Scholars on the Century Gate—Sun Yat-fang

Author: Deng Jiaying
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: His personality is like bamboo—elegant and refined, with a strong moral character that refuses to bend even under pressure. He possesses the resilience to grow in any type of soil and a humble heart. His integrity remains unshaken by external pressures. Zheng Banqiao’s poem seems tailor-made for him:
"Biting into the green mountains, never yielding,
Rooted in the broken rocks, steadfast.
Through thousands of trials, still firm,
Unmoved by east, west, north, or south wind."
He was labeled as "China’s Liebermann" and fell victim to the struggle sessions and persecution. Some warned, "The political climate is tense—don’t speak up!" He waved his sleeves and replied, "I am an economist, not a meteorologist. Wind? Sorry, I haven’t studied that!"
In prison, he wrote A Theory of Socialist Economy in the form of a manuscript, totaling over 300,000 words. It was truly a challenge! After completing a chapter with analysis and insights, the drafted text would vanish when he tried to outline the next one. He had to rewrite it twice, three times, and so on. With the perseverance that moved storms and wept ghosts, he revised the manuscript eighty-five times in total. Throughout history, from counting with knots to phonetic scripts, has anyone ever undertaken such a grand endeavor?
He was deeply passionate about academic freedom and open debate, advocating for name-calling in public discussions. At one conference, he handed a note to Yu Guangyuan, saying they had already debated eight issues and hoped to complete a round to make it a whole number.
"I’m an old cow who can’t produce milk anymore!" Even in his final days, he endured his illness to write Twice as Much in Twenty Years: Not Only Politically Guaranteed, but Also Technologically Assured. Leaders like Hu Yaobang and Chen Yun praised his work as excellent. This was the last drop of red tears shed by the candle of life.