Liang Qichao (1873-1929), character Zhuoru, one word RenFu, number Ren Gong. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, he was a thinker, politician, educator, historian and writer in modern China. One of the leaders of the Penghu Reform Law and a representative figure of the modern Chinese Restoration School, his works were co-edited into the "Collection of Drinking Ice Rooms". Beijing News Illustration / Sun Jialu
Written by | Wang Jingjing
Transitional Man: An open "-ground" wise man
Liang Qichao deeply influenced the "May Fourth" generation of intellectuals and gave them countless inspirations. The "May Fourth" generation developed his "seeking innovation and seeking change" end, but it was more thorough, disagreed with the return of Chinese culture, and advocated "total Westernization".
It is not difficult to find that Lu Xun's "transformation of national nature" and Liang Qichao's "new people's theory" are in the same vein; even the paths are similar. In his article "On the Relationship between Novels and Mass Rule", Liang Qichao elevated the novel to the role of enlightening the people's wisdom as never before: "Today, if you want to improve the rule of the group, you must start from the revolution in the novel world; if you want to be new, you must start from the new novel"; Lu Xun also wants to change the spirit of the stupid people with literature and art (literature and art), and in himself, he mainly relies on novels.
Coincidentally, Liang Qichao proposed "colloquial literature", Hu Shi advocated vernacular literature, "literature Chinese", and advocated "sorting out the national history" - the "national history" here, for Hu Shi, mainly includes ancient Chinese novels. Hu Shi's elevation of the vernacular novel to an important position in the history of literature was based on the "revolution in the novel world" advocated by Liang Qichao twenty years ago, but Liang Qichao raised the novel to the height of saving the country and the people, which was inevitably elevated, and Hu Shi also returned the value of the novel's original literature, so that God's return to God and Caesar's return to Caesar. Liang Qichao's "New Novel" "New China's Future" has only been five times, while the "New Literature" since the May Fourth "New Culture Movement" has achieved rich achievements and achievements.
Over the past hundred years, seeking innovation, "Westernization" and "modernization" have always been the main themes, while the Chinese tradition that Liang Qichao finally submitted to return to has always declined (just look at the fate of Confucius from May Fourth to the present). This is understandable, because today, we are not too much "modern", but have not been completed at all, far from enough; at this time, the "Chinese tradition" and "Guoxue" advocated can easily pin the old dream of "autocratic kingship".
But we are still "transitional figures". The new is invincible, the old is destroyed. If you look at all the debates people today, from divorce to research funding, it shows how we are indistinguishable and helpless. The inconsistencies at the moral and code of conduct levels, the lack of dependence, the most difficult and unfortunate spiritual and spiritual level of non-dependence - how should we spend our lives, what is happiness? When we are in distress, when we are lonely, when we are doubtful and empty, where can we go to find the resources for dialogue, to find the strength that can comfort us and make us obey? It is on the level of the latter that today we need our traditions even more, and we need to talk to Liang Qichao even more.
But we are deeply influenced by the "May Fourth" thinking. Lu Xun said, "Read less or not read Chinese books"; Hu Shi said that we must admit that we are inferior to people in all things, and only "completely Westernized"; Lu Xun also said, "Shoulder the floodgates of darkness and let them go to the light realm" - in their context, there is a dichotomy of "darkness" and "light", and the Chinese and traditional are dark, Western, and modern is bright. Nowadays, we are embarrassed to say that we are reading the Analects, the Book of Moral Education, and the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and we are naturally ashamed to look for resources from tradition; we are accustomed to enlightenment, rebellion, and revolution, and we are not accustomed to talking about our own internal cultivation; we tend to think that the world is not ruled, so the individual is not good enough, and Liang Qichao believes that because our personality realm is not high enough, so the Peng shu change method is not successful.
The "May Fourth" princes said that we should "read less, or even not read Chinese books," and even abolish Chinese characters, reduce the genes of Chinese culture in us, and transform our national nature; Liang Qichao demonstrated us, to be an open Chinese, to carry forward the glory of our culture, and to make some contributions to the world's human beings and culture.
Liang Qichao and his children (among them, the little boy with big eyes in his right hand is Liang Sicheng), this photograph, taken in Tokyo in 1905, reads "Ren Gong and ShunCheng Yongsan er of the Xinmin Congpao Era".
