Chapter 24 Section five

The reason why Mr. Ye Qisun was loved by former Tsinghua teachers and students is not only the above-mentioned reasons, but also his noble teacher's morality and upright character, his gentlemanly demeanor and the dedication of perfection. According to Mr. Tang Zhengyin’s recollection, one day in a physics class, when it was almost time to end, a classmate suddenly stood up and asked Mr. Ye a question.At that time, Mr. Ye was about to leave get out of class, and was about to put the reference book in his bag. Before Mr. Ye could say anything, the bell rang suddenly.Mr. Ye said to the classmate: I will go back and think about it before explaining your question.

When the next class was held, Mr. Ye asked Mr. Lin Jiaqiao to substitute for an important meeting. Ye Qisun was a careful person, and he also entrusted Lin Jiaqiao to explain the questions raised by the student. Lin Jiaqiao is a student of Ye Shi, a graduate of the ninth grade of the Physics Department of Tsinghua University, and has just stayed in the school to teach at this time.Mr. Lin was quick to speak, and immediately said: This question is very simple.After a few words, like the wind blowing clouds and mist, the sky and the earth became clear immediately. This seems to be an ordinary little thing in teaching, but for Mr. Lin Jiaqiao, it is really a big taboo for scholars.As a junior student, the questions he solves are left by the teacher. If it is simple, it is impossible for a master like Mr. Ye to say "I will go back and think about it". The questions that can make him "think about it" are definitely difficult.Said: To the elders, don't show your abilities.Lin Jiaqiao's actions inevitably made her feel arrogant.

But Lin Jiaqiao was very lucky, he met someone of the highest level.Ye Qisun heard that the problem was easily solved, so he said in class: "Mr. Lin is very talented, and he works hard to study. He will have brilliant achievements in the future." A modest gentleman, only I, Mr. Ye. The incident that was considered disrespectful in the eyes of others was completely silent in Ye Qisun's heart.On the contrary, he thought that it should be a happy thing for students to be smarter than teachers.That's why he would blurt out praises to his students. Naturally, without thinking, he not only "forgets himself", but also enters the state of "no self".

This good story, which took place in the Tsinghua Garden in the 20th century, is still talked about by future generations. After that, Mr. Lin Jiaqiao became a world-renowned authority in the field of mechanics and applied mathematics, as Mr. Ye expected. After settling in the United States, he was the first Chinese to be elected as a member of the American Academy of Sciences.He has served as the chairman of the American Applied Mathematics Committee, the chairman of the Industrial and Applied Mathematics Society, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.After the resumption of exchanges between China and the United States, he, Ren Zhigong and Dai Zhenduo led a delegation of Chinese scholars to visit China. They were received by Premier Zhou Enlai and became the first batch of foreign academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Mr. Feng Bingquan is a second-level student in the Physics Department of Tsinghua University.Feng Bingquan was young and intelligent, with a wide range of hobbies. He was only 16 years old when he entered school.He likes literature, can recite long passages from Shakespeare's "Hamlet", and can point out the omissions in Lin Yutang's translation; he likes Beijing opera, and is a die-hard theater fan of Ma Lianliang. Save 40 cents and 5 cents to buy a good ticket for 15 yuan each, so that you can see Ma Lianliang's looking forward to his eyes; he also likes sports, and he is often seen on the track and field; he likes Radio, often wandering around the campus with a self-made radio... His activity scenes are constantly changing, his attention is constantly shifting, and his study will naturally be affected.

At the end of the year, he was notified to transfer to another school because of his poor grades in mathematics. In Tsinghua University, not everyone can graduate after entering the university.Especially the Department of Physics has the highest elimination rate in Tsinghua University.According to the data, there were 11 students admitted to the Department of Physics in 1929, and only 5 graduated, with a elimination rate of 54.6%. In 1930, 13 students were admitted, with a elimination rate of 69.4%. 28 students, the elimination rate rose to 82.8%... The "elimination" mentioned here also means "shutdown and transfer", and it is not all killed by one stick. If students are found to have talents in other subjects, the school will be very upset Responsibly persuade them to transfer to another department. For example, the Department of Physics can be transferred to the Department of Chemistry, or they can go to the Department of Literature, Political Science, etc.Among the 13 students in the Physics Department of Tsinghua University, there was a student named Hu Qiaomu (called Dingxin at the time, but changed his name after joining the revolution). It is a masterpiece of Chinese and foreign classical literature and historical works.Wu Youxun persuaded him to transfer to the Department of History.After participating in the revolution, Hu Qiaomu served as Mao Zedong and Secretary-General of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee for 25 years, and was known as "a pen of the CPC Central Committee".It can be seen that the elimination of the Department of Physics also has a bright and unique effect.

