Life and Sinking Lake - (Academic Forum Topic 02)

Author: Qian Liqun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The professor's lectures are so captivating that it's no wonder there are so many students. Only about thirty are required to attend, yet the classroom, which seats over a hundred, is always packed to the brim. On sunny Wednesdays, listening to the professor's lectures under the beautiful sunlight is truly a blessing. I love when the professor reads articles to us. At that time, we can listen to him easily, even lazily, getting lost in thought or drifting off slightly. Seeing the sunlight makes us dance with joy. – From the Peking University "New Youth" website article "Wishing Professor Qian a speedy recovery."
I've heard students call me "lovable" more than once—in all the various evaluations of me, this is something I enjoy and cherish. I even hope these words will be inscribed on my tombstone: "This was a lovable person." This is the great pursuit of my life. I must admit, I often sharply criticize Peking University, and I won’t deny my profound disappointment in today’s university. As a result, some people at Peking University despise me. However, those who truly understand my deep love for the university and support me are also its students. Peking University will always be my spiritual sanctuary.
I want to write about the "Chinese story" and "my story" of the 20th century, with the two serving as references and supplements, perhaps forming a coherent system. Completing such work may give me an advantage in age: compared to my younger friends, I am now in my old age, yet I possess experiences and insights they lack. In the community of the elderly, I am still a "youngster," so I still have the energy to engage in research.
Yes, I exist. I am striving. We support each other in this way. – That is enough. To put it simply, over the past 20 years, the work I have done can be summarized in one point: "lecturing on Lu Xun" and attempting to "continue the story," in order to transform the century’s suffering of the nation, family, and individuals into spiritual resources.
—Qian Liqun