1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

The idea of ​​recruiting Teacher Kobayashi to work in the Ministry of Education only flashed through Lu Xun's mind for a moment, but he quickly rejected it.

Not everyone is suitable for administrative work, and such an excellent teacher can better demonstrate her value by teaching at the grassroots level.

However, we must carefully consider the treatment and honor of outstanding grassroots teachers...

These teachers who are willing to take root at the grassroots level cannot be left without recognition. Educational resources must be tilted towards the grassroots level, and those who do not have sufficient grassroots teaching experience cannot work in the Ministry of Education.

In that person's words, the Ministry of Education must be the "people's Ministry of Education" and the "service department for teachers", and must never be a high-ranking official.

After visiting Mr. Kobayashi's mathematics class again, Lu Xun was convinced that the Japanese teacher had developed his own teaching methods and had a plan in mind.

"Teacher Kobayashi!"

"headmaster?"

"Mr. Xiaolin, are you free?" "...Yes...Who is this?"

Teacher Kobayashi had noticed Lu Xun and the principal visiting outside the door a long time ago, but because he had just arrived in Northeast China and was busy studying teaching and adapting to life, he had not had time to get to know this famous "Director of Education".

"Hello, Mr. Xiaolin." Lu Xun took the initiative to extend his right hand:

"My name is Lu Xun, and I currently serve as the Director General of Education at the Ministry of Education."

In fact, there is also an honorary principal of Shenyang No. 1 People's Primary School, but there is no need to talk about that.

"Ah! Director Lu... Director Lu!"

No matter how ignorant he was, Mr. Kobayashi had heard of Lu Xun's name. Faced with such a "big shot", he suddenly felt a little uneasy:

"Hello... Hello! I didn't know you..."

"Okay, Mr. Kobayashi, don't be nervous. I'm just an ordinary teacher like you."

Lu Xun smiled gently and said:

"How about this, I'll call you Mr. Xiaolin, and you don't have to call me Director Lu, okay?"

"This...this is too much..."

As a sinologist, Sachiko Kobayashi certainly understands what "Mr." means.

"A teacher is someone who is truly accomplished. Mr. Kobayashi, your teaching methods are very interesting and have greatly benefited me, which is why I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, you mean this..."

When discussing her area of ​​expertise, Teacher Kobayashi relaxed. "When I was in Japan, I realized that simply practicing handwriting wasn't very effective. Furthermore, due to the high difficulty, many children weren't interested. So, I thought, if I could let the children experience the structure of Chinese characters firsthand, perhaps it would be more effective..."

“It’s not only fun, it’s effective.”

Lu Xun praised:

"You have enabled children from different countries and ethnic groups to understand the essence of Chinese characters, feel the charm of Chinese culture, and appreciate the importance of morality. This is truly remarkable!"

Teacher Kobayashi was so praised that he didn't know what to say. He could only smile shyly:

"Of course, this is not only my credit, but also has a lot to do with Mr. Ma Shiling."

"Ma Shiling?"

"Yes, when we Japanese teachers came to Northeast China, she gave us a special lesson. She covered a lot of topics, including this teaching method."

""

That lady actually knows so much about education? I guess I have to find an opportunity to ask her for advice later.

Lu Xun changed the subject:

"Mr. Kobayashi, have you ever thought about promoting this teaching method to more places?"

"You mean..."

"On behalf of the Ministry of Education, I would like to hire you as a full-time lecturer. I will summarize your teaching methods and then promote them to primary schools nationwide, and even to adults, to help with the literacy campaign. What do you think?"

"Ah? This...isn't this too exaggerated?"

"It's no exaggeration at all. As long as you are willing, you can help more teachers improve their working methods and enable more people to appreciate the charm of Chinese culture more quickly and deeply."

"...This...I'm not sure I can do this well..."

"It's okay, Mr. Kobayashi. Your teaching methods are already very mature. I believe in you, and the entire Ministry of Education will do its best to support you..."

Lu Xun encouraged for a while and added:

"Of course, please rest assured that we will give you the necessary honors and rewards, and cover your overtime and travel expenses."

"That's okay. As for promoting Chinese culture, I'll even pay for it..." "No, no, no, Mr. Kobayashi, asking you to work for free is against the labor law. Besides, I believe you must have heard of the story of 'Zi Gong redeeming people', right?"

There is another reason that cannot be stated explicitly - the economy.

