Chapter 41 Section 2 Chinese students at the University of London

Both Xia Nai and Zeng Zhaoyu were born in the first year of Xuantong (Jiyou Year) of the Qing Dynasty, but Zeng was born on the eighth day of the first month of the lunar calendar, and Xia Nai was born in the old house in front of Cuoku Si in Wenzhou City on December 27th at Xushi.According to the calculation of the traditional Chinese calendar, Zeng Zhaoshi was born at the beginning of the year, and Xia Nai was born at the end of the year.But according to the Western calendar, Xia Nai was born on February 7, 1910.One year younger than Zeng. Judging from the order of the time when Zeng and Xia went to study in the UK, Zeng came first and Xia came later.When Zeng Zhaoyu left Shanghai, Xia Nai was conducting archaeological practice in Anyang with the Yin Ruins excavation team led by Liang Siyong. He did not leave Shanghai until August 7 of this year.Although Zeng and Xia studied a few months apart, Tongbai studied under Professor Yezi, and they were classmates in the true sense of the same teacher in the same year.Since Wu Jinding has already entered school and is also a student of Ye Zi, Zeng and Xia naturally respect Wu as their senior, or call him "big brother" according to the ranking in martial arts novels.

Just like his ancestor Zeng Wenzheng had the habit of keeping diaries all year round, Zeng Zhaoyu wrote a large number of diaries during his study abroad, and his brother Zeng Zhaolun also had the habit of keeping diaries.Most of Zeng Zhaolun's diaries were lost during the war, and Zeng Zhaoyu's diaries were originally hidden in the home of Zeng Xianluo, a descendant of the Zeng family. Unfortunately, the "Cultural Revolution" was confiscated, and only a few remained.It can be seen from some of Zeng’s diaries, letters and other materials quoted in the “Chronology” edited and published by the Nanjing Museum during Zeng Zhaoyu’s centennial birthday in 2009. During his study in the UK, Zeng Zhaoyu not only studied with his tutor, but also had the opportunity to participate in actual field excavations. It is quite interesting, and it is also a rare short happiness in life. In October 1935, Zeng Zhaoyu was ordered by her supervisor, Professor Ye Zi, to go out for archaeological excavation practice. On the 30th, she wrote a letter to her cousin Zeng Yuenong, describing her study and life.The letter said:

The second brother learns from: My sister went into archaeology, and things were funny.My sister was in the country, although I had this thought, but I asked myself this way, and there was no foundation, and the thought disappeared.After arriving in England, Ms. Gu urged her younger sister to go to Weissberg School for tutoring.Since the previous period was the last period of the academic year, universities do not accept new students as a rule.With the establishment of this school, it seems that it is specially trained for the citizens of the colonies, so I don't really need it.The old sister did not go to this school, but went to various colleges of the University of London to contact and audit.At the same time please use a teacher to tutor German and English.Therefore, in addition to private tutoring in the last issue, I attended two colleges in London, and I want to consider it calmly in this issue.Because my sister studied Chinese at CUHK, there is no link between any subjects in the UK.Unexpectedly, Ye Ci, a professor at the College of Art, University of London, studies Chinese and Indian Buddhist bronze sculptures and other arts. He is currently a professor of Chinese archeology and fine arts.Yumei's basic subjects, such as anthropology, are specially taught.I have repeatedly advised my sister to concentrate on studying here.After such a long period, the next period has become an inseparable trend.My sister doesn't know it, but so far.However, I am very satisfied with recording here... The country is shrinking day by day, and the neighbors are forcing each other. I really don't know what the country will be like in two or three years.Here, my younger sister met the third sister (Zeng Baosun from the south), several of her classmates before and after, all spoke highly of the third sister's genius, and asked about recent cases, and my younger sister told them one by one.The younger sister often thinks to herself, with the knowledge and talents of the third sister ten times that of the younger sister, she will sacrifice her life for Yifang, why can't the younger sister? ...Sister Kai (according to the south: Yu Dazhen, courtesy name Kaifang) is very busy in Oxford, and will return to China around next year.My sister came here to do excavation work for three weeks because of the order of the professor, and it was interesting to work with the shovel and dig the soil every day.Going back to London tomorrow.Because sister Wen Heng (according to the south: Yu Dazhen) will come to England in the future, my sister will go to welcome her.After Sister Heng arrives, she will go to Oxford.My sister lives in London for a week or two, and also goes to Oxford.The fourth sister (according to the south: cousin Zeng Baohan) has arrived in England. Youxin and sister Kai are entrusted to find a house in Oxford.How happy is it that family members can meet thousands of miles away? ... On November 1, Zeng Zhaoyu picked up his aunt Yu Dazhen (Sister Heng) from China to Oxford to join his second sister-in-law Yu Dazhen.So far, the number of cousins ​​Zeng and Yu studying in England has reached four, and a group of high-minded and talented women gathered in a foreign campus thousands of miles away. It is conceivable how happy Zeng Zhaoyu is.

