"Born to the Sea: Fang Zongxi", by Liu Yiqing, Ocean University of China Press, December 2023
【Brief Introduction】
Fang Zongxi (1912-1985) was the founder of marine biological genetics and breeding in mainland China, made outstanding contributions to the development of seaweed farming in mainland China, and enjoyed a high international reputation in the field of marine biology. The book describes Fang Zongxi's life of teaching and educating people, devoting himself to popular science, devoting himself to scientific research, and serving the motherland, showing his original intention of serving the country, the spirit of unremitting self-improvement, and his feelings of loving the party and the country. Born to the sea, Fang Zongxi composed a movement of serving the country with science.
【About the Author】
Liu Yiqing, pen name Liu Jiqing. He is a member of the Chinese Writers Association, a scholar of literature and history, the vice chairman of the Qingdao Literary and Art Critics Association, and the vice chairman of the Qindao Writers Association. The sixth signed writer of Shandong Writers Association, and the first and second signed writers of Qingdao Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
He is the author of 20 books, including the Southwest Associated University Trilogy, the Centennial China Trilogy, The Old People of Shanda, Qingdao Scenery, and Qingdao Cultural Map (Continuation).
【Afterword】
A symphony of life and the ocean
Life has faith in the magic pigeon
December 22, 2022. In the early morning of the winter solstice, the cold wind swept the snowflakes and fell a layer of snow on the ground. The thin snow is blown to the corner of the leeward, and with the presence of loneliness, it tells people that it snowed last night.
The sun rose, and the snow that fell on the cedars soon disappeared. The blue sky is endless, and the flocculent white clouds are in full bloom. The sky is blue, like the ocean, and the white clouds are soft and touch the heart. The white clouds and dogs make people think of the flow of life and death. The blue sky is the boundless manuscript paper, and the white clouds are the scattered lines of poetry, and like the ancient proverbs, witnessing the joys and sorrows of the world.
At about 9:30 a.m., when I returned from grocery shopping, I saw a flock of gray pigeons foraging on the ground in the small square in the community. It used to be a paradise for the elderly and children, and it blooms with laughter and laughter all year round, and children often feed and play with the pigeons. Due to the new crown, there is no one here now, and the emptiness and silence are accompanied, covering the entire small square. The pigeons don't know what's going on here, they come here as usual to feed.
I counted nine pigeons. It has a white mouth, a gray head, a dark green neck, a gray-white back and belly, white wings and tails, and pink claws. These pigeons are the same shape, color, and size, and their bodies are plump and light, and they contain a certain wonderful beauty. The pigeon's neck is flexible, sticking out to the ground like a chick pecking rice, with a certain rhythm and rhythm. There was no food on the ground. Are they pretending to eat?
Actually, I've seen these pigeons in the air a long time ago. Every spring, when the begonias outside the walls of the experimental kindergarten are in full bloom, the sky is clear and the blue of the sea melts into the sky, which is fascinating. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, the pigeons fly over the begonias full of trees, and the flight path feels like a circle. Every forty or fifty seconds, their flying figures appear above the begonia trees. The branches of the trees, pressed by the pink and crimson begonia flowers, swayed slightly in the spring breeze, seemed to respond to the pigeons cruising in the mighty spring breeze. Sometimes, there is childish singing and piano accompaniment in the kindergarten, and the song flies into the blue sky, and the pigeons fly more cheerfully. It's a celebration of life.
Although they are old friends in my heart, this is the first time I have seen them up close. The eyes of the pigeon, the yellow eyelids surround the warm eyes. The yellow eyes (red for carrier pigeons) are crystal clear, and the center is a black pupil, revealing a look of life. The eyes of the pigeon are distinctly colored, deep, bright, distinct, and radiant. When I look into the eyes of the pigeon, I feel like I am in some kind of dialogue with this tame life. I stood quietly in the cold wind for a long time, watching this group of pigeons with mixed feelings.
In 1949, Fang Zongxi was in the laboratory of the University of London.
I think Mr. Fang Zongxi must have seen pigeons on the lawn of Hyde Park in London when he was studying in England. The flock of pigeons in front of me, not afraid of the cold, strolled leisurely on the ground, and from time to time made a gentle chirping of "cooing". Even though there is no food, they are not in a hurry and paced around calmly.
On August 16, 2022, I got in touch with Ms. Fang Jing, the daughter of Mr. Fang Zongxi. The next day, I was walking in Quanhe Park, the county seat of Wenshang, talking to Fang Jing on the phone, and met a flock of white pigeons in a small square by the river. Maybe it was the pigeon, this magical bird, this kind of messenger bird, that made me have more contact with Mr. Fang Zongxi in the dark.
On December 22, 2022, I saw a flock of gray and white pigeons in the small square. On this day, I completed the creation of "Born to the Sea - Fang Zongxi" and began to think about how to write a postscript.
