Last year was the 600th anniversary of the completion of the Forbidden City, this year is the 600th anniversary of the official opening of the Forbidden City, in the emerging "Forbidden City Boom", Mr. Yan Chongnian published two works on the basis of years of telling the history of the Forbidden City, "Six Hundred Years of the Forbidden City" and "The Great Forbidden City" (commemorative edition).
The day of visiting Mr. Yan Chongnian was the season of mango planting. This summer, the capital is rainy, but the sun is just right that day, covering the sky like wheat. Through the community garden, cloaked in a hot air, this reporter came to the long-famous "Four Books house". The "four-in-one" of the Four-In-House is "Heavenly, Earthly, Human, and Self-". This is the philosophy of life that Mr. Yan Chongnian summed up from historical figures. As soon as I entered the door, I saw Mr. Yan Chongnian coming from under the plaque of the "Four-in-One Bookstore", dressed in a smooth light blue shirt and black trousers, with crane hair and a childlike face, a light step, and a kind smile.
This year marks the year of Mr. Yan Chongnian's 88-year-old "rice life". When Mr. Yan Chongnian said this fact, the reporter was really surprised. After all, for a "post-90s", Mr. Yan Chongnian in his memory is still the same as on the "Hundred Family Pulpit". Noticing the reporter's expression, Mrs. Yan Chongnian added with a smile: "When Teacher Yan went to the "Hundred Family Pulpit", he was already seventy years old! ”
Seventy years old! That is to say, in the eyes of many people, the leisurely "retirement life" is the beginning of a new stage of life for Mr. Yan Chongnian at that time. Today, "the old Ji Futuo, seeking the new and the new" is still Mr. Yan Chongnian's prayer in the year of Mi Shou, and it is also the style of a generation of scholars.
During the planting season, I had the privilege of chatting with Yan Chongnian and his wife about tea, which made people think deeply about the meaning of "daily new". Mango seeding was originally a busy season for farmers, wheat can be harvested, rice is planted tightly, and the harvest season is also a new beginning. Such is true of agricultural work, it is true of academics, and it is also true of life.
Mr. Yan Chongnian introduced his works to readers of the Beijing Evening News
▌ Born at the right time to get acquainted with the capital
"To study history, mathematics must be good." This is the advice that Mr. Yan Chongnian has given to many students. Everyone knows that "literature, history and philosophy do not separate families", but what does mathematics have to do with history? Teacher Yan laughed and said: "Mathematics is logical thinking, if mathematics is not well learned, how can so many complex historical events and historical figures be sorted out?" ”
Reading Mr. Yan Chongnian's works, it is not difficult to appreciate the beauty of a kind of mathematical analysis and conciseness. Whether it is an academic monograph or a popular work, Yan Chongnian can always draw a clue from the complicated historical moments when writing, and then follow this clue to divide the branches and weave a network with clear nodes. From this point of view, Mr. Yan Chongnian's mathematical achievements must be excellent.
Looking back at Mr. Yan Chongnian's path of study, it is the story of "someone else's child". Mr. Yan Chongnian was born in Penglai, Shandong. This is a historic harbor city on the Bohai Sea, where the legend of the eight immortals crossing the sea is spread, and it is also the hometown of national hero Qi Jiguang. "When I was a child, I went out to sea to catch fish, and I think there are some fishermen's bravery in my personality." Mr. Yan Chongnian recalled, "Our ancestors began to work in Beijing. When I graduated from elementary school, I told my father that he wanted to go to Beijing to study, and my father agreed. So I took the exam for high school. ”
In Beijing at that time, the "small ascension to the beginning" was determined by the test results, just like the middle school entrance examination and the college entrance examination. More than 2,000 people signed up for the exam, and no more than 100 people were admitted in the end, which shows the fierce competition. "I don't know how, I 'blinded' and was admitted to Beijing No. 6 Middle School." Teacher Yan said in a relaxed and humorous tone. After entering the middle school, including mathematics, Mr. Yan Chongnian's grades in all subjects were excellent, and history particularly aroused his interest: "At that time, our history teacher graduated from Beijing Normal University and gave a good lecture. I have a good memory and am often called out to speak in class. Slowly, I also like history. "Mr. Yan Chongnian's fate with history began with Beijing Normal University. After graduating from high school, Yan Chongnian, with excellent grades, was successfully admitted to the History Department of Beijing Normal University and studied under the famous historian Professor Bai Shouyi. "On the road of historical research, I was fortunate to meet a noble person. Teacher Bai Shouyi of Beijing Normal University, Master Deng Guangming of Peking University, Master Yang Xiangkui of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Mr. Wang Guang, a famous scholar, made me march smoothly and achieved correct results. For these "nobles", Yan Chongnian has always been grateful.
