Approaching the end of the year, Shanshan sent three books. In addition to her own "Thirty-six Flavors of Fireworks", the other two books are all works by her father, Professor Liu Tong: one is the 2021 Hong Kong version of "Finding the Way", signed by Liu Tong's wife, Mr. Che Hualing, and the other is the just-released Shanghai version of "Turning Point", which is stamped twice. Books live longer than people, and friendship continues.
I suddenly remembered that Mr. Liu passed away, and it would be a year later. The past is bits and pieces, and it comes to mind. I should knock on some words to commemorate this mentor and friend who has been friends for ten years.
its people
Liu Tong was born in Beijing on September 1, 1951, and is a junior high school student. Both parents are graduates of Fudan University and work as editors at the Central People's Radio. His childhood life was peaceful, happy, and carefree. In 1962, due to family background, his parents were sent to Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, his father was in Hebei Normal University, and his mother was in a middle school and became teachers.
Liu Tong wrote:
After the Cultural Revolution began in 1966, my family experienced a nightmarish catastrophe. His mother was beaten to death by the Red Guards, and his father was branded a "counter-revolutionary". I became a "black five type of bitch", I was kicked out of school, and in 1969 I went to work as a worker in a small street factory.
In the years when the wind and rain were obscure and easy to blame, Liu Tong did not dare to have social interactions, so he was bored at home looking for some books to read. He was more interested in literature, but all such books were copied, leaving only historical works such as "Historical Records" and "Zizhi Tongjian", as well as reference books such as the old edition of "Ciyuan". He was immersed in it, and looked and looked. Inadvertently, the seeds of learning were planted. He also used his spare time to overcome many difficulties and learn to play the piano.
When the college entrance examination was resumed in 1977, Liu Tong was a third-level lathe worker with eight years of service. From the changes of the times, he saw the hope of the future. I took the exam that year, but I passed the line but was not admitted. It is mainly caused by the beginning of the chaos and the need to rebuild, which is affected by the family's "unclear history". The following year, the situation improved further, and the country began to recruit graduate students. He has an introverted personality, but his heart is very high, so he simply took one step in place, and after a lot of twists and turns, he finally successfully obtained the master's degree of Professor Wang Zhongju of the Department of History of Shandong University, a disciple of Zhang Taiyan in his later years, to study the history of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Liu Tong said: "I was the last one to enroll in the first class of graduate students recruited after the Cultural Revolution. ”
His fortunes took a major turn for the worse. At the same time, he deeply realized that the path of the country and the fate of families and individuals are interlinked and inseparable. He wholeheartedly agreed with reform and opening up.
Liu Tong graduated from Shandong University in 1981 with a master's degree and stayed on to teach. In the meantime, he married a wife and had daughters. In 1985, he was admitted to the Institute of History and Geography of Fudan University as a doctoral student under the supervision of Professor Tan Qixiang. He graduated three years later with a doctorate. I was fortunate to be the disciple of two famous contemporary historians, which laid the background of Liu Tong's life as a man and a scholar. He was 37 years old when he graduated with his Ph.D. Ten years in college, let alone publishing books, he "didn't even publish a decent thing". This extraordinary qualitative and endurance, of course, has a reason. Liu Tong recalled:
Professor Wang Zhongju once instructed me: do not show good work, do not rush to achieve success, and publish articles after the age of 40.
I remember that Professor Gu Cheng had similar instructions to his disciples. The master saw the same thing.
From 1988 to 2003, Dr. Liu Tong served as an associate researcher and researcher at the Military Encyclopedia Research Department of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. He worked in Xishan, Beijing for 15 years and was awarded the rank of colonel in 1996.
Liu Tong's enlistment in the army and his entry into Beijing marked a major change in the direction of his research. For no other reason, joining the army is the only way to solve the Beijing hukou of his wife and daughter. His change of career was fully understood and supported by Professor Tan Qixiang, which allowed him to unload his burden, not be burdened, and get "great encouragement". At the beginning of the work, Major Liu Tong and Major Mao Haijian, who were in their prime, were in the same office, table to table.
In 2004, Liu Tong applied for early retirement and returned to Shanghai. From April of the same year, he served as a professor in the Department of History of the School of Humanities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University until his death. In the last ten years of his life, he chose Shanghai, and also ushered in the highlight moment of success.
In mid-2021, Liu Tong was found to have colon cancer and underwent two surgeries. After battling the disease for 18 months, he finally died, and unfortunately died in Chengdu on December 21 last year at the age of 71.
On the morning of February 12 this year, his wife Che Hualing and daughter Liu Shanshan buried him in the Celebrity Cemetery on Xishan Island in Suzhou. A generation of military historians, who did not get their years and did not do their best, slept on the shore of Taihu Lake, where the mountains and rivers are beautiful.
its books
Liu Tong shot very late, and the starting point was very high. Most of the books he wrote were related to the history of the party, especially the military history. As a senior lover of party history and military history, and a researcher of Lin Biao, I first became acquainted with him, of course, with books as the medium. Specifically, after reading his "Documentary of the Northeast Liberation War". He then wrote two other books in the same series: "Documentary of the Liberation War of East China" and "Documentary of the Liberation War of the Central Plains".
