On November 1, 1937, the National Changsha Provisional University, which was established by the National Peking University, the National Tsinghua University and the private Nankai University, opened in Changsha (this day also became the anniversary of Southwest Associated University). Due to the bombing of Changsha by Japanese planes, in mid-February 1938, with the approval of the Ministry of Education of China, Changsha Provisional University moved west to Kunming in three ways. In April 1938, it was renamed National Southwest Associated University.
National Southwest Associated University is a comprehensive university that was relocated to Kunming after the start of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Southwest Associated University existed for more than 8 years, and ceased to operate on July 31, 1946. During this period, although only 3,882 students graduated from Southwest Associated University, it produced 2 Nobel Prize winners, 4 winners of the highest national science and technology awards, 8 winners of the Meritorious Service Medal of Two Bombs and One Star, 171 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and more than 100 masters of humanities.
What is the secret of a university in the midst of ups and downs that has cultivated so many talents?Today's WeChat, we will take you to listen to some vivid and real stories-
On the morning of November 1, 2017, Peking University exhibited the graduation certificates of Southwest Associated University students.
A university with "no land under and no tiles on it".
Southwest Associated University was born in the midst of the billowing smoke of gunpowder.
On the evening of July 7, 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident occurred. The sound of gunfire rolled in the clouds, plundering from the southwestern suburbs of Beijing, and the Lugou Bridge was provoked by the Japanese army. The 29th Army of the Chinese garrison resisted and was defeated. At about 5 o'clock in the morning of the next day, Wanping City was bombarded. Immediately after that, the Pingjin area fell in battle.
The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression then broke out in full force.
In July of the same year, Lin Jiaqiao, a master of applied mathematics, completed his Xi at Tsinghua Garden. On the night of the Lugou Bridge Incident, he and his classmates clearly heard the sound of the enemy's attacking guns.
The site of the bomb crater in Wanping City.
Subsequently, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Nankai moved to Changsha to form a temporary university, but it still could not escape the iron hooves of the Japanese invaders. Nanjing and Wuhan have been in a hurry or have fallen, and the land and plain of China have entered a time of crisis.
The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China decided that the teaching of Changsha Provisional University should be relocated to Kunming immediately.
The gate of Southwest Associated University.
In April 1938, Southwest Associated University, composed of Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University, was established in Kunming.
This is a long march of education, which is unique in China and in the world. Students measure every inch of the country with their footsteps. They are far away from their hometowns, far away from their homeland, and have walked through countless long days and nights with only the enthusiasm of their youth and the spirit of their students.
Deng Jiaxian, the founder of "Two Bombs and One Star", was in his third year of high school when Beiping fell. When his father sent him out of Beiping, he admonished: "Son, you have to study science, and learn science for the country." ”
Later, Deng Jia first came to Kunming, Yunnan Province and was admitted to the Department of Physics of Southwest Associated University.
Nuclear physicist Deng Jiaxian.
There is also Li Zhengdao, who fled from the occupied area to Kunming on the way to Kunming, so that he experienced nine deaths at the age of 16.
Reading notes.
At that time, Japanese planes came every three or four hours, and the people in the teahouse had to go to the air-raid shelter outside the city, so I told the boss that I would clean the teahouse for you, and you just had to run away and retreat, and I would be responsible for everything. My only request was for me to eat leftovers.
The boss was very happy to hear this, and later other teahouses also asked me to clean them, and my life was maintained by risking my life to clean the teahouses for others.
It took him three years to arrive in Yunnan and study under Wu Dayou.
In 1937, Nanjing Middle School in Jiangyin, where Wang Zengqi studied, was suspended, when he was in his second year of high school. In order to continue his studies, he borrowed from all over the place, and two years later, he crossed most of South China and was admitted to the Department of Chinese Literature of Southwest Associated University.
