor of reuniting with Mr. Choi Hung-sang, Mr. Huang Shijian, Zhang Wenqin, etc. Mr. Tsai told him that a revised version of the book "Chronicle of the Russian Pavilion" would be published soon. In September 2013, Guangzhou University held an academic seminar on "Guangzhou Thirteen Elements Literature Research and Museum Construction", which was also attended by Mr. Cai and Mr. Zhang Wenqin. The last time I saw Mr. Dai in an academic occasion was in October 2018, at a meeting held in lingnan hall of Sun Yat-sen University to commemorate Mr. Dai Yixuan, Mr. Cai recalled Mr. Dai's personality and academic achievements with great emotion, and everyone present was moved.
Although Mr. Cai studied at Jin MingGuan for only one year, Mr. Chen Yinke's influence and ear have left a deep imprint on Mr. Cai.s body. Mr. Chen's "moving" explanation left a deep memory for Mr. Cai, "I regret that the knowledge preparation is insufficient, the understanding is not deep, and there are negative teachers. However, the drizzle moisturizes the object, and the listener will inevitably be silent. Mr. Chen's research mainly focuses on the history of the Sui, Tang dynasty and Ming and Qing dynasties, and the era of Mr. Cai's research field is also quite similar, spanning more than a thousand years of history in China and the West. In my personal opinion, among Mr. Chen Yinke's many students, the one who has the most aura and can obtain his academic true transmission is Mr. Cai.
In many papers, Mr. Cai has summarized the characteristics of Mr. Chen Yinke's governance, and these characteristics are also fully reflected in Mr. Cai's writings. In the book "Looking Up at Chen Yinke", Mr. Cai pointed out Mr. Chen's "overthrow" in historiography and the charm of historiography, and emphasized Mr. Chen's "Qin Simiao". Similarly, There is no shortage of philosophical thinking in Mr. Cai's writings, and it rises to the height of academic theory. Like Mr. Chen Yinke, Mr. Cai's research, through solid case studies, has restored many aspects of cultural exchanges between China and the West in the Sui, Tang and even The Ming and Qing dynasties, from which we can see his inheritance of Mr. Chen's mantle. He wrote "Nun Tan", inspired by Mr. Chen's method of governance, and later wrote "The Story of the Lingnan Buddhist Gate in the Early Qing Dynasty", which is also based on Mr. Chen's path, but the character objects are different.
"Looking Up to Chen Yinke"
Mr. Cai particularly emphasized that the governance of history should have a world vision, and he deliberately quoted Mr. Chen Yinke's words in the article "The Current Situation of Academic Scholarship in Our Country and the Responsibilities of Tsinghua" in the preface to the "Self-Selected Collection": "The governance of the world in this world is within the scope of the world, and the emphasis is on knowing the other, and it is not a comparison of closed houses and cars." In Mr. Cai's view, only in this way can we overcome the "small peasant consciousness" and "settle for a corner, disdain for the other, and often degenerate into the 'study of folk songs'." It is in accordance with Mr. Chen's teachings that Mr. Cai is "moving forward" in many fields (to borrow the self-effacing words of Mr. Cai's "Self-Selected Works").
Mr. Cai not only pays attention to the study of original materials, but also pays great attention to foreign research and the latest developments. During his university years, he studied Russian for three years and taught medieval world history at the beginning of his studies. His proficiency in the Russian language enabled him to engage in the study of Turkic history. From time to time, through interlibrary loan and the help of friends, he absorbs the achievements and latest developments of foreign scholars. The photo of mr. Xueeryou's back in the bookstore also shows us the spirit of an elderly person who is hungry for new academic knowledge, perseverance and diligent pursuit. Mr. Cai also devoted a lot of effort to the study of history, physics and chemistry, he paid great attention to the study of Western academic masterpieces, and turned them into his own knowledge, in the literature he cited, we can see that hegel, Wittgenstein and other works are among his references. He also told me that he had a relationship with the famous French scholars Xie Henai and Legov, and he was also very concerned about the French School of Annals, and he also studied Braudel's works with students, and the reference to Chinese and foreign historical theories was undoubtedly the key to Mr. Cai's academic divination.
As we all know, Chen Yinke's "drafts" of Tang history contain the meaning of being revised and supplemented. Similarly, Mr. Cai was quite humble and followed Mr. Chen's example, writing in the afterword to the book "The Story of the Lingnan Buddhist Gate in the Early Qing Dynasty": "The author is unable to make a panoramic account of it, only according to what he knows and feels, fragments of words, not very high. The title of the book, "Strategy", implies that it is slightly unknown, which is nothing more than a clumsy strategy. "Whether in the book or when he met with me, Mr. Cai stressed the need to read more of Erchen Yiqian's works, and his book on Lingnan Buddhism, which explores the religious and cultural geography of the Ming and Qing dynasties, was undoubtedly also influenced by Mr. Chen Yuan's "Examination of Dianqian Buddhism in the Ming Dynasty".
