Recall the day when I visited the old gentleman in Zhou Youguang.

I remember 2003120 10/65438 on October 9th. Under the leadership of my good friend Professor Gong Yi from China Academy of Social Sciences, we arrived at the home of the old man in Zhou Youguang at 3pm as scheduled. The delegation also visited a professor from Central University of Finance and Economics and Mr. Cao from China Offshore Oil Corporation. When I visited, I brought my photo album "Approaching Israel" to the old man and asked him to give me some advice.

As soon as we entered the room, we found Mr. Zhou Lao already sitting in his 9-square-meter study waiting for us. Professor Gong and Professor Lin are old friends of Mr. Zhou Lao. When Professor Gong introduced us as fellow villagers in Changzhou, Zhou Lao was particularly happy. He smiled and told us that he would be 109 years old in two and a half months. His mental state is particularly good, and his conversation is smooth and orderly. When he smiled, his eyes showed the childlike innocence of the curved moon. Interestingly, when he lived to 80, he cleared his age. Starting from 8 1, he is exactly 28 years old this year and 29 years old next year. Zhou Lao, 108 years old, radiant and quick-thinking. He picked up one of my business cards and looked at it with a magnifying glass. He smiled and said humorously, "You made the pinyin on this business card yourself." Zhou Lao is a master of China's spoken and written languages and is recognized as the "father of Chinese Pinyin". In Professor Gong's view, it is difficult to have today's "China Literature Museum" without Mr. Zhou Youguang, which can be said to be Mr. Zhou Lao's great contribution to China's language and writing. That day, Zhou Lao specially gave me two books written by him and signed his name, which made me a treasure.

Zhou Youguang's original name was Zhou Yaoping, and "Zhou Youguang" was his pen name. 190665438+1October 13 was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu. His former residence is in Qingguo Lane, Changzhou City. He is a financial economist and an economist. He is familiar with English, French and Japanese. When I was working on Wall Street in the United States, I talked with the great scientist Ai En Stein many times. 1949 returned to China to teach economics at Fudan University and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. From 1955, I transferred to Beijing to engage in text reform and write Chinese Pinyin. In 2005, Zhou Youguang, aged 65,438+000, published The Collection of Shells. According to Zhou Youguang's own statement, he started a new life at the age of 80, and had to study at the age of 100.

This cross-century old man has experienced four times: the late Qing Dynasty, Beiyang, the Republic of China, the Chinese people and the Republic of China. Some people call him "the elder of the four dynasties", and what's more, he is a microcosm of China's transformation from tradition to modernity in the past century. Mr Zhou Youguang likes to drink coffee. He has a sunny mind and cheerful personality, and insists on lifelong learning, which is also the secret of his health, happiness and longevity.

He is a member of China Democratic League, and we are comrades of the League. 1 month 13 is Mr. Zhou Lao's birthday. He left the world that loved him the day after 1 12 birthday. I respect him from the bottom of my heart and miss him.