Three days later, I passed by, and there was a golden grain on the ground, which was a grain of millet. This flock of pigeons eats leisurely and elegantly. A hoopoe bird, smelling the food, also jumps to eat, at first tentative from the edge of the food, and then swaggers into the heart. A group of sparrows came over and "chirped" to invite their friends, and they cheered, which was really happy.
The pigeons don't mind sharing the food, and from time to time they make a "coo-coo" chirp, as if chanting a hymn to life......
Born to the sea is the realm of life
After completing the book "Ocean Pioneers: Tang Shifeng", I gladly accepted the invitation to write a biography of "Born to the Sea: Fang Zongxi" by Ocean University of China Press. These two scholars and oceanographers have similar backgrounds, both were born in poor families, continued to study and worked hard all their lives, and have achieved fruitful academic achievements and scientific research results in their respective academic fields.
In addition to the spiritual inspiration brought about by the upbringing of the two scholars, I see the creation of "Born to the Sea: Fang Zongxi" as a promise of some kind of miraculous life from the depths of the ocean. I became an ancient fish, swimming in the ocean of knowledge, plunging into the vast and mysterious realm of oceanography and exploring the unknown. This book has given me a deeper understanding of what life is and the essence of life.
Fang Zongxi in the laboratory of Shandong Ocean University.
As a marine biologist, Mr. Fong Chung Hee not only has insight into the mysteries of life, but also deeply understands the relationship between nature and time. In his short life, Mr. Fang Zongxi was born to the sea, and the blue of the ocean is the background color of his life. The young man traveled from the clouds along the Zhangjiang River to the sea to study at Xiamen University, wandered to the South Seas to teach in Indonesia and Singapore, and then traveled to England to study at the University of London.
Fang Zongxi returned to China after completing his studies, and after a tortuous sea route, the wandering wanderer returned and threw himself into the arms of the motherland. He settled in Qingdao for the rest of his life, and the sound of the tide in Qingdao Bay was accompanied by his tireless book lamp.
Traveling thousands of rivers and mountains, sailing on continents and oceans, witnessing the rise and fall of species, and studying the genetics of seaweed. In his life, he was born to the sea and experienced many changes, but what has not changed is his original intention - serving the country with his heart, what has not changed is the spirit - unremitting self-improvement, and what has not changed is his feelings - loving the party and the country. I hope that this biography will not only write about Mr. Fang Zongxi's deeds, but more importantly, it can write about his spirit and show his life state.
In writing, what impressed me the most was Mr. Fang Zongxi's forgiveness. Although he studied in England, his spiritual foundation is Chinese Confucianism - benevolence and forgiveness.
I was also impressed by the fact that Mr. Fang Zongxi cherishes his time very much. I can relate to the fact that he squeezed in time to write popular science works. In the ocean of time, life is really short, like a dream bubble, like dew and electricity. Fang Zongxi has tightly grasped the reins of time all his life, taming every minute and second of trying to escape, and use it for his own use. He made the most of his time and wrote many classic popular science works. His self-discipline and self-improvement attracted me deeply. Although I can't reach it, my heart yearns for it.
Writing about a scholar's life is like following in his footsteps and completing a spiritual search. Since the end of August 2021, when I sent the manuscript of "Ocean Pioneers: Tang Shifeng" to Ocean University of China Press, I have been able to read Mr. Fang Zongxi's books and papers, and I have been searching for Mr. Fang's traces on the Internet and databases. His materials, essays, and early works have been salvaged by me from the depths of the sea of time, and every time I find them, I am a great joy. Piece by piece, the puzzle finally pieced together Mr. Fang Zongxi's early experience.
In August 2022, I started the creation of "Born to the Sea: Fang Zongxi". In my spare time for the next few months, Mr. Fang's writings and the materials I collected surrounded my computer desk.
Late one night, when the waves were silently submerging the night, I turned into a big fish and followed Mr. Fang's trail, swimming to the deep blue dream, swimming to the vast sea and sky......
In-depth interview with Thanksgiving for Life
No. 16, Jinkou 1st Road, Shinan District, Qingdao, two granite masonry doorposts, in the center above the doorpost, there are two white jade balls, which are the two lamps at the door. Two layers of stone steps, at a glance, bear the traces of time. There must have been Mr. Fang Zongxi's footprints on this step. It's just that the footprints of several generations are superimposed, the wind is dry, blown away, and washed away by the heavy summer rains.
At the narrow doorway, there is a sturdy old pear tree on the left, with branches like dragons, stubborn and strong, showing a force under the blue sky. The old pear bark is black and swarthy protrusions, the texture is like iron sheet, rough, and covered with longitudinal ravines. Above the coiled branches, there are also some leaves with a hint of greenery, with waxy leaves, which are a little bleak in the cold wind. This old pear tree must have witnessed Mr. Fang Zongxi's homecoming.
Fang Zongxi, Jiang Naicao and his wife took a group photo with their children.
I think there should be a black marble nameplate next to the doorpost, with the words "Fang Zongxi's Former Residence" in the middle, and Fang Zongxi's profile written below: Famous marine biologist, pioneer of seaweed genetics and breeding in China.