In 1936, Zeng Zhaoyu used his winter vacation to go to various museums to collect materials on Chinese bronzes lost in the UK, in preparation for writing his master's thesis.On June 19 of this year, Mrs. Zeng wrote a long letter to Fu Sinian. The content not only related to her study abroad career and her choice of study path, but also involved Xia Nai and Wu Jinding who were both at the University of London.From this letter, we can learn from another aspect the life of the three most promising archaeologists in the new generation of Chinese archaeologists studying abroad and their situation at that time.The letter said:

Mr. Meng Zhen: ...Two weeks ago, Xia Nai wrote you a letter with him to show me. You discussed his study with him and asked him to tell me. I am very grateful for your kindness, so today I take the liberty to write a letter with you. Discussion... Of course, the Courtaulld institute also has considerable advantages. First, there are many courses offered by various colleges of the University of London, and we can freely attend lectures and do internships. For example, Xia Nai, Wu Jinding and I have been at In other colleges, Xia Nai has a lot of classes, and the second thesis can be a little more sloppy, so as to free up more time to study other courses, but fundamentally speaking, when we come to a foreign country, we should learn foreign things. There is no way to learn.

You said in your letter that the development of Chinese archaeology requires students who study the following specialties: (1) Prehistory. (2)Egyptology. (3) Assirriology (?) Including Ancien Asia junior. (4) Classical Archaeology. (5) Byzantine and Arabic Arch. (6) Indian Arch. (7) Oceanic Arch. (8) American Arch. But archaeology is not very complete in the UK, for example (5) (7) (8) is not at all.Regarding "prehistoric" archaeology, Edinburgh is very famous, but because of its small size, too little money, and insufficient equipment.Cambridge seems to have a bit too, but we don't quite know.You wrote in your letter that "several people have studied prehistory in China" and advised Xia Nai not to go to Edinburgh, so we don't need to discuss it.Regarding Classical, there are both London University and Oxford, but the focus on art, especially sculpture, seems to have little to do with us. "Indian Archeology" University of London also has a few courses, but it is very incomplete.The best part of the University of London's archeology is "Egyptology", followed by "Archaeology of the Near East", including Mesopotamia, Miylan and so on.Xia Nai probably decided to study Egyptology. I also wanted to study Egyptology. I had contacted the professor who taught "Egyptology" and he welcomed it. A classmate.Xia Nai advised me to study one of the "Near East", Babylon or Elan, and advised me to give up all scientific courses, such as "survey", "cartography", "geology", "anthropology", etc., and concentrate on "writing" and "anthropology". In the future, it will be useful to compare the development history of a language and culture of the Near East with that of China.I also think this method is the best, because when I was in China, I studied more characters and history than science.But many of my friends objected, saying that since there is an opportunity, why not learn more European characters, why do you need to learn this "dead language"? Sister Kai is also one of the objects. Learn some Sanskrit", but I know that there are already places in China that learn Sanskrit. Chen Liuge (South Press: Refers to Chen Yinke) and Xu Dishan are famous. What do you think of this matter?

I still have a personal problem. I am studying abroad. I used to be provided by my family, but now I am provided by Lao Wen, but Lao Wen’s income is limited, and he can support me for one year at most, so I have only been in the UK for one year.Your letter to Xia Nai said, "It is not necessary to achieve success in learning, even if you return halfway through learning, it is still useful." If I devote this year to studying the writing and history of the Near East, do you think it is useful? You also said in your letter that "Xia Nai and Wu Jinding study from Yezi, just to prepare their advisors." Of course, I am also one of the advisors, but I study here, or I can use Yezi's strength to get a scholarship. It can be extended for one or two years. Although this is not necessary, there is a five-point possibility. It is a mutual use. He uses his power (uses) my knowledge, and I use his money.If I got a scholarship, I would have to leave this place, and I would write a thesis in a manner of socializing, but writing a thesis on Chinese things would be finished in less than half a year. Anyway, it is a lie, and they don’t understand, but I can write a thesis. How about using the rest of the time to learn other things?Now I summarize and ask you a few questions:

(1) If I can't get a scholarship, then I only have one year in the UK, what should I study?Or learn the scientific method?Or learn a kind of writing and history?Does it matter if you don’t study for a degree in China? (2) If I can get a scholarship, I still have two or three years in the UK. Apart from writing a thesis, which area should I study for the rest of the time? I did not write a letter to discuss with Lao Wen, nor did I discuss it with the rest of my family, because they are completely ignorant of the situation in the Chinese archaeological field, especially in foreign archaeology, so I take the liberty of writing to trouble you, I hope you will think of me personally , For the sake of the development of Chinese archeology, what is the most useful thing for me to learn, please write back to me quickly, because I have to decide the plan for the next semester during the summer vacation, since you have taken the trouble to teach Xia Nai, I hope you can also do the same Me, you know that I have heard it deeply, and you must believe that everything I say is true. Finally, please read this letter, tear it up immediately, and don't show it to others.

