Nostalgia of Gu Hongming, a chivalrous man in troubled times in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China

In the late Qing Dynasty, there was a saying in the west: You can't go to China without going to the Three Great Halls and Gu Hongming.

Who's Gu Ming? This is a China native who never grew up in China, but never forgot that he is from China. This is a scholar who accepts western education but is keen on promoting oriental culture. This is an antique that walks in the forefront of the times, but it has always had an antique braid.

Gu Ming can be described as a generation of geeks. He is proficient in 89 languages. He was born in Nanyang, studied in the West, married in Dongyang and worked in Beiyang.

At that time, academic circles, no, all of China and East Asia were permeated with a kind of western centralism. Foreigners' things are the best, foreigners' theories are correct, and eastern things are backward and dross. But this Gu Hongming who grew up in a foreign country is not like this. Gu Hongming, who is proficient in western learning, made a comparison after studying Chinese studies, and thus produced a lifelong opinion. He believes that Confucian benevolence and righteousness can save the ruthlessness and destruction in the competition of the jungle. In his view, the traditional culture abandoned by China people is a good way to save the world, and Confucianism is the essence of this culture. Therefore, he not only worships himself, but also spares no effort to promote it to the world and shoulders the heavy responsibility of strengthening the country and rejuvenating Europe and America. He published China Studies in English, which is almost a declaration of China Studies. Then he wrote China's Reading Notes, Oxford Movement in China, and Justice in the Spring and Autumn Period. And translated three of the four books, such as The Analects of Confucius, The Doctrine of the Mean and other traditional China masterpieces. It should be said that before this, no one had consciously spread China's classics abroad more systematically, completely and accurately.

1857 18 In July, Gu Hongming was born in a British rubber plantation in Penang, northwest of Nanyang Malay Peninsula. In his early years, his ancestors benefited from Anxian County in Quanzhou, Fujian, China, and accumulated rich property and prestige. His father, Gu Ziyun, was the manager of a rubber plantation run by the British at that time. He can speak fluent Minnan, English and Malay. His mother is a blonde westerner who can speak English and Portuguese. In this family environment, Gu Hongming has an amazing understanding and memory of language since childhood. Mr. Brown, a childless rubber planter, liked him very much and adopted him as his adopted son. Let him read Shakespeare, bacon and other works from an early age.

1867, the Browns returned to England and took 10-year-old Gu Hongming to the most powerful western empire at that time. Before leaving, my father burned incense in front of the ancestral tablet and warned him: No matter where you go, no matter whether you are surrounded by British, German or French, don't forget that you are from China.

It was not until 1885 that Gu Hongming returned to China for the first time.

China has two special things about Gu Hongming. One is his ancestral home, and the other is Beijing. He taught in Peking University and lived for five years.

As for Gu Hongming's ancestral home, this is really not my suspense, but an unsolved case. There has been a lack of convincing textual research materials about Gu Hongming's ancestral home, and there are often different opinions based on speculation. Generally, there are Haicheng in Zhangzhou, Fujian, Tongan in Xiamen, An in Hui Quan and Jinjiang in Quanzhou. The theory of Zhangzhou Haicheng is probably based on the fact that most Chinese immigrants from Penang come from Zhangzhou Haicheng. For example, the university pointed out that the Ku family in Penang is from Haicheng, Zhangzhou, but there is no historical document to prove it. The latter three statements are popular in Tongan, Huiquan 'an and Jinjiang, Xiamen. Huang, a modern historian, said: Regarding Gu's ancestral home, there is no disputed home in Fujian, but there are different opinions in specific areas. In addition to Tonga, there are theories of Xiamen and Jinjiang. Gu once called himself Xiamen Tomson Yipin.

Jinjiang theory originated from Wang Senran. See the manuscript of Beijing Library, History of Chinese in Penang. Now there are some people about Jinjiang, including Gu Hongming. However, there are also many people who hold the Tonga theory. The earliest

Fujian people have always attached importance to genealogy, but Gu Hongming's family moved to Nanyang several generations ago, and its genealogy has never been handed down in Fujian. However, if we look for Chinese and English historical materials related to the early overseas Chinese in Penang in another way, we may find some clues. In fact, as early as the beginning of the 20th century, Arnold White in London and h·a· Cartwright in Singapore, a strait colony, were already compiling a reliable and informative chronicle of Gu Hongming for British Malaya. Robinson, who is responsible for writing these words, is the curator of the Selangor Museum in Malaya. Not only is he familiar with this place, but this local history was published in London by 1908. Among them, four generations of Ku family in Penang are listed in KohSeangTat. He is the cousin of Ku Hongming and the fourth generation patriarch of Ku family in Penang. He started from opium and became the richest man and celebrity in Penang.

