Criminal Law New Collection: A Commemorative Collection for Professor He Peng's 80th Birthday (Vol. 1 & 2)

Author: The Authoring Group 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 take on 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 happy 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, the "Biographical Introduction of Professor He Peng" written by Comrade Wang Zhiyuan has been reviewed several times, and I believe that his evaluation is quite fair and accurate, making it unnecessary for me to elaborate further. I have specially selected a few unforgettable incidents to inspire younger scholars like myself.
One incident, I entered the Jilin University 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, and no one else. Despite this, Professor He Peng consistently prepared his lessons diligently and attended classes personally, without fail, on time. This story is still celebrated to this day. 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 gives a slight idea of its spots." Although this is a small matter, it clearly reflects that Professor He Peng was not only rigorous in his academic pursuits but also meticulous in his teaching and mentorship. 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 of words to hundreds of thousands of words. However, regardless of the length of the doctoral theses, Professor He Peng would personally review and revise them from beginning to end, from the structure and layout of the paper to the basic arguments, from the argumentation to the use of materials, from logical thinking to language and writing, all with strict scrutiny, even correcting typos directly. What is even more commendable is that he treated not only his own doctoral students but also the doctoral students of other supervisors he participated in reviewing with the same rigor. This is once again a vivid embodiment of Professor He Peng's rigorous academic attitude and strict mentoring spirit.
Another incident, as shown in the list of academic achievements in the "Biographical Introduction of 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 he passed the age of seventy, he still published over ten academic papers and completed and published two monographs. This spirit of an old horse tilling the field without rest, pursuing academic exploration without ceasing, 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. Based on its basic content, I believe that it is not out of place to use these couplets to celebrate Professor He Peng's eightieth birthday, so I have attached them as the concluding remarks of the preface to this collection:
Horizontal title: A Criminal Law Master of the Generation
Upper couplet: Taught for half a century, accompanied the law through ups and downs. Though snow and frost pressed down, his passion remained unchanged. Establishing words, virtue, and achievements, 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 in both East and West, his name recorded in "Cambridge,"① his writings shining across the world.
Lower couplet: Nurtured a generation of students, shared the law through hardships. Despite wind and waves, his foolish heart remained unwavering. In scholarship, career, and school management, he was loyal and sincere, with two hearts but one purpose. Among his disciples: Bathed in the spring rain of legal master programs, enjoyed the honor of legal doctoral programs, served as the head of the national anti-corruption campaign, and held the insignia of the national criminal police commander, his reputation spanning North and South, rising in "Beijing,"② his peach blossoms and plums fragrant across the nine provinces.