…Zeng Zhaoyu was 27 years old when she wrote this letter. Her mature thinking or insight into the world greatly surpassed her peers.Especially the last few sentences, we can see the depth of his Taoism and extraordinary courage.Xia Nai was sent to London in the name of the Sino-British Geng Fund as the only one of Tsinghua University’s quotas for studying in the UK at that time. He shouldered the eager expectations of Fu Sinian, Li Ji, Liang Siyong and other archaeological predecessors, as well as the future of Chinese archaeology. For the future and mission of development, Fu Sinian and Li Ji cared for him very much, and their ardent affection overflowed in the correspondence.Zeng Zhaoyu did not have such luck, but for the future of Chinese archaeology and her own interests, she was quite dissatisfied in her heart, and she seemed to blame Fu Sinian, so you said, "Since you are not afraid to teach Xia Nai", why can't you Treat me equally with my grievances and expectations.It is conceivable that, given Zeng Zhaoyu's sophistication, if this letter was written to Li Ji or Liang Siyong and other seniors, he would definitely not have expressed his feelings so bluntly.The reason why he dared to speak so boldly in front of Fu Sinian has a lot to do with the following sentence, "You know it's been heard for a long time".At this time, Fu Sinian and Yu Dacai had been married for nearly two years, and Yu Dacai's sister was Yu Dazhen, who was Zeng Zhaolun's wife and also Zeng Zhaoyu's sister-in-law.Since Fu Sinian and Zeng Zhaolun are brother-in-law, the Yu family, the Zeng family and the Fu family naturally have an inner family relationship that is constantly cutting and unreasonable. Moreover, Fu Sinian and Zeng Zhaolun have a close personal relationship, and Chen ( Yinke) family, Yu family, and Zeng family have three generations of in-laws. At this time, Zeng Zhaochen naturally wants to put himself in this intricate marriage circle, and as a younger sister, he will give Fu Sinian a brief introduction. A coquettish confession.

It is conceivable that the extremely intelligent Miss Zeng must have felt that "everything said in this letter is true" when she was splashing ink and ink alone in her small room on that beautiful, foggy night at the University of London. Or even feel too "real".Only then did Fu have the warning to burn the letter immediately after reading it.It is precisely this last warning that reveals the tacit true temperament of a family who does not talk about each other, as well as the shadow of Zeng Guofan who was cautious and cautious when plotting secrets under the lamp in the camp. ——Of course, in addition to the sincere confession, there is no narrow selfishness of "not being humane" in the letter. On the contrary, it also sincerely revealed Miss Zeng's lofty ideal of "thinking about the development of Chinese archaeology", It can be seen that his vision is high, his mind is broad, and his courage is great.Perhaps this is the reason why Fu Si did not burn the letter at the end of the year, and left this historical testimony for future generations to refer to it intentionally or unintentionally.

