Chapter 4 third quarter

In February 1911, Ye Hongjuan was admitted to Tsinghua Academy in Beijing and became the first batch of students to enter Tsinghua Academy after the "Youmei Study Hall" was renamed "Tsinghua Academy". The so-called Youmei Academy, also known as Youmei Preparatory School, was the only exit from the old Chinese academic world to the United States of America at that time. In 1901, the Qing government signed the "Xin Chou Treaty" under the threat of the Eight-Power Allied Forces.The great powers of various countries received huge compensation of up to 450 million taels of silver.The Americans also got a piece of the pie. However, the pie was too rich. The Qing government’s generosity made the Americans a little embarrassed. The U.S. Secretary of State John Hay admitted in front of the Chinese envoy to the U.S. that “the Gengzi compensation is too much.” , so that the remaining part can be returned to China.This "excess" part of the principal amounted to about 11 million U.S. dollars, which should be a huge amount under the circumstances at the time.In order not to lose the money, the Qing government and the Americans at that time negotiated several times, and finally made a decision that is quite advanced in today's eyes: the refund will be used for "invigorating education and cultivating talents".

Since the western strong ships and guns knocked on the door of China, the memory of the Chinese people often focused on the utensils, so "Chinese learning for the body, Western learning for application" came into being. Pragmatism became the core trend of thought of the Westernization Movement at that time, and soon became mainstream thought in Chinese society.Learning Western science seems to have reached a consensus among the intellectuals and the power class. "Learning skills from foreigners to control foreigners." The warships and artillery, thinking that rare goods can cure all diseases.Who would have thought that once the Sino-Japanese War broke out, the Beiyang navy was wiped out in an instant, which not only declared the failure of the Westernization Movement, but also confirmed the narrowness of the so-called "body" and "use".It was on the ruins of this failure that the people of the country learned from the painful experience and realized that in order to strengthen the country, it is necessary to "develop the wisdom of the people and strengthen the foundation of the country, which is an urgent task." Under the influence of this trend of thought, the Qing government focused on education On the ground, and because of the relationship between war reparations, it focused on the powerful and advanced United States from the very beginning.

According to the Sino-US agreement, the Chinese government must send no less than 100 students to the United States for three consecutive years from the date of accepting the "refund" (January 1, 1909) to receive higher education in the United States. pregnancy".At the same time, a preparatory school for studying in the United States was built in the "Qingkuang place" in the capital. The school system is 8 years, and all of them are sent to study in the United States after graduation.After these students go to the United States, they must "eight out of ten study agriculture, engineering, commerce, mining and other subjects, and two out of ten study law, politics, financial management, and teacher education". In June 1909, the Qing government established the "Academic Affairs Office of Youmei" in Beijing, and the location is today's Shijia Hutong near Dongsi.

From 1909 to 1911, the Yumei Academic Affairs Office recruited and sent 4 batches of students directly studying in the United States.In addition, intensive preparations were made for the establishment of the Preparatory School for Studying in America, which was named "Youmei Study Hall" by the Qing government at that time.The school-running policy of the museum is: "Continue to use American higher and elementary subjects to teach, and all methods follow the American school, so as to familiarize yourself with the curriculum. After entering the United States, you can be unqualified." The students enrolled in the school are divided into advanced subjects and secondary subjects. It was called "First Qualification" and "Second Qualification" as they were called at the time, and recruiting students must meet the conditions of "strong body, pure temperament, complete appearance, and clean net worth". In March 1910, the Ministry of Qing Government formulated the "Measures for Selecting Students and Sending Students to Travel to the United States", which stipulated that: except for some students directly recruited by the Academic Affairs Office in Beijing, most of the students in the school will be "promoted by the provinces. Envoys are recruited in various provinces, and after passing the preliminary examination in each province, they are recommended to come to Beijing for a re-examination.The number of places recommended by each province is determined according to the amount of Boxer indemnity paid by each province.At that time, Jiangsu Province paid the most compensation, so there were as many as 26 recommended places, while Yunnan, Guizhou and other provinces had only two places for each province because of very little payment.

