On the gate of Yuelu Academy in Hunan Province, there has always been such a very atmospheric Yang Lian: "Only Chu has talent, Yu Si is prosperous." Since then, the talents bred by Huxiang culture have led the development of the times in culture, ideology and politics. Especially in modern times, it has created such reputations as "Hunan Talents half of the country", "Zhongxing General Xiang, Shijiu Lake Xiang", "No Xiang is no army", "Half of China's modern history was written by the Xiang people" and so on. Among them, Zeng Guofan, Tan Sitong and Mao Zedong are the leaders of the times cultivated by Huxiang culture.
Tan
In modern China, although Huxiang culture has led the trend of change of the times, it is not unique. The Lingnan culture, which is not far away, is also showing unlimited charm. Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao set out from here to become the heroes of the times, and Sun Yat-sen made this the birthplace of China's democratic revolution. Men are the protagonists of the times, the protagonists of culture, the protagonists of education, and women who can compete with men are simply rare. There is such a woman in Lingnan, who is not amazing, low-key, and has a simple life, but she admires men with her profound knowledge.
Liang Qichao
She is known as the first female polymath in Lingnan, the first female poet, a rare female scholar, and no lingnan talented woman in Lingnan for thousands of years. She is from a beautiful family, but she is extremely frugal, inviting guests to eat for less than 5 dimes, and a cheongsam can be worn for more than 20 years. Colleagues laughed at her for being "miserly", and she didn't care, and she was generous when she encountered financial constraints on students. She has a pure, clean, ice-clean name - Xian Yuqing.
Dressed in plain Xian Yuqing
In 1895, the Beiyang Marine Division, which had been painstakingly operated for more than a decade, was destroyed by the Japanese Naval Regiment, which had never been taken seriously. The people in the Forbidden City were panicked. At this time, the family in Macau was immersed in joy, and a thousand gold was added to the family. Parents named the child Sin Yuqing. The Xian family is originally from Qiao Shan, Guangdong Province, and has been moving to Macao for five generations. Therefore, in Sin Yuqing's heart, Macau has become her hometown.
Because the family is solid, parents are both enlightened and pay attention to the education of their children. Sin Yuqing was sent to the "Guan Gen Shu Shu Shu" run by Chen Zizhuo, a disciple of Kang Youwei and a native of the late Qing Dynasty. Twelve or thirteen years old is the age when children make up their minds and ideals. Sin Yuqing's ambition was also established at this time and here. Because of this, the teacher Chen Zizhu often taught the Post-Han Qijie and Song Yuan Theory. Gradually, Xian Yuqing silently established the concept of promotion and dissemination in his heart.
Sin Yuqing and his mother at an early age
When Xian Yuqing was sixteen or seventeen years old, the ambition of education had taken root in his heart. She issued a shocking heartfelt statement: take the career as the husband, the school as the family, and the students as the children; determined to engage in education for life, sacrifice personal happiness, and seek happiness for the crowd. It's hard to believe that a sixteen-year-old girl can say such an inspirational thing. At this time, except for the teacher Chen Zizhuo's firm belief in the ambitions of the student Xian Yuqing, others believed that this was just the excitement of the young Xian Yuqing.
Teacher Chen Zi praised her and said: Among the classmates, there are more intelligent and sensitive, and there are few diligent people, and the diligent people are often blunt. When working for society, don't be preoccupied with words. After Xian Yuqing listened, he strengthened his educational ambitions even more.
Chen Zi praise
At the age of 19, Sin Yuqing was admitted to the Hong Kong Saints' and Girls' School to specialize in English for two years. At the age of 23, he enrolled in the Secondary School Affiliated to Lingnan University and entered the university. At this time, Xian Yuqing was studying at the university while working as a teacher of literature and history at the affiliated middle school. Despite the good family conditions, Xian Yuqing still chose to work and study half-time. In 1925, Xian Yuqing was hired as an assistant professor in the Department of Chinese Literature, and in 1928 he was promoted to lecturer. However, according to the system of Lingnan University at that time, there was still a "faculty" level between teaching assistants and lecturers, and Xian Yuqing directly skipped this level. Xian Yuqing's mind was indeed amazing, and relying on the foundation of English for the first two years, he was able to teach the "Twenty-Four Histories" in English in the university.