Wen Yiduo, Yang Zhenning, Chen Yinke, Zhao Zhongyao, Lin Huiyin, Liang Sicheng, Fei Xiaotong, ......One after another important names in modern Chinese history converged at the Southwest Associated University. Just like the stars scattered on the land of China, they finally gathered and shined here, becoming a dazzling ray of light in the history of Chinese education.
The eight-year history and myth of Southwest Associated University have been opened, even at the beginning, this university "has no land under it, and there is no tile on it".
The salaries of teachers can't even afford 40 catties of tofu a month, let alone how to improve the school's hardware facilities.
When Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin came to Southwest Associated University, they were invited by President Mei Yiqi to design the school building. The drawings they submitted were rejected again and again.
Beijing, "Wax Art Exhibition of Chinese Modern Cultural Celebrities".
Liang Sicheng (right) and Lin Huiyin.
Together with this school, they have become one of the backbones of the Chinese.
Zhang Shiying's university diploma, "National Southwest Associated University".
Masters govern the school and build a free spirit
The style of Southwest Associated University can be appreciated by the writers of modern Chinese literature first.
When Wang Zengqi applied for the Southwest Associated University, half of South China was bumpy and tossing, causing him to suffer from falciparum malaria.
He was 19 years old at the time, and when he was admitted to the hospital, he had a high fever of more than 40 degrees, and he was already critically ill.
As soon as he was able to drink a bowl of egg drop soup, he entered the examination room.
Li Rong, Wang Zengqi (center) and ** Xi.
Wang Zengqi is a free and chic person, which can be seen from his ** at that time. He stood in the middle, flanked by Li Rong and ** Xi. All three were dressed in long shirts, and they were even a little raunchy.
When Wang Zengqi was a student, he seemed to carry out a kind of literati freedom to the extreme. He takes classes as he likes, takes the classes he likes, and doesn't go to any classes he doesn't like. His favorite is Shen Congwen and Wen Yiduo's classes, and he is never absent.
Although Shen Congwen's lecture has a strong Xiangxi accent, it is difficult to understand, but once you understand it, you can benefit a lot. Shen Congwen once said that writing should be "written close to the characters", and this sentence will be useful to Wang Zengqi for life.
Teacher Wen Yiduo's class made Wang Zengqi sigh: "It makes people feel a kind of beauty, the beauty of thought, the beauty of logic, and the beauty of talent."
Wang Zengqi is free to attend classes, and the teacher is also free to give lectures. Professors don't stick to the form of their lectures, they can talk as they want. Students are also free to audit other professors' classes. For students in the Department of Literature, they can submit a book report with original insights for their final assignments. Such a free spirit has given students like Wang Zengqi great room for growth.
Wang Zengqi also later recalled the past: "If I hadn't studied at Southwest Associated University, maybe I wouldn't have become a writer." At least not to be a writer like now. ”
Reading notes.
The spirit of independence and the idea of freedom are the backbone of Southwest Associated University and the backbone of every student like Wang Zengqi.
In just eight years, the Southwest Associated University has produced 2 Nobel Prize winners, 4 winners of the highest national science and technology award, 8 winners of the Meritorious Service Medal of Two Bombs and One Star, 171 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and more than 100 humanities masters. "Thatched roofs, tin classrooms, the world's top talents. On November 1, 2017, 91-year-old academician Long Yuqiu trembled his hands and wrote this sentence at the 80th anniversary of the founding of Southwest Associated University.
Why is Southwest Associated University able to cultivate so many talents?
To this question, Mr. He Zhaowu, an 86-year-old student of Southwest Associated University, gave the answer: "Freedom." ”
Interestingly, in the 80s of the last century, Shen Congwen visited abroad and a foreign sinologist who studied the United Nations University asked him: "The conditions of the Anti-Japanese War were so difficult, why did the talents cultivated by the Southwest Associated University in eight years exceed the total talents of Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Nankai University in the 30 years before the war?"Shen Congwen replied with two words: "Freedom." ”
For "freedom", many students of Southwest Associated University have their own deep feelings.
