Drinking Water and Reminiscing about the Origin of Rao Gong——Some Memories of Mr. Jao Tsung-I

【Report】

Biographies of Scholars

Jao Tsung-i (1917-2018), born in Chao'an, Guangdong, was named Xuantang. He has taught in universities such as the University of Hong Kong, the University of Singapore, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He used to be a librarian of the Central Research Institute of Literature and History and the president of Xiling Yinshe. The academic field involves Dunhuang studies, oracle bone studies, bamboo slips and silk studies, ancient Chinese history, bibliographies, literary history, calligraphy and painting, etc. In terms of Dunhuang studies, he is the author of "Dunhuang Edition Laozi Xianger Annotated and Corrected Notes", "Dunhuang Songs", "Dunhuang White Paintings", "Dunhuang Pipa Spectrum", etc.; "Kao", "Oracle Bone Records Seen in Japan", "General Inspection of Oracle Bone Inscriptions", etc.; in terms of bamboo slips and silk studies, he wrote "Jianbo Wensou", "Changsha Chu Silk Script Research", "Sleeping Tiger Land Qin Bamboo Slips "Japanese Script" Research" and so on; in China In terms of ancient history, he is the author of "On the Orthodoxy of Chinese Historiography", "Xuantang Jilin Shilin", etc.; Rare Books" and so on; in terms of literary history, he is the author of "Xuantang Fuhua", "Wenxuan Yan", "Wen Zhe-Literary History Collection", etc.; in terms of calligraphy and painting, he is the author of "Calligraphy Series" Huang Gongwang and "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains", "Bada Shanren Paintings", "Xubaizhai Collection of Calligraphy and Painting Explanations", "Xubaizhai Calligraphy and Painting Record", etc. He has won the Special Contribution Award for Dunhuang Cultural Relics Protection Research, the Grand Bauhinia Medal of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, etc.

Author: Hao Chunwen (Yanjing Chair Professor of Humanities, Capital Normal University, Honorary President of China Dunhuang Turpan Society)

Mr. Rao Zongyi is a well-known academic master all over the world. Some people call him "Nan Rao Bei Qian" together with Mr. Qian Zhongshu, and some people call him "Nan Rao Bei Ji" together with Mr. Ji Xianlin.

Rao Gong was gifted and intelligent, and loved reading since he was a child. His knowledge, education and methods of studying poetry, literature, painting, bibliography, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism were all from his family. His family has a rich collection of books, with as many as 100,000 volumes. Because he was immersed in them all day long, when he entered a regular school, he found that he already knew what the teacher said. In addition, he likes an unrestrained learning environment, so with his father's consent, he switched to self-study at home. Therefore, Rao Gong did not go to a formal school, and he was self-taught.

Rao Gong's scholarship began with sorting out local literature. At the age of 16, he began to continue his father Rao Baoxuan's unfinished "Chaozhou Art and Literature", which was completed two years later and was well received by the academic circle. In 1935, at the age of 19, he was hired as a full-time editor of the "Guangdong Tongzhi" library of Sun Yat-sen University, and joined the Yugong Society founded by Gu Jiegang. In 1939, he was hired as a researcher at Sun Yat-sen University, and later served as a professor of the Chinese Department of South China University, a deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Documentation Committee, a professor at Wuxi Teachers College, and a professor at Guangdong College of Arts and Sciences. After moving to Hong Kong, he served as a lecturer and senior lecturer in the Chinese Department of the University of Hong Kong. From 1968 to 1973, he was a professor and head of the Chinese Department of the University of Singapore. After 1973, he taught at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for a long time.

Rao Gong has done in-depth research in the fields of Dunhuang studies, oracle bone studies, bamboo slips and silk studies, poetry studies, tide studies, ancient Chinese history, bibliography, Chu Ci studies, archaeology, literary history, calligraphy and painting, and has achieved important results. , not only across many fields, but even across the four major disciplines of history, literature, art, and philosophy.

Today's academic research is increasingly specialized, and it is difficult for most scholars to cross the boundaries between disciplines. Even the same discipline is subdivided into many secondary disciplines and specialized fields, and most scholars are engaged in specialized research in a narrow field. As far as the current situation of historical research is concerned, although many researchers can achieve important results in a certain dynastic history or specialized history, it is rare for scholars to get through different dynastic histories or specialized histories. It is very rare to see a scholar like Mr. Jao Tsung-I who can achieve important results in multiple disciplines. Historical experience shows that interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research can often provide new development opportunities for academic research. Under such circumstances, Mr. Jao Tsung-I's interdisciplinary research is particularly worth advocating and carrying forward.

