Echo - Second Anniversary of the Passing of Mr. Li Funing

Author: Xu Shuhua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Listen to the Heartfelt Words of My Teacher
Li Funing, the late master, was plagued by various illnesses in his final years, unable to endure the torment, missing his deceased friends, and filled with deep sorrow. His spirits were depressed, and he found no relief, becoming quiet and sometimes shutting himself off from visitors. His disciples watched this with great anxiety, helpless in their situation. It wasn’t until the publication of his posthumous work, A Life in English Learning and Teaching (hereinafter referred to as A Life in English Learning), that we realized: it turned out that in those years, the master had accomplished an immortal and groundbreaking achievement that shook the field of foreign languages.
Imagine the master, already in his eighties, using the old method of typing with trembling hands, painstakingly reconstructing the lost years, one word at a time. What immense mental and physical effort was required? Imagine, while writing, the images of his mentors, such as Wu Mi and Qian Zhongshu, and his fellow scholars, such as Xu Guozhang, Wang Zuoliang, Yang Zhouhan, and Zhou Jueliang, flickering in his mind, their presence both comforting and painful. What unbearable longing and sorrow must he have endured?
Mr. Xu, Mr. Wang, Mr. Yang, and Mr. Zhou passed away too early, leaving behind no systematic historical records. Now, it is Mr. Funing who shoulders this heavy burden. Through his autobiography, A Life in English Learning, he completes the unfinished work of his mentors and friends, announcing the end of a generation of brilliant talents in the field of foreign languages, and also providing a historical summary of the turbulent, suffering, and stumbling foreign language education in the 20th century.
A Life in English Learning is the fruit of the master’s heart and soul, the last spark ignited before he left this world.
### I. Patriotism and Love for the People
A Life in English Learning is a true reflection of Mr. Funing’s lifelong patriotism and love for the people. Although he was a member of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, he supported the Communist Party of China, loved his country, his family, his teachers, his friends, and his students. His patriotic and people-loving stance is vividly shown in early 1950, when he had already qualified to write his doctoral dissertation at Yale University but learned that the People’s Republic of China had been established and liberation was approaching. He made a clear choice between staying at Yale to continue his studies or returning to dedicate himself to the educational cause of the new China.
As Mr. Funing himself wrote in his autobiography: “The country has been liberated, the People’s Republic has been established! I was very happy.” Encouraged by his classmates and the former president of Tsinghua University, Mei Yiqi, after 31 days of sea travel, he finally returned to Beijing to teach at Tsinghua University. I had the privilege of entering Tsinghua in 1950 and studying under Mr. Funing. His relationship with the Party is also reflected in his active participation in its activities, as mentioned in A Life in English Learning. For example, he took part in the review of translation documents for the 1952 Asian and Pacific Regional Peace Conference, the 1959 International Student Union Conference, and completed the translation of the five-volume English edition of Selected Works of Mao Zedong in 1976.
It should be noted that Mr. Funing also participated in the translation of documents for the 1958 Eighth National Congress of the Party, alongside other scholars such as Qian Zhongshu, Wang Zuoliang, Xu Guozhang, Fan Cunzhong, Xu Mengxiong, and his beloved disciple, my classmate, comrade, and relative, Huang Yongyi. Mr. Funing accepted the Party’s policy of ideological transformation for intellectuals. For instance, when studying Mao Zedong’s Talk at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art in 1956, he self-critically examined his own artistic views, balancing the artistic nature of literature with the needs of the masses.
Regardless of whether this transformation had any overly left-wing or unreasonable aspects at the time, he genuinely believed so, as did the vast majority of intellectuals in China. How can this be seen? A Life in English Learning tells us that after the “Gang of Four” was overthrown and the Party’s reform and opening-up policies were implemented, he had three opportunities to study abroad: in 1978 to Britain for research, in 1981 to visit Yale University, and from 1985 to 1986 to teach at Cornell University in the United States. He went with the sincere intention of learning, observing, and conducting research, and returned promptly upon completing his tasks. In contrast, some intellectuals in the teaching profession, who were personally impacted by the movements, failed to maintain a proper relationship between themselves and the Party and state, and when circumstances changed, they completely denied the Party and government. The contrast between the two is stark!
In 1997, when Hong Kong was returned to China, Mr. Funing, filled with joy, composed a poem titled Celebrating Hong Kong’s Return:
“Pearl of the South China Sea, Hong Kong City,
A century of national humiliation now cleared.
On the joyous day of Hong Kong’s return in 1997,
Never forget self-strengthening for peace and prosperity.”
This shows that Mr. Funing’s heart beats in rhythm with the Party, the nation, and the people.
The power of love is miraculous. A Life in English Learning is filled with Mr. Funing’s respect and admiration for his teachers, his friendship and humility toward his colleagues, and his care and expectations for his students. Additionally, his deep affection and devotion to his wife, his paternal love and guidance toward Li Xing, and his respect and trust in Shen Dan are truly admirable.
It is in this family where every member is a graduate supervisor, and where three generations are all Tsinghua alumni, that Mrs. Funing, Li Xing, and Shen Dan deeply understand Mr. Funing, giving him love, strength, and support, allowing him to conclude his life, his unfinished work, and the history of foreign language education in the 20th century with a brilliant flourish.
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