On the 14th day of the first lunar month in the 11th year of Xianfeng, Zeng Guofan sent a letter to Zeng Jize, the eldest son of "Small Lost Talent", saying: "This year I am 23 years old, and it is all up to me to struggle and get angry. My father, brother and teachers can't do anything. It is your responsibility to write poems and essays." If you are short, you should work hard from your weaknesses. If you are good at reading and writing, you should expand and make up for it. Walking should be heavy, talking should be late, and remember often? The spirit of "working hard" is not difficult to see in Zeng Zhaoyu's letter.So unmanly, I wonder if Zeng Guofan is the core patriarchal culture of women's "modeling" of women, or the "self-molding" of women themselves, or a combination of both?Looking at the fields of activities of outstanding women in modern China, most of them shuttled back and forth in literature, art, education, medicine, etc., but Zeng Zhaoyu started with ancient philology, and finally chose field archeology, which even many men daunted. Persevere and get married, this cannot but be said to be an amazing anomaly in the history of Chinese women's struggle. After receiving the letter, Fu Sinian’s reply to the long-awaited Miss Zeng on the other side of the ocean cannot be inferred due to the lack of publicized information. However, Zeng Zhaoyu does not seem to have studied the Near East or Babylonian characters, and his main focus is Chinese history, Paleographs and Emerging Museology.In addition to Fu Sinian's will, this choice may have a lot to do with Li Ji's influence and guidance. From January 21 to April 7, 1937, Li Ji was invited by the British Royal Academy of Anthropology and the University Association, the Crown Prince of Sweden, and archaeologists Gustav and Adolph to give lectures and academic visits to Europe, and Attended the London Congress of the International Federation of Scientific Unions.During the period, Wu Jinding, Xia Nai, and Zeng Zhaoyu accompanied Li Ji to activities and lectures at the Cote Ord Institute of Art, the University of London, the Royal Asiatic Society, etc., visited the Institute of Archaeology, University College Museum, and other places, and helped Li Ji contact Experts from the British archaeological field accompanied and met famous scholars such as Woolley, Wheeler, Seligman, and Granwell.Not long after Li Ji arrived in London, he suddenly suffered from a serious illness and stayed in the hospital for more than 20 days. Thanks to the careful care of two women, Mrs. Wu Jinding, Wang Jiechen and Zeng Zhaoyu, he recovered relatively well.According to Li Guangmo, the son of Li Ji, during his stay in England, Li Ji had a close relationship with Wu, Zeng, Xia and other students, and "he was very concerned about the achievements of these young friends and their whereabouts, and often invited them to discuss and inquire about their affairs. Aspirations. As an elder, he mobilized these young people to work at the Institute of History and Philology and Zhongbo after returning to China, and finally they all came true.” According to the archives of the Nanjing Museum, in March of this year, Zeng Zhaoyu received a monthly subsidy of 100 yuan from the Preparatory Office of the Central Museum, and asked Zeng to choose an opportunity to go to Germany for investigation, so as to study museology.This file and the above-mentioned letters, together with personal memories, basically confirm that during this period, Fu Sinian and Li Ji gave Zeng Zhaoxiu specific advice on the direction of study and the way of academic study. The road then turned, first from the classroom and on paper to the vast field, then from the academic vision and research ideals of China and the Near East to the museum discipline which is at the forefront of the world.This transformation is an indispensable strategic shift and breakthrough, not only for Zeng Zhaoyu himself, but also for the future development of Chinese archaeology, especially museology.The so-called "green comes from blue and is better than blue" in Chinese culture was once again vividly embodied in Fu Sinian, Li Ji, and Zeng Zhaoyu at this time. At the beginning of June 1937, Zeng Zhaoyu won the approval of his tutor Ye Ci with his academic paper "Inscriptions and Patterns on Ancient Chinese Bronze Wares" and was awarded a Master of Arts degree.This thesis is actually a monograph. The 600 emblems on the ancient bronze wares listed in the paper are sorted out from 2082 bronze wares.This is Zeng's harvest of studying abroad for several years, and it is also her famous work. Because of this great work, Zeng Zhaoyu's position in the academic circle has been established. At the end of June, Yu Dazhen and Yu Dazhen, who were studying in Oxford, finished their studies and left London with Zeng Zhaoyu to arrive in Paris. After a short tour and rest, the Yu family sisters bought a boat ticket to return to China, and Zeng Zhaojue followed the agreement of Li Ji of the Central Museum and Study plan, go to Berlin State Museum to participate in a ten-month archaeological internship in Sehleswig. On the day Zeng Zhaoyu arrived in