But Feng Bingquan did not want to transfer schools.It was none other than Mr. Ye Qisun who made him transfer school. He looked at Mr. Ye and thought of all the myths he had established in physics.Although he has many hobbies, it hurts his heart to let him give up physics. His eyes were red. Mr. Ye smiled and said to him, your liberal arts foundation is good, and your English is not bad. If you transfer to liberal arts, you will have great achievements. I think you should transfer. Feng Bingquan's eye circles became even redder: "I like physics." "Your grades in mathematics are not good. This is a basic course in physics. You think, if this problem is not solved, how can you learn physics well?"

Feng Bingquan's tears came down, and he muttered: "My math scores have not always been bad, and I was often praised by teachers when I was in high school." Mr. Ye walked around the office for a while with his head down and his hands behind his back, and then came to Feng Bingquan again and asked, "You don't want to transfer to another school, and physics is very difficult. What do you think should be done?" "Please give me one more chance. If the math is still the same in the next exam, I will automatically transfer to liberal arts!" "Is one semester okay? No, just two semesters."

Feng Bingquan's tone was very decisive. He interrupted Mr. Ye: "No, just for one semester, no, I'll go to another department by myself." Mr. Ye patted Feng Bingquan on the shoulder, looked at him trustingly, and nodded. Feng Bingquan started his impact on mathematics.After one semester, he actually did more than a thousand math problems.In the past, he was afraid of mathematics, but now mathematics is afraid of him.After finishing the common exercises, he went to the reading room to look for them.After finishing the exercises in newspapers and magazines, he looked for problems in the mathematics department...Feng Bingquan is like Zhao Zilong in the Peking Opera "Changbanpo". The red sun is connected, the dawn wind is dyed with the night dew, I don't know the day and night, I don't know the temperature, but I never forget the agreement with the teacher.The teacher's trusting gaze was always shining in front of his eyes, and the low-pitched words always sounded like a strong drumbeat when he was depressed.

With the foundation of mathematics at the bottom, the door of the physical world is finally opened... Feng Bingquan will remember this conversation between Mr. Ye and him all his life.The teacher's words are not many, but they have magical effects. They are like Ali Baba's spells. Remember them and practice them, and the door in front of you will be opened... The door opened, and Feng Bingquan saw Mr. Ye smiling. One day, Feng Bingquan and Gong Zu went to see Mr. Ye together with several students. The weather was a bit cold, Mr. Ye drank a few more sips of wine while eating, blushed, and talked while enjoying the coolness in the shadow of the vines in the I-shaped hall.Mr. Ye was very happy that day and talked a lot.