Robinson's "Penang Ku Family Genealogy" was clearly written from the very beginning. The ancestral home of this family is Kucuo Village, Tongguan, Quanzhou, Fujian, China. Tongan Tongguan for civilians. Tongmin 'an Pass is the only pass to cut off Xiaoyingling Mountain in the north and south of Fujian, which is a battleground for military strategists and the only way for Tongan to travel to Quanzhou. In order to prevent pirates, the Qing dynasty carried out the order of moving the sea and moved the coastal people for dozens of miles. Xiaoying Lingguan became an important place to cut off the connection between mountains and seas. It not only has an after-tax gate, but also deploys soldiers to guard it.

An Guan, also known as Tongmin Anfang, was the top scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Wei Tongan, and once served as Tongan County in Nan 'an. The inscription on Tongmin 'an stone tablet embedded in his forehead comes from his calligraphy. The stone workshop was destroyed in the Yongzheng period of Qing Dynasty and ended in the thirty-third year of Qing Qianlong. Lin Yinglong, a scholar in Maxiang, Tongan, proposed to rebuild the collapsed stone workshop and write the draft of Qing History, which was strongly supported by Wu Yong of Tongan County. So we set up a pass in the former site of Tongmin Anfang to defend the people. Luoyang Town, Hui 'an County held an activity to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Gu Hongming's birth/KLOC-0.

No matter where it is, it is not that important to Gu Hongming himself. For most people, the migration of ancestors is hard to find. The so-called ancestral home is not necessarily the root. After a long time, it is just a symbol of homesickness. And Peking University gave Gu Hongming a symbol of homesickness.

After teaching in Peking University for six years, Gu Hongming lived at No.26, Bai Shu Hutong, Dongcheng District. Bai Shu Hutong No.26, the old house number is Chunshu Hutong No.30, according to the household registration book, the hospital covers an area of 130 square meters, in an alley recessed in the south of the west section of Hutong. To the west of the front of the street is a small guard room attached to the wall; Three rooms in the north of the courtyard are ridge tile houses, and one room in the south is a platform with grey roof, with a total construction area of 60 square meters. In 1980s, Bai Shu Hutong No.26 and its adjacent quadrangles were requisitioned and converted into Wangfujing Hotel.

An article in Beijing Evening News said that Gu Hongming's former residence was located in an alley in the south concave of the west section of Hutong, covering an area of 130 square meters. To the west of the front of the street is a small guard room attached to the wall; Three rooms in the north of the courtyard are ridge tile houses, and one room in the south is a platform with grey roof, with a total construction area of 60 square meters. In 1980s, Bai Shu Hutong No.26 and its adjacent quadrangles were requisitioned and converted into Wangfujing Hotel. Looking through the gate of Building 24, there is a parking lot with vegetation between Building 24 and Building 30. I wonder if this is land.

But Gu Hongming is indeed a historical figure that we should not forget. Cha gu hongming's chronicle. 1907 went to Beijing as the foreign affairs department with Zhang Zhidong, then taught in Peking University, and finally 1928 died. During this period, he lived in Beijing for nearly 20 years except for short stops in Shanghai, Qingdao and Japan. Some celebrities, including internationally renowned writers Mao Mu, Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Tagore, have visited Chunshu Hutong and his land machine in Jinan. However, since the May 4th Movement, Gu Hongming, as a representative of royalism and cultural conservatism, has been criticized, and his position and value as a scholar have been neglected for a long time. His former residence is naturally difficult to protect. Now a name on the nameplate of Hutong is valuable!

Gu Ming braid is a unique scenery in China in the early years of the Republic of China. Zhou Zuoren vividly described this landscape in The Year of the Cultural Grinch: Biography of Gu Hongming: Gu Hongming had a foreigner with deep eyes, a high nose, and a bunch of yellow hair on his head, but it was braided. In winter, wear a long-sleeved coat of chestnut Ningsi and a small melon skin hat. Not to mention Beijing around the decade of the Republic of China. Even in the early Qing dynasty, when we met such a priest on the way to a small city, we couldn't help but open our eyes and be fascinated by it. What is particularly wonderful is that this rickshaw driver was found in the countryside, otherwise the rest of Xuzhou braid soldiers would not know. He is also a man with big braid on his back, and he happens to be a couple with the teacher in the classroom. He waited in the carriage outside the Red Mansion, and he didn't lose a special figure in the rickshaw team.

Liang Shiqiu described this more vividly: ancestors like to chase the pleasure of others, regardless of decoration, hanging long braids, and the greasy clothes on red dates and sky-blue robes are particularly instructive. People standing in front don't need to look in the mirror, that is, they have the pleasure of self-pity.

Some people say that Gu Hongming's braid complex represents his conservatism and stubbornness. This is only part of the truth. In fact, Gu Hongming is conservative about the traditional culture of China. 192 1 year, Gu Hongming said to the British writer Mao Mu, Look, I have a braid. This is a sign. I am the last representative of China. He called his western civilization a land of four barbarians, and his unique image was an alternative response to modern civilization. Gu Ming said that foreigners will never show us a little respect just because we cut off our pigtails and put on our suits. Let's not evaluate Gu Hongming's uniqueness. His courage to fight and persist alone is beyond today's reach, because fighting and persistence are extinct in China today, especially in China.