Fatherhood: The wisdom of balancing the old and the new
That is to say, the reason why we still read Liang Qichao today is because we are facing the same cultural problems - traditional and modern, Chinese and Western. Under globalization, this problem is even more urgent today. "Chinese and Western culture" is not just used by intellectuals in ivory towers to make papers; "clashes and fusions of cultures" occur all around us at any time and can be seen everywhere.
For example, as we all know, the West values "individulism", and we are family-orientied. So when we choose the person to marry, do we only have to consider our own feelings, or do we consider the interests of the family? How exactly do we draw boundaries in our relationship with our parents? When they are too old to take care of themselves, do they want to move in together or send them to a nursing home? Husband cousin children's 100-day wine or not to drink, gifts or red envelopes...
These problems were encountered by Liang Qichao and Hu Shi.
According to Yang Buwei's "Miscellaneous Notes on the Zhao Family", at that time, their international students in Europe were popular for divorce, leaving arranged marriages, persuading this divorce today and persuading that divorce tomorrow. When Xu Zhimo filed for divorce from Zhang Youyi, he said to her: "Can you be the daughter-in-law of the Xu family instead of my wife Xu Zhimo?" This is the classic clash of "individualism" and "family-oriented."
The same conflict occurred to Lin Huiyin, who studied in the United States, and partly practiced "individualism"; but when they settled in Beijing in 1931, in addition to Liang, Lin, a pair of children, and Mrs. Lin, there were five or six relatives living in the family, and in 1936 she wrote to her girlfriend Fei Weimei and complained: "When a 'old man' marries a 'wife', they have to provide 17 beds and 17 sets of bedding..." "The next time you come to Beijing, please book the Liang's guest house!" She has always been straightforward, and even said directly: "I really envy Wei Mei marrying an only son (not to mention Zhengqing)."
How did Liang Qichao face the impact of new, Western culture? Taking marriage and love as an example, his own marriage is still "the word of the matchmaker, the order of his parents", and in the 1920s when Liang Sicheng was married, Liang Qichao combined the old and the new, and was compatible with the West to come up with the following method: "By my careful observation and observation of a person, to introduce to you, the final decision is in your own, I think this is really the ideal marriage system." In this way, parents not only fulfill their responsibilities with their own experience and wisdom, but also respect the emotional wishes of their children. Liang Qichao couldn't help but smugly say, "I think my method is great... I want marriages all over the world to be like our children. ”
Consistent with the attitude of "national culture-based", Liang Qichao maintains "etiquette", which is different from the "May Fourth Generation" who shouted the slogans of "down with Confucius" and "etiquette and cannibalism". He believes that "etiquette" is a cultural order formed over thousands of years, and only by acting according to "etiquette" can people be justified, make people have their own duties, and do their own thing, and "etiquette" is not a shackle and obstacle to happiness, but its guarantee.
In his daily letters, Liang Qichao urged his son at any time that "this kind of gift of children should always be cared for"; and Liang Sicheng, as the "heir of the family", Liang Qichao painstakingly worked hard for his marriage, and his emphasis on "etiquette" can be seen everywhere. The most solemn engagement ceremony, the very valuable dowry, the wedding must be presided over by the eldest sister, held in the "official office" of the Canadian Consulate General, taking its solemnity... The attentive father even thought, "If you perform a ceremony in church, Sicheng's name will be my full name, and the foreign custom is called 'Sicheng Liang Qichao', indicating that you will inherit all my personality and reputation as the eldest son." ”
The solemnity and cumbersomeness of the "ceremony" is to ensure the solemnity and stability of the marriage, not to be separated by the change of temperament and the ups and downs of feelings, and its basis is even based on "personality"—personality is related to the highest learning of scholars, and is the place where one can live, compared with this, a word of incompatibility or temporary likes and dislikes is simply not worth mentioning.
At the same time, Liang Qichao talked about Xu Zhimo's remarriage, saying that "the young people are impulsive for their feelings, cannot be restrained, and arbitrarily break the net of etiquette and defense, but in fact, it is a net of self-inflicted distress, which is really painful and really pitiful!" He also said, "It is terrible that there has been no rigorous training in character." As for his famous letter of advising Xu Zhimo not to divorce him, it was extremely wise.