You talk and I talk, everyone talks, and as they talk, they get involved with other teachers in the department. At this time, the slightly drunk Mr. Ye spoke.He said, I don’t do well in class, I’m sorry for you... But one thing I can do to you is that all the teachers I hired to teach you are better than me... Master Ye's teaching achievements are obvious to all.But it is such a person who can be called a master, who is so open-minded. This situation cannot but move the students present.There is a saying called drinking the truth, Master Ye always cherishes the beauty of others deep in his heart, without any contempt, who can not admire him from the bottom of his heart? Feng Bingquan mentioned this matter when he wrote to Master Ye later.He said in the letter: "...these words have become my work guide for more than 40 years since I graduated from Tsinghua University. I may have made many mistakes in the past 40 years, but one thing I can comfort you is that , I have never disparaged literati, and I have never been jealous of people who are stronger than me. In addition, I also care and love the younger generation. I think these are influenced by you. " After graduation, Feng Bingquan came to Lingnan University as a teaching assistant for Professor Nie Yade, the head of the Department of Physics.Mr. Nie Yade is an American, strict and strict, and meticulous.After he came into contact with Feng Bingquan at close range, he admired the quality of education in the Physics Department of Tsinghua University.Nie Yade attached great importance to Feng Bingquan's talent, and made an exception to let him give lectures on general physics to freshman students. This is usually a course that only a professor can take, and at this time Feng Bingquan is a teaching assistant.Feng Bingquan stepped onto the podium under the suspicious eyes of all the teachers and students in the school, and he really became a blockbuster.Since then, Feng Bingquan has embarked on the road of preaching and teaching education.No matter when the wind is rising and the sail is hanging, or the mist is cloudy, Feng Bingquan always sees Master Ye's benevolent face, and Master Ye's teachings always echo at the critical moments of his life, protecting him all the way forward. Ye Qisun also has a habit of having dinner or refreshments with his students and young teachers at home.This habit persisted until the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University was withdrawn and merged.It is impossible to test when this habit began. It seems to have been recorded from the first level of the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University. We can find the source from the memories of Wang Ganchang, Shi Shiyuan and others.Dai Daosheng was admitted to the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University in 1951 and merged into Peking University in 1952.In his article commemorating Ye Qisun, he wrote: "He often told me that some people should be invited to have a discussion every week or regularly, which is equivalent to a tea party, and let everyone talk casually about the problems they encountered and solved in their work, as well as the current research. At the same time, he always said modestly that this is also a kind of learning for him.” After arriving at Peking University, Ye Qisun still continued this habit.Chen Peiyun is a 1964 graduate of the Department of Physics of Peking University. He wrote in an article commemorating Master Ye: "From 1963 to 1965, we went to No. 76 Jingchun Garden—Mr. Ye's home many times." Many years later, He still has a fresh memory of Master Ye's living room: "As soon as you enter his living room, you will walk into the world of books. The walls of the living room are full of bookshelves, and the table in the middle is as high as the "British-English-Chinese Dictionary". Several piles of books were piled up on the high ground, and the stools by the table were also filled with books, and some books were even piled on the floor; an old single sofa and two old wicker chairs were placed next to the fireplace, and the small chair in front of the sofa Apart from a few teacups on the tea table, there are still books, and the mantelpiece is also full of books. Sometimes we can’t help looking through his bookshelf, only to find classic works of physics, various periodicals, series of books on the history of mathematics, physics, chemistry, literature, Tang poetry and Song Ci , everything you need..." He still has a deep memory of Master Ye's cherishing of books: "I remember one time when I asked him a question about a document, I turned the pages of the book heavily with my left hand, and my husband said angrily when he saw it:' Turning the pages like you do, it won’t take long for all the books in the library to rot! It’s not easy for the country to spend money to buy a book in the original language.” Then he gently flipped the upper right corner of the page with the four fingers of his right hand, and sure enough, the corner was not curled. It’s also fast. I still don’t forget this method, and later I passed it on to my children.” (Chen Peiyun’s “Bringing My Remembrance”, see “A Generation of Teacher Ye Qisun”, p. 216) This habit of Ye Qisun became part of his teaching work.Every time at this time, Master Ye asked his driver and housekeeper Master Zhou to make a table of good dishes for the students who left home when they were young.Master Zhou cooks Huaiyang cuisine first-hand, he is honest and kind, and has a good temper.He admires Mr. Ye. Although he himself is not highly educated, he admires scholars, especially Mr. Ye's character and knowledge.His relationship with Ye Qisun is very similar to the relationship between Don Quixote and Sancho described by Cervantes. He serves Ye Qisun sincerely, likes what he likes, and hates what he hates. From No. 7 in the North Courtyard to Jingchun Park No. 76, many of Ye Qisun's love for students are shown through his craftsmanship. Master Zhou knows how important his position is, so he is extraordinarily careful in doing these things.Grilling, frying, frying, and boiling are all in the little bits and pieces of kung fu, and the years are soaked in this joy and harmony, exuding boundless love.The fragrance of the teacher's study house has influenced the students one after another, and they will