My era, 1979!

Chapter 143 Academic Genius
In mid-October, the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University organized a small seminar on "Song Dynasty Literature and Material Culture".

At the meeting, Zhang Peiheng bluntly stated: "Xu Chengjun's paper reminds us that when studying Song Dynasty literature, we cannot just look at the History of Song and the Complete Works of Song. We must also look at the Song Dynasty porcelain and stone inscriptions in the Palace Museum. These are all 'living documents'."

At that time, postgraduate students majoring in Song Dynasty literature at universities such as Fudan University and Peking University still mostly chose topics such as "Su Shi's lyrics" and "Ouyang Xiu's classical prose".

After the paper was published, Wang Shuizhao used it as a case study in his graduate classes to explain "how to choose niche topics" and "how to combine literature with interpretation".

The result is
The following year, among the research topics selected by graduate students in the Chinese Department of Fudan University, niche areas such as "studies on letters in the Song Dynasty", "the literary implications of poetry in the Southern Song Dynasty", and "the collation and editing of inscriptions by women in the Song Dynasty" jumped from 5% to 30%, and even spurred the development of "studies on niche literary styles" in other dynasties.

Epitaphs from the Tang Dynasty and short essays from the Ming and Qing Dynasties began to receive attention.

Xu Chengjun's postscript essay continued to expand its influence in 1979, and its essence was a concrete manifestation of "the liberation of academic thought" in the field of classical literature.

It broke the rigid paradigm of "only focusing on great figures, only on textual research, and only on class," making the academic community realize that "literary research can be more delicate, more diverse, and closer to human nature."

This influence extends beyond Song Dynasty literature, reaching into the entire field of classical literature studies.

Subsequently, "literary style research" became a prominent field of study, "document collation" became diversified, and "humanistic concern" became an important dimension of academic interpretation.

Xu Chengjun's preface paper was a pathfinder, while his three subsequent papers were foundational works.

A Fudan University graduate student from the class of 1980 recalled: "At that time, we all felt that 'postscript research' was very trendy. It avoided the popular topics that everyone was choosing and was able to come up with something new. This was all influenced by Xu Chengjun's paper."

The student's face was filled with pain as he recalled the incident.

Damn, you're so high and mighty!

You are glorious!
We'll suffer along with them, huh?

In what ways are you better than "Zhai Moumou"?
These two batches of undergraduate and graduate students after the resumption of the college entrance examination are in a period of confusion about "finding their academic direction".

Xu Chengjun's experience of "skipping grades to pursue graduate studies, publishing core papers, and balancing creative writing and research" has become a role model for many young students.

This "benchmark effect" has also indirectly boosted enrollment in interdisciplinary fields such as "literary studies" and "comparative literature," encouraging more young people to engage in research that combines classical and modern elements.
-
On October 28, the Social Sciences Edition of the Fudan Journal published Xu Chengjun's paper, "Emotional Expression and Social Function of Letters by Literati in the Song Dynasty: Focusing on Su Shi and Huang Tingjian".

Xu Chengjun continues the research on the private writing of inscriptions and focuses on "letters" (尺牍), another important daily literary form in the Song Dynasty. Both are "non-utilitarian writings" by literati, but due to their "letter attributes," they also have the functions of emotional expression and social interaction. They are "overlooked daily texts" in the study of Song Dynasty literature. This forms a comparison between the two literary forms of "inscriptions and letters" and consolidates the research foundation of "private writing by Song Dynasty literati".

In terms of value, this study is the first to juxtapose letters and postscripts, breaking through the traditional framework of "Song Dynasty literature = poetry, lyrics and prose".

It paved the way for subsequent research on "clusters of everyday literary styles in the Song Dynasty," was featured as the lead article in the "Special Issue on Song Dynasty Literature" of the Fudan Journal, and was praised by Zhu Dongrun as "a key extension of the study of 'personalized writing'."

On November 2, the journal *Literary Heritage* published Xu Chengjun's article, "From 'Street Folk Songs' to 'Popular and Refined Appreciation': The Path to Refinement and Cultural Connotation of Popular Song Lyrics in the Song Dynasty."

This paper is clearly more significant.

Xu Chengjun shifted from "niche everyday literary genres" to "ci," the core literary genre of Song Dynasty literature.

However, instead of the saturated "bold/refined" dichotomy, we focus on the niche area of ​​"refining colloquialisms".

