Criminal Law: A Collection of New Essays in Honor of Professor He Peng's 80th Birthday (Two Volumes)

Author: Written by the Compilation Team of this Book
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: On August 26, 2004, Professor He Peng celebrated his 80th birthday. On this day, many of his disciples from Beijing, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and other places gathered in the spring city to hold a warm and grand celebration in honor of him. Later, the disciples agreed to establish the "Three-One Project," which includes "a directory, a video disc, and a commemorative collection." Now, the "directory" and "video disc" have been completed, and the "commemorative collection" has also been published with the active efforts of the two senior lawyers, Wang Li and Li Guifang, and the strong support of the Legal Publishing House. However, due to the large number of articles included, the "commemorative collection" has expanded from one volume to two. At this time, I have been commissioned by my fellow disciples to write the preface for the "commemorative collection." Although I feel that my writing skills are inadequate to undertake this task, as the first master's and doctoral student of Professor He Peng, I also feel that I cannot shirk my responsibility. Therefore, I am delighted to accept this task. As the preface to this collection, it is appropriate to discuss Professor He Peng's academic status and thought in the field of criminal law first. However, Comrade Wang Zhiyuan has written the "Biographical Introduction to Professor He Peng," which I have read several times and find highly appropriate and well-done, so there is no need for me to elaborate further. I have specially selected a few unforgettable incidents to inspire younger scholars like myself.
One incident, I entered Jilin University's Law Department (which was still a unified department at the time) in 1980 as a student majoring in criminal law. I was also the only master's student in that cohort. At that time, in addition to me, only Teacher Lai Yu attended Professor He Peng's lectures. Despite this, Professor He Peng consistently prepared his lessons diligently and attended classes personally, without fail, arriving on time. This story has been passed down as a renowned anecdote. Now, I am also a master's supervisor and doctoral supervisor, and I find it difficult to face two students with the same level of dedication to lesson preparation and teaching as Professor He Peng did. As the ancient saying goes, "A glimpse of a leopard through a tube reveals a hint of its spots." Although this is a small matter, it vividly reflects that Professor He Peng was not only rigorous in his academic pursuits but also meticulous in teaching and nurturing students. This spirit of scholarship and work ethic is something that younger scholars like myself may never fully achieve in a lifetime.
Another incident, Professor He Peng has 25 doctoral students who have already graduated. The papers of these 25 students range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of words in length. However, regardless of the length of the doctoral thesis, Professor He Peng would personally review and revise it from beginning to end, from the outline and basic arguments to the logical reasoning and language use, strictly checking even minor typos. What is even more admirable is that he treated not only his own doctoral students but also those of other supervisors he participated in examining with the same rigor. This is also a vivid embodiment of Professor He Peng's rigorous academic attitude and strict nurturing spirit.
Another incident, as shown in the academic achievements listed in the "Biographical Introduction to Professor He Peng," he published nearly 60 academic papers after his sixtieth birthday, and most of his academic monographs were completed and published after the age of sixty. Even after his seventieth birthday, he still published over ten academic papers and completed and published two monographs. This spirit of pursuing academic exploration without rest, even in old age, is something that younger scholars like myself may never fully achieve in a lifetime.
In 1999, at the celebration of Professor He Peng's fiftieth anniversary of teaching, I composed a pair of long couplets as my speech. From the basic content of these couplets, I believe they are not out of place for celebrating Professor He Peng's eightieth birthday, so I have attached them as the concluding remarks of the preface to this collection:
Horizontal caption: A Criminal Law Master of the Generation
Upper couplet: Taught for half a century, accompanying the law through ups and downs. Though snow and frost pressed down, his passion remained unchanged. Establishing words, virtue, and achievement, pouring heart and blood, all with unwavering dedication. In academia: Created great achievements in criminal law master programs, built remarkable achievements in criminal law doctoral programs, became the North Star of foreign criminal law, and the Mount Tai of comparative criminal law, renowned both east and west, his name recorded in "Cambridge,"① his writings shining across the world.
Lower couplet: Nurtured a generation of students, sharing the law through hardships. Despite wind and waves, his foolish heart remained unregretful. Nurturing scholarship, career, and school, with utmost loyalty and sincerity, with two hearts undivided. Among his disciples: Bathed in the spring rain of legal master programs, enjoying the honor of legal doctoral programs, serving as the head of the national anti-corruption campaign, holding the insignia of the national criminal police commander, his fame spanning north and south, rising in "Beijing,"② his peach blossoms and plums spreading across the nine provinces.