Listen to Ma Lao's comments on Guo Moruo
Li Houqiang
Ma Shitu and Guo Moruo, two old gentlemen, are my old leaders. Guo Lao became president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on October 19, 1949, and later concurrently served as director of the Department of Philosophy and Society of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The predecessor of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which was established in 1955. On May 7, 1977, with the approval of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was formally established on the basis of the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The predecessor of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences was the Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Sichuan Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which was established in 1958, and merged with some units of the Policy Research Office of the former Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China in June 1978 to form the "Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences", which was renamed in 1983. In 1958, Ma Lao was ordered to prepare for the establishment of the Sichuan Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and served as Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of the Branch. There is no doubt that Ma Lao is the old leader and first secretary of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences. The author served as the secretary of the Party Committee of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences from 2011 to 2021, and it is clear that Guo Lao and Ma Lao are my old leaders. On November 25, 2018, the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences held the 60th anniversary of its founding, and I presided over the opening ceremony. Although Ma Lao did not attend the conference in person, he specially inscribed the eight characters of "Tianfu Think Tank" and "Humanities Gathering" for us, which deeply moved us!
In 2018, Ma Shitu wrote an inscription for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences (Photo courtesy of the Party and Government Office of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences)
On March 28, 2024, the author, as the chief expert, participated in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle Expert Group in Chongqing to enter the Shizhu activity, and is investigating the Coptis chinensis and Ulva bases in Huangshui Town and Lengshui Town. At 8:23 p.m., I suddenly saw the cover news from the member group of the Sichuan Red Star Writers Association (Provincial Direct Writers Association) - "Ma Zhitu, a revolutionary, writer and calligrapher, died in Chengdu at 19:25 on March 28 at the age of 110 due to ineffective medical treatment." I was very surprised, felt completely impossible, and even thought it was "fake news" as a joke. Judging from Ma Lao's physical and mental condition, he should live to be over 120 years old, and there is no cap! Later, all kinds of media reported on this incident, and I believed that Ma Lao really left and left us, very sad!
Photo of Ma Zhitu's 110th birthday on January 13, 2024 (Photo by Li Qiang, source: Chuanguan News)
Mr. Ma Shitu is a native of Zhongxian County, Chongqing, my hometown is in Yunyang County, Chongqing, and I know Ma Lao's name at a very young age, and I have read some of his books and some reports about him. Later, when I was studying in the Department of Chemistry of Sichuan University, I studied under Professor Zhao Huaming, a famous organic chemist. Mr. Zhao and Mr. Ma are old friends, they have alumni and colleague relationships, they are very familiar, I have heard Mr. Zhao tell the legendary story of Mr. Ma many times, and I have also met Mr. Ma many times in Sichuan University. Ma Lao was admitted to the Department of Chemical Engineering of Central University in 1936, and then left Nanjing due to the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, and was admitted to Sichuan University in 1941, transferred to Southwest Associated University in the same year, and graduated from the Department of Chinese Literature of Southwest Associated University in 1945. My doctoral supervisor, Mr. Zhao Huaming, also studied at the Department of Chemistry of Chung-Ang University from 1939 to 1943. In 1999, the Sichuan International Cultural Exchange Center was established, with Mr. Ma as the chairman and Mr. Zhao as the executive director.
During my work in the Meishan Municipal People's Government, the Policy Research Office of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee, and the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, I also met Mr. Ma many times, and had some in-depth conversations, and I was touched and infected by his approachability and demeanor. In the many interactions with Ma Lao, there were two most impressive ones.
The first time was to win the title of honorary citizen of Langzhong. On December 28, 2007, I and Ma Shitu, He Kaisi, Qian Laizhong and other cultural masters won the title of "Honorary Citizen" of Langzhong City. On the day of the award of the honorary certificate, I was in the field for research and did not attend the meeting, which is a deep regret. Later, I saw Ma Lao talking about the honorary citizen of Langzhong, and he said, "I really didn't expect that I, a person in my last years, would get such a glorious title as the honorary citizen of Langzhong City!" Ma Lao was 93 years old at the time. I know that Ma Lao has a soft spot for Langzhong, and has formed an indissoluble bond with a group of literati and writers in Langzhong, and he knows the situation in Langzhong very well. It is said that the leaders of Langzhong City at that time introduced the reason for my election, saying that I was the inventor of the "Elliptical Urban Agglomeration Model in the Chengdu-Chongqing Region", which made the people of Langzhong the most excited. This elliptical urban agglomeration includes 37 cities in Sichuan and Chongqing, and Chongqing and Chengdu are the two focal points of the ellipse. Ma Lao praised me and said that the elliptical model of the Chengdu-Chongqing region invented by Xiao Li has "circled" Chengdu and Chongqing, which has a mathematical basis and is very remarkable, and can continue to be studied. Ma Lao also said that we are all from Chongqing, and both sides of Chengdu and Chongqing should be concerned. Since Xiao Li is an honorary citizen of Langzhong, he has to do something for Langzhong. I said that Ma Lao is right, I will do it, you can rest assured! Later, I went to Langzhong many times to conduct research, vigorously promoted the research work of Luoxiahong, and also published articles on the development of Langzhong Chinese Brigade.