Due to various opportunities, I had the honor to have many contacts with Mr. Jao Tsung-I, and each time I left unforgettable memories.

The author of this article, Hao Chunwen, took a group photo with Rao Zongyi. Photo courtesy of the author

"Research on Dunhuang and Turpan" supported by Jao Tsung-I

"Selected Works on Jao Tsung-I's Historiography"

Meet Rao Gong for the first time

The first time I met Mr. Rao was in 1998, when I was on my way back to Beijing from a study tour in Taiwan. At that time, Beijing could not fly directly to Taiwan. It had to go to Hong Kong first, and then go to Taiwan from Hong Kong. Returning to Beijing from Taiwan still has to transit through Hong Kong. On my return from Taiwan, I arranged to stop over in Hong Kong. At that time, my good friend Zhao Heping was visiting the Chinese University of Hong Kong, so I asked him to help me book a room for two nights at the Chinese University. look.

Brother Heping conveyed my request to Mr. Rao, and Mr. Rao proposed to treat me to a restaurant near the Happy Valley residence. On that day, Brother Heping accompanied me to the place of eating from the Chinese University by car. Not long after we arrived, Mr. Rao also came slowly. When I first met Mr. Rao, my deepest impression was that he did not have the pretensions of a great scholar at all, but an amiable and refined scholar. During the dinner, we talked about the study of Dunhuang tunes, and Mr. Rao talked about the debate between Japanese scholars and Mr. Ren Erbei about Dunhuang tunes. Rao believed that Japanese scholars' criticisms of Mr. Ren were correct, and he was echoed by Brother Heping. At that time, I thought that Japanese scholars’ criticism of Mr. Ren Erbei was unfair, so I came up with the sentence “The Japanese are too unreasonable”, which made Mr. Rao and Mr. Heping very embarrassed, and we couldn’t continue talking about this topic. . In retrospect, I was too reckless. Because Mr. Rao Gong and Mr. Ren Erbei also had disputes about the lyrics of Dunhuang tunes, Rao Gong mentioned this topic in order to use the views of Japanese scholars to explain that Mr. Ren Erbei's criticism of Rao Gong was wrong. If I get involved in the middle, the embarrassment in Mr. Rao's heart may be even greater than that of Brother Heping.

Looking back now, my views at that time cannot be said to be unreasonable. Mr. Ren Erbei devoted himself to the research of Dunhuang tunes and words for decades. He not only published "A Preliminary Exploration of Dunhuang Songs" and "Correlation Record of Dunhuang Songs" in the 1950s, but also published three volumes "Comprehensive Collection of Dunhuang Songs and Cis" in 1987. Compilation should be the scholar who contributed the most to sorting out and studying Dunhuang tunes and words in the world. Mr. Ren's collation and research on Dunhuang tunes and lyrics is characterized by extensive collection and reference, and good at explaining. Of course, Mr. Ren also attaches great importance to text proofreading. According to Mr. Zhou Shaoliang’s recollection, during the “Cultural Revolution”, Mr. Ren Erbei made a special trip from Yangzhou to Beijing, lived in a hotel, and went to the Beijing Library (now the National Library) to look up the miniatures of Dunhuang’s posthumous writings in order to check the plates of Dunhuang’s melodies and words. film. At that time, there should be few scholars in China who put in so much effort like Mr. Ren. For a long time, the academic circle has paid more and more attention to Mr. Ren's mistakes in the proofreading and recording of Dunhuang tunes and words, which intentionally or unintentionally played down Mr. Ren's historical contribution to the collation and research of Dunhuang tunes and words. I still think this is unfair. At that time, Mr. Ren did not have the conditions to go abroad to see the original lyrics of the music, but could only look at the microphotographs. The red ink brush on the original copy and the words added with the ink brush were so light in color on the black and white photos that they could hardly be seen. Rao Gong and Japanese scholars have the conditions to go to France and the United Kingdom to see the original, and they can correct the mistakes in the lyrics of the music recorded by Mr. Ren based on the original. It is a pity that Mr. Ren did not understand these circumstances, so he believed that the interpretations of the Dunhuang tunes and lyrics changed by Rao Gong and others were arbitrary, and the added words were also added without authorization. If we talk about the facts, Mr. Ren's accusation and criticism of Mr. Rao are of course wrong, but there are indeed reasons for the incident. I defended Mr. Ren at the time, mainly because I believed that Mr. Ren’s great contribution should not be denied just because of the above small mistakes. The problem is, it was Mr. Rao who invited me to dinner, not Mr. Ren Erbei. As a guest, not only did I not follow the master's wishes to make the master happy, but I said something embarrassing to the master. What's more, the master is a respectable senior ! Thinking about it now, I was really young at the time. But Mr. Rao didn't bother with me, and changed the topic for a long time, and finally everyone was happy. After the meal, Mr. Rao invited me to his home for a chat, which showed that he really didn't care about my recklessness and recklessness, and that he really had everyone's generosity and mind.

