illiam Alexander Parsons Martin (1827-1916), also known as Guanxi, was a native of Indiana, USA. Born into a family of pastors, both his father and brothers were pastors. In the thirtieth year of Daoguang (1850 AD), Ding Yunliang volunteered for the overseas missionary mission of the Northern Presbyterian Church in the United States and was sent to Ningbo, China. Subsequently, he provided the U.S. government with information on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. During the Second Opium War, he served as an interpreter for American Minister Levilian and participated in the drafting of the Sino-American Treaty of Tianjin. In the first year of Tongzhi (1862 AD), he returned to China and soon came to China to establish a church and a school in Beijing. In 1863, Ding Weiliang began to translate the American Wheaton's "The Public Law of the Nations", which was appreciated by Prince Gong and others, and was printed and published by the Prime Minister Yamen. In 1865, he was appointed as a teacher at the Tongbunkan. In 1869, on the strong recommendation of Hurd, the General Department of Customs and Excise, Ding Weiliang resigned from his teaching position in the Northern Presbyterian Church in the United States and became the chief teacher of the Jingshi Tongwenguan until 1894. During this period, he also served as an advisor to the Qing government on international law. In the eleventh year of Guangxu (1885 AD), he obtained the rank of Sanpin. In 1898, the Jingshi University Hall was established, and Emperor Guangxu awarded Ding Yunliang the second grade and appointed him as the first chief teacher of the Jingshi University. In 1902, the Qing court issued an order to restore the hall of the Beijing Normal University, and Ding Yunliang was reappointed as the chief teacher. However, due to a dispute over the salaries demanded from the Qing court, the new minister of education, Zhang Baixi, collectively dismissed Ding Yunliang and other Western teachers on the grounds of "tight funds". On December 17, 1916, Ding Weiliang died in Beijing and was buried with his wife in a cemetery outside Xizhimen.

From 1850 to 1916, except for four years in between, Ding Yunliang lived in China for a total of 62 years, and was the leading "China expert" among foreigners in China in the late Qing Dynasty, and was also a controversial historical figure: on the one hand, he actively promoted Christianity, hated the Boxer Rebellion, and advocated the division of spheres of influence by foreign powers, "using China to contain China", and the United States seizing Hainan Island to strengthen the enslavement of China; On the one hand, he has been engaged in the practical work of translation and education for many years, and has been the head of the famous Chinese educational institutions Beijing Tongwenguan and Jingshi University Hall (the predecessor of Peking University) for a long time, which makes him inadvertently play an important role in the brewing and formation of modern education in China. For the first time, he formally and comprehensively introduced international law to China.

A historical scene is still intriguing: in 1898, when China's first university, Jingshi University Hall (now Peking University), was founded, Ding Weiliang was appointed by the Guangxu Emperor as the first chief teacher (i.e., president) and awarded the second grade. At the beginning of the school year, he bowed to the Chinese sage Confucius in front of all the Chinese and foreign guests. As a result of this move, Ding was regarded by some Christians as a traitor to God, but it was precisely because of this that he integrated into China in this way and became a part of Chinese education. (The above is adapted from "Baidu Encyclopedia".) ）

Of course, Sun Yuanqi did not know about these glorious achievements of Ding Yunliang. It's no wonder, after all, these things in the history of education are too far away from graduate students in physics departments. When I was studying pedagogy, I probably mentioned it once or twice once in a while, but who would pay attention to this? It's not a test center.

Sun Yuanqi wore a long shirt and leather shoes, dragged a fake braid, and walked awkwardly on the dusty streets, looking around with his eyes, feeling that the street scene at the root of the imperial city was not as good as the small towns in the 21st century. When the people around him saw him, they also smacked their eyes up and down:

"Ho! This long man is handsome enough, so white! ”

"Wow, the shoes under the caftan are weird!"

When I arrived at the gate of Ding Yunliang's mansion, it was almost eleven o'clock. It is estimated that no one goes to Ding Yunliang's house on weekdays, so when Menzi saw Sun Yuanqi, he took a few more looks, and came up and asked, "What do you have to do, sir?" ”

Sun Yuanqi thought to himself, does this old man remember that he still said two things, and he came to the door rashly, what "expensive business" can he have? At that moment, he stubbornly said: "I am a teacher recommended by Mr. Conger, the American minister, and I have come to visit Lord Ding. ”

"Is there a prayer?" Menzi asked.

Sun Yuanqi shook his head and said, "No." - You told Master Ding that it was the physics teacher I met yesterday, and he understood it for sure. ”

Menzi didn't embarrass him, turned around and ran in to tell him. After a while, Ding Yunliang, who was full of red light and high spirits, greeted him: "God, look who is coming, please come in, please come in." ”

Sun Yuanqi hurriedly stepped up to greet him, originally wanting to shake hands, but Ding Yunliang opened his arms and came to a strong hug. Then, Ding Yunliang took a step back and looked at Sun Yuanqi carefully: "Look, look, this head, this appearance, this temperament, since I left the United States, I haven't seen such a young man with such spirit for a long time." ”

Just as he was about to say a few words of humility, Ding Yunliang took his hand and walked into the house: "Do you know? Chinese children are so vibrant, but after entering the school, they become like old pedants, and they are not angry at all. When he reached his youth, he was old-fashioned, and he opened his mouth and closed his mouth. A young and energetic young man like you is very rare in Chinese schools, well, at least I haven't seen it yet. When you come to teach at Kyoto University, you will agree with my opinion......"

Ding Yunliang is very talkative, or rather, very verbose. It wasn't until he sat down in the main hall that Sun Yuanqi had time to say the first sentence after the meeting: "Dear sir, I took the liberty to disturb me today because I wanted to ask about the Jingshi University Hall......

"Tea or coffee?" Ding Yunliang asked Sun Yuanqi, but before he could answer, he continued: "It's still tea, after all, it's in China." Just a few days ago, Lord Sun, the one you saw yesterday, gave me some high-quality Mingqian Longjing, just to taste. So he told his servant to serve tea.

Turning his head: "My child, what did you just say?" Oh, by the way, the matter of the Kyoto University Hall! How so...... You know, I'm the head teacher of the Beijing Normal University, but there are some things I don't know very well about - Chinese officials have always been like this, always complicating simple things, and in any independent matter, there is intrigue, distribution of interests, nepotism...... For example, on the housing problem of the Beijing Normal University Hall, on May 29, Sun Daren began to play; On the same day, Prince Qing used the Horse Temple as the location of the school; Because there were "more than 340 houses in total" in the Horse Temple, which were in serious condition due to disrepair, His Majesty the Emperor asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to repair the Horse Temple on the second day of the sixth month three days later. A month has passed, and yesterday I went to investigate with Master Sun, but the project has made no progress, and the start of school is far away! This money must have been coveted by those hateful officials again, my child, this is a crime, a naked crime, unforgivable! ……”

From Ding Yunliang's many words, Sun Yuanqi heard a news that made him very disappointed: "The start of school is far away. Then his face was full of dark clouds: "Dear sir, how long will you say 'far away'?" ”

"How long? It may not be, but it depends on the determination of His Majesty the Emperor and the efforts of the officials. Ding Yunliang was somewhat gloating, seeing Sun Yuanqi's face full of gloom, he asked with concern: "My child, what's wrong?" Is there a problem? ”

His long-term missionary life and gray-haired face gave Ding Yunliang a natural affinity. Sun Yuanqi looked at Ding Yunliang with a kind face, couldn't control his emotions, and began to pour out his predicament: "I just returned to China", "I just arrived in Beijing", I don't understand customs, I have no job, I have no money, I have no relatives and friends...... In short, the core is one word: "no money".