Walk down the stairs and there are three more steps inside. At the end, it is an old building. The second floor is the former residence of Mr. Fang Zongxi who lived for more than 20 years. Although there was no trace of him in the room, the information he left behind was properly preserved.
On the morning of November 24, 2022, I chatted with Mr. Fang Zongxi's daughter-in-law Wang Ying, granddaughter Fang Jing, and Mr. Fang Zongxi's wife, Jiang Naixuan's sister Jiang Naiyan, about Mr. Fang's past. Such interviews, like homely conversations, their narration and recollection, made me feel the fireworks of a scientist. I also learned that in the 80s of the 20th century, there were many foreign scholars visiting from Shandong Ocean University, and the visiting scholars gave academic reports and lectures in English, and Mr. Fang served as the translator every time. He always worked hard and never talked about conditions.
Mr. Fang left a lot of information, which was sorted into large brown paper envelopes. It took me more than four hours to browse and found letters from Mr. Chen Shixiang, letters from Lin Shaowen's wife Jiang Yaoqun, and letters from Hong Zengfu, a classmate from Xiamen University. These letters greatly enrich the content of the biography.
Of course, there are many unknown surprises waiting for me to open. Jiang Naixu's five diaries filled the gap in her academic and forestry interactions. In 1984, Fang Zongxi and Jiang Naixu's visit reports to the United States and Singapore, as well as Mr. Fang Zongxi's conference speeches, work summaries, briefings and other materials, brought first-hand reliable information to the creation of biographies.
Mr. Fang Zongxi, a marine biologist, is also a science popularizer.
This time I came to Fang Zongxi's former residence to see the information, and what impressed me the most was that after Mr. Fang's death, more than 100 condolence messages from all over the country were well preserved. I read every message of condolence. After reading it, look up, the warm winter sun is very bright, and the bright sunlight shines indoors. The old documents, the yellowed letterheads, passed through my hands and were carefully removed, and the dust rose in the sunlight. In an instant, I was a little trance, a little dizzy......
I photographed more than a dozen messages of condolence.
This biography was successfully completed, thanks to Mr. Fang Zongxi's relatives Fang Jing, Wang Ying, Fang Jing, and Jiang Naiyan. Special thanks to Ms. Fang Jing for talking with me on the phone on WeChat and chatting in the WeChat conversation. Ms. Fang Jing's memories make this biography full of details and flesh and blood.
Thanks to Bao Zhenmin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Wang Qingyin, former director of the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, for writing the preface to this book.
Thanks to Mr. Wang Qingyin and Mr. Zhu Shuping's philosopher, Mr. Zhu Ming. They interviewed me and provided some information and photos.
I would like to thank Mr. Yang for taking the trouble to answer my questions and for kindly providing the contact information of Mr. Fang Zongxi's disciples.
I would like to thank Mr. Cui Jingjin, Zhang Xuecheng, Bao Zhenmin, Kong Jie, Zhang Quanqi and others for accepting my interview.
They talked about Mr. Fang Zongxi with deep and sincere remembrance and encouraged me to write a good biography. It gave me a deeper understanding of Mr. Fang Zongxi's scientific research and teaching.
Thanks to Mr. Hu Jianting for writing the biography of Fang Zongxi, which is included in the "Collected Works of Fang Zongxi". I called him for advice, and he said, "Mr. Fang is a pure scholar, and the loyalty to the motherland, the sincerity of science, and the rigor of work of that generation are worthy of learning from future generations." In particular, he used time to the extreme, leaving behind a large number of popular science works. ”
Fang Zongxi's popular science masterpiece "March of Life".
In the six months that I have been working on this biography, I have also tried to make the most of my time, write regularly, and maintain my passion. I think that writing biographies of Qingdao's oceanographers is a job to fill a gap in the history of Qingdao's marine science. Those little-known oceanographers may have re-entered the social and public field of vision because of my writing. It is precisely because of the consciousness of this culture - the popularization of marine science and the dissemination of marine culture that I am willing to sit on the cold bench. It is precisely because of my sense of mission that I was able to overcome many difficulties.
I would like to thank Yang Limin, the former president of Ocean University of China Press, Liu Wenjing, the current president, and Ji Lizhen, the deputy editor-in-chief, for their trust and encouragement, and thank the responsible editor Fu Shaoyu for their careful editing.
Thank you to my family for supporting my creations.
Without the above support and help, this book would not be possible.
Since I am not from a marine discipline class and have no background in biology, if there is anything inappropriate in the book, [email protected], this mailbox welcomes criticism and correction from the Fang family and readers.
The biographies of Tang Shifeng and Fang Zongxi were successfully published, and gratitude continued for more than three years. Because of these two books, I have met more than a dozen scholars, and the interviews and exchanges are a rare opportunity to learn. Swimming in the ocean of knowledge, there is a period of blue years in the ring of life, which is a rich experience. The sea of books is boundless, life has an end, and the gratitude of life is like the tidal sound of the sea, which is exceptionally clear on a full moon night......
Liu Yiqing
December 26, 2022