How popular lyrics of the Song Dynasty (represented by Liu Yong) were transformed by literati into a literary form that was "appreciated by both the refined and the common people" is not only a key link in the evolution of the history of lyrics, but also related to the historical context of the "integration of urban culture and literati aesthetics" in the Song Dynasty.

Breaking away from the academic community's fixed perception of "bold/refined," this work systematically outlines for the first time the complete path of "refining colloquialisms."

From Liu Yong's enlightenment to Zhou Bangyan's metrical rules and then to Xin Qiji's spirit, his work was published in "Literary Heritage" and praised by Wang Shuizhao as "providing an 'intermediate' perspective for the study of the history of ci poetry," thus establishing Xu Chengjun's academic status in the field of "Song Dynasty Ci Poetry Studies."

On November 4, the journal *Chinese Social Sciences* (Literature Edition) published an article by Xu Chengjun entitled "The Generation and Aesthetic Characteristics of 'Liquor-Interest' Poetry in the Context of Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism—Taking Cheng Hao, Zhu Xi, and Yang Wanli as Examples."

This also marks Xu Chengjun's shift from "literary style research" to "interaction between thought and literature," focusing on the influence of Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism on poetry.

Previously, many scholars believed that "Neo-Confucianism restricts literature." Xu Chengjun, however, focuses on "Neo-Confucian poetry" as a "positive example of the integration of Neo-Confucianism and literature," analyzing how Neo-Confucianism injects "rational aesthetics" into poetry, reflecting the profound expansion of academic research from "text" to "thought."

What shocked the academic community was...

That man was the first to systematically explain the aesthetic characteristics and generative logic of rational poetry.

Breaking the traditional perception of "opposition between Neo-Confucianism and literature"!

It was also published in the Chinese Social Sciences (Literature Edition)!

In a sense, this marks the expansion of Xu Chengjun's academic influence from "Song Dynasty literature" to the field of "Song Studies".
-
In late October 1979 in Beijing, the reeds in Beihai Park were just turning white, and the kerosene stove in the editorial office of "Literary Heritage" was burning brightly.

Veteran editor Zhou Mingyuan slammed three mimeographed papers on the table. The smell of ink mixed with the stench of coal smoke made everyone cough: "Look at this paper from Fudan University, 'The Emotional Expression and Social Function of Letters by Song Dynasty Literati.' The Yunnan conference just finished advocating for ideological liberation, and they've already produced their results!"

The young editor across from me rubbed his frostbitten hands and leaned closer. His gaze swept over the words "living documents" and he suddenly looked up: "Last week, Professor Yuan Xingpei from Peking University came to submit a manuscript. He said that the academic community is now breaking down the 'class-based' theory, but no one dares to touch such a niche subject. Xu Chengjun is really bold."

Before he could finish speaking, the phone rang loudly.

It was Ge Xiaoyin from the Chinese Department of Peking University, her voice urgent: "Old Zhou, have you received Xu Chengjun's research on letters? I just read a passage in my graduate class, and the students went wild!"

Zhou Mingyuan chuckled as he held the receiver: "Not only did I receive it, but I also saved it on Toutiao! Didn't you see Mr. Zhu Dongrun's comments? 'A key extension of personalized writing,' those words carry weight, don't they?"

After hanging up the phone, he looked at the falling snow outside the window and suddenly sighed: "At the Yunnan meeting, Mr. Cheng Qianfan shouted 'No need to worry,' but now it seems that someone really dares to blaze a new trail."

At the same moment, on the campus of Nanjing University, Cheng Qianfan had just handed a copy of Xu Chengjun's thesis to his student Fu Xuancong.

Ginkgo leaves covered the bluestone path, and the old professor tapped his cane on the ground: "Look at this study of philosophical poetry, it has brought Neo-Confucianism and literature back from opposite sides."

When we were writing "The Records of Jinshi Scholars in the Tang Dynasty," how could we have dared to think of such details?

Fu Xuancong stroked the annotations on the paper, recalling the scene at the Yunnan meeting.

While scholars are still debating the standard of "people-oriented", young people at Fudan University are already building a new framework.

He suddenly looked up: "Sir, next month the final draft of 'A Collection of Studies on Tang Dynasty Poets' will be completed. I'd like to add a chapter on epitaph research, following in Xu Chengjun's footsteps?"

Cheng Qianfan laughed heartily, pointing his cane at the library in the distance: "It's good to follow the trend! Haven't you seen the students in the library? They used to be engrossed in the Li Bai and Du Fu collections, but now they're all flipping through the Song Dynasty Statutes looking for inscriptions."