Mr. Cai's academic fields are very extensive, covering the history and culture of The Tang Dynasty, the South China Sea civilization of the Shibao Era, the Guangzhou and Maritime Civilization of the Qing Dynasty, the Russian Pavilion and Sino-Russian relations, and the history of Lingnan monks and nuns; not only pay attention to the "Two Roads and Two Wests" ("Xiyu Dao", "Nanhai Dao", "Xiyu Dao", "Xiyu Province" and "Western Ocean"), but also integrate and integrate the similarities and differences between Hu Shang and Boke. He pays attention to human history, taking into account the history of spiritual culture and the history of material culture. It is believed that only by passing through can one know. To have a holistic view, "we must adhere to the panoramic thinking and make history process." Mr. Cai believes that his academic field is "not modern or ancient, not foreign and not indigenous, and its objective prescriptiveness is to base itself on China, look at the world, and examine the historical scenes of bilateral interaction in different periods, especially the scenes of two heterogeneous cultures from contact to fusion." What is detailed and what is omitted is the principle of writing that I have always adhered to. He also humbly wrote: "Unfortunately, his understanding is not high, he has not been able to go deep into the hinterland of the academic realm, and he is still a "frontier citizen" with no frontier consciousness to speak of." Mr. Cai "is willing to be lonely", inherits Mr. Chen Yinke's academic career, inherits Mr. Chen's academic scope, practices Mr. Chen's method of governance, and has made pioneering contributions in many fields. Not only that, Mr. Cai is diligent in teaching and educating people, rewarding and advancing backwards, and has created a group of outstanding talents in various fields of Sino-foreign relations and history, which have been passed on from generation to generation and have continued endlessly.
Photo of Mr. Cai Hongsheng, courtesy of family members
Mr. Cai respects his teachers and teaches people tirelessly, perhaps because he "according to his personal habit of learning, he is accustomed to entering narrow doors, taking small roads, and making friends with strangers." "[The Academic Autobiography of the Anthology]) is happy to promote latecomers like me who are hovering on the edge of interdisciplinarity. He is a very modest scholar, and whenever I report to him on my reading experience or when I have a new view of study abroad, he always encourages him. In the first half of 2008, as a visiting scholar at the Needham Institute at the University of Cambridge, I accidentally discovered in the United Kingdom the correspondence between Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society of London, and Pan Qiguan II, a merchant of the Thirteen Lines, which complemented mr. Li's "Western View of merchants in Guangzhou in the Qing Dynasty". In this article, mr. Pan Youdu, a merchant of the thirteen lines, talked about the "Western Miscellaneous Songs", and especially mentioned Western objects such as clairvoyant mirrors, which opened up a unique path for studying the understanding of Western material culture by the Chinese people on the eve of the Opium War, and left a deep impression on me. After returning to China, I immediately reported to Mr. Cai, who was very pleased with this new discovery, and added that as early as the Kangxi Era, there were poems by monks chanting telescopes, which made me feel refreshed. Mr. Cai also specifically urged me to contact more in the future and exchange information, which fully reflects the love and expectation of an elder for the younger generation.
Mr. Cai has always been very caring for his juniors, and in January 2005, when our family went to Guangzhou, Mr. Cai learned about it and set up a special banquet to entertain him, and invited Mr. Lin Wushu and Mr. Zhang Wenqin to accompany him. In September of the previous year, when I decided that I wanted to transfer to Zhejiang University and needed two letters of recommendation, I immediately thought of Mr. Cai and asked Brother Yinghe to meet him on his behalf. Mr. Cai immediately agreed, and wrote within three days, asking Brother Yinghe to express it to me, and there were many praises for me in the letter, which made me both ashamed and moved after reading it. I called Mr. Cai at the first time to express my gratitude, but I did not expect that after this long conversation, I could no longer ask Mr. Cai for help.
Mr. Cai passed away, an outstanding scholar and historian fell from then on, and I also lost an amiable and respectful elder who could always be pleased, and I sighed at the thought of this. Although I have not been able to honor Mr. Cai's door wall in this life, I have always been a private disciple, sincerely grateful for Mr. Cai's sincere teachings and kindness, and took Mr. Cai's personality and learning as a model. May Mr. Mister's writings last for a long time, with the same earth, with a total of three lights and eternal light.
(Note: The original text was written last summer and will be published in Lin Wushu's editor-in-chief: "Seeking Truth from the Ordinary: A Collection of Commemorative Essays on the Ninetieth Birthday of Professor Cai Hongsheng", which was published by guangdong People's Publishing House and has been revised.) ）
Editor-in-Charge: Shanshan Peng
Proofreader: Luan Meng