On April 6, 2021, Xiamen University celebrated its centenary, and as the eldest grandson of Chen Jiageng, the founder of the university, Chen Jiageng, delivered a speech at the school celebration conference to remember his grandfather's choice that year.
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From scratch, he became a "rubber king" and returned to his hometown to donate funds to study
In 1874, Chen Jiageng was born in Jimei Society, Tong'an County, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, which is today's Jimei District of Xiamen City. In 1890, the 16-year-old Chen Jiageng bid farewell to his hometown and went down to Nanyang to join his father who opened a rice shop in Singapore, with honesty and trustworthiness and keen business acumen, Chen Jiageng became the largest rubber producer and manufacturer in Nanyang in 20 years, a veritable overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. In the spring of 1910, Chen Jiageng joined the Chinese League; in 1913, Chen Jiageng began to establish education in his hometown, and he funded the establishment of more than a dozen schools, including kindergartens, primary schools, middle schools, and teachers' training, which were collectively known as "Jimei Schools".
Chen Liren: More than 90 percent of foreigners in Nanyang can read, read and read newspapers, we Chinese some of them were lazy and lazy in the past, some became gamblers and addicts, many did not know words, how to change? The only way is to go to school and learn about it.
Reporter: Ten years of nurturing trees and a hundred years of educating people, education is the most needed work, starting from kindergartens to build an education system to lay it down, how big is this a project?
Chen Liren: A very difficult project, to withstand the test of time, day by day slowly groping, stitching and thread slowly sewing, step by step to take the road well.
Not only for the future of the country's strength, but also for the integrity of the education of the students in his hometown, Chen Jiageng is determined to open up a university in a desert. In 1919, he returned to his motherland from Singapore to build a university for his hometown, and he promised to donate 4 million yuan of foreign silver for this purpose, of which 1 million yuan was donated as the preparatory expenses of Xiamen University that year, and another 3 million yuan was paid in 12 years as the daily cost of Xiamen University's future operation. At that time, the cost of an ordinary family of five to maintain basic living was only about two or three yuan a month, and this 4 million foreign silver was undoubtedly a huge amount of money, which was also all the actual assets of Chen Jiageng.
Reporter: In 1919, that period was very turbulent, 4 million silver dollars were all his possessions, why didn't he keep it himself, but instead invested all this money back?
Chen Liren: He thinks the time is ripe, so outsiders tell him that he will not listen, and he wants to do things well. My grandfather thought, if I don't build this university, will these children have money to go north to college after finishing middle school? He was holding up a crutch, followed by six or seven people every day, talking little by little about what kind of building I was going to build, how many pillars to put in the middle from here to there, and you made me a staircase here, and I did it.
After three years of arduous construction, Xiamen University was finally built in 1921, which was also the first university founded by overseas Chinese in modern China.
"Eat thin porridge with peanut kernels" to maintain Jimei and Xiamen University
After the completion of Xiamen University, Famous scholars such as Lu Xun, Lin Yutang, Gu Jiegang, and Sun Fuyuan went south to teach at Xiamen University, and some people even jokingly said that "half of Peking University" came to Xiamen, and Xiamen University developed in the direction expected by Chen Jiageng. However, the world was turbulent in the 1930s, and Chen Jiageng's business abroad was hit hard. Business contracted, unable to make ends meet, and Chen Jiageng had to rely on debt to maintain the operation of Jimei School and Xiamen University. Relatives and friends had advised him to cut back the funds remitted to Xiamen University, but he said: "I can eat thin porridge and accompany peanut kernels to live a life, so why worry about it?" By the eve of World War II, business was getting more and more depressed, and Chen Jiageng began to sell his property for education.
Chen Liren: There are two buildings next to the house where my grandfather lives, one for my father, the other for my uncle, and then when the business was tied, they were all sold, in addition to paying off debts, grandpa sent all the money back for school expenses, and the burden was very heavy.
In May 1937, after 16 years of independent support, Chen Jiageng no longer had the financial resources to support the operation of Xiamen University, he called Chen Yi, then chairman of Fujian Province, and Wang Shijie, minister of education, without mentioning any returns, but repeatedly emphasizing the importance of running Xiamen University well.