Berlin, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident broke out. When Zeng heard about it, she was horrified. She, who had just bid farewell to her classmates and relatives and friends, and was alone overseas, "felt dull and angry" and felt sad.It was not until the news of the outbreak of the "August 13" Songhu Anti-Japanese War that Zeng Zhaoyu and his classmates "watched the development of this war with great excitement, and carefully considered what they could do in this anti-Japanese war", and "I started to hate myself for why I studied history and archaeology. I thought it would be great if I followed Zeng Zhaolun to study chemistry."At this time, Zeng Zhaoyu believed that when the Anti-Japanese War broke out, what the motherland needed most were guns and ammunition and the heroic sacrifice of the army. The Chinese and Japanese warships were blown to pieces.It's just that I am powerless, and I can't help but sigh. With such a state of mind in mind, Zeng Zhaoyu often gathered with Chinese students studying in Berlin, such as Yuan Bingnan, Wu Daren, and Zhao Jiuzhang. Every time they met, they always talked about the situation of the civil war.When I learned from a Chinese-language newspaper in Berlin, "The hardships of the northern soldiers in the war of resistance, but the people fled, no one rescued, and no food was given. Some died of starvation, some died by drowning themselves in rivers, and those who fled to reach the rear ambulance station covered it." In the tragic and brutal situation, Zeng Zhaoyu was sad and disturbed, and couldn't sleep for a long time after returning home, so he could only express his emotions with the help of his diary.In his diary on October 31, Zeng Zhaoyu wrote: "This sad and tragic situation is beyond words. Yu Shang was born here secretly and lived an ordinary life as a European. How dare you treat me like a soldier!" On the morning of November 14 , Zeng Zhaoyu and Yang Yunzhi, a Chinese student studying abroad, went to the "August 13" Songhu Anti-Japanese War. After the outbreak of the "August 13th" Songhu Anti-Japanese War, Xie Jun, the secretary of the military strategist Jiang Baili who visited Germany as Chiang Kai-shek's special envoy, visited the news, "Hearing his words, I feel even more restless. The news of General Fu Zuoyi's death in battle is overwhelming." (It is a misrepresentation that Fu's death in battle is a misrepresentation) On November 21, Zeng Zhaoyu went to listen to Jiang Baili and Zhang Pengchun's speeches.When Jiang said that "China has a way to turn thousands of words into one sentence" (South Note: Jiang Baili emphasized this sentence on the title page of his "National Defense Theory"), he was very excited.However, Mrs. Tseng also witnessed with his own eyes at the meeting of overseas Chinese after the speech, "the dispute between the two factions almost reached the point of resorting to force", so he felt disgusted and said angrily: "To this day, the party's opinion is still unresolved. What is more pessimistic than this!  … ...It is not sad to be defeated in war, but it is really sad that the people of the country cannot be united today." At this time, Zeng Zhaoyu gradually realized that his help to the country, the nation, and the War of Resistance was nothing more than doing his current job well, and serving the country after he had completed his studies.Thinking of this, I forced myself to bury myself in knowledge according to my sad state of mind. On the morning of December 8, as soon as Zeng Zhaoyu left the house, he saw the news of the fall of Nanjing published in large characters in the German newspaper. Zeng immediately felt "shocking and heartbroken."I didn't want to go to the Museum of Prehistoric and Ancient History for an internship, but because I said yesterday that I must go, I felt that I "can't break my promise", so "after lingering at the station for a long time, I still decided to go to work as usual."In the afternoon, Mrs. Zeng went to the student union to read the newspaper. Only then did she learn that the fall of Nanjing was a misrepresentation. Not particularly concerned."In the middle of the night, Zeng Zhaoyu still couldn't let go of his hanging heart, so he wrote to a friend to ask about the real situation of the domestic war. On the morning of the 10th, I received a letter from Peking University professor Xiang Da, who was visiting Paris, and a copy of the attached "The Times", knowing that "Nanjing fell, and it happened overnight", and my heart suddenly became heavy, and I sent a message of "how painful it is". lament. On December 18, Zeng Zhaoyu, who was taking classes at the Museum of Prehistory and Ancient History and practicing pottery repair, suddenly read the news that Nanjing had indeed fallen from the newspaper, and suddenly lost his voice in pain.At this time, a pottery repairer in the same room as Zeng asked about the situation of the Sino-Japanese war, which made Zeng feel like "hurting words".Just considering "He didn't mean it, because he didn't have enough education", Fang didn't beat up this ignorant guy. In the days that followed, while studying, Zeng Zhaoyu still paid attention to the situation of the domestic Anti-Japanese