He did not approve of "cannibalism", but he also did not approve of "the sacredness of love"; he did not approve of the rigid literature, ideology, and political system, but he did not approve of "total Westernization"; when he praised Lin Huiyin, he said that she did not have "the false appearance of the old family before, and did not have the new fashionable habits of hate."
Liang Qichao loved Lin Huiyin very much, and he once said smugly in a letter to his eldest daughter: "The old man's vision is good, Huiyin and Sicheng are my success again." In Lin Huiyin's most vulnerable moment, he encouraged and supported her like a father.
Elderly Wisdom: Dealing with hardships and hardships without changing their degrees
Today, in addition to knowing the historical facts that Kang and Liang once launched the Pengshu Reform Method, and understanding the educational miracles of the six academicians of the Liang family, how to read Liang Qichao?
In my opinion, the most relevant way is to read Liang Qichao's letters. Beginning with the Analects, Chinese culture emphasizes different responses in specific, special situations. Liang Qichao's letters show us this rarely–not to mention the graciousness of the language. Professor Zhou Zhiping said: "If a 'current' or 'alternate' father wants to learn some 'ways of being a father' from the experience of his predecessors, instead of reading Lu Xun's "How We Are Fathers Now" and Hu Shi's "My Son", it is far better to read Liang Qichao's letters to children. "I totally agree.
After Liang and Lin studied in the United States for more than a year, Lin Hui suffered the pain of losing his father. Liang Qichao wrote to Liang Sicheng: "Uncle Lin's daughter is my daughter"; to solve her worries: "Tuition is not a problem, just count me one more daughter studying abroad"; encourage her: "He must summon up courage, give play to his genius, complete his learning, and work together with you in the future to make some contributions to the Chinese art world." The most valuable thing is to influence her and teach her with his accessible and robust outlook on life: "Human life is also full of troubles, and it is helpless to know that I am helpless, and I am safe", "You all know that I am the person with the strongest feelings, but after some time, I can always come up with reason to calm him, so I will not be affected by feelings, ruin my body, and hinder my career." ”
Whenever I encountered difficulties and faced with difficult choices, I consciously or unconsciously took out Liang Qichao's collection of letters, and I could always find comfort and support, wisdom guidance, and teachings on how to live a well-being. They encourage me to hone my character, to bring my personality to a higher level, to not be confused when faced with choices, to not be depressed in the face of difficulties, all in order to lead to a better self, a happier life and a richer life.
In fact, both in Liang Qichao's letters to his children and the traditional Chinese doctrine of self-cultivation that he returned from "Westernization" emphasize how people face difficulties, tribulations, and setbacks, from death to bad moods.
Mencius said that "born in sorrow, died in comfort", Liang Qichao repeatedly said in his family letter: "Dealing with troubles is the most fortunate thing in life, which can make people's spirits uplifted and their morale strong", and "small setbacks are a good opportunity to temper virtue". In Liang Qichao's view, if the personality can be exercised, it will deal with hardships and hardships without changing its degree and happiness. Hardship in this realm will not only not cause spiritual distress, but will also make people "seek happiness in hardship"; with such a realm, life will be able to attain happiness, will not be tied down by temporary interests, honors and humiliations, gains and losses, but can concentrate on their own career.
In 1928, Liang and Lin returned from studying abroad and returning from their new marriage, facing the search for a career. The father reassured them, "It doesn't matter if you can't work for a year and a half." He stressed this point out of fear that they would be "disappointed and frustrated" by not being able to find the right situation for a while, saying that "disappointment and frustration are the most terrible enemies in our lives, and we must not allow him to invade for the rest of our lives." But when Liang Sicheng was hired by Northeastern University and Tsinghua University at the same time, Liang Qichao urged him to be far away from Northeastern University. He said that life in TsinghuaYuan is too comfortable, it is easy to consume morale, making people lazy to make progress, and "children with ambition should always go to the road of hardship." Hou Liang and Lin founded China's first architecture department at Northeastern University.
