On December 9th, the opening ceremony of "Chasing the Light - Zang Kejia Memorial Hall" was held at the Museum of Shandong University (Qingdao). Recently, the reporter interviewed Zheng Suyi, the daughter of the Zang Ke family, and listened to her share the story behind the exhibition, as well as the bits and pieces of Mr. Zang Kejia's life.
Zheng Suyi at the opening ceremony.
Many of the donated paintings and calligraphy are related to Shandong University.
Reporter: Why did you donate Mr. Zang Kejia's belongings to Shandong University?
Zheng Suyi: The first donation to Shandong University was in 2002. At that time, the old courtyard house was going to be demolished and moved, and my father was very fond of books, and there were more books, so where to go for books became a problem, because the new home was not as spacious as the original courtyard.
My father was very ill at the time and wrote me a letter asking to donate the books to my alma mater, Shandong University. In his letter, he said: "It is a great matter to donate books to the country and to the people, so that people can read, read, and grow knowledge." He was 97 years old at the time, his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't form words, but he was very affectionate to his alma mater. I picked out more than 3,000 books for Shandong University, including my father's books, "Twenty-four History", "Wen Yiduo Complete Works", etc., as well as some autographed books.
My father died in 2004. My father told us before his death that he had collected a lot of precious calligraphy and paintings in his life, and these calligraphy and paintings were never allowed to be divided by his children, and they had to be donated to a unit as a whole, but he did not say who he would donate them to. My mother also passed away in 2009. In 2013, we felt that this matter had dragged on for a long time, so the four brothers and sisters sat together to discuss and unanimously agreed to donate it to Shandong University. One reason is that four generations of our family have been studying at Shandong University. Another reason is that many of the paintings and calligraphy to be donated are related to Shandong University, for example, some authors have worked as teachers at Shandong University. Therefore, we think it makes more sense to donate to Shandong University.
There are calligraphy by Wen Yiduo, Guo Moruo, Mao Dun, Lao She, Wang Tongzhao, Ye Shengtao, Bingxin, Cao Jinghua, Feng Zhi, Shen Congwen, Duanmu Yuliang, Tang Tao, He Qifang and other teachers and friends, as well as Liu Haisu and Wu Zuoren's calligraphy and paintings. These are very precious, and my father used them as treasures when he was alive. He always told us that these are half of the history of modern Chinese literature, and these friends are half of his spiritual strength.
In 2019, we donated another batch of books.
In August 2023, Shandong University wants to build a memorial hall for my father, and we donate it for the fourth time. Including "The Complete Works of Mao Dun", four famous books, many precious autographed books from teachers and friends, and my father's treasured books about *** and several old handsome.
Zang Kejia's student card at National Qingdao University (now Shandong University)**, photographed in 1930.
The memorial hall has a reading corner where students can read books.
What is more special is a mahogany desk, which was the first desk that my father used when he returned to Beijing after the founding of New China. This desk was relatively high, and he didn't use it very easily, so he changed it to another one. According to experts, this desk is from the Ming Dynasty, and it was left in my house before, and this time we also donated it to Shandong University, because the memorial hall wants to restore the real historical scene.
In the end, the memorial scene was restored very well. My sister said that after watching it, she was going to shed tears, which is very realistic. We felt it was worthwhile to donate these things to give people a glimpse of what my father was really doing at home at the time.
When the memorial hall was being built, I told the school that I wanted to have a reading corner where my father's books could be displayed so that visitors could look through them. Because when my father donated books for the first time, he repeatedly instructed that the purpose of donating these books to my alma mater was to benefit the students. It is especially important to say that these books are not for collection, but for the best use. Later, every time we donated, we also said, don't think that these books are the Zang Ke's collection, so we lock them up. We want students and readers to be able to read it. The memorial has also done a good job of this.
Reporter: It's a short time to prepare for this exhibition, right?
Suyi Jung: Very short. When Shandong University contacted us, it was probably August 2023. I am very touched by the fact that this memorial has been built so well in less than 4 months. Sometimes it's almost 11 o'clock in the evening and the curator sends me WeChat to discuss, which is not easy. I think it's good and satisfying to be able to do it to this extent.