That's true. In the library, two graduate students were arguing heatedly over a copy of the "Huang Family Genealogy".

"This is the lost postscript by Huang Tingjian that Xu Chengjun mentioned!"

The tall, thin boy gripped the book tightly, saying, "I need to write the inscriptions by Song Dynasty women; if I'm any later, someone else will snatch them!"

The short boy stomped his feet in frustration: "Why? I changed my topic three times, from Su Shi's poems to Southern Song poetry, I can't let you steal it again!"

The administrator walked by carrying a stack of "Complete Works of the Song Dynasty" and couldn't help but interject, "Stop arguing. Last week, a teacher from Beijing Normal University just came to borrow the same family genealogy, saying he wanted to study Tang Dynasty epitaphs."

In early November, classrooms at Nankai University in Tianjin were packed.

Ye Jiaying put down the chalk, her silver hair gleaming under the lamplight: "Having spent thirty years overseas, I always say that lyrics should express true feelings. Today I'll show you an article."

Xu Chengjun's research on the refinement of colloquial lyrics thoroughly explains the evolution from Liu Yong to Xin Qiji.

Liu Yuejin, sitting in the audience, quickly bent down to take notes, his pen scratching on the paper.

As one of the first undergraduate students after the resumption of the college entrance examination, he was always trapped in the "bold/refined" framework until he saw Xu Chengjun's thesis and suddenly understood.

After the event, he chased after him and asked, "Mr. Ye, wouldn't this be considered what you meant by 'using Western theories to illuminate tradition'?"

Ye Jiaying nodded with a smile: "Yes! But what's even more remarkable is that he dared to touch upon 'street-style love songs.' Back when I talked about Wen Tingyun, I had to avoid the word 'eroticism.'"

Looking at the streetlights in the distance, she suddenly added, "This young man even writes novels? Scholarship should have this kind of vitality."

When Liu Yuejin returned to his dormitory, he found his roommate slamming his fist on the table in front of the journal *Chinese Social Sciences*: "This is amazing! 'Injecting rational aesthetics into Neo-Confucianism,' this can save my research on Cheng Hao's poetry!"

His roommate turned around and saw him, then his face fell. “But it’s a real ordeal! Xu Chengjun is so aloof, and we’ve been digging for information with him until the wee hours of the morning. This isn’t academic work, it’s like being an ascetic!”

In Shanghai, the topic selection statistics table of the Chinese Department of Fudan University is placed on Wang Shuizhao's desk.

The 30% proportion of niche areas was dazzlingly high, yet he couldn't stop smiling. Zhang Peiheng pushed open the door, waving a sample copy of "Literary Review": "Look, even Beijing Journal is discussing 'the booming field of stylistics'!"

Mr. Yuan Xingpei wrote specifically to say that Peking University is going to offer a course on 'Studies in Everyday Writing Styles'.

“It’s not just Peking University.” Wang Shuizhao pointed to the letters on the table. “Nankai University wants to invite Xu Chengjun to give lectures, Beijing Normal University is asking for copies of his papers, and even overseas sinologists are asking about the copyright of his translations.”

He suddenly lowered his voice, "But yesterday I met a graduate student who complained that Xu Chengjun was driving him crazy and said that he was more 'harmful' than anyone else."

Zhang Peiheng laughed heartily as the sycamore leaves outside the window rustled down: "This is the real impact! Back when we were sneaking through the archives and reading banned books, didn't we also hope that someone would break through this barrier?"

Just then, Xu Chengjun walked by carrying a stack of manuscripts, and upon hearing the laughter, he peeked in.

He had just finished revising the manuscript of his new book, and there was still ink on the tip of his nose: "Gentlemen, the journal *Literary Heritage* is urging us to revise the proofs of our study of vernacular words, saying that scholars from various places have raised more than twenty comments."

Wang Shuizhao waved his hand: "Go quickly! Didn't you see the postman downstairs? It's full of letters asking for papers, almost a mountain of them."

After Xu Chengjun left, Zhang Peiheng watched his retreating figure and sighed: "At the Yunnan conference, Mr. Cheng Qianfan said that 'academic freedom is within reach,' and I didn't expect it to come so quickly. This young man has truly brought spring into the literary world."

The topic selection forms from universities across the country are being compiled and submitted to the Ministry of Education.

The research topics on Song Dynasty letters, Tang Dynasty epitaphs, and Ming and Qing Dynasty essays are numerous, accounting for more than 30%.