In August 1909, the Qing court allowed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Academic Affairs to renovate the barren "Little Five Masters Garden" in the western suburbs, and then built the Royal Academy of Tsinghua University. Xiaowuye Garden was originally part of the eastern half of Xichun Garden.Xichun Garden was originally the residence of Kangxi. When it was handed down to Daoguang, the garden was divided into east and west parts. The west was owned by the later Emperor Xianfeng, and the east was owned by a younger brother of Xianfeng.After Xianfeng ascended the throne, he changed the name of "Little Five Masters Garden" to "Tsinghua Garden", and hung a plaque on the gate of the palace. We can still see Emperor Xianfeng's handwriting on the gate of Tsinghua University's Gongzi Hall.

When the 13-year-old Ye Hongjuan stepped into the gate of the I-shaped hall, he also carefully looked at the three dignified and neat characters.At that time, the outer walls of Tsinghua Garden were mostly made of tiger skin stones, and the freshly applied stone powder was still dazzling.There are many newly planted pines, locusts and junipers inside the walls, and flower beds are also dotted in the wider areas.The Tsinghua Garden undulates in the vast and vast charm and the afterglow of the evening sunshine of the empire, which is indescribably moving to those who study. On March 30, 1911, the opening ceremony of the "Youmei Study Hall" was held.The icon of Emperor Xuantong was hung in the middle of the auditorium. Every student kneeled three times and kowtowed nine times to see the ceremony, and then met with the teachers of the school.After the salute, Zhou Ziqi, the then general manager of the Youmei Academic Affairs Office, and Fan Yuanlian, the supervisor (principal) of the Youmei Study Center, delivered speeches one after another, telling all the twists and turns of why Youmei was born to all the teachers and students. , There are occasional voices among the students.At the opening ceremony, Zhou Ziqi, the head of the Academic Affairs Office of Youmei, announced that after the approval of the Qing court, the Youmei Study Hall was changed to "Tsinghua Royal Academy".Later, due to the outbreak of the Revolution of 1911, the word "Royal" was removed and it was called Tsinghua School.

Ye Hongjuan was moved.With his 13-year-old mind, he didn't notice that the Empire State Building was in jeopardy.At this time, the storm of the Revolution of 1911 was brewing, and the gunshots of the Guangzhou Uprising had already sounded.The Qing people used to establish their country with the power of the "hair-cutting order", but now they have to turn a blind eye to the braid-cutting trend in various places.And these decadent circumstances do not seem to have affected Tsinghua Park.On the contrary, everything here is full of vitality, just like the new shoots of an old Longzhong tree. In the sunshine of spring in 1911, the branches are tall and straight, and the leaves are growing brightly.Ye Hongjuan was engulfed in the good mood of this spring. He had excellent grades in algebra, geometry, trigonometry and other mathematics basic tests in the school, and his teacher encouraged him to take the first exam (advanced class). The first frame is still excellent, and his intelligence has attracted the attention of the students.

Wu Mi, Daye Hongjuan, is 4 years old, and he was admitted to Tsinghua Academy occupying a quota in Shaanxi.He wrote in his diary: "Today's test students are mostly children, and there are very few bosses. They are all dressed in fresh clothes, cheering and jumping, chatting and shouting, not counting in the school's test booth. My generation is already old. Long, competing with other generations, it is really embarrassing. And among the students in the exam, there are quite a few smart and handsome people, and the exam papers are all very fast... Yu Kuang spent several years in Hongdao, although he graduated, how lucky was Zeng Yi , I entered this school today, and I have seen students from other provinces. There are quite a few of them who are immature and have a very advanced level of English. The rest of the class is divided into 2b, which is extremely low. I have been in class for several days, and I will end up with warm reading books. I feel exhausted, and I am afraid that the descendants of Yue Yue will die, so what should I do..." ("Wu Mi Diary" 1910-1915 volumes, Joint Publishing 1998 edition, p. 48)