"Documentary of the Northeast Liberation War" was first published by Oriental Publishing House in August 1997 and has never been seen. What I bought at Luohu Book City was a new edition published by the People's Publishing House in May 2004. At about the same time, I bought his "Going North". The two books came out together, and they were amazing and brilliant in my hands, and I had a good impression and respect for the author. I first knew Liu Tong.
In 2017, Liu Tong's three "documentaries" and three other books in the same series by two colleagues of the Academy of Military Sciences were compiled into the "Liberation War" series, which he served as the chief planner and was packaged and published by the Shanghai People's Publishing House as a gift for the 90th anniversary of the founding of the army. When the book came out, he sent me the full set as soon as it came out.
In my opinion, among Liu Tong's many published works, "Going North" has special significance and value, and can be regarded as his representative work. He also cherishes this book very much and has unusual feelings.
"Going North" describes the historical facts from the Red Army's Long March to the outbreak of the Xi'an Incident, the defeat of the Western Route Army, and Zhang Guotao's departure, focusing on the beginning and end of the struggle between the Party Central Committee and Zhang Guotao, and involving many highly sensitive and controversial topics: Was there a "secret telegram" that led the First and Third Army Corps to go north alone? Zhang Guotao "split the Central Committee", and what are the specific facts? Was the sudden occurrence and peaceful settlement of the Xi'an Incident instigated by others or was the young marshal arbitrary? Did the Western Route Army follow the instructions of the central government or adhere to the "Zhang Guotao line?...... In all of this, the book does its best to give convincing answers.
This requires a broad vision, a realistic attitude in the middle of the work, sufficient historical resources, keen vision and discernment, an appropriate sense of marginality and proportion, the structural skills of monographs and the ability to narrate the stories of the characters. Liu Tong's original works, especially "Going North", have both "historical morality, historical knowledge, and historical talent", rigorous and fair words must be well-founded, vivid and interesting, and rich in details, which will not only be spread for a while, but also will have long-term vitality.
The first draft of "Going North" was written in 1993, and Hu Baoguo was the first reader. He took it back to Peking University and read it all night, thinking it was very valuable. This made Liu Tong increase his confidence to change careers halfway.
The publication did not go smoothly and took a lot of time. After several revisions, it still can't come out. Jiang Chun, a female classmate of his university, took charge of the Guangxi People's Publishing House, helped and made great efforts, and finally it was officially published in May 2004. This is already the fourth draft.
Once Liu Tong came to Shenzhen, I brought the first version of "Going North" and asked him to sign it. He writes:
The first book, abridged after several tribulations. Brother Yu smiled. Liu Tong
He told me in detail about the publication of this book, which was easy but hard.
In April 2017, in his office outside the Minhang Campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Liu Tong signed and presented a slightly updated new edition of "Going North". The new edition was launched in September 2016 by Beijing Joint Publishing Co., Ltd., with a first printing of 20,000 copies, and 30,000 copies were sold that year. This is a landmark event in which Liu Tong has gradually moved from a scholarly scholar to the society and the market, and has been concerned by more and more people and publishing institutions.
In the next few years, Liu Tong entered the harvest season. He has published many books, won a bunch of awards, and presided over a national research project that has been successfully completed and won praise from many parties. I will not go into details.
Liu Tong wrote in his later years, "doing everything possible to collect information", and paid special attention to on-site investigations, the so-called seeing is believing. This makes his lifelong learning a good integration, and the work is not only detailed and heavy, but also looks concrete and colorful, full of a sense of scene.
There are gains and losses, and of course, there are reservations and criticisms. For example, in the new posthumous book "Turning Point", the only comment that Douban has seen so far is: "Lean a little harder in the direction of popular reading." ”
He and I
The first time I met Mr. Liu was in the summer of 2013 in Hangzhou, and the matchmaker was Han Gang, a well-known expert on party history and professor of the Department of History of East China Normal University. After that, we met, either Shenzhen or Shanghai. From time to time, we may talk on the phone, send emails, and communicate on WeChat. It's not sparse, it's not close. There is no lack of frank arguments and solemn comments. His later books were all signed and gifted, and I reciprocated the favor. He also photocopied several rare books for me. Communicate in private, talk almost nothing, can talk privately, and the relationship is between teachers and friends. He said that I was familiar with his books and penmanship, and knew him very well. Once we talked about a couplet of poems by the prime minister, the emperor Changshu Weng Tongyi:
The article is really temperamental, and the wind and rain come when the conversation and laughter are deep.
Smile knowingly.
As a ticket holder, I have planned to publish three of his books: "The Decisive Battle in East China", "The Decisive Battle in the Northeast" and "The True Face of History", all of which have been reprinted, and the former has been published in two editions. Most of Liu Tong's works are monographs, the latter being his first collection of essays, which will be reprinted by Joint Publishing in Beijing.