War. He talked all day with his classmates and friends, as well as Xiang Da and Lu Shuxiang, who were visiting students from Paris to Berlin. He was confused about the future after returning to China. On January 31, 1938, Zeng Zhaoyu completed the internship course of the Berlin Museum of Prehistory and Ancient History, and bid farewell to his instructor, Professor Brittner, and laboratory colleagues.Thinking of the country's family worries and the bleak future, I couldn't help but shed tears. On the evening of February 1, Zeng Zhaoyu boarded the train bound for Munich. Under the guidance of Professor Zeiss of the Deutsches Museum, he went to many museums such as the Bavarian State Museum, the German Museum of Ethnology, and the Museum of Human Folklore to participate in the collection and exhibition. Design Internship Jobs.In view of Zeng Zhaoyu's self-improvement spirit and profound academic skills demonstrated by Chinese women in foreign lands, the University of London wants to allow him to stay on as a teacher. On February 5, I received a letter from Professor Yates to hire me as a teaching assistant.After Zeng Zhaoyu received the letter, he replied to Xu Pin on the same day. On March 24, Zeng Zhaoyu finished his internship at the Deutsches Museum. After meeting with his supervisor and others at the State Museum in Berlin, he returned to London on January 16. On the 19th, he officially became a teaching assistant to Professor Yates of the University of London, mainly engaged in teaching and cataloging work.According to Zeng Zhaoyu's vision at the time, if he continued to work and study in the school, he would eventually obtain a doctoral title, whether it was based on his own knowledge, or the sincerity or mutual "use" relationship with his mentor, it should be a matter of course.On March 12 of this year, Hitler's army annexed Austria, causing turmoil in Europe.A few months later, Zeng Zhaoyu voluntarily gave up his dual wish of staying in the UK to work and wearing a doctoral hat, and decided to resign from his teaching position and return to his motherland.During his tenure as Yezi’s teaching assistant, Zeng Zhaoyu successively completed the first drafts of two monographs, including the thesis “On Jewelry System from Zhou to Han Dynasty” and “Museum”, which were later published in China. On June 3, 1938, Zeng Zhaoyu worked full-time at the University of London and received a master's degree.According to Zeng's autobiography submitted later: "During the summer vacation, the University of London held a grand ceremony to confer degrees to the graduates of the previous year. A notice was sent to me. I didn't go, thinking to myself: 'The people of the motherland are bathing in blood. During the Anti-Japanese War, why should I go to this kind of ceremony for personal honor!' I just wrote a letter and asked the school to send the diploma to my apartment." According to her daily record: "There is only one in two years. It's just paper." On June 10, Zeng Zhaoyu heard the news that "Guangdong was brutally bombed by enemy planes. Five or six thousand civilians died, and the tragedy was unspeakable." He strengthened his determination to return to the motherland as soon as possible and suffer together with the people, and wrote to his family about this plan. On August 1, Zeng Zhaoyu received a letter from his elder brother Zeng Zhaocheng, who was serving in the National Government at the time, saying that China was full of wars and chaos, and the future of the war of resistance was very worrying.After several days of thinking, he still insisted on returning home. On August 21, Hu Shi, the ambassador to the United States, gave a speech at the Chinese Association in London. Zeng Zhaoyu went to listen to the lecture, and had a "brief talk" with Hu Shi.It can be inferred from this diary that this was the first meeting between Zeng and Hu, and this conversation laid the groundwork for their future exchanges. On September 14, Zeng Zhaoyu had made up his mind to return to China, and wrote an air letter to his friend Yang Yunzhi in Berlin, asking him to book a second-class ferry ticket on his behalf.The next day, Zeng had lunch with Professor Wignall. During the dinner, the humorous Wignall told a lot of anecdotes during his visit to Beiping, China. He said that he once went to see Ming Dynasty with an American Tomb, take the same car and hire a guide.The American complained a lot because of the ruggedness of the road, and asked the guide: "When was this road built?" The guide calmly replied: "About two or three thousand years."After Zeng Zhaoyu heard this, a complex emotion rushed to his heart. The ancient China, which claims to have a civilization of 5,000 years, is now facing the catastrophe of being torn apart by foreign abuse.That night, she informed Xia Nai of her decision to return to China and had booked a boat ticket, and got Xia Nai's support. On September 19, 1938, Zeng Zhaoyu bid farewell to his mentor and the president of the University of London, and set off to return to China. Xia Nai and two other friends sent him to Victoria Station.In the diary of that day, Zeng wrote with a slightly sad and reluctant mood: "Farewell, London!" On the 26th, Zeng Zhaoyu arrived in Paris from Berlin. At this time, the European war situation became more tense, and the people of Paris panicked and began to flee.Because I couldn't make the trip for a while, I went to the Louvre alone for a visit. Due to the chaotic situation, the door was closed to thank visitors.In a state of despondency, a gatekeeper asked, "Are you Chinese or Japanese?" Zeng Zhaoyu raised his head and replied, "Chinese." The other party was very happy when he heard this, and said that we are friends from both countries!So he blew a kiss to Zeng Zhaoyu.When Zeng saw this, half of the gloom in his heart disappeared. He thought that the French's cheerful disposition was really beyond the reach of the British. With a smile, he followed the example of the French and blew a kiss to the other party. The other party was very happy.At about 8:00 p.m., Zeng Zhaoyu boarded the train to the port of Marseilles. In the dim night, he looked out of the window for the last time, and said in his heart: "Farewell, Paris!" On September 30th, Zeng Zhaoyu embarked on a ship departing from the port of Marseilles and headed for the homeland in the east. He was accompanied by several people including Chinese student Fei Xiaotong, so he did not appear lonely. On October 22, Zeng Zhaoyu and his party went ashore in Saigon, Vietnam. At this time, the news of the fall of Guangzhou came, and he suddenly felt, "A thunderbolt from the blue sky, everyone who heard it turned pale, and the big thing is gone!" After several setbacks and long journeys, Zeng Zhaoyu and others finally approached the border on the morning of the 29th. Everyone saw the long-lost domestic scenery and mountains, and they couldn't help being touched by the scene. They also "saw a soldier in gray standing with a gun in the distance, and wept for it." , I can't help but be disappointed to see his aging state."After a day of ups and downs, we arrived in Kunming at 6:00 p.m., and together with our friend Li Jun who came to greet Fei Xiaotong, we had dinner at the home of Wu Wenzao and Bing Xin who lived in Kunming.After dinner, I took a rickshaw to the Southwest Associated University to find my second brother Zeng Zhaolun. After arriving at the school, I found out that Zeng Zhaolun had not returned to Chongqing for a meeting. The third younger sister Zeng Zhaolun who was studying at the University also lived in the family of a relative Yin and was not on campus. Disappointed, fortunately Zeng Zhaolun's colleague introduced his cousin Yu Dafu to be here. Fang was overjoyed, and immediately searched for a conversation, and knew the news of everyone in the family, and his long-lost heart began to sink. The next day, when Zeng Zhaoyu and Yu Dafu talked about returning to China, they saw great rivers and mountains devastated all the way, crowds of refugees, and national dangers. Serve.This idea, in addition to Zeng Zhaoyu's anxiety about national disasters and the inspiration of patriots' courage to sacrifice, also has a hidden factor in her blood as a political commentator and reporter.As early as 1927, Zeng Zhaoxiu, who was studying at Yifang in Changsha, experienced the "Tang Hong Incident".At that time, the Kuomintang was on the Northern Expedition. Tang Hong, a 17-year-old female middle school student, had no father or mother, and her family was poor. She had never been involved in politics. She was arrested because Kuomintang agents found Communist Party leaflets in her pillow.Although Tang Hong stated that she did not know about the flyer and that it must have been done by someone with ulterior motives, she was still put in prison.Afterwards, it was found out that the flyer was placed by a left-wing student named Chen.Even so, the Kuomintang still regarded Tang Hong as a pro-Communist and decided to impose severe punishment.Zeng Zhaoyu had close contacts with a classmate surnamed Tang. Seeing his friend being wronged and persecuted, he stepped forward, regardless of the opposition of his relatives and friends and the danger of being implicated, and tried to rescue him with a few close classmates. Tang Hong's aunt went to intercede with the judge's concubine, and there was a double attack between public and private.But in the end to no avail, Tang Hong was beheaded after being paraded in the streets as a criminal, and his body was thrown into the market, where he was humiliated.Zeng Zhaoxuan, who was there, witnessed the tragic scene, and read a bloody suicide note left by the victim before his execution at a sister of Tang Yan who worked in the church. In 1929, Zeng Zhaoyu wrote an article on the truth of the "Tang Fu incident" and published it in the ninth issue of "New Society" magazine, exposing the atrocities committed by the Kuomintang, pouring out the growing stagnation in his heart, and his pain and resentment eased a little.This is the first time Zeng published an article on current affairs, and it was also the beginning of her desire to become a newspaper critic and reporter in the future, exposing evil and promoting good, and conveying the aspirations of the people. In 1951, Zeng Zhaoyu specifically mentioned this past event in his