On the evening of April 21, the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature issued an obituary that Comrade Shu Yi, the son of Mr. Lao She, died in Beijing at the age of 86 at 14:16 on April 21, 2021 due to ineffective medical treatment.
Shu Yi's father was the famous writer Lao She (Shu Qingchun), and his mother was Hu Yuqing, with his sister Shu Ji and younger sisters Shu Yu and Shu Li. In 1935, Shu Yi was born in Qingdao, Shandong, when Lao She was teaching at the College of Literature of National Shandong University. In 1953, Shu Yi graduated from Beijing No. 2 Middle School and entered the Preparatory Department for Staying in the Soviet Union at the Beijing Russian Language Training School.
In September 1954, Shu Yi studied in the Soviet Union, successively served as an intern of the Institute of Forest Products and Chemical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, director of the scientific research office of Beijing Guanghua Timber Factory, section chief, engineer and senior engineer, deputy director, executive deputy curator, curator, research librarian, doctoral supervisor, member of the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth CPPCC committees of Beijing Municipality, member of the Ninth CPPCC National Committee, vice president of the Chinese Museum Society, executive director of the Chinese National Unity and Progress Association, vice president of the Beijing National Friendship Association, He is a director of the China Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification and an advisor to the Lao She Research Association of China.
In 1992, the essay collection "The Barriers and Hobbies of Lao She" won the Manchu Literature Prize.
Shu Yi has repeatedly published articles in the Beijing Evening News on topics such as recalling Mr. Lao She and the protection of the Beijing Courtyard. On the evening of the 21st, a reporter from the Shuxiang Weekly of the Beijing Evening News interviewed Ji Lei, deputy director of the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature, and introduced Comrade Shu Yi's illness and the work he did during his tenure at the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature.
The following is the content of the interview:
Shuxiang: I heard that Mr. Shu Yi's health has not been very good in recent years, and he has been hospitalized.
Lei: Yes. Six years ago, before Teachers' Day, he was tired from an interview, and the next day he suddenly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was rushed to Xuanwu Hospital for rescue, and the effect after craniotomy was not very satisfactory, when the amount of bleeding reached 120 ml. After the smooth operation, he did another year of rehabilitation in other hospitals. Later, his condition deteriorated, and he was transferred to Tongren Hospital and has been living in the ICU. Mr. Yu Bin, the wife of Director Shu, said that the medical staff is still dedicated to the treatment of Director Shu, and it is rare for a critically ill patient like him to persist for such a long time. Today she told me that it was rare for him to persist in this situation for three years, and the vitality of Director Shu was still very tenacious. I went to the hospital a few times when Director Shu was sick, and he didn't know me anymore. But Mr. Yu Bin said that Curator Shu would also write on her hands with his fingers, but he was in a comatose state for a long time.
Shu Yi
Shuxiang: Why is it serious this time?
Ji Lei: About half a month ago, his skin seemed to be allergic, there were a lot of red spots, he had been doing dialysis before, a week ago the doctor said that The indicators of Director Shu were not good, and also invited the doctors of The Union Hospital to do consultations. Yesterday (April 20th) morning, Teacher Yu Bin called to report that he was critically ill. I also rushed to the hospital yesterday afternoon, and although he was stable at that time, the overall situation was still not optimistic. Today (April 21st) received news at more than 2 p.m. to go to the hospital, he died at 2:16 p.m., and then went to the morgue of Tongren Hospital to handle the formalities for Curator Shu, and tomorrow morning Curator Shu's family went to Babaoshan to handle the farewell ceremony for him, and determined the specific time and related matters of the farewell ceremony.
Shuxiang: Did Curator Shu have any wishes before he died?
Ji Lei: This is not discussed, because yesterday I tossed and turned most of the day, from the Anding Gate to find clothes for Curator Shu, so I didn't say too much. Teacher Yu Bin was particularly sad and cried all the way, and today she has been crying all the time.
Shuxiang: Mr. Shu Yi was the director of the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature, what work did he do when he was in the Museum of Literature?
Ji Lei: Director Shu was transferred to the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature very early, and in 1984, he participated in the preparation of the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature. He used to be a student in the Soviet Union, majoring in forestry chemistry, and later went to Beijing Guanghua Timber Factory as an engineer. When the Museum of Literature opened in 1985, he was one of the first staff members, and later served as deputy curator, executive deputy curator, and curator.
Shuxiang: What kind of design does Mr. Shu Yi have for the construction of the new museum of modern Chinese literature?
Ji Lei: He put a lot of effort into the construction of the new museum. Yesterday, I also said to Teacher Yu Bin that when the Literature Museum moved from the old museum to the new museum of the current Peony Pharmacy, it was really created by Director Shu. Many people have come to think that there is a literary atmosphere in the garden of the Literature Museum now, such as the sculptures of more than a dozen writers. At that time, Director Shu sent all the writers' works to the sculptors, he said: I give you three years, you read their works carefully, figure out the writers' personal style and personality, I don't like the standard rigid writer image, must show the writer's deep charm.
New Museum of Literature
Shuxiang: Are there any things that impressed you?
Ji Lei: He took the sculptor Li Xiangqun to Shanghai to visit Ba Lao (Ba Jin), and he said: Do you know what Ba Lao is like in normal times? One of Ba Lao's favorite things is to take a walk in the courtyard after reading a book, with his hands behind his back and his head slightly bowed, as if he was thinking all the way. Later, there was a statue of a contemplative figure of Mr. Barkin in the courtyard of the Museum of Literature. After the statue came out, both the literary circles and the relatives of Ba Lao liked the statue very much, and this idea was actually proposed by Director Shu. There is also a statue of Zhao Shuli in the courtyard of the Literature Museum, and Director Shu proposed at that time that we should not have the upright Zhao Shuli, although Zhao Shuli is a literati, but he has the very simple atmosphere of a farmer, so he conceived such a scene: Zhao Shuli bent down in front, bowed his head, and inserted a pen in his pocket, and behind it was a donkey, and sitting on the donkey was the heroine of "Little Two Black Marriage".
Shuxiang: What are Mr. Shu Yi's hobbies?
Ji Lei: He is quite talented, I remember that in 1995, he began to paint, he had many painting exhibitions, and the staff in our museum had a birthday, and Director Shu said, Whoever has a birthday I will send a painting.
Shu Yi paintings
Shuxiang: Did you receive the painting from him?
Ji Lei: Yes, I have to get his paintings.
Shuxiang: What kind of person did you think mr. Shu Yi was during his interactions?
Ji Lei: He is particularly funny, very eloquent, and can talk very impressively.
Shuxiang: What other concepts does Mr. Shu Yi have?
Ji Lei: When I used to follow him out to hold exhibitions, he told me that the Literature Museum should expand its influence, publicize more writers to the public, and see exhibitions every month, so he held a lot of exhibitions of writers. He has held many exhibitions of writers' life creations, such as Ba Jin's art exhibition, Ba Jin's life and creation exhibition, Ba Jin's friendship exhibition with Bingxin, and other exhibitions of writers such as Ding Ling, Shen Congwen, and Sun Li, all of which we held together when Shu was in office. The preface of each exhibition is written by Director Shu himself, and when there are guests visiting, Director Shu sometimes acts as a docent himself. He was very energetic, as if he always had a passion and an endless energy.
On June 6, 1997, Mr. Shu Yi went to Beijing Evening News as a duty officer of the "Cultural Celebrity Hotline". Photo by Zhang Feng Courtesy of TAKEFOTO