But his alternative image was not tolerated by people at that time and was ridiculed by many people. At that time, Gu Hongming dragged a pig's tail to give a lecture at Peking University, which attracted many students. Gu Ming said to the students: The braid on my head is tangible, but the braid in your heart is invisible. Later, he said something similar in Taiwan Province Province. When giving lectures in Taiwan Province Province, he would tell some hilarious things when he was in high spirits. His clothes are strange. He always wears a blue robe. Wearing a Dan-topped melon skin hat and a long braid, at first glance, who believes that he is an old-timer studying in China? Sometimes he scolds others: Do you think wearing a suit and a fashionable hairstyle is fashionable enough?

Gu Ming is not only knowledgeable, but also, as a professor in Peking University, his classes are very popular with students. Gu mingjue is also very strange. If from today, he grandstanding in class. His eccentric style and funny behavior must be unqualified teachers today and must be expelled from the class.

Just give a few examples: When Gu Hongming first met Hu Shi at Peking University, there was a conflict. You know, Hu Shi is Dewey's disciple, and he got 36 doctorates. His trendy ideas made young doctors studying in the United States famous overnight, just when they were red and purple. But when Gu Hongming saw Hu Shi, he asked, What do you do? Hu Shi said: Teaching at Peking University. Gu Ming said: We are colleagues. By the way, what do you teach? Hu Shi said: teaching the history of western philosophy. Gu Ming then switched to Latin to talk with Hu Shi. Hu Shi said, I'm sorry, I don't I don't know Latin. Gu Ming said: Ancient philosophy was dominated by Greeks, while modern philosophy was dominated by Germans. Hu Shi, I don't know German or Latin. Didn't you teach philosophy to cheat children? He also criticized Hu Shi for studying lower-middle English in the United States. Hu is very angry with him. Since then, the two masters have made enemies and often fight and go to court.

When Gu Ming attends classes at Peking University, he always brings a little servant to pack cigarettes and pour tea for him. He doesn't attend classes and doesn't use textbooks. Even if there are textbooks, they are just furnishings. Because he has too much knowledge and too active thoughts in his mind, how can a dead textbook make him look up to it? In the first class, he wore a dirty robe with a braid at the back of his head, which caused the students to burst into laughter. In the first part, he asked the students to open the first page. Until the end of the semester, he still asked the students to open the first page. He speaks English poems, enjoys the vast sky, gallops freely, is humorous and curses with a smile. Speaking of pride, he either sings a ditty or takes out some peanut candy and munches on it. Therefore, his classes are always the most popular. He is very strict with his students. Every time in class, he has to make three rules with them: once in the classroom, students must stand up and salute; After class, he goes first, and the students go again; If students can't recite a book before class, they can't sit and stand; Join a class that can tolerate constraints, but those who can't can leave this class as soon as possible. He gave the students excellent English homework, asked them to translate the chronicle of British Malaya in English, rebuilt Tongmin Anfang and persuaded them to donate money.

As a teacher, my image and manners are not up to standard, but I teach my students the most knowledge. From this point of view, he is better than a teacher who follows the rules, not to mention a teacher who follows the book and has no thoughts. As the leader of China University, Ku Zhi Ming can become a professor at Peking University, which is naturally attributed to President Cai Yuanpei. Without Cai Yuanpei, there would be no Gu Hongming. There are so many professors in China University today, but none of them are masters. There are many reasons for this, but the lack of Cai Yuanpei-style educators as university presidents is probably an important reason.

Gu Ming admired Confucianism. He is eloquent and shows his wit and humor everywhere. He teaches Latin and other courses at Peking University. When he can't, if he can't play his orthodoxy, he will always find opportunities to vent. Once, he entertained European and American friends at his home in Chunshu Hutong. The small and humble yard is shabby enough. Lighting is kerosene lamps. It was dark and the smoke was choking. Moreover, these European and American friends are not ignorant of the true meaning of Jinan Pailu. So some people say that kerosene lamps are not as bright as electric lights and steam lights. Gu Ming knows that we orientals pay attention to understanding and observing nature. Orientals understand that oil lamps are lit by themselves. Oriental: No, I don't pay attention to superficial kung fu like westerners. Ku Ming's remarks really fooled his friends in Europe and America.

Now many people will talk about Gu Hongming's pigtails and his strange hobby of loving feet, but forget that in that stormy age, no one in this stubborn old man made a sound to the world like China. He opposed the western philosophy of advocating interests and let the eastern civilization blossom and bear fruit in the western world. Guy Salvatore Alitto, a famous contemporary American sinologist, commented in his book Rebuilding Peace with the People written in Chinese that there was an atmosphere of pessimism and disillusionment in Europe during and after the war. At that time, Gu was very popular. His books are required reading for philosophy courses in European universities and have been translated into many European languages. Many western philosophers quote their