The Taichu Calendar, which is the culmination of the traditional Chinese calendar, has a series of innovations in systematic observation and mathematical structure, and has become the Luoxiahong system, which is more distinctive and far-reaching than the ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy's Astronomical Dacheng. In March 2017, Sichuan Province launched the implementation of the cultural inheritance and innovation project of historical celebrities. From March 7 to 8, 2017, I went to Langzhong to investigate the inheritance and promotion of Luoxiahong and the Spring Festival culture, and promoted Luoxiahong to be selected as one of the "First Ten Historical Celebrities in Sichuan", which is to complete the task assigned to me by Ma Lao. Now that I think about it, Ma Lao is really great, and he instructed me in advance to study Langzhong Chinese, pay attention to the development of Langzhong, and have a high vision!
The second time was to participate in the 120th anniversary of Guo Moruo's birth. Ma Lao is the vice president of the China Guo Moruo Research Society, the founding president of the Sichuan Guo Moruo Research Association, and the former editor-in-chief of the Guo Moruo Journal. On November 16, 2012, the "Guo Moruo and Cultural China - International Symposium to Commemorate the 120th Anniversary of Guo Moruo's Birth" was grandly opened in Shawan, Leshan City, Guo Moruo's hometown. More than 120 experts and scholars from China, South Korea, Slovakia, Croatia and other countries at home and abroad, as well as guests from all walks of life, gathered at Moruo International Hotel to conduct in-depth discussions on the topics of "Review and Prospect of Guo Moruo's Research, Guo Moruo and Chinese Thought and Culture in the 20th Century, Guo Moruo and Sino-foreign Cultural Exchanges, Moruo Culture and the Core Value System of Socialism". The Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences is one of the organizers of the conference, and as the secretary of the party committee of the academy, I participated in the preliminary planning and led the team to attend the meeting. In order to hold this commemorative meeting, Comrade Lai Shufang, then member of the Standing Committee of the Leshan Municipal Party Committee and director of the Propaganda Department, came to the Sichuan Provincial Academy of Social Sciences many times to study the relevant plan with me. We invited Ma Lao through various channels, and he quickly agreed, agreeing to attend the conference and speak. On the day of the opening ceremony, I sat next to Ma Lao, and I was a little excited to see his expression, and I kept writing and drawing on the manuscript, but I basically didn't read the manuscript when I was officially speaking. This is the first time I have been present to listen to Ma Lao's evaluation of Guo Moruo. He was supposed to speak for only 20 minutes, but it ended up running out a lot, but everyone listened attentively and almost no one left the table. Ma Lao took off his glasses and waved them in his hand when he was excited, and I signaled Ma Lao several times not to be too excited, mainly worried that he would be in trouble, after all, he was 98 years old.
What did Ma Lao say? Twelve years have passed, and when we recall the process and content of Ma Lao's speech at that time, we have a great sense of historical depth and the passage of time. But the scene at that time and Ma Lao's demeanor are still vivid, as if it was just yesterday. Ma Lao first said that although I have not participated in Guo Moruo's research activities for more than ten years, I must come to participate in the commemoration of Guo Lao's 120th birthday, even though I am 98 years old. I have a relationship and affection for Guo Moruo, he used to be my old leader. However, when I talk about Guo Moruo with some writers and scholars in the past few years, I seem to have a feeling that there are some people in literature and academic circles who have a tone of disdain or regret when they talk about Guo Moruo, and even a little ridicule and sarcasm. Therefore, I would like to ask the question, is Guo Moruo really a controversial figure in the Chinese cultural circle?
Ma Lao drank a little water and continued, our Guo Moruo Research Association and some other societies have conducted decades of research on Guo Moruo, and there are many results. Indeed, like Lu Xun, he is a banner in China's contemporary cultural circles. At the same time, he was also a revolutionary, and when the Chinese revolution was at a low ebb, he dared to issue a crusade against Chiang Kai-shek regardless of his personal safety. When the country was in danger and the whole people resisted the war, he resolutely left his wife and risked returning from Japan to participate in the war of resistance. In Chongqing, spies were rampant, he held high the banner of righteousness, united cultural people, fought against the reactionary government, and later escaped the danger of being assassinated by spies in Shanghai and ran to the liberated areas. His noble and resolute spirit can be seen. But he is not perfect, and there has never been a perfect person in the world, there are shortcomings and mistakes that can be discussed and criticized. To evaluate characters and historical events, we should insist on at least two things: one is to have evidence and look at the whole person; The second is to make fair judgments and restore history.
Ma Lao looked at the reaction of the crowd at the venue and emphasized that Guo Moruo is the president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and I am the party secretary and vice president of the Sichuan Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (known as the "Southwest Branch" from 1962 to 1970). But our fellowship is very early, long, deep. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, we were well aware of the environment in which Guo Moruo lived in the revolutionary struggle for the liberation of the people, and we were also very clear about the process that Guo Moruo went through in the struggle and his great achievements, so we can make a positive and accurate evaluation. However, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, we have limited knowledge of the complex and even bizarre cultural environment in which Guo Moruo lived. It is not right that some scholars only see certain individual phenomena and then make false comments, and even rise to the level of character and slander personality.