autobiography written to the CCP organization, and confessed that he wanted to be a war reporter after returning from England, and the idea of ​​serving the Anti-Japanese War came from this. However, as soon as Zeng Zhaoyu's dream of being a reporter was born, he was opposed by relatives and friends in Kunming, especially Yu Dafu.Yu thought that Miss Zeng in front of her was too naive and didn't know enough about the situation of the domestic war of resistance. She just wanted to abandon her years of academic accomplishments and become a war reporter who was not familiar with the market. It would be of no benefit to the country or herself. It is still the right way to teach and enter a research institution.Zeng Zhaoyu also felt that what Yu Dafu said was reasonable, so he gave up the idea of ​​becoming a reporter, and went to see Li Ji at the rented residence of Shiyu in Dihua Lane, Kunming on November 4. On the 5th, Zeng Zhaoyu had dinner with Li Ji, Liang Siyong, Wu Jinding and his wife to discuss the matter of being employed by the Central Museum. On the 6th, I visited Fu Sinian and Yu Dacai's family in a hot spring in the suburbs of Kunming, and had a heart-to-heart conversation with Fu Sinian about studying abroad and the future after returning to China.Fu clearly expressed support for Zeng Zhaoyu's entry into the Preparatory Office of the Central Museum, and placed great hopes on Zeng's career and future. On the 10th, Zeng Zhaoyu suddenly received a long-distance call from a relative from Kunming, saying that Zeng Zhaoyu received a letter from Zeng Zhaocheng, urging him to return to Hunan to welcome his mother, so he immediately bid farewell to Fu Sinian and his wife and returned to Kunming by car.At that time, Yu Dafu presented "a letter of appointment from the Cultural Institute of Jinling University", but Zeng Zhaoyu missed his mother so much that he had no time to take care of it.In the afternoon of the same day, Zeng Zhaomei, who was studying at the Southwest Associated University, sent Zeng Zhaoyu to the bus station. It takes at least twelve days to travel, and there are wars and unpredictable dangers, so the two sisters are deeply saddened. When Zeng Zhaoyu arrived in Guilin by car, he received a telegram from Zeng Zhaocheng, telling his mother that he seemed to have escaped from Xiangxiang and was heading southwest, and asked him to stay in Guilin to visit.Upon hearing the news, Zeng Zhaoyu immediately published it in the local newspaper, and left the address of the Institute of Physics of Academia Sinica, where he lived in Guilin for a while. On November 23, a cousin named Chen Zhaoxi suddenly came to the door, saying that her hometown had fallen. Ximei, her mother and a male worker escaped from Hunan and arrived in Guilin. They were about to go to Kunming to visit relatives. It was really the ancestors of the Zeng family who burned high incense to get this karma of reuniting in a different place.When Zeng Zhaoyu heard the news, he was filled with sorrow and joy, and immediately followed Ximei to the collapsed hotel. When the mother and daughter met each other, there were tears and intimacy. After a series of journeys and hardships, Zeng Zhaoyu, mother and daughter, and their accompanying relatives passed through Guiyang, Haiphong, Vietnam and other places, and finally arrived in Kunming on January 19 to reunite with their relatives in Kunming.It was also on this day that Zeng Zhaoyu met his second elder brother Zeng Zhaoluan, who had just returned from Chongqing and had been separated for four years, for the first time. Outsiders could not comprehend the feeling of intimacy and joy.In the afternoon of the next day, Zeng Zhaoyu came to the dormitory of Southwest Associated University and talked with Zeng Zhaolun and Yu Dafu about future work. Yu Dafu told him that "President Chen Yuguang of Jinling University invited him to give lectures at Jinling University in the name of 'archaeological lectures'." Zeng Zhaoyu said " Yu Xin is in the Central Museum” and resigned thanks to President Chen’s kindness. Later, "in order to keep the torch of field archeology in China alive" (Xia Nai's words), Zeng Zhaoyu formally entered the Preparatory Office of the Central Museum and participated in the Cang On February 9, 1939, the Er'er Historical Site Research Group, together with Wu Jinding, Wang Jiechen and others, went to the Erhai Lake area of ​​Cangshan Mountain in Dali, Yunnan Province to conduct archaeological investigation and excavation.Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zeng Zhaoyu showed her talent and extensive knowledge to the Chinese archaeological community for the first time, and the excavation results were extremely astonishing. In February 1941, with his outstanding academic ability and organizational ability, Zeng Zhaoyu was appointed as the director-general of the preparatory office of the Central Museum, which was moved to Lizhuang. He was under Li Ji and took charge of the actual overall affairs.At this time, Xia Nai has come to Lizhuang with the reputation of Dr. Yinglun.自此，吴、曾、夏三位年轻的考古学家，势同滔滔不尽的江河穿越层峦叠嶂的高山峻岭，在扬子江尽头的小镇融会集结，并将以锐健的英姿和蓬勃朝气，荡漾开一片烂漫的风景。 ——抗战期间最著名的彭山汉代崖墓大规模调查发掘的序幕由此揭开。