Wu Xinghua, a genius name, may not have you heard of it. In 20th-century China, there were three top humanistic intellectuals: Chen Yinke, Qian Zhongshu, and Wu Xinghua. The first two are household names, while Wu Xinghua, who is talented, is little known.
On November 21, 1921, Wu Xinghua was born in a family of scholars in Tanggu, Tianjin. His father, Xiucai in the late Qing Dynasty, once studied medicine in Japan. The rich collection of books at home laid a solid foundation for Wu Xinghua's later academic career.
Wu Xinghua has shown an extraordinary ability to learn from an early age, he was able to read the Zizhi Tongjian at the age of four, and began formal school at the age of five, and his teachers and classmates were amazed by his intelligence.
Wu Xinghua's learning path is full of legends. In 1937, when he was 16 years old, he was admitted to Yenching University. At this age, most children are still studying hard in middle school classrooms, and he has already started his college career.
During his time at school, he studied English, with additional courses in French, German and Italian. His study was not limited to language, but also involved the study of the classics and historiography. His mentors, including historians Zhang Ertian and Deng Zhicheng, were deeply impressed by his knowledge.
The library became his second home. He once asked the librarian to borrow ten books, only to be told that he could only borrow three books at a time. So, he simply stayed in the library and read ten books in one day. Wu Xinghua's enthusiasm for learning is almost shocking.
In addition to his academic achievements, Wu Xinghua also excelled in poetry, bridge, and Go. He began publishing poetry at the age of 14, and his work "The Silence of the Forest" at the age of 16 caused a sensation in the literary world. His talent is not limited to literature, his bridge and Go skills are also among the best in his school and even in the Zhongguancun area.
In 1941, after graduating from Yenching University, Wu Xinghua stayed on to teach. In December of the same year, when the Pacific War broke out, the situation became tense, and he and his family moved to live in the Zhejiang Guild Hall in Dongzhushu Hutong, where they made a living as translators. Life was difficult, but he never gave up his academic pursuits.
His teacher, Professor Schedick, who translated The Travels of the Old Disabled into English, spoke highly of him, believing that his talent was comparable to that of Harold Bloom, the famous literary critic he had taught at Cornell University. Such an evaluation is a very high honor for a young scholar.
Just when Wu Xinghua planned to spend the rest of his life realizing his academic ambitions, a political storm swept him in. He had planned to lay his academic foundation before the age of forty and begin to implement his academic program after the age of forty. But fate was not merciful to him.
In 1949, after the establishment of the new regime, the whole country entered a stage of large-scale social transformation. Although Wu Xinghua has extraordinary academic attainments, these achievements have become a burden for him in the political storm.
In the early 1950s, he was first hit by what he called "historical issues." His father was a Qing dynasty scholar, which was seen as a "reactionary academic background" in the new political environment. He has tried to make his position clear, but he has not been able to get rid of the accusations completely.
In 1957, when the Anti-Rightist Movement began, Wu Xinghua was classified as a "rightist". The greatest tragedy of his life also occurred in this year.
He was forced to cease all academic activities and was deprived of even basic teaching positions. In the years that followed, he was forced to participate in labor reform, living in extremely difficult conditions. During this period, his health deteriorated severely.
In the early 1960s, the wave of the Cultural Revolution swept across the country, and Wu Xinghua once again became the target of criticism. He was forced to publicly self-criticize and endured numerous censorship and criticism.
In 1966, he became seriously ill and reached his limits, both physically and mentally. In such pressure and illness, Wu Xinghua's flame of life was gradually extinguished. He died of illness in 1967 at the age of 45.
Wu Xinghua's life is full of legends and tragedies. His talent and knowledge should have become a treasure in the treasure house of Chinese culture. But the storm of politics brought his life and dreams to an abrupt end. This former genius finally ended his life journey in loneliness and oblivion.
Wu Xinghua's story is the epitome of that turbulent era, and it is also a representative of countless talents buried by the storm of history. Today, when we look back on the past, we may be able to learn from his experience, and perhaps we can cherish and respect the talents and voices of each era even more.