Between contacts

In 1999, Capital Normal University decided to hire Rao Gong as a consultant professor. Rao Gong and his daughter Rao Qingfen came to the school to accept the letter of appointment and give academic lectures. The leader of the history department asked me to be responsible for the specific reception work. Mr. Rao lived in the hostel of our school that time, and I arranged for him to visit the cultural relics room and reference room of our department. Meanwhile, Mr. Ouyang Zhongshi, a famous calligrapher, hired Rao Gong as a consultant on behalf of the Calligraphy Research Institute of Capital Normal University, and Rao Gong accepted it happily. I remember that Mr. Zhongshi was a little cautious that day, probably because he was afraid of delaying Mr. Rao's time, he got up to leave as soon as he finished his business. I felt that the two of you should have a good chat, so I told Mr. Ouyang that it would be okay to sit down for a while. Only then did Mr. Zhongshi sit down and chat with Mr. Rao. Mr. Zhongshi told Mr. Rao that he was "Zuoqiuming" (homophone Zuoqiuming) and was almost blind in his right eye, so he had to sit on Mr. Rao's left side when chatting so that he could see.

Rao Gong was over 80 years old at that time, and his schedule was relatively tight. Ms. Rao Qingfen told me that Mr. Rao can relieve fatigue and restore energy through breath adjustment. During the event, I found an office nearby and asked Mr. Rao to meditate and adjust his breath in it alone. Half an hour later, Rao Gong came out refreshed. It seems that Rao Gong was able to live a long and healthy life, and he had his own way of recuperating, which should be an important reason.

Rao Gong's lecture, because it conflicted with my class time, I couldn't listen to it. However, I deliberately arranged the location of the lecture in the school's International Conference Hall, which was the largest public space in our school at that time. The speech was presided over by Ning Keshi, and Mr. Qi Shirong, the principal, also participated. After the speech, Mr. Qi Shirong made a comment and spoke highly of Mr. Rao's academic performance. After the event, my colleagues told me that the speech was very effective, warm and complete.

In 2003, Mr. Rao used the "Dunhuang Research Program" to invite me to visit the Chinese University of Hong Kong for three months, from September to December. At this time, Duke Rao was in poor health. In the first half of 2003, he had a small stroke. Although it was quickly controlled, it took a long time to fully recover. When I reported to the Chinese University of Hong Kong in September, his body was still recovering. At that time, he didn't come to school every week like before, but he came to meet me specially when I first came here. During the next three months, it seemed that he came only two or three times. Usually, if I have something to do, I can find Mr. Rao's assistants Zheng Huixin and Shen Jianhua. The two of them, especially brother Zheng Huixin, gave me a lot of specific help. Mr. Rao gave me a collection of calligraphy, a collection of paintings, and a collection of essays. I put the collection of calligraphy and paintings next to my pillow and read them every night before going to bed. Versatile admiration.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong has a rich collection of books. Although they are scattered in different libraries, all visiting scholars can borrow them, and the borrowing and returning procedures are very simple, so it is very convenient to conduct academic research here. The disadvantage of the Chinese University of Hong Kong is that there are too few flat lands, and most buildings are built on hillsides (the same is true for the University of Hong Kong), and you have to go up or down the hills to and from the campus. There is a school bus in the school to provide ferry service. The school bus goes to and from the various academies and office areas. The up and down are winding mountain roads, with nine turns and eighteen turns each time. Growing up in the northern plains, I was not used to this kind of university built on the hillside. Every time I took the school bus, I was worried. I also admired the superb driving skills of Hong Kong drivers. The dormitory we lived in was also built on a hillside, giving people an unstable feeling. When I first arrived, I couldn't sleep well at night for a long time, and I was always worried that I would slip down the hillside in the middle of the night.

