Mr. Chai Degeng
In November 2017, Mr. Chai Niandong donated the handwritten documents of his grandfather Mr. Chai Degeng to the Library of Beijing Normal University for the first time, and for more than three years, Xiao Yanan, a librarian of the Library's Ancient Books and Special Collections Department, kept in touch with Mr. Chai Niandong, often communicated and exchanged views, witnessing the hardships and enrichment of Chai Niandong's collation of Naizu's writings, compilation of Naizu's annals, and restoration and reflection on his grandfather's life course.
Throughout his life, Mr. Chai Degeng was multi-talented and versatile, not only made outstanding achievements in historical research and profound in the art of calligraphy, but also an energetic social activist and a devotee who enthusiastically devoted himself to the construction of socialist democracy. From Chai Niandong's "Collection of Letters from Chai Degeng" (Commercial Press, 2008) and "Long Compilation of Chai Degeng's Chronology" (to be published), we can see chai Degeng's joining the China Association for the Promotion of Democracy (hereinafter referred to as the Minjin) during his time in Beijing, serving as a director of the Beijing Council of the China Association for the Advancement of Democracy, and participating in various meetings and activities of the Dpp, as well as his activities in Suzhou as a member of the Central Committee and actively preparing for the Jiangsu Provincial Democracy Promotion Organization. Chai Niandong's compilation uses a large number of materials from family collections, public collections, and private collections, which can be called strict. However, modern and contemporary literature is vast, and new materials appear from time to time in the auction market and used book markets, which can add new evidence to historians. This summer, we encountered a mr. Chai Degeng codex from the old book network, which belongs to the newly published historical materials, which is very helpful for understanding the process of Mr. Chai's preparation for the Jiangsu Minjin Organization and his characteristics of doing things for people.
Restoration of the Chai Degeng Codex after binding
The letter is written with a brush and consists of two tube leaves. The payment was made on October 5, 1956, and the recipient was the "Central Committee for Promoting Democracy" in Beijing. At that time, Mr. Chai was in Suzhou. In September 1955, mr. Chai, who was not mentally prepared, was transferred from the History Department of Beijing Normal University to the history department of the newly established Jiangsu Normal University (the predecessor of Soochow University), and was appointed to create the first history department of Jiangsu Province, serving as a professor and head of the department. According to the annals compiled by Chai Niandong, Mr. Chai reported to Jiangsu Normal College on September 21, and discussed teaching work and student work with new colleagues on September 23, which shows that he is full of enthusiasm to invest in new locations, new positions and new tasks. At the same time, he actively promoted the work of the Dpp in Suzhou, and recruited Zhou Shuangjuan, Fan Yanqiao, Xie Xiaosi, Cheng Xiaoqing, Gu Gongshuo, etc. to join the DPP, and thought about forming a grassroots organization for the DPP in Suzhou. According to the "Memorabilia" published on the official website of suzhou minjin, "In July 1956, the preparatory group for the suzhou municipality of the minjin was established, and Chai Degeng, Fan Yanqiao, Xie Xiaosi, Qian Xuantang and Fan Chongxin were the members of the preparatory group, and the convener was Chai Degeng. [1] In August of that year, Mr. Chai was elected as a member of the Fourth Central Committee of the China Democratic Progressive Party. Two months later, "On October 21, the Suzhou Preparatory Committee for the Advancement of Democracy held its inaugural meeting, and 28 members attended the meeting. The Central Committee of the Association designated Chai Degeng, Xie Xiaosi, Fan Yanqiao, Jin Zhaozi, Qian Xuantang, Chen Juanyin, and Fan Chongxin to form the Preparatory Committee. Chai Degeng, Xie Xiaosi and Fan Yanqiao served as the chairmen and vice chairmen of the Preparatory Committee respectively. ”[2]
This letter was written on the eve of the establishment of the Suzhou Preparatory Committee for the Advancement of Democracy, and reported to the Central Headquarters of the China Association for the Advancement of Democracy on the date of the inaugural meeting drawn up by the Preparatory Committee, and put forward two suggestions or requests. The first is to hope that the headquarters will send leaders to attend the inaugural meeting of the Preparatory Committee: "The preparatory committee has drawn up a plan for the establishment of the preparatory committee, and the responsible persons of all aspects of the party and government and fraternal parties are invited to participate together... We are tentatively scheduled for October 21, and we hope that the headquarters can invite a responsible comrade to Suzhou for guidance. He hoped to invite Xu Guangping, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, to come to suzhou for guidance, because "today's newspaper published that Vice Chairman Xu Guangping came to Shanghai on the 14th, and we have the heart to invite her to come to Suzhou nearby." At present, it has not been possible to verify whether Xu Guangping participated in the inaugural meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the Advancement of Democracy in Suzhou. The second is to suggest that Fan Yanqiao be added as deputy director of the Preparatory Committee for the Advancement of Democracy in Suzhou, and that the number of members of the Preparatory Committee be appropriately increased when necessary, so as to absorb some prestigious democrats in Suzhou into the ranks of the Democratic Progressive Party. From the "Memorabilia", it was learned that Fan Yanqiao was listed as the deputy director of the Preparatory Committee, and Mr. Chai's suggestion was adopted at that time. The value of this letter is evident here.
