The new gate of Xiamen University was recently unveiled, and the font of the signature colonel's name was changed from the familiar "Lu Xun style" to "Jia Kee style". The melon-eating crowd quarreled for a while over this word change.
When I first saw the photo of the new gate of Xiamen University, my first reaction was: Lu Xun's handwriting has finally been replaced - to put it bluntly, it is "pleased". From the beginning, I have always criticized these words of Lu Xun for three reasons.
First, the words are not pretty.
A long, long time ago, when I entered Xiamen University for the first time—I took the south gate at the time—I thought the school name on the gate was ugly.
I once asked the head teacher: Who wrote the words on the door? So ugly.
In my mind, he answered like this: Those are Lu Xun’s words. Is it ugly? Hahaha...
Of course Lu Xun is a celebrity, and I heard that his calligraphy skills are also good, but specifically about his four words "Xiamen University"...haha. There are many influential scholars and figures in the history of Xiamen University. I don’t think anyone can be worse than those four words for the inscription. Later I found out that those four characters were not specially inscribed by Lu Xun, but were collected from Lu Xun's ink. After picking and picking such characters, it is very likely that Lu Xun had not written these words seriously. Words. The gate is the face of the school. It is a well-known university in the southeast, but the signboard does not have a few beautiful words. This is too little attention to image. In short, these words make people frown at the first glance.
The second is to show wrong feelings.
Poor aesthetic taste, this is my first opinion on the use of "Lu Xun style" on Xiamen University's logo. Later, I learned some anecdotes about Xiamen University, and when I look back at these words, it is not just a matter of aesthetic taste. Xiamen University's use of Lu Xun's words is simply a slap in the face.
Xiamen University has a long history and a wealth of talents. If Lu Xun’s characters were chosen as a signboard among all the characters, some people might think that Lu Xun must have a close and profound relationship with Xiamen University, right? It was surprising to hear that the old gentleman left after only four months. How much impact and contribution can it have on Xiamen University in just four months? Can be ignored. And moreover - Lu Xun neither liked Xiamen nor Xiamen University. Lu Xun had different views with Lin Wenqing, the then president of Xiamen University, and their conflicts were well known in Xiamen University. He also did not get along well with other professors. It is said that he and Lin Yutang had a falling out in Xiamen. In the end, everyone knew that he was full of dissatisfaction and anger. And left Xiamen. There is a lot of information on the Internet about the grievances between Lu Xun and Xiamen University. If you are interested, you can read it yourself. In short, he really doesn’t have a good impression of Xiamen University! Absolutely true! If you don’t believe it, you can read his correspondence with Xu Guangping during his stay in Xiamen.
With Lu Xun’s attitude toward Xiamen University, Xiamen University was actually so proud of its superficial relationship with Lu Xun that it used his words as a signboard! You ignore me, but I still cling to you - this style of painting is really strange. I'm showing my wrong feelings. To be harsh, I mean...forget it, I don't want to say those two words.
The third is the suspicion of following.
Lu Xun had a bad impression of Xiamen University, but Xiamen University had the opposite attitude towards Lu Xun, which was unimaginably good. How good is that? There is a stone statue of Lu Xun on the Xiamen University campus, which is a famous scene of Xiamen University; there is a memorial hall for Lu Xun; in addition to the door sign, Lu Xun's characters are also used on letterheads and official websites.
So you may not feel anything, so just make a comparison. Without comparison, there will be no harm.
Xiamen University was founded by Mr. Tan Kah Kee, and he devoted his life’s efforts here. Mr. Jiageng is the founder of Xiamen University. How many traces of him are there in the school now? Well, there is a bronze statue and the honorary title of "school principal". No matter how you look at it, he is inferior to Lu Xun. Let’s look at Lin Wenqing, the de facto first president of Xiamen University (the first Deng Cuiying did not actually perform his duties). Lin Wenqing was the principal for sixteen years. In his last will and testament, he donated most of his inheritance to Xiamen University. It can be said that he single-handedly laid the foundation of Xiamen University for a century. However, there was no trace of him at Xiamen University until I was a student. It was not until 2006 that Xiamen University realized its conscience and built a small pavilion in his memory.
Chinese people have always been mean to their own people and generous to outsiders, but to do this is so chilling. Confucius said: To offer sacrifices to ghosts other than their own is to flatter others. It’s hard to guess what Xiamen University is thinking.
Let’s make a bold guess with a villain’s heart. The name of Xiamen University began to use Lu Xun style in the 1950s.
Lu Xun was on the "Gods List" after the founding of the People's Republic of China. He was a writer, thinker, revolutionary, new culture standard-bearer... all kinds of titles were attached to him. His political status soared. It was profitable to have a relationship with him or get close to him. Figure. Xiamen University uses Lu Xun's words to commemorate Lu Xun. I'm afraid there is a little utilitarianism behind it.
As mentioned above, I think it was a big mistake to use Lu Xun style for the name of Xiamen University. If you can’t choose a representative character for the school name, at least choose one with a high level of calligraphy, right? Lu Xun is indeed great, but specifically for Xiamen University and this matter, it is inappropriate.
A university should have its own personality and style. Xiamen University has been playing the Lu Xun card with great fanfare. This is emotional dislocation, spiritual distortion, and kitsch. There is no need to have a casual relationship with Lu Xun. Xiamen University has its own distinctive character and unique spirit in its blood and genes.
Even if I look at it from Lu Xun’s side, I don’t think his words should be used. You can tell Lu Xun's temper by reading his articles. He has a good temper. It was so unpleasant back then, and Xiamen University was the place where he was sad, but now he wants to use his words as a sign - he was a bad person before his death, and he is a flatterer after his death. Lu Xun knew this well, and he will definitely not appreciate it. In all likelihood, he will write an article again. Swear a few words.
Lu Xun’s words have been used for half a century. People inside and outside Xiamen University are used to it. Some people may have feelings. There is nothing wrong with making mistakes, but since Xiamen University now has the courage to make changes, of course it must support them. It's just right to use Mr. Jiageng's name, it's better looking than the original one, and it's the most representative - it should have been like this a long time ago.