"Eighty Reminiscences of My Parents and Teachers"

Author: Qian Mu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: I was an orphan at the age of twelve when my father passed away, and I was still a child, ignorant of the world. Thirty-six years later, my mother also left me, and I was forty-eight at the time, living alone in Chengdu, unable to return to my hometown to attend her funeral. Due to the hardships I faced, I did not notify my friends or colleagues, nor did I arrange for a funeral procession or mourning rites. I simply shut myself in my home, crying bitterly into the night until I could no longer bear it. At the age of seventy-one, I celebrated the centennial anniversary of my parents' death. That year, I had already resigned from my duties at the New Asia College and was suffering from eye disease, undergoing surgery in the hospital.
Content of the Book: I was born in the village of Xiaodaojing, Nan Yanshang, Xishui, Jiangsu, in a family of five generations living together. Tracing its origins, it can be traced back to my eighteenth-generation ancestor, a man of great wealth, who owned ten thousand acres of fertile land on both banks of Xiaodaojing. He had no parents and no children, living only with his wife. Around the age of thirty, the eighteenth-generation ancestor fell ill with a severe weakness. Despite the efforts of nearby and distant physicians and countless remedies, his condition worsened daily. One day, his wife told him, "I have long wanted to say something, but I dare not speak for fear of your refusal, which would only lead to blame." The eighteenth-generation ancestor replied, "Given my illness, if there is anything you can do, I will do it without hesitation. Even if it is truly beyond my ability, there will be no grounds for blame." His wife said, "Your illness is beyond the reach of medicine. Qian family members have achieved fame through self-study, dedicating their lives to learning, encompassing the four branches of knowledge, and leaving behind a vast body of works. This book is a collection of recollections of his parents, teachers, and friends, written after the age of eighty. The emotions are sincere, leaving readers in awe. Readers not only gain insight into Qian Mu's life of learning, writing, and character but also catch a glimpse of the general outline of modern academic trends. Dedicated readers can also sense the changes in "national society, family customs, atmosphere, and the thoughts and academic pursuits of this century" through this book, as well as many little-known anecdotes and about Qian Mu's colleagues such as Hu Shi, Tang Yongtong, Meng Sen, Gu Jiegang, and Chen Yinque, among others.