Ye Hongjuan was exactly the kind of "smart and handsome man" described by Wu Mi who was "young and extremely proficient in English". Although he and Wu Mi belonged to the second category of classmates at this time, they did not know each other yet.At this time, there were 468 students who came to Tsinghua Academy to study, including 184 students who were recruited by various provinces, and 248 students who had been recruited and prepared for admission in Beijing over the years.Nearly 500 students gathered together in a corner in the west of Beijing, and soon began to compete in learning.According to the school system of Tsinghua University, students are not assigned classes, but are divided into several grades for each subject they study, and divided into classes according to the level of students' mastery of each subject.Everyone must complete all the subjects they have studied according to the school's regulations. Therefore, everyone's study timetable is different.For example, Wu Mi's Chinese level is in the fifth and sixth grades, but his English level is in the first and second grades.The academic system of Tsinghua Academy is 8 years. If you finish advanced courses, you can directly send to American universities to study.Wu Mi had to make up the time saved in studying Chinese to study English. Compared with students like Ye Hongjuan, who is excellent in both Chinese and English, Wu Mi felt that "it is too much to suffer".

Not long after entering school, Ye Hongjuan, who was overwhelmed by passion and emotion, wrote in his diary: If you want to wash away the national humiliation and make the motherland strong, you must strengthen your own knowledge and self-cultivation, and study scientific knowledge hard. Just when he was full of energy and devoted himself to his studies, the Revolution of 1911 broke out and Tsinghua Academy was forced to disband. Ye Hongjuan had no choice but to return to his hometown of Shanghai. He entered the Shanghai Armed Forces School and was admitted.In this way, amidst the rumble of the 1911 Revolution, Ye Hongjuan once again chose a peaceful desk.During his military engineering school, Wu Yunchu, a chemistry teacher, left a deep impression on him.

