"Third Master Mao" learned well
When Hu Shi lived in the rice grain depot hutong, Mao Zishui was also one of the regular customers of the rice grain depot. He was admitted to the preparatory department of peking university in 1913, and entered the undergraduate mathematics four years later; but he was born with a preference for literature and history, often taking Mr. Zhang Taiyan and Mr. Hu Shizhi as the grandmasters, and making friends with like-minded scholars in the liberal arts. In the spring of 1923, Mao Zishui was admitted to study in Germany. After returning to China, he was once the director of the Library of Peking University.
It is said that in Hu Shi's study there is a shelf of Mao Zishui books, which he stored in Hu Shi's house when he went abroad, most of which are foreign language and science books. It is conceivable that he can occupy a place in Hu Shi's study, and his relationship can be seen.
Mao Zishui did not teach classes at Peking University, nor did he stay in the library all day, he was bored, and he had to run to Hu Shi's house almost every day. Ishihara Gao recalled that he was bald and had only a little hair on his head, like Sanmao in "The Wanderings of Sanmao". People joked with him and jokingly called him "Third Master Mao", and he didn't mind at all. He was an absolutely loyal believer in Hu Shi, and some people said that he often accompanied Jiang Dongxiu to play mahjong and even went shopping for vegetables.
Mr. Mao Zishui in his later years
Professor Deng Guangming recalled: "At that time, an article signed Mao Zhun (i.e., Mao Zishui) was published in the Peking University Journal, which explained one of the "Book of Poetry" from the aspects of philology and phonology. This article was deeply appreciated by Mr. Hu, who asked who the author was. Later, I learned that the author was a student and a student of the Mathematics Department. This surprised Mr. Hu: "A student of the mathematics department of Peking University can write such an article, Peking University really deserves to be the land of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!" "It is conceivable that Hu Shi's love for Mao Zishui is heart. Later, Mao Zishui often went in and out of Hu Shi's home, especially after he returned to Germany after studying in Germany, he was still a regular visitor to Mr. Hu's family, so that some people jokingly called Mao Zishui:"Hu House Walking".
Mao Zishui (left) with Hu Shi
During his stay at Peking University, Mao Zishui also had close contacts with Fu Sinian, Chen Yinke, Luo Jialun, etc., and often ate at Chen Yinke's house and talked about Chinese studies. In the past eight years of teaching at Peking University, in addition to grinding Chinese studies with academic colleagues, most of his spare time is spent visiting bookstores and book stalls. Mao Zishui once said: "When I was a professor at Peking University in the 1930s, the most painful thing was to find ancient books and buy ancient books. ”
Hu Shi inscribed the plaque of "Qingyang Ancestral House" for Mao's ancestral residence, which is still hanging from the lintel
In the 1950s, Hu Shi made a "will" in the United States, designating Mao Zishui and Harvard University professor Yang Liansheng as the executors of the "will"; after Hu Shi died in Taiwan in 1962, he wrote a touching epitaph for Hu Shi...
Mao Zishui was born in Qingyang Village, Jiangshan County, Zhejiang Province, and died in Taiwan in 1988 at the age of 96. In 1996, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the celebration of Ningbo University, Mao Zishui's wife Zhang Juying, in accordance with her husband's last wishes, overcame various difficulties, and personally donated all 120,000 US dollars from the sale of property to Ningbo University, set up the "Mr. Mao Zishui Qinghan Excellent Scholarship" fund, and presented the "Complete Collection of Maozishui" to the library of Ningbo University.
Mao Zishui's former residence
This is the largest scholarship that Ningbo University has received since its inception in 1986. Professor Mao Zishui and his wife do not seek fame and fortune, and pour their hearts into helping the noble virtues of young students in their hometowns, which have been spread as beautiful talk among Zhejiang people at home and abroad, inspiring hometown students to study diligently, immerse themselves in hard study, and rejuvenate the country with science and technology. (To be continued)