Reading corner of the Zang Kejia Memorial Hall.
I especially cherish Mr. Wen Yiduo's words.
Reporter: Are there any special stories in the donated collection?
Take calligraphy and painting as an example, there is calligraphy written by Mr. Wen Yiduo to my father. It was written in October 1944, with the words "The Forty First Degrees of the Ke Family", which was written to congratulate my father on his 40th birthday. More than a year later, Mr. Wen Yiduo was assassinated and died. Mr. Wen Yiduo is my father's mentor, and the two have a very deep relationship, so my father especially cherishes this character. I read that he recalled in the article that once on a boat, the painting was slightly stained, and he was very distressed. Most of the rest of the calligraphy and paintings were specially written by my father after he came back from the cadre school in the early 70s of the 20th century, such as Mao Gong (Mao Dun), Ye Lao (Ye Shengtao), and Mr. Bingxin.
These things are the most precious things he thinks, and he tells us to keep them. When we moved in 2002, we didn't dare to use the moving company for fear of damage, so we packed it ourselves and pulled it back to our new home on a tricycle.
Reporter: What kind of books does Mr. Zang Kejia usually like to read, and what kind of books does the collection mainly focus on?
Zheng Suyi: The books he particularly likes to read are definitely literature. My father liked to read classical Chinese literature the most, and he stacked it very high next to his bed, full of books. At that time, I joked with him: "If this is the best, the book can smash you." "Almost all the books he reads every day are classical literature, including poetry, prose, and literary theory. His collection of books is mostly classical literature, and there are also many modern literatures, most of which are of course donated by friends.
I appreciate Su Dongpo's open-mindedness and fearlessness of power the most.
Reporter: What are the ancient masters that Mr. Zang Kejia likes?
Zheng Suyi: He has a good foundation in classical Chinese literature, and his literary creation is deeply influenced by classical Chinese poetry. He especially likes Su Dongpo, because Su Dongpo has been the governor of Mizhou for several years, which is now Zhucheng and my father's hometown. Many of Su Dongpo's famous words were written in Mizhou. My father especially admired Su Dongpo's open-mindedness, fearless of power, and devoted himself to doing practical things for the people wherever he became an official. Su Dongpo also did a lot for the local people in Mizhou. He also likes some lyricists and poets in Shandong, such as Li Qingzhao and Xin Qiji.
Reporter: Does Mr. Zang Kejia usually tell his family about his experience?
Zheng Suyi: It's really rare, very rare. He was usually very busy, and most of the communication with us was at the dinner table. I was his assistant for 20 years, but we didn't know much about him until then. After I became his assistant, I compiled some books, and from his own narration and memoirs, I learned about my father's life.
Reporter: You didn't know before?
Zheng Suyi: Yes, he rarely tells his children about his past. The point is that there is no time.
I have to get up at 5 o'clock every day and go for a walk.
Reporter: What kind of person is Mr. Zang Kejia in life?
Zheng Suyi: His daily life is to read newspapers, care about national affairs, write diligently, and spend most of his day writing, and then making friends, and meeting customers a lot. My father was very warm to people, and he was very welcoming to people who knew him or not. There aren't any celebrity shelves. When you really contact him, you know that he is a very kind old man.
There is one thing I particularly admire, he was a soldier, he has a very strong self-control, and he has a regular life. He has been in poor health since he was a teenager, but why did he live to be 99 years old?Because of his strong willpower, I would never be able to do what he could do. He had to get up at 5 o'clock every day and go out for a walk, whether it was windy, rainy, snowy, unless he was hospitalized or sick, he never stopped, and he had to go out for a walk 4 times a day.
When he was in his 90s, he once fell and suffered a compression fracture of the 12th thoracic vertebrae. The doctor told him that he had to stay at home for three months and that he had to stay in bed. As a result, he couldn't lie down for more than ten days, so my brother and I helped him walk on the ground every day. At that time, he was sweating in pain, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered. During the three-month re-examination, the old man walked to the doctor with his cane on his own, which shocked the doctor.