The words and deeds of the teachers also made Yan Chongnian realize that historical research starts from paper and will eventually reach life. In an interview, Yan Chongnian recalled a conversation with his mentor. Mr. Bai Shouyi asked: "Sima Qian said ' the time of heaven and man, the change of ancient and modern times, and the words of a family', what does that 'heaven' mean?" At that time, Yan Chongnian did not answer it, but now he had his own idea: this "heaven" is not the heaven of meteorology, not the heaven of religion, not the heaven of science, but the heaven of historical philosophy, that is, the "heaven" of heaven. The heavenly time is very fair, the Yuan Shun Emperor is this heavenly time, Zhu Yuanzhang is also this heavenly time, Zhu Yuanzhang used this heavenly time to rise up and overthrow the Yuan Dynasty. Nurhaci was born more than a hundred years early, and when he caught up with the ming dynasty, he could not achieve anything at all. Late is not enough, late is Li Zicheng's world. It is difficult for individuals to change the time of day, but they can adapt to the time of day and borrow the time of day.
Coincidentally, the recently anticipated college entrance examination has come to an end, and in the Language Test of the Beijing Volume, the composition question is "On the Time for Students". After many years, looking at Mr. Bai Shouyi's question and the answer given by Yan Chongnian, we can understand what it means to "read history wisely." Perhaps, the reason why Mr. Bai asked this question was not to give a standard answer, but to give the young man a blank piece of paper.
And Yan Chongnian, on this white paper, between academia and culture, wrote his own stroke.
Reporters Li Zhengrong and Bai Xingjue interviewed Mr. Yan Chongnian
▌ Yanbu Xuxing Qing Shi Manxue
In the latest afterword to the latest publication of "Rixin Collection- Yan Chongnian by Teachers and Friends", Yan Chongnian summed up his academic path as follows: from 1960 to 1970, he determined the direction and studied the history of the Qing Dynasty; from 1970 to 1980, he traced the roots and extensively studied; from 1980 to 1990, he published his first monograph, Japanese and American lectures; from 1990 to 2000, he founded Manxue and went to the world. The 40 years in the middle and late last century were the 40 years in which Yan Chongnian continued to climb the academic road.
"My focus on the field of study is the history of the founding of the Qing Dynasty." Academically, Mr. Yan Chongnian has divided his main research areas into strict boundaries. He first published monographs and academic biographies on Nurhaci's related issues, and then focused on the study of the founding history of the Qing Dynasty for many years, and wrote academic works such as "Yanbu Collection", "YanShi Collection", "Qing History Collection", "Manchu Study Collection", "Yuan Chonghuan Research Collection", "Nurhaci Biography", "Yuan Chonghuan Biography", "Qing Dynasty Founding History" and other academic works. Among them, the "History of the Founding of the Qing Dynasty" published in 2014 has a volume of 1.2 million words, which can be called the culmination of Mr. Yan Chongnian's research on the founding of the Qing Dynasty.
Why Qing History Research? In fact, Mr. Yan Chongnian's fate with Qing Shi, just like his fate with academia, began in the ancient capital of Beijing. In the early years, Yan Chongnian mainly attacked the history of pre-Qin, and when he was in his twenties, one of his papers on pre-Qin history was sent to Professor Yang Xiangkui for advice, and Professor Yang Xiangkui gave affirmation, and then wrote a letter to make a suggestion: I hope that Yan Chongnian will turn to Qing history. The reason is very simple, because the study of pre-Qin history relies heavily on archaeological data from the Guanzhong region, and Yan Chongnian is in Beijing, although far away from the academic resources of the Guanzhong region, but it provides a rare "geographical advantage" for the study of Qing history - only in the Forbidden City, it contains unlimited treasures! After a month of retreat, Yan Chongnian accepted this suggestion and embarked on the path of Qing history research.
With the deepening of the study of Qing history, Yan Chongnian noted that there is an urgent need for Chinese and world academia to establish the discipline of "Manchu Learning". Qing history is closely related to Manchu studies. Compared with Qing history, Manchuology is an emerging discipline, which is a discipline that studies manchu history, language, culture, eight flags, society, and its two-way influence with the cultures of various ethnic groups in China and countries outside the region. In the past, some people thought that the Manchu Studies Research Center was not in China, not in Beijing. After 30 years of Manchu studies, foreign scholars believe that the Manchu Studies Research Center is in China and Beijing, and Chinese scholars have gained the right to speak in the international Manchu academic community.
"I initiated and created the first professional Manchu research institute, the Institute of Manchu Studies of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, and the first mass academic group composed of Manchu experts and professors, the Beijing Manchu Society, and served as the founding president of the association." Yan Chongnian said. Scholarship is the public instrument of the world, whether in personal research or in social activities, Yan Chongnian has personally implemented the discipline construction of "Manchu Learning", so that Manchu researchers can better communicate and develop Beijing's rich academic resources.