Kokota, a student at the United Nations University in 1940, said, "Do you want to know what the United Nations University is?There is no flag-raising morning exercise, and there is no commemorative weekly precept, and it is not like other universities, where there is a month of freshman training to instill you with the history of the school and the president's remarks. ”
Mu Dan, a student of the United Nations University and a famous poet, said: "How free is Southwest Associated University to do academics?Teachers have almost all the initiative and decision-making power in terms of teaching content, teaching methods and academic evaluation. ”
Wang Zengqi recalled: "The teacher has absolute freedom to give lectures, and what and how to speak is all controlled by himself. Because of their freedom, professors are extremely innovative, "proud of their pioneering ideas and ashamed of reading from the textbook."
Among professors, there is a fierce competition of opinions, and it has become a trend. For example, He Lin appreciates Wang Yangming's theory of "unreasonableness outside the heart" and opposes reason outside the heart, while Feng Youlan's ideological views are just the opposite. But both Mr. He and Mr. Feng are very respected by the students.
Auditing is a common practice at the United Nations General Assembly, where not only students can observe teachers' classes at will, but teachers also observe each other. Wen Yiduo and Shen Youding, the two of them held the "I Ching" class together, and often audited each other. Auditing means free choice, broadening horizons, and academic dialogue.
Perhaps, a university that is free is the one that truly cultivates human resources
Belief support
Awe
Not only freedom, but also the students of Southwest Associated University have a convergence of knowledge and spirit.
As Feng Youlan wrote on the monument of the Southwest Associated University:
Reading notes.
The three schools have different histories, different academic styles, and have cooperated seamlessly for eight years. The same is not harmful, and the same is not harmful;The five colors complement each other;Eight-note ensemble, the end is harmonious and flat.
In the special era, the eight-tone ensemble of all the teachers and students of Southwest Associated University integrated more salvation spirit and backbone.
The conscience and character of the Southwest Associated University are also reflected in their studies.
Chen Yinke arrived at Southwest Associated University, and every time he taught, he adhered to academics and was very serious.
When I was in class, I often carried a black cloth bag, which contained the historical materials to be cited during the class.
He would enter the classroom early and carefully copy the main historical materials on the blackboard for students to Xi.
If there is a historical material, we will talk about it, and if there is no historical material, we cannot talk about it, and we cannot talk about it. This is Chen Yinke's way of studying. Moreover, Chen Yinke practiced and never said empty words or big words.
He is worthy of learning and conscience.
Chen Yinke. At that time, Mr. Feng Youlan was the Dean of Literature of the United Nations University, and he admired Chen Yinke very much. Whenever Chen Yinke took the "History of Chinese Philosophy" class, Feng Youlan always followed behind him, watching Chen Yinke walk up to the podium, and then sat down under the stage, meticulously listening to the lecture and taking notes.
In his later years, Mr. Feng Youlan still said that Chen Yinke was a strange person who he had loved for a long time.
Feng Youlan. At that time, Chen Yinke's body was very weak. He was blind in his right eye, had difficulty walking, had a dazed vision, and every time he ran to the bomb shelter was a torture. Coupled with his own Xi of sleeping early and taking a nap, he is more likely to be sluggish in response to alarms.
During an air raid siren, when the madman Liu Wendian was about to run to the air-raid shelter, he suddenly remembered that Chen Yinke was not in good health, and immediately took a few students back to find it.
He has always been temperamental, but he is in awe of knowledge and learning. When they found Chen Yinke who was messing around in the crowd, several of them picked up Chen Yinke and ran to the air-raid shelter. It wasn't until I watched him enter the bomb shelter that I was relieved.
Reading notes.
Independence and freedom of the Southwest Associated Congress
It was built in that era of gunpowder
"Respect" and "love" between people.