After 1937, in the 10 years of exile in the southwest, whether facing the bombing of aircraft, the passing of the god of death, or the embarrassing life, the shadowy disease, Liang Sicheng always maintained optimism and cheerfulness, encouraging the bedridden "charming sick wife" to support an increasingly difficult and difficult life with a grayed spine. There is really no money available at home, so Yibin entrusted a trading house to sell clothes, and he jokingly said that he "burned" this watch" right? Can this dress be "stewed"? And it was in Li Zhuang's home, where the bamboo was plastered, ventilated on all sides, and rats and insects, that they began to write "The History of Pictorial Chinese Architecture". When he was invited to lecture in the United States in 1947, he had completed this masterpiece written in English with a large number of exquisite hand-drawn illustrations—without his father Liang Qichao's early supervision and reminder to temper his moral will in the midst of hardships and hardships, it was difficult to imagine that in such a difficult environment, wearing an iron vest, enduring the pain of drilling, and still being able to persist in field research and drawing writing, it would have been completed.
Liang Sicheng's happiness and achievements in life are inseparable from his father Liang Qichao, who in the key steps that determine his life, his father's profound thoughts and rational wisdom are always thinking about him.
Spirit of Life: Add a pinch of soil to the shore of Wanling
In Liang Qichao's letter to his children, in addition to "personality cultivation", another important theme is "academic career". Wang Guowei, who is also the "Four Teachers of Tsinghua" with Liang Qichao, once said that gu zhicheng's great cause and university inquirers need to go through three realms, which shows that if the academic career is to be successful, how much pursuit and hardship are experienced, how much loneliness and doubt, wandering and nothingness must be experienced. Because Liang Qichao has already experienced it, he can understand it at one point and can give guidance with a sharp heart. Liang Sicheng complained to his father that he was drawing all day long, afraid that he would become a painter in the future, but Liang Qichao wrote: "You have this feeling, which is the characteristic of the progress of your learning during this period..."
Liang Qichao repeatedly said to the children, "Don't be too anxious to study"; "Zhuang Zhuang, although your English is not passed, don't worry", which is really different from today's parents. He taught his children this way: "You don't have to be too aggressive in learning, like canning, stuffing too much too much and too much urgency will not necessarily benefit." And to "travel and drink well, so that you can be self-satisfied" - this is "the way our ancient philosophers taught people to do learning."
Liang Qichao mentioned three questions in his "Lecture Notes on Reading Methods", he said that a person "must pass at the most critical juncture of cultivation", and he has already given answers in his letters.
I am curious, when people's character is tempered to a higher realm, what kind of state will life take?
Liang Qichao said to himself: "No matter what the situation, it is often happy. He said that he "can forever maintain the spirit of indefatigability" ("boredom is the root of suffering, and even depravity"), "every time when the taste turns to a new aspect, it feels like a new life, such as ascending to heaven, like a new lotus out of the water.".
It turns out that in the process of experiencing tempering and becoming noble people, we have been given back to a happy and not tired of suffering, vibrant life and life. It may also be in this sense that Confucius said, "If you hear the Tao, you can die at night."
In March 1926, Liang Rengong was admitted to Xiehe Hospital for diagnosis and treatment due to uremia, and the diagnosis result was necrosis of one kidney, and he decided to surgically remove it, but Dr. Liu Ruiheng of Xiehe Hospital mistakenly cut the good kidney. After the operation, it was found that Xu Zhimo indignantly advocated prosecution and criticized the matter in the newspaper. Liang Qichao actually decided not to protest, he said: "Chinese study Western medicine, can open the knife to take out the waist without dying, it is already unbelievable, what is my protest!" He was worried that Western medicine was suspected by most people at that time, and if they protested, they would have to choke on food. In the face of such gains and losses and death and life, Liang Qichao can do it lightly but with a bit of humor, which shows the superbness of his personality realm. In the next two years, he continued to go in and out of the Union Hospital, relying on a page of sick kidneys, his body did not recover, but he still wrote non-stop, never forgetting that "for the world's human beings and culture, add a handful of soil to the shore of Wanling". On January 19, 1929, the giant of Chinese thought died suddenly at the age of 57.
This article was published in the Beijing News Book Review Weekly edition B04-B05 on August 27, 2016.
The author | Wang Jingjing
Edited | Rodong