cherish this fragrance in the depths of their memory and never forget it in their lifetime.Here, in addition to delicate stir-fries, there are also high-quality refreshments. Enjoy a glass of crystal-clear Longjing, soothe your nervous emotions, and the students and teachers will get closer to each other while chatting and laughing.Family affairs, national affairs, and everything in the world are discussed, but the most talked about is still teaching and learning, but the occasion is changed. In each class of students, there are a small number of students who suffer from family accidents, live in difficulty, or suffer from illness, or who are weak, and Master Ye gives selfless assistance.Ordering milk for students who are sick or in poor health has been a regular habit of Master Ye for decades. What is even more touching is that sometimes students have no time or forget it, so Master Ye sends Master Zhou to bring warm milk to the students. Milk is delivered to pupils as parents treat their children.This habit persisted until the 1960s, especially during the three-year natural disaster period, when many students suffered from edema, Master Ye often saved his special milk to help them.Mr. Zhang Zhixiang recalled Master Ye’s article and wrote: “In the difficult period of 1961, I didn’t have enough to eat, and I suffered from edema. Mr. Ye saw that my face was not good, so he asked me to drink milk at his house. When I went, there was his Graduate student Xiao Guoping was also there, and he cut bread for us to eat. Mr. Ye loves students very much. When we graduated, he invited us to his home in batches, gave us sweets and snacks, and asked us to write down our names while chatting. Contact the communication office for future contact. Among the students he taught, many have contact with him. He cares about them and loves them. He is not married and has a relatively well-off house. Sometimes he lets his students live in the vacant house of his house For example, when he was in Tsinghua University, he let Sun Liangfang live in his house; when he was in Peking University, he let Yang Haishou live in his house. After the adjustment of departments, Peking University’s housing was very difficult, and Mr. Ye took the initiative to let Liang Baohong live in the house.” Mr. Guo Dianbang is a good friend of Mr. Ye Qisun. They used to be classmates in Tsinghua School and Harvard University. "Mr. Ye is polite and doesn't like sports, while Dianbang is engaged in various sports such as horse riding and playing ball in his spare time. What can lead to their close relationship must be that they have never had a girlfriend at the same time (Mr. Ye has never been married), and they are not addicted to smoking and drinking. , cleanse oneself." (Guo Huibang, "Mr. Ye Qisun's Memories of Intercourse with the Guo Brothers", see "A Generation of Teacher Ye Qisun", p. 65) In 1928, Guo Dianbang's two brothers, Guo Jibang and Guo Huibang, were admitted to Tsinghua University at the same time. Because of their poor family, Guo Dianbang entrusted the two brothers to Ye Qisun to take care of them.Entrusted by others and loyal to others, Ye Qisun took on the responsibility of guardian from the first day the Guo brothers entered school until the two brothers finished their studies. During the period of Southwest Associated University, life was extremely difficult, and many wives of professors had to set up street stalls to make ends meet.Under such circumstances, Ye Qisun still insisted on expressing his love for the students in the way of No. 7 in the North Campus.Mr. Tang Zhengyin recalled: "One day, after giving a lecture on gas dynamics, he asked our students to have a tea party at Yuantong Park Tea House in Kunming. A postgraduate student, Hong Jing, participated. It was Saturday afternoon, Master Ye arrived first and waited for us. He asked us to sit down and drink tea, saying that he was going out for a while. More than half an hour later, he came in slowly with two large bags of sweets and pastries. Yes. At that time, the prices in Kunming were soaring, and the life of the professors was very poor. They often relied on selling old things and making some things to sell to subsidize their salary. No one expected that he would buy so many things, and he was nearly 50 at that time. At that time, the Japanese invaders raged and bombed indiscriminately, and everyone was worried, but he was still calm and said with a smile: "The current difficulties are temporary, and the War of Resistance will definitely be won... You must exercise well, study hard, and win glory for the motherland and the spirit of the Chinese nation in the future. You must be selfless and disregard fame and fortune..." From time to time, ask everyone about their family, study, life, etc., and ask everyone about their current difficulties. It was the happiest gathering when we were studying in Kunming. The tea party was over, and he saw us off. We left, and he left too. When I looked back and saw his back, I remembered an article written by Zhu Ziqing, a Chinese teacher in the first year of university. , That is the back of his father. Half a century has passed, and I will never forget the back of our fatherly teacher, ah! Teacher Ye, you regard us students who study far away from home as your children. "(Tang Zhengyin's "Teacher Ye Qisun is in our hearts", see "A Generation of Teacher Ye Qisun", pp. 144-145) As Zhang Zhixiang said, No. 7 North Campus is still a temporary guest room for physics students.Ye Qisun has no family problems, so his residence has become a hostel for students who have housing difficulties or come to Beijing for official business.It is difficult to tell exactly how many people have lived in No. 7 of the North Courtyard, but there are probably dozens of people according to various materials.Among the more famous tenants are Qian Sanqiang and Qian Xuesen, who were known as the "three coins" in the scientific community after the founding of New China. Qian Sanqiang returned from studying abroad, and he and his newlywed wife He Zehui lived in No. 7 of the North Courtyard.Coincidentally, Qian Xuesen returned from the United States to get married and lived in No. 7 of the North Courtyard. Qian Xuesen was born on December 11, 1911 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. When he was 3 years