Life's Mire (Academic Forum Topic 02)

Author: Qian Liqun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-07
Features: The professor's lectures are just so captivating, no wonder there are so many students. Only about thirty are required, yet the classroom, which seats over a hundred, is always packed to the brim. The sunlight outside is perfect, and listening to the professor's lectures every Wednesday morning in such beautiful sunshine 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 and dancing 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—honestly, among all the evaluations of me, this is what I like and cherish, and I even hope these words will be inscribed on my tombstone: "This is a lovable person." This is precisely my lifelong great pursuit. I do often sharply criticize Peking University, and I won't deny my profound disappointment in today's university. As a result, I've been disliked by some at Peking University. However, those who truly understand my deep love for the university and support me are also its people. 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 might give me an advantage in age: compared to my younger friends, I've entered old age but possess experiences and insights they lack. Within the community of the elderly, I'm still a "little brother," so I still have the energy to engage in research.
Yes, I exist. I strive. And we support each other in this way. —That is enough. To put it simply, over the past two decades, the work I've 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