Mr. Qi Gong, who passed away two years ago, was a well-known authoritative cultural relic appraiser, famous painter, contemporary calligraphy master and Chinese traditional culture master. However, his work experience in his youth was full of twists and turns. He went against the path that others drove him down and faced difficulties, and finally walked out on a sunny road of "If you don't want high places, go to higher places."
Qi Gong lost his father when he was 1 year old and has lived with his grandfather since he was a child. When he was 11 years old, his grandfather passed away, and his family began to fall into trouble. At the age of 14, he dropped out of Beijing Huiwen Middle School. After that, he studied hard on his own, and with the guidance of many masters at the time, Qigong gained profound academic attainments in calligraphy, painting, classical literature, textual criticism, etc.
In 1933, the 21-year-old Qi Gong was recommended by Chen Yuan, the president of Fu Jen Catholic University, to serve as a Chinese language teacher in the first grade of junior high school at the High School Affiliated to Fu Jen Catholic University because of his "excellent writing skills". This is of course a very exciting thing for Qigong. Firstly, it can relieve the pressure of family poverty. Secondly, being a teacher is a profession that he has always admired. In order to teach Chinese language courses well, Qi Gong followed Mr. Chen’s instructions, humbly asked colleagues around him for advice, prepared lessons carefully, and taught seriously, which was fully recognized by colleagues and students. Among them, some students embarked on the path of literature under the influence of Qi Gong. Although he taught and educated people conscientiously, he was fired in the end. The principal of Fu Jen Catholic High School thought it was ridiculous for someone who had not even graduated from middle school to teach a middle school. During a break, the principal issued a letter of termination to Qi Gong in the office. Being laid off in less than two years was indeed a big blow to Qi Gong, who had entered society for the first time.
You are not even recognized in middle school, so you should be transferred to elementary school. This is the thinking habit of many of us: If we can't do big things, we have to settle for doing medium things; if we can't do medium things, we have to settle for smaller things. However, Qi Gong did not follow the ordinary people's thinking and go downhill. On the contrary, he braved the difficulties and entered a higher education institution. In 1935, Mr. Chen Yuan recommended Qigong to the Fine Arts Department of Fu Jen Catholic University as an assistant professor. Qi Gong clearly realized that he was only a middle school student. If he wanted to stay in this institution of higher learning and achieve some results, he must work harder than others and use his true talents to make up for the lack of a diploma. Since then, he has developed a spirit of truth-seeking and pragmatism in academics. Coupled with his unique teaching style, his art classes are very popular among students.
But his diligent work did not bring favor to the leaders of the art department. They felt that Qi Gong would look "even more ridiculous" if he stayed like this. How can you teach at a university without even graduating from middle school? This is simply a weird thing! In 1937, the Fine Arts Department of Fu Jen Catholic University fired Qigong for "lack of academic qualifications." Qi Gong suffered a heavy blow for the second time in his life.
Qi Gong was "laid off" twice in succession. It is said that he should review himself in time and wisely take a step or a few steps back to find a place to settle down. If the thinking of "go to higher places if you don't want them high" is a stone, then Qi Gong has tripped over this stone twice. Even if he is the kind of stupid person, who can't be left alone? I don’t dare to follow this kind of thinking any further. But it didn't work out. After a year of "unemployment", he was so motivated that he moved to higher places. When the semester started in the autumn of 1938, it was Mr. Chen Yuan who came forward and Fu Jen Catholic University hired Qi Gong, who had not yet graduated from high school, to teach freshman Chinese language courses. From the original "teaching assistant" in the Art Department to the "lecturer" in the Chinese Department, Qi Gong has indeed taken the path of "go to higher places if you don't want them".
For a true talent, it is easier to meet your talent at a high place. This time, no one complained that Qigong had "too low academic qualifications." On the contrary, he took to it like a duck to water and became a university teacher who was very popular among students and schools. But Qi Gong did not dare to stop. He clearly realized that only by constantly improving himself, improving his true talents and learning, and being several times higher than others, could he gain a firm foothold. In addition to being well-read and diligent in self-study, he is also good at humbly learning from senior experts. For example, Mr. Shen Jianshi and Mr. Yu Jiaxizhu of Furen University are well-known academic celebrities in the society. Qi Gong constantly absorbs and inherits excellent ideas from them. Study style and teaching style.
Although he never encountered the problem of "not wanting to go to higher places" again, Qigong continued to "go to higher places" with his solid academic foundation. He successively became an associate professor in the Chinese Department of Furen University and a professor at Peking University. Associate Professor of the Museum Department, Associate Professor of the Chinese Department of Peking University, Associate Professor and Professor of the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University, Chairman of the National Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee, Director of the Central Research Institute of Literature and History, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, and finally became a well-known contemporary Chinese calligraphy master and Master of Chinese Studies.
If it weren’t for Qi Gong’s insistence on taking the path of “go to higher places if you don’t want higher places”, and without his persistence and accumulation, I’m afraid there wouldn’t be the well-known “China’s First Brushstroke” today. It's done.