After 2003, I participated in many important activities and celebrations related to Lord Rao. Among them, I was most impressed by the celebration of Rao Gong's 95th birthday held in Mogao Grottoes in 2010. Rao Gong visited Mogao Grottoes in person at the age of 95, but I missed the opening ceremony. That day, several scholars and I walked to the meeting place after dinner, instead of taking a car with other representatives. When we walked to the front of the Mogao Grottoes, we found that the venue was not there. At this time, it was time for the opening ceremony to start, but the few of us didn't know where the venue was. Suddenly, we heard the tweeter calling me to sit on the rostrum, and only then did I know that the venue was in front of the International Conference Hall, which was some distance away from the Mogao Grottoes. It takes about ten minutes to walk back to the International Conference Hall from the Mogao Grottoes. Being late, I was too embarrassed to stand on the rostrum in full view, so I lost a chance to share the stage with Mr. Rao.

The last time I met Rao Gong was when I participated in the "Professor Jao Tsung-I Centennial Birthday Celebration" held in Hong Kong in 2015. There were as many as a thousand people attending that meeting, and I was embarrassed to disturb Lord Rao, but fortunately Brother Zheng Huixin asked Lord Rao for instructions and allowed me to go up and say hello to Lord Rao. When I shook hands with Mr. Rao, brother Huixin took a photo for us, which became the last photo of Mr. Rao and me together. That time I shook hands with Rao Gong, I could still feel his hand was very powerful.

When I visited Hong Kong to study in 2003, I felt that Mr. Rao was not in good health. He spoke or delivered a speech standing up for a little longer, and he seemed to be unsteady on his feet. He had to rely on the pillar of the microphone for support, giving the impression that he was dying. But in the next ten years, every time I met him, I felt that his body was better than in 2003, and it was getting better and better, and finally passed the 100-year-old mark. Therefore, I always think that Mr. Rao is really great. He not only created many academic miracles, but also created the longevity miracle of overcoming aging. On the one hand, it should be due to his good care and maintenance, and more importantly, because he has a broad mind and a heart of benevolence, so he can reach the realm of "the longevity of the benevolent".

Drinking water and thinking about the source

Mr. Rao’s promotion and support for academics in the Mainland are manifested in many aspects, one of which is the planning and implementation of the “Dunhuang Research Program”.

This plan is to invite and subsidize young and middle-aged scholars from the Mainland in batches to do academic research for one to several months at the "Dunhuang Turpan Research Center" of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. It provides dormitories and an office, which is equipped with some important books. Scholars can also borrow books and materials from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This program was launched in 1991, and the first person invited was Professor Jiang Boqin of Sun Yat-sen University. Later, Xiang Chu (1991), Rong Xinjiang (twice in 1992 and 1995), Wang Su (1995), Deng Wenkuan (1997), Chen Guocan (1997), Zhao Heping (1998) were successively invited. ), Chen Ming (2000), Yu Xin (2001), I am the last one. During this period, there were several others who were supported and invited by the “Dunhuang Research Program” although their research topics were not in Dunhuang and Turpan, namely Liu Zhao (1995-1996), Hu Pingsheng (1997), Wang Hui (1998), Chen Weiwu (1999), Liu Zhaorui (1999), Li Junming (2000), Tang Xiaofeng (2000), Chen Weizhan (2002). In addition, although Zhang Yongquan, Huang Zheng and Yang Ming did not go to Hong Kong, they also received funding from this plan.

It can be seen from the above list that the young and middle-aged scholars invited by Mr. Rao are all temporary choices. In the Mainland, they are busy with teaching tasks and other jobs; during the visit in Hong Kong, they have neither teaching tasks nor troubles of various chores, and can concentrate on conducting in-depth research on research topics designed by themselves. The only requirement is to complete a manuscript while in Hong Kong or after returning to the Mainland. Take me as an example. Although I have been engaged in the research of ancient Chinese communities for more than 20 years, I have not been able to concentrate on integrating relevant results for a period of time. It was not until I accepted the invitation of Mr. Rao that I completed the "Medieval Society in Hong Kong" in three months. Research" book. It can be seen that this closed-door short-term academic visit designed by Mr. Rao is very important for young and middle-aged scholars to make achievements. The "Dunhuang Research Program" launched a group of outstanding talents and achievements, thus promoting the development of Dunhuang Turpanology and Paleographology in China.

Compared with the salaries of teachers in various universities in Hong Kong, the research allowance provided by the "Dunhuang Research Program" to the invitees is not much, but it can meet the various expenses of the invitees during their stay in Hong Kong. If you are not extravagant, you can still have a slight surplus. Given that the salary level of college teachers in the mainland was not high at that time, the surplus part was also a small contribution to improving the family life of the invitees. In particular, it should be noted that although the Chinese University of Hong Kong is the inviting party and resident unit of the "Dunhuang Research Project", the funding was raised by Rao Gong through the "Hong Kong Chinese Culture Promotion Center", and most of them were donated by individuals. It can be said that Rao Gong promoted the implementation of the "Dunhuang Research Project" by relying on his personal influence and charm.

