On August 5th, 1965, Professor Bohong Xu passed away.
The next day, I got the news on the Internet, which was an invisible post sent by his classmate Elephant in deep middle school. I was shocked when I saw this post. A few minutes later, when I solemnly confirmed that this was a true news, I was deeply puzzled: how could this strong, optimistic and unrestrained man suddenly die? How can this knowledgeable, humorous and approachable professor leave his family, students and friends quietly and mercilessly? A cry of life struck my heart, making me helpless to the fragility of life.
Over the past few days, online forums, blogs, post bars and other articles have appeared in memory of Bohong Xu, and online memorial halls have also appeared one after another ... His students, his classmates, colleagues and friends are using the Internet, the fastest, most extensive and most modern way of communication, to convey their truest evaluation and infinite yearning for Bohong Xu's departure.
Die young is a heartbreaking word. Bohong Xu's untimely death not only brought him affection, but also brought grief to his students, classmates, colleagues and friends. His departure is also an inestimable loss to China's literary research in Tang and Song Dynasties.
Remembering Professor Bohong Xu is not only his professional research achievements and profound research potential, but also my admiration for him as a caring teacher with a strong sense of responsibility, a scholar and friend who distinguishes right from wrong.
My acquaintance with Bohong Xu can be traced back to our childhood. My fifth grade primary school is in a poor rural primary school, and my Chinese teacher is Bohong Xu's father. It was a Saturday afternoon and Bohong Xu came to our primary school. His liveliness soon made us partners. It was that afternoon that I learned his name, that he was the son of a Chinese teacher, that his family lived on the street, and that he went to school on the street. He wears a yellow belt around his waist, which we call "Sam Browne Belt". He looks brave. He said that when practicing martial arts, he should wear a Sam Browne belt, and he can also be used as a fighting weapon in his hand ... In my childhood memory, he is a typical heroic teenager. Later, when I read "Young Runner" in Lu Xun's hometown, the image of Bohong Xu as a teenager always came to my mind.
I got along with Bohong Xu again. I was 19 years old that year. I just started working and was assigned to a high school. Bohong Xu's father happened to teach in that high school, and Bohong Xu and other family members lived on the campus with his father. At this time, Bohong Xu also attended high school in this school and was about to graduate. Because Bohong Xu is about my age and his playful nature, we always play together after work and study. At that time, the learning conditions of high school students were very difficult. In contrast, Bohong Xu's family is on campus, and his father is a school teacher, so he is much superior to students from rural areas in life and study. However, due to his playful nature, Bohong Xu often didn't take his studies seriously, so he was not scolded and beaten by his father. I vaguely remember that at that time, he learned to smoke behind his teacher's back and behind his parents' back, probably because he was curious. In high school, he had a distinctive advantage, that is, he loved to discuss academic matters with his teachers and classmates and was good at expressing his views. As you can imagine, at that time, a high school graduating class had such a heavy learning task, but Bohong Xu always took time to come to my living room to sing "Song of Peony" or "Camel Bell", and sometimes even published a little theory after singing. I seem to feel that intense high school study has no pressure on him.
In that year's college entrance examination, he was admitted to Xinyang Normal University with a score one point higher than the undergraduate score. For many teachers, it is normal and abnormal. The so-called normal is that he is smart; The so-called abnormality is because he didn't work hard at his studies.
On his first summer vacation in college, he rode back to Guangshan from Xinyang, not because he didn't have a ticket, but because of his passion and challenge to life. That summer vacation, he also told me that he practiced martial arts after school. On the evening of January, we started to learn martial arts on the spacious basketball court, and then started Sanda for about an hour. Finally, I feel that my physical strength is far behind him. In my opinion, his constitution is very good.
Since that summer vacation, due to job changes, our contact has gradually decreased. On New Year's Day that year, a large-scale New Year's party was organized in Bopihe Town, and all units had programs. Who knows, Bohong Xu also returned to Popi River, temporarily serving as a program pre-selection judge and rehearsal planner. As an interim host, I am very busy and have no time to talk to him. He hurried back to school the next day.
Four years in college should be four years of diligence, erudition and hard study for Bohong Xu. It is said that as soon as he returned to high school, his studies became normal. It was these four years that laid the foundation for his study of China's ancient literature. After graduation, he was retained by the school. Since then, he has forged an indissoluble bond with China ancient literature.
After that, I lost touch with Bohong Xu. First of all, we have different jobs. Besides, we have different family affairs. However, people often talk about Bohong Xu's work and life. Some are humorous stories about him, some praise his character, and some praise his thoughts. Some people say that to understand Bohong Xu, we should not only look at his manners, but also look at his books, in which all his thoughts are condensed. So, I read some fragments of his words on the Internet.
In 2009, the theme of "Let the light of wisdom overflow the colorful mountains" was sung in Guangshan. Sima Guang's comments on "Smashing the Tanzi" caught his attention. He was a literary researcher and master tutor in the Tang and Song Dynasties. I met him again on the Internet. One Sunday morning, I was about to have lunch when Bohong Xu called me. This is the voice of reunion after a long separation, with the same tone and grammar as before. ...
Last year, Deng Shitai's Heart Trace was published, and Professor Bohong Xu prefaced the book. I read his preface carefully, from which I saw him again-the open-minded and solemn bond of intellectuals in this era. Between the lines, I inhaled real odorless water.
It is always said that one day we will sit together, relive those frivolous and stubborn youths, and listen to his profound knowledge and singing today ... Who knew that he was so eager for the legacy of Wei and Jin Dynasties that his soul returned to the Tang and Song Dynasties?
(Zimu 2011Aug.21)