Chapter 71 fourth quarter

Groups of students traveled across thousands of mountains and rivers to study in Southwest Associated University.The learning conditions and living environment at that time were extremely difficult. Yang Zhenning, who studied as a university and a graduate student at Southwest Associated University from 1938 to 1944, later recalled: "The classroom is a house with a tin roof, and when it rains, there is a constant clanging sound. The ground was made of mud, and after a few years, it was full of mud pits. The windows had no glass, and when the wind blew, something had to hold the paper down, or it would be blown off."

Apart from the teachers, the school’s most important learning resource is the library. However, the library in the low and dark adobe building of the United Nations University can only accommodate more than 100 people. They have to occupy seats every day, and it is impossible to stand up and read a book if you go late. . Under such conditions, many students took their books to the teahouses on the streets near the campus, bought a pot of tea for a dime, and spent a whole day reading and discussing in the teahouses.The teahouse on Qingyun Street is affectionately mentioned in the memories of many students of Lianhe University.

Lianda does not advocate work-study programs, but poor students are looking for opportunities to earn living expenses. A large number of students take part-time classes in secondary schools in the suburbs of Kunming, or work as clerks for shops and government agencies, and even shine shoes and sell newspapers.Dozens of public and private middle schools in Kunming originally lacked teachers, but at this time, they were using cheap and high-quality Lianhe students. Yang Zhenning is also a member of the army of part-time courses. The school where he takes part-time courses is the High School Affiliated to Southwest United Teachers College.In the class he taught, there was a girl named Du Zhili, who was the daughter of Du Yuming, an important general of the Kuomintang.This classmate Du Zhili later became Yang Zhenning's wife.

The professor's life also began to be poor in the middle of the General Assembly.Originally, the living conditions of professors during the Republic of China were very good. When Wen Yiduo was teaching at Qingdao University, his monthly salary was more than 400 yuan. At that time, the monthly salary of a nanny including board and lodging was only a few yuan.During a student protest at Qingdao University, Wen Yiduo believed that the students were unreasonable and advocated severe punishment, which aroused the siege of the students; the students posted cartoons that smeared him, and made up songs to ridicule the "heh, heh" he used to say during lectures. He said that what he got was his salary: "Wen Yiduo, Wen Yiduo, you get more than 400 a month. A class lasts 50 minutes, how much can you stand?"

Financial difficulties during the Anti-Japanese War, the salary of professors began to decline. From 1941, with the sharp increase of refugees and military and political institutions entering Yunnan, and the stagnation of commodity circulation during the Japanese air raids, inflation swept the rear; by 1942, the actual purchasing power of a professor's monthly salary was only equivalent to eighth of what it was before the war. The Yuan Triangle has dropped by 98%! During the national crisis, professors Wen Yiduo, Zhu Ziqing, Pu Jiangqing and others who lived in Longtou Village "seven or eight people ate two dishes, one fried radish, one fermented soya bean, and one soup."Even Mei Yiqi, the de facto principal, is also a partner in the group cafeteria. "I often eat white rice mixed with chili, and sometimes spinach tofu soup is very satisfying."In order to save money, he, who is over half a century old, tries not to use a car when going out, and often walks 10 to 20 kilometers.

The professors put down their airs and saved themselves one after another.In order to get a spacious house and a hundred catties of rice per month, Wen Yiduo also went to middle school as a part-time class; because he was proficient in seal carving, he also offered a price to make seals for others, and he was often still engraving seals for others under the oil lamp late at night.Even Mei Yiqi's wife, together with the wives of professors such as Pan Guangdan, has made cakes for a long time, named "Dingsheng Cake", which was picked up by Mrs. Mei and sent to Guanshengyuan for consignment.

The hard material conditions did not erode the strength of character of that generation of intellectuals. In 1941, the Ministry of Education of the Nationalist Government wanted to subsidize a "special office fee" for professors who also held administrative positions. However, when the deans of the Southwest Associated University, the heads of various departments, and the heads of all departments announced the national calamity, life was acceptable. , it was inconvenient to enjoy the subsidy, and refused the money delivered to the door. Poverty is not the most terrible thing, but the most terrible thing is the Japanese air strikes. On September 28, 1938, the Japanese army attacked Kunming for the first time; in 1940 and 1941, the air raids were the most frequent; until 1943, under the attack of the Flying Tigers of the US Air Force to aid China led by Chennault, it finally subsided.During this period, "running the alarm" became a "compulsory course" for teachers and students of the United Nations.

Often in the middle of class, when the stern air raid siren sounded suddenly, teachers and students would take care of each other and immediately run to the mountain at the back gate of the United Nations University. Arrange students to sit on the floor during the period and finish the course.During these frequent running alarms, the famous philosopher Professor Jin Yuelin lost the manuscript of "Theory of Knowledge", which he wrote so hard, and had to rewrite this 600,000-700,000-word masterpiece from the beginning. Japanese planes directly bombed the campus of the United Nations University twice, on October 13, 1940 and August 14, 1941. The previous bombing destroyed the male dormitory of the Teachers College, and the latter bombed the dormitory, dining room, classrooms, Libraries were bombed with holes.The threat of serious bombing once put the school on the agenda again, but it was not implemented due to too much labor.

During the heavy bombing, the General Assembly evacuated the residences of teachers and students to the suburbs, which brought great inconvenience to teaching and life.Zhou Peiyuan's residence was arranged forty miles away from the city. In order to go to the city to attend classes on time, he even raised a horse himself. From 1938 to 1941, the people of Kunming died 1,044 people and injured 1,414 people in the bombing of Japanese planes; about 10 people were killed and 10 people were injured by the teachers and students (including their families) of the United Nations .This small proportion shows that the General Assembly has been relatively successful in air defense.

Live in the humblest house and eat the roughest food; study under bombing and teach in the smoke of gunpowder.Southwest Associated University, so tragic.