Commemorative Collection of the 110th Anniversary of the Birth of Mr. Zhu Dongrun

Author: Compiled by the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Fudan University
Publisher:
Publishing Date: November 1, 2006
Features: On the 110th anniversary of the birth of the great master Zhu Dongrun (1896–1988), a memorial collection in honor of the master was compiled into a book. Chen Shangjun, Luo Yuming, and Zhu Shijie's granddaughter Bangwei were kind enough to ask me to write the preface. Without feeling inadequate, I humbly offer these preliminary thoughts, awaiting your enlightenment. Looking back, I entered Fudan University in 1956 as a graduate student under the guidance of Master Zhu. After staying at the university to teach in 1959, I continued to receive his guidance for over thirty years, deeply feeling the loftiness of his moral character, the magnanimity of his personality, and the vastness and depth of his knowledge. Master Zhu loved traditional Chinese culture while possessing a strong modern consciousness and placed great emphasis on learning from the strengths of foreign cultures. He often emphasized that the study of literature and history should follow a "single dragon" approach, meaning it should span from the pre-Qin period to the contemporary era. His early work, Outlines of the History of Chinese Literary Criticism, focused on human-centered content, extending beyond poetry and prose criticism to include discussions of ci poetry, drama, and fiction criticism, effectively breaking through the old framework of literary concepts. His specialized studies on works such as the Book of Songs, Zuo Zhuan, Records of the Grand Historian, and History of the Han Dynasty were uniquely original, forming his own distinct views. His monumental biographical works and character analyses, such as The Grand Biography of Zhang Juzheng, The Biography of Lu You, and Chen Zilong and His Era, used immortal prose to portray immortal figures, highlighting the individual characteristics of the subjects while also showcasing the essence of the entire era they lived in, thus opening up new horizons for the literary world. All of these demonstrated the integration of literature and history, theory and creative practice, scientific methods and emotional dedication, as well as the combination of knowledge from both China and the world, serving as a model for future scholars. Master Zhu excelled in poetry and was also skilled in various calligraphy styles, with a bold and majestic style that aligned with his personality and academic approach. Despite my own inadequacies, I was fortunate to receive his earnest teachings and high expectations for a long time, leaving me deeply grateful. Yet, in comparison to the vast erudition of Master Zhu, I can only hope for a fraction of it. Therefore, I often feel as if I am gazing at a towering mountain, and whenever I reread his posthumous works, I cannot help but shed tears.