Lingnan University
Sin Yuqing is known as "the first female poet in Lingnan for hundreds of years". She once said, "Poetry is the most beautiful thing in the world, and emotion is the most subtle and light thing in the world." When Zheng Xiaoxu saw her poetry collection, he loved her beautiful atmosphere and always approved her poetry collection "Ancient style poems have a pen". Chen Yinke's father, known as "China's last traditional poet", Chen Sanli was pleased with the natural authenticity of his poems and gave him a very high evaluation: "Elegant and loose, beautiful bone pavilion, no fake carving, self-amusement." The literary madman Liu Yazi was even more appreciative of Xian Yuqing's talent, praising him for "the talent of Gao Yongxuan flowers, the famous Yi rubbing fat drops powder group." Cherish the new shi Yan of feminism, and discuss the art of the book city. "In the Lingnan cultural circles, Xian Yuqing can occupy a place with her poetry, but her talent is by no means limited to poetry, and she is extremely proficient in painting, literary and historical examination, golden stone examination, golden stone appreciation, and collection.
Liu Yazi
Everyone knows that Xian Yuqing is a learned and talented woman, and everyone knows that she was born into a wealthy family, but somehow she is so stingy and even stingy. When she was in college, she worked part-time and studied half-time, barely using the family's money. Colleagues asked her to invite guests to dinner, and a meal would not exceed 5 dimes. Gifts are only given to peanuts and rice that are only a few dimes away. Not only to others but also to himself, but also financially, Xian Yuqing is also quite harsh. One of her cotton cheongsams has been worn for more than twenty years. In terms of food, clothing, shelter and transportation, she is a part of the game, and she is meticulous.
Incredibly, she dresses plainly and eats simply, but there are also times when she is generous. His student Xian Xinghai wants to study in France, but he is distressed by financial constraints. After Xian Yuqing knew, he took out 500 yuan at a time and handed it to Xian Xinghai. Xian Xinghai will never forget this teacher. At that time, 500 yuan was an eye-watering sum.
Xian Xinghai
Sin Yuqing never wavered in his ambitions at the age of sixteen. A fairly famous professor once pursued her, and she once wrote a poem about this matter, two of which were "the bait throws herself from the fish, and laughs at her all day long", which is very decisive. Afterwards, she explained again, "I think that if I think that a family is a family, then the chores of the children of the family are always distracted." If you want to be a good teacher of the people wholeheartedly, you will inevitably lose the position of a good mother and a good wife; if you want to be a good wife and a good mother, you will inevitably lose your position as a teacher, and you cannot have both, so at the age of sixteen or seventeen, I decided to be single and not to marry. ”
Xian Yuqing, who is more than half a hundred years old
Sin Yuqing's knowledge and demeanor were destined to make not many people who could feel sorry for her. Chen Yinke and Chen Yuan, the "Second Chen of Historiography", are two of them. At that time, Chen Yinke's father, Chen Sanli, read Xian Yuqing's "Bilangguan Poetry Collection" and not only gave it a high evaluation, but also wrote a plaque for Xian Yuqing's bookstore. Sin Yuqing regarded this plaque as a lifelong treasure. Wherever you relocate, this plaque is hung in the middle of the room. Chen Sanli's high praise for Xian Yuqing also made Chen Yinke look at Xian Yuqing with admiration. Xian Yuqing once created the method of "using poetry to record history", and Chen Yinke further proposed "using poetry to prove history". There are similarities between the two. When Chen Yin carefully read the "Hundred Songs of Exile" sent to him by Xian Yuqing, he commented, "The masterpiece is not only beautifully written, but also the best historical material, and he will have some funds for compiling the annual records since Jianyan." In Chen Yinke's eyes, Xian Yuqing's works are not only reflected in literary value, but also in their contributions to historiography.
