Chapter 65 Koan

Lu Xun and Ma Yinchu were from the same hometown of Shaoxing, but their relationship was hostile.For unknown reasons, Lu Xun had little affection for Ma Yinchu, a fellow from Shaoxing who was one year younger than him. In the autumn of 1926, Xiamen University once invited Ma Yinchu. For this reason, the whole school "lined up to welcome and held a big banquet".Because Ma Yinchu is a "Peking University native", the principal also sent a letter asking "Peking University colleagues" Lu Xun and Shen Jianshi to accompany him.After Lu Xun received the official letter, he had no reaction other than being very angry and rejected. He only wrote the word "zhi" on the official letter, which means "you can know if you don't go."

Fang Xiangdong, the author of "A Defense of Lu Xun", analyzed that the reason why Xiamen University President Lin Wenqing was so attentive to Ma Yinchu was mainly because the school lacked funds, and he hoped to get some money from Ma Yinchu, the God of Wealth.Lu Xun saw this and refused to contact Ma Yinchu.In addition, Ma Yinchu was a celebrity in China's financial and economic circles at that time, and he was a "popular man", and Lu Xun never liked to follow others, so he was not only indifferent to Ma Yinchu, but also sarcastic.Fang Xiangdong also said in "A Defense of Lu Xun": "Lu Xun did not participate in the trifling matter of 'welcoming in line' to escape boredom; Lu Xun's 'swearing' Ma Yinchu was not so much a 'swearing' as a rebellion against boredom. "

On October 20, 1926, Lu Xun, who was working as a professor in the Department of Chinese Literature at Xiamen University, mentioned Ma Yinchu in his "Book from Two Places" to Xu Guangping: "This place is welcoming two celebrities these days. One is the monk Taixu who came to South Putuo Lectures,...one is Dr. Ma Yinchu who came to Xiamen to give a speech. The so-called "Peking University Fellows" are handing out chapter 11. Welcome. Although I am one of the "Peking University Fellows", I don't know how banks can make a fortune. However, it's really not interesting to give a speech on "copper for dime, dime for ocean". So don't join in, let it go." Lu Xun's so-called "copper for dime, dime for ocean" refers to Ma Yinchu published "China's Currency System Issues" in the "Morning Post Sixth Anniversary Supplement" in 1924, which talked about the conversion of the main currency and the auxiliary currency.

On January 28, 1928, Lu Xun published "Supposed Prophecy—Trivial Things in 1929" in Volume 4, Issue 7 of "Yusi" weekly magazine edited by him under the pseudonym "Chu Guan", in which he publicly satirized Ma Yinchu: "A Ph.D. talked about 'Essence of Economics' in only two sentences, saying: 'Copper coins are exchanged for dimes, and dimes are exchanged for oceans.' The whole world admires it." According to Song Yunjiao’s recollection in the article “Reminiscing Our Old Principal—Mr. Ma Yinchu”, in the autumn of 1956, in order to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Lu Xun’s death, Peking University liberal arts students suggested inviting Xu Guangping to Peking University to introduce Lu Xun’s deeds.Although Ma Yinchu, then president of Peking University, agreed to this matter, he did not come forward to receive Xu Guangping "due to emotional factors".