old, he moved to Beijing with his parents. At the age of 12, he was admitted to the High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University with the first place in the city. Six years later, he was admitted to the Mechanical Engineering Department of Shanghai Jiaotong University with the first place in the school. He finished his studies with the first place, received the gold medal awarded by the principal, and took the Tsinghua University Examination for Studying Abroad at public expense in the same year. Different from the past, this time the exam was a bit unexpected. This year, Tsinghua University admitted 20 public-funded students studying in the United States, and Qian Xuesen was ranked last because he failed mathematics. We can find his relevant information from the "List of Tsinghua University's 1934 Admission of Publicly-funded Students": Examination number: 637 Name: Qian Xuesen Age: 24 Birthplace: Hangzhou County, Zhejiang Graduate school: Jiaotong University Department: Mechanical Engineering Department: Railway Engineering Graduation year: Twenty-three years (1934) Degree: Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering.In the column of academic results, Qian Xuesen only scored 41 points in calculus and differential equations.Zhang Guangdou, a civil engineer from Shanghai Jiaotong University, also failed the test. He scored 44 points in the test, 3 points more than him. In the same year, Wang Zhuxi and Zhao Jiuzhang, who were admitted to the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University, scored 94 points and 71 points respectively, and their math scores were much higher than those of Qian Xuesen and others. It is known from relevant materials and historical materials that Qian Xuesen's admission to the U.S. student has a lot to do with Ye Qisun's insight.Qian Xuesen stayed at Tsinghua University because he failed in mathematics and failed to meet the prescribed standards for studying abroad. Because changing the direction of studying abroad requires supplementary professional foundation, he specializes in major and mathematics, and the teacher who is responsible for "eating small stoves" for him is Ye Qisun. .Because Qian Xuesen was a student from another school, he could not join other grades to study. Considering the actual situation, Ye Qisun decided to let Qian Xuesen live in his home. In this way, Qian Xuesen became another tenant of No. 7 of the North Campus. We found from historical data that, among the publicly funded students studying in the United States in 1934, Qian Xuesen was the one who changed the most from his major.We can see from the list of candidates that year that Qian Xuesen majored in railway engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University, but after he went to the United States, he majored in aviation manufacturing.One is to run on the ground, and the other is to fly in the sky. The changes in the sky and the ground are definitely beyond Qian Xuesen's ability.The "instigator" who prompted Qian Xuesen's major change was none other than Ye Qisun.Regarding this point, Yu Hao and Huang Yanfu wrote in the book "The Cornerstone of China's Science and Technology" that Qian Xuesen is a world-class expert in rocket technology and aerodynamics, which is necessary to ensure that satellites go to the sky. The railway mechanical engineering was guided and arranged by Ye Qisun, and turned to the frontier field of new technology. In this scientific research direction, he finally became a doctoral student of von Karman. It is difficult to estimate whether the special friendship established will affect the teacher-student friendship between him and Qian Xuesen, but there is a special phenomenon that can explain that at the end of 1942, Qian Weichang, who graduated from the seventh grade of the Physics Department of Tsinghua University, and Qian Weichang, who graduated from the ninth grade Lin Jiaqiao, a student, and Guo Yonghuai, a graduate student of the Physics Department of Southwest Associated University, went to Caltech University to study with von Karman, and together with Qian Xuesen followed von Karman to conduct research in the field of aerodynamics. I appreciate their intelligence and diligence, and I have seen the superb academic level of the professors in the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University from the knowledge and style of these people. I regret that he did not visit the Department of Physics when he visited Tsinghua University.At this time, Professor Zhou Peiyuan of the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University and Fu Chengyi, a graduate of the fifth grade, also went to Caltech to do research. During this period, the papers published by these six scholars during their research in the United States caused shock in the international academic circle and became Classic treatises, thus becoming world-renowned scientists. Qian Xuesen was recommended by von Karman in February 1947, becoming the youngest professor at MIT, and returned to China to visit relatives and get married.From Ye Qisun's diary and Qian Xuesen's letter to Yu Hao on July 13, 1992, it can be seen that Qian Xuesen arrived in Peiping on August 17, 1947 to visit Teacher Ye Qisun and lived at No. 7 in the North Yard of Ye Qisun's home. Made two reports to Tsinghua University, one on "Engineering Science" and the other on "Rare Gas Dynamics"... From August 17th to September 1st of that year, Qian Xuesen lived in No. 7 of the North Courtyard for a total of 14 days.During this period, in order to retain Qian Xuesen, then Minister of Education Zhu Jiahua proposed to invite him to be the president of Shanghai Jiaotong University, and the telegram was sent to Ye Qisun's North Campus No.Qian Xuesen was not interested in Zhu Jiahua's invitation, but he showed reluctant feelings towards No. 7 of the North Courtyard.Xu is the Zhilan Qi of No. 7 in the North Courtyard, which relieved his tired heart in the West Country; The strands made it hard for him to let go, that's why he lived in Ye Qisun's North Court No. 7 for so many days. The revolutionary martyr Xiong Dazhen also lived in No. 7 of the North Courtyard. The story about him, because it involves the fate of Ye Qisun in the second half of his life, will be described in a separate chapter later, and will be omitted.