In the first decade of this century, that is, the ancient year of Mr. Yan Chongnian, he officially embarked on the CCTV "Hundred Family Forum" column. Known as the "Founder of the Founding Altar", he is the first scholar in "Hundred Tribunes" to be warmly welcomed by the audience. At this point, Mr. Yan Chongnian, who has retired, in addition to harvesting academic achievements, has begun a new round of sowing - through the media, popularizing history to more readers. In his view, the influence of the media exceeded his initial imagination, but it was also the opportunity and achievement given by the times: "Communicating with a wide audience has contributed to a new realm of my scholarship: reading more broadly, investigating more broadly, thinking deeper, and looking higher." ”
This is a completely new field, and Yan Lao, in the spirit of academic research, has thrown himself into the preparation of the program: "There is a saying: give others a bowl of water, prepare a bucket of water. So if I were to speak for 45 minutes, I had to prepare a speech of about 5,000 words, and I would write a manuscript of about 20,000 words, which is four times what I said. In this way, you have a choice when you talk about it, and you will tell you some more important things. ”
Yan Chongnian believes that as far as television lectures are concerned, at least five basic requirements should be met: simplification by cutting out the complicated, going deep and simple, clearly expressing, being relaxed, and combining history and theory. It is precisely because of the satisfaction of these five basic requirements that Yan Chongnian's lectures have been welcomed by audiences of all ages. From the popular "The Mystery case of the Twelve Emperors of the Qing Dynasty", to "Sixty Years of the Ming Dynasty and the Rise of the Qing Dynasty", "The Kangxi Emperor", and then to the "Great Forbidden City" and "The Millennium of the Imperial Kiln", in more than ten years, Yan Chongnian has opened one door after another for many audiences and readers who love history.
Last year was the 600th anniversary of the completion of the Forbidden City, this year is the 600th anniversary of the official opening of the Forbidden City, in the emerging "Forbidden City Boom", Mr. Yan Chongnian published two works on the basis of years of telling the history of the Forbidden City, "Six Hundred Years of the Forbidden City" and "The Great Forbidden City" (commemorative edition). "The Great Forbidden City is told horizontally according to the architectural pattern of the Forbidden City with space as the clue; 'Six Hundred Years of the Forbidden City' is told vertically according to the clues of time and the historical evolution of the Ming and Qing dynasties. One horizontal and one vertical can allow readers to have a more comprehensive understanding of the Forbidden City. Yan Chongnian said.
Cultivate the four-in-one and then come up with a new theory
Today, it is the second decade of this century. Lectures, books, conferences... The new identity makes Mr. Yan Chongnian's itinerary very compact, and in addition to the busy activities, Yan Lao has not suspended the pace of academic research, and has added several new academic achievements in his old age. On the one hand, he systematically sorted out the results of fifty years of studying Qing history and Manchu studies, and compiled his own collection of works; on the other hand, he made a breakthrough in proposing new concepts and new viewpoints on "forest culture" and published a new academic book" "Forest Empire".
Forest culture is a cultural form represented by the northeast forest culture region, and for a long time, it has been mixed with the northwest grassland culture represented by Mongolia. Since the Shang Zhou Dynasty, there have been specific ethnic groups living in the northeast region, with fishing and hunting as the main mode of production, and developing a unique forest civilization. From the earliest Sushen, Rulou, and Beji, to the Jurchens, bohai, to the Jurchen tribes, and finally to the rise of Manchuria, Yan Chongnian believes that the ultimate success of forest culture lies in a "he" character.
"For three hundred years, there has always been a problem in the political, academic, and military circles. Why was the Qing Dynasty able to 'win more with less'? And why can we 'rule the big with the small'? I tried to answer from a historical and cultural perspective. In the book "Forest Empire", I proposed for the first time that Chinese civilization is mainly composed of five cultural forms, namely, the farming culture of the Central Plains, the grassland culture of the northwest, the forest culture of the northeast, the culture of the western plateau and the culture of the coastal and island marine culture. The Qing Dynasty relied on the northeast forest culture, and then integrated with the grassland culture in the north and northwest, the plateau culture in the west, and the Han farming culture, forming a force. Under the clash and fusion of five cultures, a great empire was eventually established. Yan Chongnian said, "Of course, in this process, the Chinese nation has also paid a huge price." When we look back on this history, we must learn from its experience and, more importantly, from its lessons. ”
The perspective of multicultural integration is not only Mr. Yan Chongnian's new academic theory, but also makes him re-recognize his identity. Born in the seaside town of Penglai, Yan Chongnian went to the sea and farmed the land as a child, and his father was engaged in business in Beijing all year round. "I have been influenced by three kinds of fishermen, peasants, and merchants, and as far as culture is concerned, I have been influenced by three kinds of fishing culture, agricultural culture, and commercial culture, and I have the shadow of these three cultures in me--first, there is a little courage; second, there is a little pragmatic spirit; third, there is a little spirit of flexibility." Yan Chongnian summed up the influence of his hometown on his own personality. In his eyes, the fusion of multiple cultures is the secret of the success of a person and even a country.
Old Ji Futuo, cultivating the four in the year; the year of rice life, seeking newness day by day. This is Mr. Yan Chongnian's wish, and it is also a vivid portrayal of his lifelong teaching and teaching and living in the world.
(Original title: The Year of Rice Shou Seeks Renewal Every Day)
Source: Beijing Evening News
Author: Bai Xingjue
Process Edit: l020
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