Chen Yinke
When a friend is in trouble and needs help, Xian Yuqing does not skimp on it. In 1942, when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong, Chen Yinke was teaching at the University of Hong Kong, and the family was in a state of distress due to the closure of the school and the shortage of food. At this time, Sin Yuqing, who was also trapped in Hong Kong, entrusted Chen Yinke with a "military ticket" worth forty Hong Kong dollars to save the emergency. Although Chen Yinke was useless in the end, this kindness of sending charcoal in the snow has always been remembered in his heart.
The Japanese army occupies Hong Kong
Xian Yuqing was not only regarded as a confidant by Chen Yinke, but also had a deep friendship with Chen Yuan. Chen Yinke, the "Second Chen of Historiography," and Chen Yuan have always had a good relationship. Both knowledge and character are sympathetic to each other. However, after liberation, Chen Yuan was invited to serve as the director of the Second Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Chen Yinke did not choose to go north, choosing to stay at Lingnan University to continue teaching. Since then, the "second Chen of historiography" has become the "second Chen of the North and the South". North and south are separated, and the two have less contact. As good friends, Sin Yuqing often communicates each other's situation. She doesn't want her friends to have their personal friendships affected by their different political positions.
Chen Yuan
Xian Yuqing does not have many friends, but she will treat every friend sincerely. In the eyes of the students, she is a kind, warm, easy, and kind "Xian Zi" (Xian Yuqing is revered as "Xian Zi" at Lingnan University, and "Zi" is "Sir"). Liang Yusheng, the founding master of the new school of martial arts novels, is both Xian Yuqing's student and her year-end friend. For student Xian Xinghai, Xian Yuqing not only funded 500 yuan to make him successfully study abroad, but also received Xian Yuqing's attention when he entered Lingnan University's attached high school.
Xian Yuqing photographed at the Nanda Cultural Relics Museum
In the early spring of 1922, Sin Yuqing also taught Chinese language and history at Lingnan University's Affiliated High School. Two months into the school year, she found that there was a student in the class who was always "not looking away and not listening." This made Xian Yuqing pay special attention to this student. One day, Xian Yuqing asked the students to decide on their own topics and fill out a song "Like a Dream Order". A week later, she saw in many volumes the words titled "Thon Er".
The words are filled in like this: Where is the spring return? Hook finger willow quietly residual rain. The past is all in the gossamer flying. Speechless! No words! Milk swallow double double break to go. Xian Yuqing saw the name on the scroll, Xian Xinghai, and read the poem, but it made her both excited and moved. She recommended this poem to be published in lingnan university magazine "Nanda Thought". This also became the debut of Xian Xinghai's old poetry works.
Teachers and students of Lingnan University
In 1952, a wave of mergers was set off in universities across the country, and Lingnan University was merged into Sun Yat-sen University. Sin Yuqing became a professor in the Department of Chinese at CUHK. Who knows, two years later, in 1954, Sun Yat-sen University asked Xian Yuqing to retire. The reason is that she was accused of frequently sending information back and forth to Hong Kong and asking her to write a "confession." She cried her grievances to her friend Chen Yinke about "the coldness of people's hearts". However, the truth of the matter is that his father left Sin Yuqing an inheritance and could regularly sign for interest at the Hong Kong bank every month. At that time, Xian Yuqing's explanation was doomed to be ineffective, and he hastily went through the retirement procedures within a month.
In 1965, he was photographed at Guangzhou Cancer Hospital
In October 1965, Sin Yuqing died of illness at the age of 70. During the period of treatment, Sin Yuqing donated nearly HK$500,000 in cash and HK$1.5 million worth of shares to the government through letters and wills, and solemnly stated that "this matter is only known to insiders, and must not be publicized, let alone commended." Nowadays, the name Xian Yuqing is rarely known to outsiders, and many people are not well aware of this female professor who was once a talented woman, but there are still some memories of her in a small number of people in the academic community.