Ma Lao demanded that in order to correctly understand Guo Moruo and evaluate Guo Moruo, we must be based on the viewpoint of creating heroes in the current situation of historical materialism, and the different social environments in which Guo Moruo's life lived will have different Guo Moruo.
Ma Lao put on his glasses again, looked at a few drafts, and said, what kind of political and cultural environment did Guo Moruo face in the more than 30 years from the founding of New China to his death? Comrades under the age of 50 here may be ignorant, and some people even find it difficult to imagine. Those of us who have participated in cultural activities at the same time as Guo Lao can be said to know it well, and it seems that I don't need to bother to speak.
Ma Lao finally said, I am old, and I may not speak much at the conference in the future, and this time I am afraid that it will be the last time to speak at the conference, but I have always placed care and hope on Guo Moruo's research. If it is not right, please criticize. In addition, I request that I be relieved of all honorary duties.
At the end of his speech, Ma Lao said loudly, on the occasion of parting, I would like to send you two sentences: there is no end to the emancipation of the mind, and there is no forbidden area for academic research!
Ma Lao's speech opened my eyes, I was greatly educated, and I also got to know Ma Shitu and Guo Moruo again. I am deeply surprised that Ma Lao's speech is so clear, his language is so sharp, his views are so clear, and his arguments are so powerful!
After he finished speaking, I asked Ma Lao to go back to his room early to rest, and he insisted on finishing the meeting. After I discussed with the moderator, there was a coffee break in the middle of the meeting. After repeated persuasion, he left the meeting early.
At this conference, I submitted two papers with my assistants – "Guo Moruo's Scientific Thought and Its Enlightenment to the Present" and "Research on the Evolution of Guo Moruo's Thought". In order to expand the academic influence of the conference, Comrade Liu Fumin and I published an article entitled "Guo Moruo's Scientific Thought and Its Value of the Times" in Guangming Daily on November 18, 2012, with more than 2,500 words, which mainly reflected Ma Lao's evaluation of Guo Moruo's views and thoughts.
On the evening of November 17, 2012, a new meeting of the Sichuan Guo Moruo Research Association was held, at which the president, vice president, secretary-general, executive director and director were elected. Professor Chen Cichang, Vice Chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was elected President. Tan Jihe, an expert from the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, served as the honorary president, and Suning and Wei Hongshan were elected vice presidents of the Sichuan Guo Moruo Research Association. This change of office has fulfilled Ma Lao's wish and will no longer hold the honorary position of Guo Moruo Research Association.
On November 13, 2021, Ma Lao's new book "Ma Zhitu Southwest Associated University Oracle Bone Notes" was published and put on the shelves by Sichuan People's Publishing House. This is the memoir of Ma Lao studying oracle bone inscription at Southwest Associated University, from the age of 104 to the age of 107, the whole book reflects Ma Lao's tenacious revolutionary spirit and tenacious spirit of exploration. I asked President Huang Lixin for a copy, but I didn't ask Mr. Ma to sign it, because I couldn't bear to disturb him and was worried that he was too tired, so I only wished him a long and healthy life. On January 13 this year, Ma Lao celebrated his 110th birthday. According to the cover news report, Ma Lao's family provided a lot of recent photos and videos of Ma Lao, and the old man was full of energy and gratifying. Ma Lao's family also showed the word "Fu" written by Ma Lao in recent years, and we are very happy and happy to receive blessings!
"Ma Shitu Southwest Associated University Oracle Notes" published by Sichuan People's Publishing House (Source: Sichuan Fangzhi Gallery)
On January 13, 2024, Ma Shitu's 110th birthday held up the word "Fu" (Photo by Li Qiang, source: Chuanguan News)
On January 13, 2024, Ma Zhitu took a group photo with relatives and friends on his 110th birthday (Photo by Li Qiang, source: Chuanguan News)
Ma Lao still left us despite unforeseen circumstances, but we must keep in mind Ma Lao's two sentences: "There is no end to the emancipation of the mind, and there is no forbidden area for academic research"! This is the basic principle of learning for the people, and we must not lose it!
On January 21, 2020, 106-year-old Ma Zhitu read the 6th issue of "Bashu Historical Chronicles" in 2019 edited and published by the Sichuan Provincial Local Chronicles Office (photo by Pan Zhiruo, source: Sichuan Fangzhi Gallery)
March 31, 2024
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Please indicate: "Source: Fang Zhi Sichuan"
Source: Sichuan Provincial Office of Local Chronicles
Author: Li Houqiang (Deputy Director of the Decision-making Advisory Committee of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Sichuan Provincial People's Government, Chairman of the Chengdu Federation of Social Sciences, Former Secretary of the Party Committee, Second-level Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences)
Pictured: Fang Zhi Sichuan