The conditions are difficult, and we do not forget our original intention
Is life hard at the Southwest Associated University?Bitter.
Teachers and students lived in extreme poverty, and at that time, the slogan "All for the salvation of the country" was the spiritual food for all.
Almost all teachers are selling their possessions:
Fei Qing of the Law Research Institute exchanged all the books in his home for only 3,000 yuan
Principal Mei Yiqi, who was the Minister of Education of China, sold all his valuable things in order to set up a student service club and earn some extra money to subsidize the poor life of teachers.
Once, when he was late for class, he explained apologetically
Reading notes.
I just gave my mother-in-law's pastry stall on the street to guard the stall, she went to buy goods, but she was not good, I told her that I had a class at eight o'clock, she hadn't come back at half past seven, I had to leave the stall and run here, but today's dim sum sold very well, and there was money to earn!”
The students wiped away their tears, they knew that the principal had sold his valuable belongings in order to run the school, and even his wife had to go to the street to sell breakfast.
In Kunming Yunnan Normal University, the sculpture of Mei Yiqi, the old president of Tsinghua University.
In order to subsidize the family, Wen Yiduo carved seals and sold them for money. Engraved advertisements are handled by other professors:
Reading notes.
Xishui Wen Yiduo professor, advanced in the literary world, a famous scholar, distinguishing words in the millimang, several confidants;Talking about the primitiveness of elegance, the ...... is respected at homeThe short words are introduced, and the public is thin and moist behind. ”
The names of 12 gentlemen, including Mei Yiqi, Jiang Menglin, Feng Youlan, Tang Lan, Zhu Ziqing, and Shen Congwen, were signed.
During the Anti-Japanese War, when Professor Wen Yiduo was teaching at Southwest Associated University, he was forced by life to engrave stamps.
Zhou Peiyuan's Shanyi village is far away from the city of Kunming, there are no roads and no cars, so he goes to class and gets up at 5 a.m. Later, he bought a horse and rode it to class, and once the horse was frightened and almost dragged him to death.
Several professors who used to smoke eventually quit smoking or smoked home-made cigarettes because they really didn't have the money to buy them.
Not only that, but they also wear one piece of clothing a year. In winter, Zhu Ziqing only has a felt cloak used by horsemen to keep out the cold.
Life for students is not much better. Originally, they could barely eat food with eggs and meat, but because of inflation, by 1945, almost everyone could only eat. The students called the rice mixed with gravel, japonica husks, weeds, and rat feces "eight-treasure rice".
Reading notes.
Although life is hard, no one is defeated for such a day. Both the enthusiasm for learning and the perseverance of being a human being are displayed on the campus of the United Nations University.
The dormitories and classrooms are dimly lit, and students can only go to the library to read books. But the library has limited seating, and the entrance is crowded with young students an hour or two before it opens.
The former site of the Southwest Associated University in Kunming.
Not long after the library officially opened, all the benches would be packed with students. If at the end of the semester, there is really no vacancy for the resumption of Xi, many students can only spend a few cents to buy a pot of tea at the teahouse, and seriously resume Xi until it closes.
Textbooks are also scarce, and almost no one can afford to buy textbooks in the original language. The library has a limited number of books, and it is not uncommon for hundreds of people to borrow a few books. Librarians often come to us to see if the books have been returned and if they can be borrowed from others.
I really couldn't borrow it, so the students had to copy it. However, after graduation, the students of the United Nations University will be empty-handed, and there will be no textbooks to preserve.
Because their books have long been transferred to the next generation of juniors, handwritten textbooks from several years ago are circulating in all grades.
Such hardships have not damaged the backbone of the United Nations people.
Every month, the General Assembly of the University is held, which stands for "National Spirit Mobilization Meeting".
Countless celebrities came here to give speeches, and the "School Song of Southwest Associated University", which sang the lyrics composed by Luo Yong and Feng Youlan, was the most emotional moment.
Southwest Associated University school song.