In the "Yearbook of Ancient Literature Studies", Yuan Xingpei wrote: "Xu Chengjun's three papers are indeed probes for the liberation of thought, piercing through rigid paradigms and bringing the living water of humanistic concern into the study of classical literature."

In his dormitory at Nankai University, Liu Yuejin finally settled on the topic of "Song Dynasty Inscriptions and Urban Culture".

He looked at the snow outside the window, remembered Professor Ye Jiaying's words, and suddenly smiled.

Although I ran around exhausted trying to find information, the feeling of "digging out new ideas from old papers" was truly wonderful.

The mailbox in the distance was overflowing with letters addressed to Fudan University.

The envelopes were all addressed to "Xu Chengjun," and inside were the confusion and enthusiasm of young students, like seeds buried under the snow, waiting to sprout in the spring.
-
On the Fudan University campus, the plane tree leaves were rolled into small piles by the autumn wind, and a thin layer of frost clung to the glass windows of the Qingyunlou Café.

Li Juan, a reporter from China Youth Daily, clutched her notebook and held a stack of readers' letters in her hand—

In the past two weeks, the newspaper has received nearly a hundred letters, with some university teachers asking about "the literature methods for researching postscripts."

Some young students said, "After reading Xu Chengjun's story, I want to take the postgraduate entrance exam for classical literature."

The editor-in-chief made the decision: "We must interview him. This is not a simple report on a scholar; it is an article that points the way for young people."

Pushing open the coffee shop door, Xu Chengjun was already there.

He was wearing a crisply washed Dacron shirt, and in front of him was an enamel mug filled with Huangshan Maofeng tea, with tea stains still on the rim.

Seeing Li Juan enter, he stood up to offer her a seat, his voice steady: "Reporter Li, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I just finished discussing student topic selection with Senior Brother Zhang, so I'm ten minutes late."

Li Juan sat down and first pushed the reader's letter over: "Professor Xu, you see, your paper is now receiving attention nationwide. A professor from Peking University wrote to say that their department's current discussion on 'Song Dynasty Women's Colophons' was inspired by you. I came here today to ask you, how did you come up with the idea of ​​choosing the niche topic of 'colophons'?"

Xu Chengjun picked up his enamel mug and smiled: "It's not that I deliberately sought out unpopular topics; it's just that previous research was too 'biased.' Everyone focused on Su Shi's poems and Ouyang Xiu's classical prose, thinking that these were the 'proper literature,' but Su Shi in his postscripts is more authentic—"

When he was demoted to Huangzhou, he inscribed the lines, "Bamboo staff and straw sandals are lighter than a horse," not out of arrogance, but out of reconciliation with himself; Huang Tingjian's inscription, "Scholars and officials should be like orchids growing in secluded valleys," was not preachy, but rather the inner strength he maintained after his demotion. These things are hidden in lengthy poems and prose, but are clearly revealed in his postscripts.

He paused, then spoke more frankly: "Speaking of 'niche' fields, it's actually an academic void. In 1979, when everyone had just resumed research, they all went back to familiar paths, afraid of making mistakes. But how can scholarship only follow familiar paths? Just like Senior Brother Zhang said, you have to look at 'living literature'."

The Song Dynasty porcelain in the Palace Museum and the family genealogies hidden within them are key to filling these gaps. I've merely taken the first step in.

Li Juan quickly wrote it down and then asked, "Now, the percentage of 'niche research topics' among Fudan University graduate students has increased from 5% to 30%, and some people say they're 'suffering' because they have to look up family genealogies and find overseas literature, which is much more difficult than researching Su Shi's poetry. What do you think of this 'suffering'?"

Xu Chengjun laughed upon hearing this and tapped the table: "The reason we suffer is because our path has been too smooth in the past. When studying Su Shi's poems, there are plenty of ready-made annotations and chronologies, so we can just follow them; but when studying Song Dynasty letters and women's postscripts, we have to collect lost pieces and conduct our own research, which is the true duty of a scholar."

"My suffering was worthwhile, because those texts were never seen before, and now they can be added to the 'Collected Works of Huang Tingjian.' That is their value."

He then changed the subject, his eyes revealing foresight: "Besides, suffering a little now is to avoid detours in the future. If we are still focusing on clustering together with 'masters' now, and Song Dynasty literature research is still the same old thing ten years from now, that would be a real pity. Young people today dare to tackle tough challenges, so that the discipline can have something new in the future."

Li Juan then asked, "You are both a writer and a scholar. Some people say that 'creation relies on emotion, while research relies on reason, and it is difficult to balance both.' How do you balance these two?"