Although free labor may seem very happy, it will actually greatly dampen and consume the consumption enthusiasm of most workers, causing them to have no money to spend or be unwilling to spend money even if they have it. This will actually cause greater harm to the entire national economy.

Lu Xun deeply agreed with Fujiwara no Kanezane's statement, which was the so-called "people's strength is exhausted."

"...I understand, Mr. Lu Xun, I will do my best!" "Okay..."

After the two chatted for a while and roughly agreed on the plan for the "tour lecture", Lu Xun asked as usual:

"Mr. Kobayashi, have you encountered any difficulties in your teaching? Or do you have any suggestions for the Ministry of Education?"

"It's not difficult at all. Everyone here is very nice to me, but..." "But what?"

"A large number of my students have already surpassed the academic requirements of first grade, but they still have to start from scratch. This not only wastes their own time, but also easily affects the confidence of other students..."

Lu Xun was not surprised at all.

Regarding this issue, it is not only Professor Kobayashi who raised it, there is also a lot of debate within the Ministry of Education.

Supporters believe that making schooling compulsory for all school-age children will not only effectively raise society's awareness of the importance of reading, but also allow these students to receive a unified ideological and intellectual education, which will contribute to the country's future development.

Opponents believe that forcing students who already have high academic abilities to repeat basic knowledge is a waste of resources and will likely discourage them and other students from learning.

Moreover, Chinese society has long been deeply aware of the importance of studying, and it is difficult to unify thoughts through unified education. Many of these students have already participated in work, and they are more likely to bring bad habits into school.

Everyone has their reasons, especially from the perspective of "early work and reducing family burden". The majority of people support letting young people graduate early, prompting the Ministry of Education to begin considering the compromise method of "early testing, early graduation, and early enrollment."

Lu Xun was a supporter of the "compromise method".

During his inspections, he did find many teenagers refusing to enroll, or being forced to drop out after enrolling, having low academic motivation, and "corrupting" other younger students;

He did not care about the pressure from Fujiwara no Kanezane (because it was Fujiwara no Kanezane who proposed compulsory enrollment). Instead, he believed that once he reported the actual situation and comprehensive considerations to that person, that person would also support it.

The only problem is that there is no one in the entire Republic who can find Fujiwara Kanezane, and even Comrade Ma Shiling is unknown where he has gone.

"...Many students and parents have made similar requests, and I think they make a lot of sense, especially for those exceptional students."

Teacher Kobayashi thought for a moment, called a female student over, and introduced her:

"This is my brightest and most outstanding student. She transferred here from Peking. She's 12 years old today, but her academic ability is at least equivalent to that of a high school student. She hopes to graduate early and become a doctor, especially a rural doctor."

"???"

After hearing this, Lu Xun was quite surprised.

In the Five-Star Eastern Republic, from a certain perspective, being a doctor is not a "good choice", let alone going to the countryside.

Why do you say that?

The reason is simple - it originated from Fujiwara no Kanezane.

As we all know, this gentleman was unexpectedly good to the farmers in Northeast China. Not only did he distribute land to them, but he also took into consideration issues such as medical care, housing, and education.

Last time, after seeing that the Ministry of Health's annual plan for rural healthcare investment accounted for less than 20%, His Highness flew into a rage and summoned He Cheng from the Ministry of Health, scolding him and directly questioning him:

"Are farmers human beings? Are farmers an important part of our people? Is your Ministry of Health a Ministry of Health for the people or a Ministry of Health for the bureaucrats? You might as well just change the name!"

After that, the Ministry of Health began to adjust medical resources according to the population ratio, build health stations in various rural areas, etc., and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Construction also increased investment in rural road construction.

But even so, the conditions for being a doctor in the countryside could never compare to those in the city. In addition, the other party was a young girl from Peking, so Lu Xun became interested:

"What's your name?"

"Hello, sir! My name is Li Huanying. I'm from Peking. I'm 12 years old and I just transferred here from Peking!"

The cute and innocent little girl raised her head and looked at Lu Xun without any shyness, her eyes full of confidence and pride. Teacher Kobayashi added:

"Some time ago, after the chaos in Peking, her parents were worried about the safety of North China, so they sent her..."

After hearing this, Lu Xun felt indescribable emotions.

So, in the eyes of the people of Peking, the Northeast, which was invaded by the Japanese, was safer than the North China region occupied by the Chinese themselves?