The weight of friendship is more important than family affection.
Reporter: Are people who are so strict with themselves strict with their children's education?
Zheng Suyi: This is not true. My father mainly taught us by word and deed, and he was not particularly strict in learning, and he had to get the first place, no. For example, at the end of the school year, the semester is over, show him the transcript, he will simply comment, but usually do not urge us to study.
Why is he so strict with us?It is to set the rules for us, and we are absolutely not allowed to show off outside under his banner. This is a tacit understanding of our family, all the children are very low-key, if others don't introduce or mention it outside, they never say that they are the children of the Zang Ke family. The rule he set for us is to work hard and be honest, which is the default family rule.
Reporter: Will Mr. Zang Kejia pay special attention to children's language education and literary creation?
Zheng Suyi: There will be edification. My father didn't put it into words, saying how you should write this essay. His guidance is to buy us books and let us read. I don't force me to read it, as long as I am interested, he will buy it for you and show it to you. So we have a lot of books in our house, which are imperceptible and imperceptible.
Reporter: Could you please talk about some of your experiences as an assistant to Mr. Zang Kejia?
Zheng Suyi: I started working as a father's assistant in 1984, when the Writers' Association wanted to match a group of old writers with assistants, and my father thought that it would be more convenient for his children, so I started to do it. I didn't know about my father before, but I knew that he wrote poetry, which was more famous, and his poems were included in textbooks. Since I became his assistant, I sorted out many books, especially "The Complete Works of the Zang Ke Family", and wrote him a book "The Words of the Old Man of the Century: Zang Kejia Volume", only to find that although my father has experienced ups and downs in his life, he has always loved the motherland and the people, criticized the darkness, and pursued the light.
When I put together his manuscripts, what touched me the most were the poems and essays of my old friends who were full of affection. In the preface to one of his essays, I said: "In my father's mind, on the scales of family and friendship, friendship weighs more weight than family affection. When my father saw it, he said, "It makes me feel good." ”
In 1949, he bought a dress at a thrift stall and wore it ever since.
Reporter: Does he set a fixed time every day to create literature?
Zheng Suyi: When there are no guests scheduled, he goes out for a walk in the morning, comes back from a workout to eat, and then locks himself in his room and starts writing, which is very diligent. He's actually quite bitter. Not only did he write his own works, but he also had to write prefaces, reviews, banners, and commissions for newspapers and magazines. He is more enthusiastic about people, and he can't bear to refuse people. There are some manuscripts that he really doesn't want to write, but he can't help it.
Reporter: This also reflects Mr. Zang Kejia's enthusiasm.
Suyi Zheng: Yes. He was once in Qingdao to write a banner for people, and he couldn't move his waist and lay down for many days. He does what others tell him to do, and basically does not refuse others. They said they wanted to give him some honorarium, but he didn't want it. He always said, "I'm serving the people, so why not?"He said that people were willing to ask for my things, and I felt very happy.
When my father died, the old neighbors spontaneously came to see him off. He is very good with the old neighbors in our alley, and he knows who is married and funeral, and often wanders around people's homes to chat with people when he has nothing to do. He doesn't like suits and leather shoes, and he doesn't pay attention to eating, he likes to eat green onions, garlic, peanuts, and fire.
Reporter: It's a very Shandong way to eat.
Zheng Suyi: Yes, it's very Shandong. Wearing clothes is a large cotton jacket and cloth-soled shoes, and leather shoes are almost not worn, all of them are cloth shoes. A piece of clothing wears for decades.
Reporter: How to dress comfortably.
Suyi Zheng: Yes. My father had an overcoat that he bought at a thrift stall in 1949 and wore until his death, which is now on display in the Zhucheng Hall of Fame. The collar and sleeves were all worn out, and I bought him several of them, but he liked to wear them. I don't care about food and clothing at all, I don't have any requirements, and I pursue spiritual satisfaction even more.
Popular news client Zhang Jiulong).