"First of all, I am far from being a scholar; I am just a student, and I am still a novice in the field of literary research. Creation and academics are not balanced, but complementary."

Xu Chengjun put down his cup and said with certainty, "When I wrote 'Trying Out the Clothes Mirror,' I understood Chunlan's desire to wear floral fabric. This sensitivity to 'human desires' can be applied to research to understand that Su Shi's 'self-deprecation' in his postscript was not a pretense of magnanimity, but a genuine letting go."

Conversely, studying Huang Tingjian's postscript about "resisting fate with art" made me understand even more deeply the perseverance of Xu Jianjun and others in "defending their homeland" when I wrote "The Unbreakable Red Silk"—creation reflects humanity, and research is rooted in the text; the two are inherently connected.

Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker outside the coffee shop, reading out a call for submissions from the China Youth Daily.

Li Juan listened for a couple of minutes, then asked, "What do you think is the core reason why your paper has generated such a huge response? Is it because the literature is new, or because the perspective is new?"

Xu Chengjun pondered for a moment and said, "The most crucial thing is 'the liberation of academic thought.' Before 1979, the study of literature always revolved around 'class' and 'tools,' treating Su Shi as a 'representative of the literati' and Liu Yong as a 'symbol of the common people,' but ignoring that they were first and foremost human beings. My paper simply put the 'human beings' back—the literati in the postscripts have joy, grievances, and perseverance, which is what literature should focus on. Now, when the academic community talks about 'humanistic concern,' it actually means this: don't treat the text as a specimen, but as something written by living people."

He looked out the window; sycamore leaves were falling to the ground and being swept away by the wind: "Future studies of classical literature will definitely need to be more open."

We need to combine this with archaeology to see how Song Dynasty artifacts corroborate the inscriptions; we also need to combine this with sociology to see how the social interactions among literati influenced the content of the inscriptions.

Even in the future, with technological advancements, we might be able to use computers to analyze keywords in the inscriptions and colophons, and trace the changes in the writers' thoughts—these are still far off to think about now, but the direction is definitely in this direction.

Li Juan was shocked when she heard this.

computer?
He had heard someone at work mention it once.

This is truly a novel thing.

She didn't know how to ask, so she didn't reply.

She quickly highlighted the key points in her notebook and then asked, "One last question: what advice do you have for young people who want to follow your path of 'combining classical and modern styles'?"

Xu Chengjun picked up his enamel mug, took a sip of tea, and said sincerely and frankly, "Don't follow trends, don't be afraid of niche topics. When choosing a topic, don't think 'this is easy to write about' or 'that is easy to publish,' but think 'this is valuable' or 'that can fill a gap.'"

Classical texts are not just old papers; they are a mirror reflecting the present. If you understand the 'open-mindedness' in Su Shi's postscripts, you can understand how people today face difficulties.

Understanding Huang Tingjian's 'perseverance' will teach you how to stay true to your original aspirations.

This is the true meaning of research—not just writing papers, but finding strength in tradition.

By the time the interview ended, the sun was already setting, casting a warm yellow glow on the café's windows.

When Li Juan was tidying up her notebook, she found that Xu Chengjun had written three words on a blank sheet of paper: "postscript," "humanity," and "documents." The words were simple, yet they hit the nail on the head.

Later, in her book "From Writer to Scholar: Xu Chengjun's Academic Path," Li Juan wrote: "During the two hours at Qingyunlou, I didn't see the arrogance of a 'genius scholar,' but only a steady pathfinder—"

He knows where there are academic gaps, how to bring tradition into the present, and how to point out a solid path for young people.

The academic breakthrough of 1979 needed people like this; future literary studies need this kind of vision even more.

After this report was published, the newspaper received hundreds of letters, with some young people saying they "want to take the entrance exam for the classical literature graduate program at Fudan University," and some teachers saying they "want to teach research on inscriptions and colophons in class."

Xu Chengjun probably didn't expect that the small step he took would actually become the starting point for many people's academic journey.

The aroma of that cup of Huangshan Maofeng tea in Qingyunlou Café became one of the most vivid academic memories of 1979.

On November 8, the China Youth Daily published an article titled "From Writer to Scholar: Xu Chengjun's Academic Journey," reporting on his research experience and inspiring a group of young literary enthusiasts to "pay attention to both contemporary creation and root themselves in classical studies."

Some details of Xu Chengjun's life have also been revealed.

His reputation as an academic genius spread like wildfire.

(End of this chapter)