After stating the preparatory committee's plan for the inaugural meeting, Mr. Chai briefly talked about his contacts with other democratic parties and social organizations in his work: "The work here is going on normally, and there have been some meetings with the [NLD], and recently the United Front Work Department has convened a meeting and held consultations, and the middle school has also roughly divided the work. In the cultural circles, the League has also done some work in the field of evaluation. We have a good relationship with agricultural workers, and we are also making some development in the middle school. A few words revealed the efficiency of Mr. Chai's work, and also showed his characteristics of being easy to be enthusiastic and sociable. Mr. Qi Gong once said: "Mr. Chai has a lot of friends, and almost all the academic and educational circles at that time did not know him. Some people say why he has so many friends, he has a kind of charm, and the people he knows are naturally not estranged. ”[3]
Mr. Chai Degeng was admitted to the Department of History of Beiping Normal University in the summer of 1929, and during his time in school, he was taught by Famous Teachers such as Chen Yuan and entered the hall of history. After graduation, he followed Chen Yuan for a long time, taught at Furen Affiliated High School and the History Department of Fu jen University, became acquainted with Qi Gong and others, and became a lifelong friend. After the main disciplines of Fu Jen University were incorporated into Beijing Normal University in 1952, Mr. Chai also transferred to the Department of History of Beijing Normal University as the head of the department. Mr. Liu Jiahe, a senior professor of our university, graduated from the Department of History of Fu Jen University in 1952 and taught at Beijing Normal University. In September 1955, when Mr. Chai went south to Suzhou, it was Mr. Liu Jiahe who sent him to the train box. In the past ten years, Mr. Chai Niandong has sorted out his grandfather's writings and visited the Iron Lion Tomb many times to seek the help and guidance of Mr. Liu Jiahe. Through Mr. Liu's memories bit by bit, Chai Niandong's understanding of his grandfather's life and scholarship has become more in-depth. In the past three or four years, Chai Niandong has also donated parts of his grandfather's hand to the Library of Beijing Normal University. The intertwining of personnel has made Mr. Chai Degeng's fate with Beijing Normal University continue continuously.
After Mr. Chai's letter was certified by Mr. Chai Niandong as an unseen historical material, the library of Beijing Normal University hoped to collect it and collect it into the handwritten literature of famous teachers of the university that has been expanding in recent years. At the beginning of this summer, Mr. Wang Ning, a senior professor of our school, heard that the library was focusing on the teacher's hand, and he donated to the library the class notes he listened to Mr. Feng Chenglin's "modern Chinese class" when he was in college, and said to Xiao Yanan of the library's ancient books and special collections department: "Seeing what I want to buy [5], you tell me that I let the students explore and bought them for the library. This time, Xiao Yanan reported the situation of the Chai Degeng Codex on the old book network to Teacher Wang Ning, and Teacher Wang immediately asked his doctoral student Li Cong to conduct research, and soon purchased this correspondence back, and contacted Xiao Yanan on the same day to make the famous teacher Tezawa enter the Library. Mr. Wang Ning, who was admitted to the department of Chinese of Beijing Normal University in 1954, although he had never taken Mr. Chai Degeng's class, he had heard of the great name and was full of respect and gratitude for Mr. Chai's generation of scholars. Teacher Wang's generous gesture is not only a strong support for the collection of library literature, but also a sincere greeting to the older generation of scholars, and a silent promotion of the tradition of respecting teachers and re-teaching.
Cover of "Qingfeng Caotang Teacher's Friend Ink Edge"
After the library received the Chai Degeng Codex purchased and donated by Teacher Wang Ning, it was first sent to the ancient book restoration room. Mr. Ge Ruihua carefully repaired and bound the two leaves of the letter, including flattening, repairing, designing into the size of the book, paper, digging lining, pasting, binding and other processes, so that Mr. Chai's codex was presented in a pleasing form. At the end of the 1940s, when Mr. Chai Degeng was in Fu Jen University, he asked a number of teachers and friends to hand-inscribe ink treasures, and integrated a beautiful album with the title of "Qingfeng Caotang Teacher's Friend Ink Edge". In November 2020, to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the birth of President Chen Yuan. The Library of Beijing Normal University once held an exhibition of "Academic Manuscripts, Correspondence and Calligraphy and Painting Works of Chen Yuan and His Friends and Friends", and at that time, it borrowed "Qingfeng Caotang Teachers and Friends Ink Edge", which made the masters and students of The Beijing Normal University linger. Mr. Chai carefully collects the ink treasure of his teacher and friend, and his heart is pious and self-evident. Today, with the same piety, we travel through the light of history and pay a deep tribute to Mr. Chai and his contemporaries.
Teacher Ge said that the scattered leaf handwritten literature donated in the future can be made into a similar style. In recent years, the library of Beijing Normal University has received several kinds of precious documents donated by the university's teachers, alumni and members of the community, including ancient books and manuscripts of famous teachers. For every donation received, the restorers work tirelessly to repair it. We will hold the Donation Document exhibition at the right time to present and maintain the best state of these documents, live up to the generous and selfless spirit of the donors, and live up to the donors' trust and expectations for the library of Beijing Normal University!
[1]http://www.suzhoumj.gov.cn/show.asp?id=115&path=115&classid=0&filename=115
[2] Ibid.
[3] This is from Mr. Qi Gong's speech entitled "Respect for Teachers, Friends, and Sincere Treatment of Others" at the "Commemorative Symposium for Comrade Chai Degeng" held by the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy in 1988.
[4] According to Mr. Liu Jiahe's speech at the 110th anniversary of Mr. Chai's birth.
[5] Refers to manuscripts, letters, and other documents.
Transferred from the "Beijing Normal University Library" public account