New Historian Jian Bozan

Author: Zhang Chuanxi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Mr. Qian Bozan, a Uyghur, was born on April 14, 1898 (March 24, 1928 in the 24th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty) in Qianqiying, Fengshugang, Taoyuan, Hunan. The publication of The New Historian Qian Bozan serves as both a tribute to Mr. Qian Bozan and an introduction to the academic master’s legendary life to the academic community and the general readership. It primarily focuses on his great aspirations to save the nation and its people, his unwavering will to pursue truth, his persistent dedication to academic exploration, and his noble integrity of refusing to yield even to death. Mr. Qian Bozan’s patriotic spirit was cultivated from a young age. During his primary school years, he wrote an essay describing the new scenery in his hometown after the rain, which included the lines “Distant mountains are bright and moist, and rivers begin to flow gently.” His love for his country and hometown was evident in his words. From a young age, he studied commerce and industry to save the nation through industrial development and joined the May Fourth Movement to oppose imperialism and feudalism. Afterward, he took up arms in the Northern Expedition, used his pen as a weapon to advocate for resistance against Japan, and fought for democracy and against civil war, all with unwavering resolve. He pursued truth with courage. To study ancient Chinese culture, he; to learn from the West, he studied in the United States. However, it was only after he encountered Marxism that he realized the true scientific view of history is the materialist conception of history. From then on, he guided his research on history and culture with the materialist conception of history and actively participated in the revolutionary struggle. In 1938, during the height of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he published A Course in Historical Philosophy, marking his emergence as the “leading figure of the new school of history.” After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the materialist conception of history flourished in academia, but individual interpretations and understandings varied, which was a normal phenomenon. Overall, progress in theory and perspective was the primary trend. However, from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, the extreme-leftist trend ran rampant, causing severe harm to academia, cultural education, and political and economic systems. At this time, Mr. Qian Bozan bravely defied the wind to uphold the purity of Marxism and the important principle of “seeking truth from facts,” engaging in fierce struggles against the extreme-leftist trend. On April 14 of this year, The China National News published a full-page commemorative interview titled Qian Bozan: Let Marxism Illuminate the Skies of History, which was truly apt and accurate. As for Mr. Qian Bozan’s death, it was his final struggle to uphold the principle of “seeking truth from facts.” It was during the time when the Central Cultural Revolution Group, which held absolute power, forced Mr. Qian Bozan to write “black materials” about Liu Shaoqi’s 1936 Nanjing peace negotiations according to their wishes that he resolutely refused and ultimately fought to the death. The ancient sage Zhuangzi discussed courage in the Chapter on Autumn Waters as follows: “When white swords clash before one’s eyes, to regard death as life—this is the courage of a loyalist. To face great adversity without fear—this is the courage of a sage.” Mr. Qian Bozan fully embodied these qualities.
I would also like to clarify the relationship between this book and The Biography of Qian Bozan, which I published in 1998 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mr. Qian Bozan’s birth. It was also published by Peking University Press. Due to positive feedback from all sides, I did not feel the need to revise it. This spring, Mr. Wang Weiyè, the planner of Peking University Press’s Series of Academic Masters of China, informed me that Mr. Qian Bozan had been selected for the series and invited me to contribute. At the time, I suggested including the original biography without writing a new one, as I cannot write two “Qian” characters with one stroke. However, the series is a collection with unified requirements. In the face of this dilemma, after, we reached a consensus: to write a new book in addition to the original biography, but to utilize certain chapters from the original. The principles for writing the new book are as follows:
1. Simplify and streamline,
2. Update content,
3. Make it illustrated.
This The New Historian Qian Bozan was written in accordance with the above three principles, as follows:
1. Simplify and streamline. All supplementary elements from the original biography were removed, such as the three prefaces, the author’s preface, and the three chronologies, bibliographies, and postscripts at the end. Additionally, specific introductions to Mr. Qian Bozan’s works were deleted, and the chapter arrangement was significantly altered.
2. Update content. Mainly, new content was added. For example, the first half of the biography includes supplementary information about the marriage relationships between Mr. Qian’s ancestors and the imperial family during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, as well as their promotions in office. It also details their lives after becoming commoners. The second half of the biography adds the struggles between the factions that sought to “discredit Qian” and those that sought to “protect Qian” at Peking University, followed by the efforts to clear Mr. Qian Bozan’s name. Other supplementary and rewritten content was also included.
3. Make it illustrated. Over 80 illustrations were included, such as photographs, autographs, artifacts, maps, former residences, historical sites, and archival documents, all of which hold significant academic value, with some being published for the first time. In September 1956, I left my position as head of the teaching department at a middle school in Qingdao and enrolled in Peking University’s Department of History, specializing in the Han Dynasty, as a under Mr. Qian Bozan. From that moment, I embarked on the irreversible path of historical research. Time flies like an arrow, and days pass like the swift flow of water. In the blink of an eye, it has been 50 years. During these long years, there have been both gentle rains and thunderous storms. Reflecting on the past and looking to the present, I am filled with countless emotions—both in mourning Mr. Qian Bozan’s noble character and academic achievements and in expressing my boundless sorrow.