I asked him to write a book about defeats, such as the Battle of Ganzhou and the Battle of Xiangjiang during the Red Army, the Battle of Siping, the Battle of Datong-Jining, the Battle of Nanma-Linqu, and the Battle of Longdong in Xifu during the War of Liberation. He thought the topic was very innovative and he was eager to try it. After thinking about it for a long time, he called back and said that he could not get it for the time being: First, the few projects at hand had not yet been completed, so he had not started from scratch; second, the materials in the library of the Academy of Military Sciences had already been sealed, and it was inconvenient to find them, and it was difficult to do them; I would talk about it later when I had a chance. On the other end of the phone, it seemed that his stupid demeanor could be seen.
On November 13, 14 and 15, 2014, Miao Di, Liu Tong and Luo Yuming visited Shenzhen. For three days in a row, the two of them had a drinking party, which was quite rare, very happy, and unforgettable.
He once came to Shenzhen, was in a good mood, and was willing to see more friends. So I called my friends and invited several middle-aged middle-class friends who are good at reading to have dinner at Xiangmi Lake. I asked Mr. Liu to bring a few more new books, and I asked my friends to bring Liu's books on the shelves as much as possible to ask for autographs. That night, everyone drank two bottles of Moutai and a red wine, and enjoyed the whole night. Liu Tong, who doesn't drink much, was also happy, drank glass after glass, spoke freely, responded to requests, answered questions, and showed extremely rare cheerfulness and stretching on his face.
Once, when he was teaching "Zizhi Tongjian" in a foreign class, he suddenly called and said: The students are basically middle-aged executives in the financial industry, but during the class, he saw two people carrying the new edition of "Wang Zengqi's Selected Works" in business hardcover to read. It's not a coincidence that a book is so thick!, he emphasized. Of course I could hear it, and to my surprise, he was happy for me. This is the first book I have ever made, and of course I have given it to him. The so-called beginning of everything is difficult, hearing and witnessing, as sensitive and wise as him, seeing the subtle knowledge, I know that the book must be applauded and popular. In addition to being happy, don't forget to let me know immediately to share happiness.
During the Shanghai Book Fair in August 2017, he gave a sharing session on "The Battle of East China" at the main venue (pictured above). I was supposed to be a guest host, but he invited a guest speaker on his own. Unexpectedly, he said temporarily: "You don't need to invite another person, you are an expert in military history, and you know me and my books, so you will be a guest, and invite Xiao Ai to make a guest appearance." Xiao Ai refers to Ms. Ai Mingqiu, deputy editor-in-chief of Liaoning People's Publishing House and publication coordinator of the "Review Series". So I did it, and it worked out pretty well. When the time came, the readers were still unwilling to leave.
At the end of 2020, he said goodbye to Minhang and moved to the Xuhui campus of Jiaotong University, where he had an independent office and study, and invited me to come and visit. That time, I went to Changde and Changsha first, and then to Suzhou, Changshu and Nanjing, but due to the temporary increase in lockdown and control, I did not go to Shanghai because I was worried about many inconveniences.
In March 2021, I received a box of "SF Express" from Shanghai. It was the last time he sent me a book.
Liu Tongyi pays attention to his image, and I once laughed at his "military appearance". His hair was jet black and shiny. He later told me that it was dyed. In May 2022, Mr. Liu, who rarely posts on Moments after the epidemic lockdown, suddenly posted a circle with the title of haircut, two photos, both of which are avatars, full of white hair, sickly, unkempt, and unusual. At that time, I felt a little surprised and didn't understand. Looking back now, he was seriously ill at that time and left more than half a year later. It may be in this special way that he vaguely greets his friends, or even says goodbye.
Mr. Liu, who has always been healthy and cheerful and still has many unfinished writing and publishing projects, unfortunately passed away, which is sad. He couldn't wait for society to reopen and life gradually returned to normal, and the two works that he cared about most in his heart that had been completed with anger also stopped at the history of Sonan's heart. The sky is vast, and the thought is sudden.
Gai Xiang is like a sick lung, which is difficult to heal after menstruation; Changgu is disgusted, and those who regret it when they are dying are also. Jufu Dan lead mess, several cases are covered, hands can't write, painting to point. This cuckoo wants to turn into a mournful voice, the bird is about to die, hoping to keep the strength of the feathers, abandoning the affairs of a lifetime, lingering on the name of the person behind him.
When I heard the bad news, I happened to be reading Hong Beijiang's "Exit and Bi Shilang's Note" written to Bi Qiufan for the aftermath of Huang Zhongze. Seeing the above paragraph, I couldn't stop crying when I was far away from the wind.
At the end of this article, you Ran remembered No. 136 of "Jihai Miscellaneous Poems", and Ding Gong wrote:
Thousands of scholars came coolly, and they were overjoyed in their dreams.
Lakes and mountains robbed the three Wu lands, when will this tyrant be reborn?
The draft was completed late at night on December 18, 2023, and revised on the afternoon of December 19, 2023.