ResistIng Japan and Saving the Dead Firmly Believe that "China's Hope is in Yan'an"
After donating Xiamen University to the Nationalist government, on July 7, 1937, the Japanese army launched a full-scale war of aggression against China, Chen Jiageng threw himself into the anti-Japanese salvation movement without hesitation, he led the overseas Chinese in Nanyang, raised huge funds for the motherland's War of Resistance, and even invested in the establishment of a pharmaceutical factory in Chongqing to directly supply medicines to the front line.
Chen Liren: I think Grandpa was a rather tenacious person, and he thought that this matter was more important than the university, for the sake of all Chinese in China as a whole, and even for all the Chinese in Southeast Asia. He himself took the initiative to participate in the anti-Japanese salvation movement, according to his idea, "If I don't take the lead, who will follow?" ”
Reporter: He tried his best to help the country solve the problem?
Chen Liren: Yes, at that time, the Chinese, including those who immigrated to Southeast Asia, were all families, and they all hoped to contribute a little more to the country to help the Chinese people.
The Burma Highway was the only way to transport materials to The country at that time, but the lack of mechanics who could repair cars affected the efficiency of transportation, Chen Jiageng held a touring rally in Nanyang, personally took the stage to give a mobilization speech, and by 1939, more than 3,200 overseas Chinese mechanics in Nanyang responded to the call, braving the rain of bullets and bullets to drive cars to continuously send aid materials from all over the world into China. In 1940, Chen Jiageng also led the "Nanyang Overseas Chinese Returning Homecoming Condolence Inspection Delegation" to the front line of the Chongqing War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression to offer condolences. It was also this trip to Chongqing that allowed Chen Jiageng to see the soldiers fighting in bloody battles on the front line, while the officials of the Kuomintang government lived a corrupt and extravagant life in Chongqing. With deep concern for the future of the country and the nation, he broke through many obstacles and went to Yan'an.
Chen Liren: After he met Chiang Kai-shek, he always said that I was going to visit Mao Zedong, and the Kuomintang said that it was very hard for you to go over there, and it wanted to stop him from going over, but Grandpa was a very resolute person, saying that I must go over and see it, so that I can make a comparison, which aspect is better. Later, when Grandpa went to Yan'an to have dinner with Chairman Mao, a small soldier took a telegram to Chairman Mao, and Chairman Mao asked the little soldier if he had eaten dinner, and the little soldier said no, and then Chairman Mao left the little soldier to have dinner with him. He felt that on the side of the Communist Party, Chairman Mao took the lead and everyone was equal, so he was determined to stay here.
Dressed in sewing and patching to raise money from his children, he is a grandfather who "cuts the door"
On October 1, 1949, during the National Day celebration of the founding of New China, 75-year-old Chen Jiageng ascended the Tiananmen Tower. Since then, he has devoted himself to the cause of building New China, never left the motherland, and successively served as a member of the Central People's Government, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. In the 1950s, Chen Jiageng returned to his hometown and personally presided over the restoration and expansion of Xiamen University and Jimei School.
In his later years, Chen Jiageng was more frugal, and he made a request for himself, and the monthly living expenses did not exceed 15 yuan, and all the others were donated. Chen Jiageng did not care about material enjoyment, his clothes and shoes, including the umbrella used, had to be patched and used all the time. In addition to saving money himself, Chen Jiageng often collected donations from his children, and Chen Liren still remembers the scene at that time.
Chen Liren: In the 1950s, after a big typhoon here, my grandfather wrote back to my father and aunt and asked them for money for maintenance. At that time, after receiving the letter, our whole family held a meeting to discuss how to remit the money, which was not an easy task at that time.
On August 12, 1961, Chen Jiageng died of illness in Beijing at the age of 87. Before his death, he donated his last more than 3 million yuan of property to the school property of Jimei School. According to incomplete statistics, he donated a total of nearly 100 million US dollars of money and materials to fund the development of education in the motherland. To this day, the "Jiageng Spirit" is still a banner that inspires the sons and daughters of China around the world to serve the country patriotically and live endlessly. Xiamen University, which he measured with his footsteps, is recognized as the most beautiful university in China.
Producer 丨 Zhang Shifeng
Reporter 丨 Dong Qian
Planning 丨 Huang Ying
Choreographer 丨 Wang Huidong
Responsible editor 丨 Wang Feng
Editor 丨 Zhang Hongfei Li Jiayi
Camera 丨Wang Zhongren Liu Hongbo