Ding Yunliang listened attentively to Sun Yuanqi's story and expressed sympathy and concern for his situation. After hearing this, he said, "Poor boy, God will bless you." After a long time, he scratched his head: "I think, if you want, you can go to a middle school to teach first." ”

"Teaching at a middle school?" Sun Yuanqi was stunned, he was tossed to this evil Qing Dynasty, and it was not because of the consequences of going to the middle school interview. However, in the face of the pressure of survival, this psychological shadow has long disappeared: "It is best to teach in a middle school." But where is the middle school? ”

"Haha, my child, if you want, there is a secondary school for you to choose from right now." It turned out that when Ding Weiliang came to China for the second time, he founded Chongshi Middle School in Beijing, which is now Beijing No. 21 Middle School, and served as the principal of the school from 1865 to 1885. Now he is talking about this Chongshi Middle School.

Ding Yunliang asked: "What do you choose to teach at Chongshi Middle School?" Is it still 'Gechi'? ”

"Of course, in addition to being proficient in 'Gezhi', I am far from being able to do anything else, and I will mislead people's children." Sun Yuanqi explained. But I thought to myself: since I was in graduate school, I have only taken three courses: physics, English, and politics. Teaching English in addition to physics? God knows how much the grammar of the late Qing Dynasty differs from the grammar of the 21st century. Teaching politics? As far as Ma Enliesi Mao Deng is concerned, he dared to preach at the end of the Qing Dynasty, and ten heads were not enough to cut off.

Ding Yunliang laughed, and his white beard shook and shook: "Then we are both colleagues and peers." ”

Seeing that Sun Yuanqi looked confused, he explained to him with a little pride: In the fifth year of Tongzhi (1866), the Jingshi Tongwenguan published seven volumes of Ding Yunliang's "Introduction to Gewu", which synthesized the author's Western "knowledge of water, gas, fire, electricity, mechanics, chemistry, and arithmetic, and wrote it in Chinese to form a question and answer". In the ninth year of Guangxu (1883), he published his "Gewu Measurement". From another point of view, Ding Yunliang can be regarded as "the pioneer of physics education in China".

Sun Yuanqi naturally didn't know about these. But when it comes to physics, "Gezhi", he doesn't dare to let people. The two talked about entering the alley, and until noon, Ding Yunliang enthusiastically stayed for dinner, and Sun Yuanqi did not refrain much. After the meal, after talking for a while, Sun Yuanqi said goodbye. Before parting, Ding Yunliang gave another ten taels of silver, and asked Sun Yuanqi's address, saying that he would actively communicate with Chongshi Middle School, and would inform him as soon as there was news. Sun Yuanqi thanked him a thousand times and went.

With ten taels of silver and seven pieces of Yingyang on his body, Sun Yuanqi has some confidence, and he feels that he can save a little money, and it should be no problem for a month or two. Just a month or two later, Sun Yuanqi comforted himself: At that time, there will always be one in Chongshi Middle School and Jingshi University Hall!

On the way, I bought some cooked food and four white-flour steamed buns, which were used as dinner; I bought another bottle of wine, but it was for Lao Tong, thank him for his help today. Then slowly paced back.

By the time we arrived at the Horse Temple, the sunset was already in the treetops. Lao Tong was sitting on the threshold to enjoy the shade, and when he saw him coming back, he stood up with a smile and said hello: "Mr. Sun, you are back." ”

Sun Yuanqi now felt that this old man was not bad, and said with a smile: "Come back." Are you always enjoying the shade? ”

"The room is stuffy, the wind at the entrance of this temple is beautiful! Would you like to sit down for a while? Lao Tong invited.

At this time, Sun Yuanqi felt that he was wearing a long shirt, and he was sweating, and wanted to go back to the house to take a shower first: "I'd better go back and take a shower first." By the way, I bought cooked food and went over for dinner together in a while. After speaking, he raised the wine, meat, and steamed buns in his hand.

The old man smiled embarrassedly, and then replied, "Done!" You've bought all the things you said, and there's still 830 dollars left, so I'll send it to you later."

Although the yard was "taken over" yesterday, in Sun Yuanqi's heart, it was a "home". The moment you step through the courtyard gate, you feel a sense of security coming home. When I entered the courtyard, I first hung cooked food and steamed buns on the branches, and the wine bottles were made of pottery, so I was afraid of falling and placed them on the roots of the willow trees. When I entered the house, I put away the money before putting my schoolbag on the bed and taking off my shirt and trousers.

I fetched a bucket of cold water from the well and barely took a bath with that rag. Then I soaked the trousers and the shirt in a bucket, wrung them out and hung them on the tree, thinking that they would dry tomorrow morning and wear them without delay. Then, he carried a bucket of water to the west wing, took off his underwear and washed it—even if there was no one, it was always indecent to be naked in the atrium. After washing, I put my underwear back on. There's no way, who will let you just have a pair of underwear!

There are several flat stones under the willow trees in the courtyard, which are used for summer coolness. Because no one has lived for a long time, there is loess half a finger deep on it. Sun Yuan first swept it with a broken broom, then washed it with water, and then cleaned it up. Just wanted to sit on it and take a breath, Lao Tong came in with a big cloth bag on his back.

Perhaps it was influenced by Sun Yuanqi, or perhaps the customs of the Qing Dynasty were like this, Lao Tong wore pants with a deep crotch, like two face pockets on his body, tied with a cloth belt around his waist, and his trouser legs were tied tightly with small strips of cloth, full of modern hip-hop clothes. A pair of cloth shoes were casually pulled on his feet. Sun Yuanqi greeted him, helped move the cloth bag under the willow tree, and prepared to pack up and eat.

Lao Tong stretched out his hand to stop him and said, "Don't be in a hurry to eat." Let's focus on the light first, and then talk about the inventory after the inventory! ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "I don't worry about you doing things." ”

The old man was not happy: "'Brother, settle accounts.'" 'My old Tong can be open! ”

Sun Yuanqi could only follow his wishes and take out the same things in the sunset: a wooden basin for washing his face, towels, underwear, candles, pancreas, bowls, chopsticks...... Finally, he pulled out a sickle-shaped iron thing.

Sun Yuanqi picked it up, looked at it for a long time, and asked, "What is this?" ”

"Fire sickle!" Lao Tong glanced at it and replied casually.

"......" Sun Yuanqi was speechless for a moment, who would use this? After a while, he cautiously asked, "Do you have matches here?" The kind that catches it with a single stroke. ”

"Matches? That's a foreigner's thing. By the way, you said teeth...... Teeth scraped, no one on the street knew what it was, didn't buy it. After speaking, he took out a string of money from his body, "This is the remaining eight hundred and thirty yuan, you can order it." ”

"Take it. I'll think about it tonight to see what is missing, and I'll go out with you tomorrow to buy some. Sun Yuanqi pushed the money back, stood up and took the wine and meat, and the newly bought chopsticks and bowls were just in use.

Lao Tong hung the money on his waist and said, "It's done!" I'll go again tomorrow. You're welcome, I took a big sip of the wine bowl.

When the crescent moon came up, the courtyard was clear. Lao Tong was drunk and had already gone back crookedly. Sun Yuanqi put away the dishes and chopsticks, lay down on the stone, looked at the brilliant galaxy in the night sky, and began to plan his future life:

I will go out to buy some things tomorrow, and some of the things that Lao Tong bought are not very suitable, such as underwear, there is no elastic band, and it needs to be tied with a cloth belt; Another example is the fire sickle, which needs to be hammered to spark.

Talking with Ding Yunliang, I knew that today is June 29, the 24th year of Guangxu, and August 16, 1898 in the Western calendar, and I don't know how many days there are left in the "100-day Restoration". I'm going to kill people at the entrance of the vegetable market!

If you are going to teach, then you need to prepare the textbook now, and you have to write the textbook yourself. In this case, you have to prepare pen and paper, even if you have a brush and rice paper, you won't use it, or go to a foreigner's store to buy pens and ink, if you don't have a pen, you have to use a quill pen.

By the way, let's write a few more papers to earn some manuscript fees and subsidize the family. Hey, I don't know if that paper was sent out?

……

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