The first recipient of the Huxley Medal in China to be awarded by the Royal Anthropological Society, fei Xiaotong, is known as the founder of Chinese sociology and anthropology.
In June 1936, Fei Xiaotong, who was not yet famous at the time, returned to Beiping and published a book on the social organization of the Yao people. It fills in the gaps in sociology in our country. The publication of this book is based on Wang Tonghui's name, for reasons that few people know.
Fei Xiaotong is from Jiangsu, Wang Tonghui is from Hebei, and the two studied sociology at Yenching University.
In the early days of the development of Chinese disciplines, there were few women entering the direction of ethnology, and Wang Tonghui was the first person in this regard. She was born into a relatively wealthy family, her father was a county magistrate, and later went to Beijing to study, becoming a pioneer in sociology.
Wu Wenzao, the head of the Sociology Department at that time, was both sociological and ethnological, and paid special attention to cultivating students' ethnic knowledge. Wang Tonghui took classes with Wu Wenzao, who recalled: "From her reports and papers and the conversations with me outside of class, I found that she was a willing person to use her thoughts and had a real interest in learning."
Fei Xiaotong, one of the departments, later said: "As soon as I saw her, I knew that she would be my favorite person." Sure enough, the two became lovers.
In 1932, Fei Xiaotong was admitted to the research institute of Tsinghua University, while Wang Tonghui continued to stay at Yenching University, and the two would date every evening by the unnamed lake.
After graduating in 1935, Fei Xiaotong immediately married Wang Tonghui and held a new-style romantic wedding. At that time, Fei Xiaotong had a chance to study abroad, but he gave up, and he felt that he had to study at the bottom of Chinese society.
Scholars in the field of early Chinese ethnology worked hard, but this is after all an "alien species", education and research are still biased towards the West, and there is almost no ethnology about China. But many scholars know this, and they think it's time to take a look.
Wu Wenzao, the mentor of the duo, believes that it is also time to develop a theoretical system of ethnology and sociology with Chinese characteristics, and he particularly agrees with their decision.
Influenced by this kind of thinking, Fei Xiaotong and his wife went to Guangxi for a field investigation before completing their honeymoon. They benefited from a plan by the Guangxi government to implement their own research. The two traveled for more than a month through Shanghai and other places before arriving in Nanning in September 1935.
On October 10, Fei Xiaotong and his wife, accompanied by local officials, entered Xiang County and took anthropometric measurements of local ethnic minorities. Afterwards, they were escorted by a guide into Dayao Mountain.
Through the primeval forest and wading through the streams, they came to Jinxiu Liuxiang Village. There are more than 30 families living in isolation, and life is quite primitive.
The two people who have just been in modern society have entered primitive society at once, but they have not shown any discomfort. Mr. and Mrs. Fei Xiaotong helped the Yao compatriots as much as possible, for example, they gave the Western medicine they brought to the patient, and after the patient was well, the two were regarded as gods.
Over time, the two were accepted by the Yao people, and they all became friends. After that, the couple went to the surrounding Yao villages to study. Because the Yao settlements are scattered, they often have to climb several hills to reach, sometimes for a day.
One day on December 16, an accident occurred. Because he was separated from his guide, Fei Xiaotong fell into the trap of local hunters. Wang Tonghui saw that her husband's legs and waist were seriously injured, and he said urgently: "I am going to find someone, you don't run around." ”
But it was dark, and Fei Xiaotong did not see his wife return. The temperature in the mountains plummeted, and Fei Xiaotong survived a cold night. When the day was dark, Fei Xiaotong decided to crawl to find someone. Not long after, I finally saw a Yao woman and was rescued.
Fei Xiaotong and the locals did not speak well, and it took a lot of effort to make the family clear about their situation. The local deputy township chief issued an order that all the men over the age of 16 in the village go to Wang Tonghui. Fei Xiaotong stayed in the Yao family to recuperate.
The next day, villagers found Wang Tonghui's body in a cave under a cliff. Fei Xiao informed his wife that after his wife died, he was in pain, thinking that he and Wang Tonghui had only been married for 108 days.
Fei Xiaotong did not continue to investigate because of his injuries, and when he returned, Fei Xiaotong buried his wife in Wuzhou and inscribed an inscription full of affection. After the investigation of the works was completed, Fei Xiaotong published it in the name of Wang Tonghui as a memorial.
In 1936, Fei Xiaotong, who had lost his wife, went to England and returned to China after completing his studies two years later. In 1939, he was introduced by his eldest brother Fei Zhendong and married Ms. Meng Yin.
In 1988, Fei Xiaotong was elected vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Seventh National People's Congress. In December, on the 53rd anniversary of Wang Tonghui's death, 78-year-old Fei Xiaotong returned to Wang Tonghui's cemetery, feeling sad and leaving a long poem to commemorate.
On April 24, 2005, Fei Xiaotong died in Beijing at the age of 95, and according to his will, his family buried part of his ashes with Wang Tonghui.