Chapter 38 Preface to "The Difficult Road to Shu"

"The Difficult Road to Shu" is the travel notes of Mr. Luo Xintian, a professor of Southwest Associated University, who traveled from Kunming, Yunnan to Dongchuan, Xichuan and southern Sichuan in the 30th year of the Republic of China from May to August.His playmates are Principal Mei Yuehan and Professor Zheng Yisheng.During the three-month trip, there were nine types of transportation used, more than ten academic institutions visited, and countless old friends and new friends.No wonder he wrote 70,000 to 80,000 words, which is impressive. I was acquainted with Mr. Luo Xintian in the autumn of the 27th year of the Republic of China.That year when we went south from Beiping, Mrs. Luo asked us to bring some winter clothes, and when we arrived in Kunming, we sent out the cold clothes. Mr. Luo and Mr. Chen Xueping came to visit.Wen Zao and Mr. Luo are old friends, of course happy to reunite. There was quite a lot of conversation that day, so I had the opportunity to fully appreciate the richness of Mr. Luo's speech.We have had a close relationship since then, and I feel very honored to be able to add Mr. Luo to our list of close friends.

Mr. Luo is from Peiping, full of the atmosphere of Yanzhao: sincerity, loyalty, and a sense of justice. At the same time, more than 30 years of studying have made him a pure scholar.Tranquility and splendor, Jiyueguangfeng.When talking with Wen Zao about words and language, if someone didn't stop him, he would not be able to sleep for a long time. When he mentioned poetry and songs to me, he would also be elated, and sometimes he would sing loudly, which seems to be "spitting out the pot".But he can also go to the pool with the children to "play with water", and he can also talk about northern snacks with the cook and the stove maid.

As soon as Mr. Luo came to our house, he was really happy. This kind of personality like the autumn moon and spring breeze is rare now. In this travel note, Mr. Luo's personality is fully displayed; the difficult journey of more than three months, dragging mud and water, wearing moon and stars, opening roads in mountains, crossing water and building bridges, and escaping the alarm several times in a hurry, has gone through the War of Resistance The pain of the mid-term trip did not diminish his enthusiasm at all. He studied academics, enjoyed the scenery, interviewed folk customs, and visited friends.Seeing uneven roads, he is angry but not depressed; when he meets good landscapes and characters, he appreciates them and lingers, enjoying them forever.This travel note is obviously not a "memory" or a "heart shadow", but an expansion and extension from his precise and detailed diary.I think that this is a must-read book for anyone who wants to know the real situation of the journey, the academic status, and the dynamics of the characters on the Shu Road in the middle of the Anti-Japanese War.

Mr. Cheng Luo asked me to write a preface to "The Difficult Road to Shu", and I was really flattered.I think there are three great pleasures in life: first, friends, second, reading, and third, traveling.Mr. Luo shares the same feeling with me. If in the near future, Mr. Luo can go on a trip again after studying, so that those who are close to his friends can have a good speech again. This is not only my wish.November 24, 1942, Gele Mountain, Qianlu.