One day, Wu Yunchu wrote a poem by Du Mu on the blackboard: The broken halberd sinks into the sand and the iron is not sold, and it will be ground and washed to recognize the previous dynasty. Dongfeng does not make friends with Zhou Lang, and Tongquechun locks Er Qiao deeply. Wu Yunchu asked: What kind of poem is this?The students gave different answers. Some said it was a quatrain, some said it was an epic poem, and some said it was a narrative poem.Ye Hongjuan stood up and said calmly: This is a philosophical poem.Wu Yunchu's eyes lit up, and he asked, why is it a philosophical poem? The teacher asked abruptly, and Ye Hongjuan was momentarily at a loss for words.But he didn't give up, and thought for a while and replied, because this poem contains too many things, covering natural and physical processes, rich in associations, and enlightening to people. Wu Yunchu applauded. Very good, Wu Yunchu said that the reason why this poem is called a philosophical poem is that it allows us to see many relationships through a piece of artifact, and from these relationships prove the relationship between time and space, history and reality, nature and society. some kind of clue.For example, the iron halberd in Du Mu's poem, tempered by the battle, fell into the surging river as a war halberd, passed from the hands of man into the hands of nature, and returned to its pure physical and materialized stage.From the corrosion process of its sinking into the river, we can see the imprint of time; and the change of its own physical properties, from a shiny and sharp weapon to a rusty iron, we can see a chemical process; The rivers and streams are constantly pushing the sediment, and the process of constantly washing and washing it is a physical process; now that this artifact is salvaged, people think of the wars of the Three Kingdoms from it, and lament that if a small Due to accidental factors, the fate of the beautiful, youthful and charming Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao may be rewritten. Therefore, from this poem, we will understand many levels of physics, emotion and philosophy. This is the meaning that Du Mu's poem gives us. ... Many years have passed, and Ye Hongjuan still remembers this lesson given by Mr. Wu Yunchu.After this class, he copied Du Fu's poems into his notebook: If you push physics carefully, you must enjoy yourself, so why use false names to trip this body. These are two poems in "Two Poems of Qujiang" written by Du Fu in the first year of Tang Suzong Qianyuan.This is probably the earliest occurrence of the word "physics" in Chinese, although its meaning is not the same as later.Everything in the world is made up of matter. Things not only have quality but also rationality. The basic principle of studying all matter is "physics". Since then, Ye Hongjuan, who has a lot of thoughts, has started his path of "finely pushing physics".He began to prefer "Confucianism".The mystery and unpredictability of Neo-Confucianism made his heart flutter, and his soul was deeply attracted by the labyrinth of logic that leads to seclusion. In this rational world with every detail, he seems to have found the rhythm of life. The alluring solution is his desire, and every answer will surprise him.Under the dual traction of willpower and judgment, he kept rising, rising, and gradually reaching extraordinary heights... One day in May 1913, after Ye Hongjuan heard that the Tsinghua Academy had been re-opened, he immediately invited his classmates from Shanghai to visit Yuyuan Garden, saying goodbye to the past and giving himself an explanation. Yu Garden was originally a private garden, the owner of which was Pan Yunduan, the right governor of Sichuan in the late Ming Dynasty. Pan built this garden for his parents to spend their lives here, so it was named "Yu Garden". "Yu" is one of the sixty-four hexagrams in "Book of Changes", which means peace and health.Later, the Pan family's fortunes fell, and the garden was divided and sold several times, making this famous garden fragmented.In the sixth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty, this place was sub-leased by 21 factories. After several twists and turns, the property rights were gradually transferred to private ownership. Those people built restaurants, teahouses or commercial shops here. An important place for entertainment and economic activities. Ye Hongjuan and his classmates came to a photo studio in Yu Garden.Two years ago, in order to apply for the Youmei Academy, they took a group photo here.At that time, Ye Hongjuan was wearing a black mandarin jacket with a woolen lapel on his collar. His childishness was written on his face, but his expression was still natural.Perhaps this group photo brought them good luck. After arriving in Beijing, they were all admitted.They were full of hope for the future and still wanted to continue their previous good luck, so they took a group photo in the old place again, and revisited the past again in front of the spotlight. After taking the group photo, Ye Hongjuan took another single photo.That day he dressed up specially, wearing a white robe, black cloth shoes with pointed toes, white cloth socks, and a flat straw hat that looked like a top hat that was very popular in Shanghai at that time.This kind of attire is a little strange to him, so his behavior is a little strange.He has always only buried his head in his study, and this appearance is made by those "white-faced people" on the beach. He has always been plainly dressed, and he doesn't know how to wear this hat naturally and skillfully.At first he took off his hat, but with the encouragement of the surrounding students, he put it on again.Deep down in his heart, he also wants to make himself "foreign" for a while, which can be regarded as a compensation for his lonely youth. Ye Hongjuan stood in front of the camera amidst everyone's laughter.With so many eyes on him, he was a little nervous.The photographer kept adjusting the lights, as if he didn't have time to pay attention to the shy young man in front of him, while Ye Hongjuan took advantage of the space in front of him to constantly adjust his body to adapt to this strange environment.Beside him is a flower stand with a pot of peonies in full bloom. Behind him is the background, which depicts a corner of the park.Ye Hongjuan suddenly remembered his relationship with this scene. How can he make people look like he is blending into it instead of just passing by?He thought it would be best to get in touch with the flower stand next to him, so he stretched out his hand and clung to it tremblingly for a while, but he couldn't get it right. At this time, the photographer had already prepared everything, and suddenly ordered him to pay attention to the flower stand. Looking forward, in desperation, he had to lower his hand, touch the bottom of the flower stand, and raised his head awkwardly... The photo was developed, and Ye Hongjuan in the photo looked stiff and funny.Instead of showing what it should, the funky straw hat becomes a laughing prop.Ye Hongjuan looked at his youthful face with some sadness, and behind the photo came a self-evaluation: (1) If you wear a flat straw hat, the photo will not be in good form (2) The right-hand flower stand is not yet suitable for the upper method (3) The two legs are arranged in such an unsightly manner (4) The wrinkled part of the gown From these checkpoints, we can see the introspection mechanism that 15-year-old Ye Hongjuan has sprouted.His restraint and humility are accumulated little by little on the basis of self-examination.An ignorant teenager will often treat himself and others carelessly in his youth, but Ye Hongjuan does not. He already has a rational gaze, and he uses this prudent gaze to check himself and discipline himself without losing the opportunity.He has grown up and has self-awareness, and these qualities do not match his age, so some people say that he is a young man.