Another important aspect of Mr. Rao’s support to the academic circles in the Mainland is to promote the establishment of new academic journals and fund the publication of excellent academic works.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the research enthusiasm of mainland scholars was high, but there were few professional journals, limited space for publishing papers, and it was also difficult to publish monographs. The young and middle-aged scholars in the Mainland engaged in the study of Dunhuang and Turpan studies also suffered from such troubles. Against such a background, Rao raised funds in various ways, planned and supported the establishment of new academic gardens in the Mainland, and funded the publication of excellent academic works.

In 1995, Professor Rong Xinjiang of Peking University, with the support of Ji Xianlin, Zhou Yiliang and Jao Zongyi, and some friends in Beijing planned to establish "Dunhuang and Turpan Studies", which was published as a book. The initial founding funds were raised by Rao Gong from the Hong Kong Chinese Culture Promotion Center and the Chinese Culture Research Institute of Overseas Chinese Chongsheng University in Thailand. The journal was officially published in 1996. Ji Xianlin, Zhou Yiliang and Rao Zongyi served as the chief editors, and Rong Xinjiang presided over the work of the editorial department. Mr. Ji and Mr. Rao also personally wrote macro articles for the first issue. Since 2005, that is, the eighth volume of "Dunhuang Turpan Studies", I have been the director of the editorial department and presided over the editorial work of the journal. After Rao Gongxian passed away in 2018, the editorial board elected me to succeed the editor-in-chief of the journal. "Dunhuang-Turpan Studies" has been published for more than 20 years since its inception, and has published 20 volumes and nearly a thousand papers and book reviews. Many papers that have had an important impact on Dunhuang-Turpan studies were first published in this journal. "Dunhuang and Turpan Studies" is based on the quality of the papers. Regardless of qualifications, while improving the quality of journal papers, a group of young and middle-aged scholars have been introduced to the academic world. Many scholars are proud to publish papers in this journal.

From the publication of "Dunhuang Turpan Studies" to Rao Gong's death, the funds raised by Rao Gong have always played an important role in the publication funding of this publication. After the death of Duke Rao, the Jao Tsung-I Academy at the University of Hong Kong carried on the behest of Duke Rao, and still insists on providing part of the publication funding for the magazine.

In terms of promoting the publication of academic works, Mr. Rao planned and edited the "Hong Kong Dunhuang Turpan Research Center Series" and "Supplementing "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" Historical Data Long Editing Series", which were successively published by Taiwan Xinwenfeng Publishing Company, free of charge Publication grants. There are more than 20 works published successively in these two series, including Jao ​​Tsung-yi's "Dunhuang Pipa Pupa Collection", "Dunhuang Pipa Pu", Jiang Boqin, Xiang Chu, Rong Xinjiang's "Dunhuang Miao Zhenzan Collation and Research", Rong Xinjiang "Catalogue of Fragments of Chinese Non-Buddhist Documents in Dunhuang in the British Library", Zhang Yongquan's "Introduction to the Study of Dunhuang Folk Characters", Yang Ming's "Tubo Rule in Dunhuang", Huang Zheng's "Dunhuang Language Collection", Ikeda Wen, etc. "Dunhuang Wensou" (Part 1) , Jiang Boqin, etc. "Dunhuang Wensou" (Part 2), Wang Su's "Chronology of Gaochang Literature in Turpan", Wang Su and Li Fang's "Chronology of Dunhuang Literature in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties", Zhao Heping's "Research on the Dunhuang Version of "Gantang Collection", Chen Guocan's "Chronology of Tang Dynasty Documents Unearthed in Turpan", Chen Ming's "Research on the Hu-language Medical Code "Jipo Shu" Unearthed in Dunhuang", Hao Chunwen's "Research on Social Towns in the Middle Ages", etc. These treatises are representative works of the study of Turpan studies in Dunhuang, China. Greatly promoted the development of Dunhuang Turpan Studies in China.

From the 1980s to the beginning of the 21st century, it was a period of rapid development of Dunhuang studies in China. In the process of taking off, Rao Gong not only took the lead in setting an example, and continued to contribute to the development of Dunhuang studies in China, but also supported, helped, and promoted many young and middle-aged scholars in the Mainland. Today, China's research on Dunhuang studies has been at the forefront of the world, and has fully grasped the international discourse power. We will never forget the great contribution made by Mr. Rao.

"Guangming Daily" (version 11, July 18, 2022)

Source: Guangming.com - Guangming Daily