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Counting the pioneers of ethnology and anthropology in China, Lin Yaohua, a native of Gutian County, Fujian Province, is one who will never be left out. He devoted his life to the academic research and teaching of ethnology, anthropology and sociology, and is a master of the same generation as Fei Xiaotong, enjoying a high reputation at home and abroad.
Old photo of Lin Yaohua
Lin Yaohua was born in a peasant family, and was later admitted to Yen Ching Restaurant, where he studied under the well-known sociologist, anthropologist and ethnologist Wu Wenzao, and was a disciple of "Wumen" with Fei Xiaotong, Qu Tongzu and Huang Di. All four of them were born in 1910, all of them were dogs, and they all succeeded in their studies in the future, and were nicknamed "Wumen Four Dogs" by their mother Bingxin. Bingxin, who is also a Fujian villager, cares for him very much and recommends studying abroad and promoting marriage. In 1941, in the flames of the Anti-Japanese War, Lin Yaohua resolutely gave up his teaching position at Harvard University in United States and returned to his motherland to teach and educate people.
Lin Yaohua (front right) took a group photo with Bing Xin (front center), Chen Yongling (back left), Fei Xiaotong (back center) and Li Youyi (back right) at Wu Wenzao's (front left) birthday party
Lin Yaohua's book "Golden Wing"
When it comes to Lin Yaohua, the first thing that comes to mind is his novel sociological work "Golden Wings". By narrating the rise and fall of two families in Huangcun, Fujian, the book demonstrates an understanding of regional culture and the true meaning of human nature, and reproduces the traditions and changes of clan and family life in rural Han areas in southern China. And the "Yellow Village" in the book is Lin Yaohua's hometown - Jinyi Village (formerly Fengting Village), Huangtian Town, Gutian County.
For more than 70 years, Lin Yaohua has been working tirelessly, authoring 13 books and more than 100 papers such as "Liangshan Yi Family" and "The Clan Research of Yixu", and personally participated in the identification of ethnic groups in New China, which has made anthropology, ethnology and other young disciplines develop in China in a timely manner.
In 1957, Lin Yaohua (first from right) went deep into the field investigation of remote ethnic areas
Lin Yaohua, who has spent his life in the fields, said that he has never set foot in Ningxia and Taiwan, and has always regretted it. He has been engaged in anthropological and ethnological research all his life, and has achieved "hands-on".
Lin Yaohua often has such a sentence in his mouth: "The field is the only way to anthropology". He demanded that when his students do ethnology and anthropology research, they must go deep into the front line, and also emphasized that "they are honest and honest in life, and they must be calm and rigorous in their studies", and they should have no desires and desires, not be moved by distracting thoughts, and maintain a peaceful attitude towards learning. In this way, even if we encounter difficult problems, we can treat and solve them in a realistic and meticulous manner, and then contribute to academia and society.
Lin Yaohua (fourth from right) took a group photo with some teachers and students of the first workshop on Chinese ethnology
"Bury the seed in the soil and pass on knowledge to future generations." This is the motto that Lin Yaohua has pursued all his life. He has been teaching for more than 60 years and has cultivated a number of talents in ethnology and anthropology. The "seeds" he worked so hard to cultivate, such as Zhuang Kongshao, Chen Yongling, Zhang Haiyang, etc., are now the mainstays of Chinese ethnology and anthropology.
Lin Yaohua's former residence - a panoramic view of the Golden Wing House in Huangtian Town, Gutian County
In life, Lin Yaohua can be described as indifferent and desireless, perennial coarse tea and light food, extremely simple, and a coat is worn for decades. In 1976, Lin Yaohua and his lover handed over all the salary paid by the government to the state as a special party fee. In 2000, before his death, Lin Yaohua left a will, donating all his savings to Liangshan, Sichuan, to support the education cause there. Daughter Lin Zongjin recalled: "My father did not have many personal hobbies in his life except for work, and it was his greatest happiness and enjoyment to cultivate students and devote himself to learning all his life. Sincerity is so, it can be called "the master of the academic world, a generation of grandmasters".
Contributed by丨Ningde Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, Gutian County Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision
Picture丨Gutian County Lin Yaohua Research Association