It really is the Three Represents...

Lu Xun didn't know that the girl standing before him was one of the most important dermatologists in Chinese history, one of the first Chinese officials in the World Health Organization of the United Nations, and had made great contributions to China's disease prevention and control.

He felt that the girl and her family were quite courageous and visionary, so he asked with a smile:

"Child, why do you want to be a doctor?" "Because too many people are suffering from illness!" Li Huanying raised her little face and said loudly:

"I will become a great doctor! I will relieve their pain!"

“What a great ambition!”

Lu Xun gave a thumbs-up and asked again:

"Then why do you want to be a rural doctor? Wouldn't it be better to stay in a city like Harbin, Shenyang, or Beijing?"

"Okay! But I know there aren't that many hospitals in the countryside, and there aren't very good doctors. People there need me more!"

After chatting with Li Huanying for a while, Lu Xun discovered that this child was calm, logical, knowledgeable, ambitious, and resolute. At only 12 years old, he could debate with him and had his own understanding and ideas...

She is definitely a "genius girl". Lu Xun became more convinced of his previous idea:

We really cannot just talk about "fairness". For some "geniuses", they do need special "care". It is really a waste of time and unreasonable to let them continue to learn knowledge that they have already mastered.

He made up his mind that even if he could not implement the "compromise method" nationwide, he would at least allow children like Li Huanying to skip grades and receive a higher level of education.

"Okay, okay, Li Huanying, I promise you that your wish will come true."

Lu Xun became happier and soothed her gently:

"However, at this stage, please continue to stay in school and study peacefully and wait for news, okay?"

"No, Mr. Lu."

Li Huanying shook his head firmly, his tone even more decisive:

"I've already completed all my elementary school studies, and I got full marks on all the tests I took a while ago. Although the courses here are interesting, I absolutely don't want to go through them again. Otherwise, I'd rather go back to Peking!"

Lu Xun looked at Kobayashi Sachiko, who nodded:

"Yes, she learns everything very quickly. In her spare time, she's already studying some medical books on her own. She's truly an amazing child."

“…I see…”

Not long after, Li Huanying was taken away from school by Lu Xun, but instead of sending her to junior high school or high school, she was taken to a health station in the suburbs of Harbin with her entourage and met with a group of people.

"Student Li Huanying, please rest assured. I support you in pursuing higher education. However, I hope you can be more down-to-earth and see what the countryside is like and what the farmers truly need. Only then can you decide your future direction."

Li Huanying was a little unconvinced, but she was a smart and steady child. Seeing that there were many people here, she did not rashly refute, but silently watched Lu Xun greet the two officials in simple clothes:

"Minister He, Minister Deng, I'm sorry we're late." "Not too late, not too late..."

Minister He is Comrade He Cheng of the Ministry of Health, who formerly served as Minister of Propaganda of the CPC Tinglian Central County Committee, Director of the General Medical Department of the Military Commission, and President and Political Commissar of the Red Army General Hospital;

Another Minister Deng was Comrade Deng Zihui of the Ministry of Urban and Rural Construction, who had served as Chairman of the Fujian-Xi Soviet Government, a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Soviet Republic, and concurrently as Minister of Finance of the Central Workers' and Peasants' Democratic Government.

The two were recently inspecting work near Harbin, focusing on the current rural health education issues. They happened to know that Lu Xun, the Director of the Ministry of Education, was nearby, so they decided to discuss a question:

Can we organize some teachers and students to help out on Saturdays, Sundays, and during winter and summer vacations?

After listening to this, Lu Xun was puzzled:

"Why don't you contact the 129th Division? They have training classes for the Patriotic Health Campaign! Our Ministry of Education's literacy campaign borrowed people from their literacy training team... No, I heard you contacted them before, right?"

"129th Division..."

He Cheng hesitated for a few seconds and lowered his voice:

"It seems like there's some action going on recently, so we can't spare any manpower." "Oh..."

When it came to the question of military action, Lu Xun did not ask any more questions. After thinking for a moment, he readily agreed:

"Okay, this will also help teachers and students get closer to the ground and better understand grassroots issues. I personally agree. I'll talk to Minister He later and come up with a plan as soon as possible."

"Okay, okay..."

After finishing the official business, Lu Xun briefly introduced Li Huanying's story and then pulled the other party over: