The first strange man in modern China: What is the real Gu Hongming?

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Gu Hongming, speaking of this name, Germans will laugh before us.

Among so many countries, Gu Hongming is the most famous in Germany.

The unsmiling German turned out to be Gu Hongming's fascinating brother and sister. You think it’s weird, right?

But in our impression, Gu Hongming's evaluation is average, even close to negative.

The labels often affixed to him are nothing more than: prolonged braid, little feet addiction, old monsters, cursing, stubborn and conservative, acrimonious, stubborn with the remnants of feudalism...

These labels all put Gu Hongming one-sided melted.

Gu Hongming is much more interesting than we thought.

He turned cynicism, laughter and curse into a way of life, even criticizing current malpractices and expressing political opinions.

hides so deeply that we only know his grotesque and conservative, but do not understand his humor and radical. Now, we are trying to restore a real Gu Hongming.

01

In the Republic of China, there are three most famous braids, one is Zhang Xun, one is Wang Guowei, and the other is Gu Hongming.

If we say that Zhang Xun left a braid of political ambition, and Wang Guowei left a braid of cultural symbols.

So, what Gu Hongming left is deliberately funny braids.

Zhou Zuoren wrote an article that Gu Hongming had a bunch of yellow hair on his head, but he braided a little braid. Even his coachman was a man with a big pigtail on his back, and he was a couple with his owner.

At that time, Gu Hongming was teaching at Peking University and was known as the most weird person in the school.

Luo Jialun took Gu Hongming’s English poem class and couldn’t understand his braids. He once joked to his classmates:

Do you want to be famous right away? Just cut Mr. Gu’s braids when he goes up the stairs. Tomorrow, Chinese and foreign newspapers must compete for publication.

Of course, no one dared to name it.

This braid is so obtrusive, but Gu Hongming is proud of it.

He has braids, but he never says a word of loyalty. And often use humor to dissolve people's curiosity about his braids.

The students laughed at his braids. He calmly went back:

The braid on my head is tangible, but the braid in your heart is invisible.

Gu Hongming was angry when people kept his braids prejudiced against him

Hu Shi couldn't think of a good sentence for a while, so he had to ask him, "Can't think of a good one, what are you right?"

He said that the bottom line is "The chrysanthemum still has a proud frost branch."

He asked again: "Do you know the meaning of this pair?"

Hu Shi said, "Chrysanthemum still has proud frost branches", of course, is the braids of Dashuai Zhang and your old gentleman. But what is "Qingyu cover"?

Gu Hongming said, it is the big hat of the Qing Dynasty.

Gu’s Japanese friend Satsuma Yuuji said that if someone asked about braids, Gu would shake his head and say, "This is my passport."

Mr. Gu, you love to tease your braids so much. , Have you ever considered the feeling of braids?

02

Gu Hongming is a proud man.

To be honest, this kind of person is not easy to get along with, but his humorous personality just makes up for the lack of perverse personality.

So his contemporaries, noneWhether you step on him or praise him, they all admit that he is a funny freak.

One night, Hu Shi’s old classmate Wang Yanzu invited French Sinologist Dai Miwei for dinner, and Gu Hongming was among the guests.

After taking his seat, Dai Miwei's left is Gu Hongming, and his right is Xu Chi (Professor of Peking University, nicknamed Xu Dianzi).

Everyone was drinking and eating, suddenly Gu Hongming patted Dai Miwei's back with his hand and said, "Sir, you have to be careful!"

Mr. Dai was startled and asked him why.

He said: "Because you are sitting between Crazy Gu and Xu Dianzi!"

After listening, everyone burst into laughter.

At the dinner that night, Gu Hongming said a lot of stories.

There are some passages that he repeats on different occasions, adding new tricks every time, which makes Hu Shi secretly complain: Brother, I can recite this passage.

辜鸿铭

Gu Hongming tells the story of his ticket selling during the Anfu Congress election.

When the Anfu Club was in power, it was stipulated that some senators must be voted by the Central Academy of Scholars. All professors in national universities and those with degrees in foreign universities have the right to vote. So many international students who have bachelor's, master's, and doctoral diplomas will come to buy them.

Gu Hongming said that a young politician from a foreign student came to vote for him. He said that he had lost his diploma a long time ago, and the little politician said: "Who doesn't recognize your old man? As long as you vote in person, you don't need a diploma."

Both parties bargained, and it was determined that Gu Hongming could get a vote on the spot Four hundred yuan.

The day before the election, the money and the election pass were sent. Gu Hongming immediately ran to Tianjin, spent 400 yuan on the prostitute, and returned to Beijing after spending two days at ease.

As soon as he got home, the little politician chased after the door and cursed him for being unfaithful.

Gu Hongming picked up the stick, pointed to the little politician and said:

You are blind, dare to take money to buy me! You are also worthy of teaching faith! Get out of here! Don't come to my door from now on!

After telling this story, Gu Hongming said to Hu Shi:

You know there is an old saying: "Supervisor worships Confucius, Confucius was shocked." I heard last time that the Confucian Church was going to In honor of Confucius, I made up a vernacular poem: Supervisor worshiped Confucius, Confucius was startled. Confucius will worship Confucius, and Confucius will hang himself. Mr. Hu, is my vernacular poetry good?

Mr. Gu, you love to chat so much, and you still ridiculed the vernacular poems without fail. Have you considered Mr. Hu’s feelings?

03

Being as straightforward as Gu Hongming, he can really calm down the scene and rebel against the guests.

But I often chat to death.

In 1902, Gu Hongming worked as a secretary in the Huguang Governor Zhang Zhidong Shogunate.

That year Empress Cixi celebrated his birthday, and Hubei's institutions were hung up and decorated. They were extravagant and costly. Zhang Zhidong invited consuls of various countries to hold a banquet, and invited the military and academic circles to play Western music and sing the newly compiled patriotic anthem.

Gu Hongming was present at the banquet and couldn't help but say to Liang Dingfen, the dean of Lianghu Academy: "The streets are full of patriotic anthems, and there are no people who sing folk songs."

Liang Dingfen thought, the beginning of this chat If there is a grade, I say: "Why don't you make a try?"

Gu Hongming thought for a moment and said:

The emperor Wannian, the people spend money; the longevity is boundless, the people suffer.

It's funny and ironic in public, people can't talk this day, so I'm chatting to death.

At a banquet in Beijing, there were some celebrities and political figures in the room.

One of the foreign reporters asked Gu Hongming: "ChinaThe internal political situation is so chaotic, what can be done to remedy it? "

Guess, how did he answer? He said:

Yes, the method is very simple. Pull out these politicians and bureaucrats and shoot them out, and China’s political situation will be more stable.

This... Okay, the weather today is hahaha.

In 1924, Tagore took a photo with Gu Hongming (first from right in the front row)

Although Gu Hongming was later regarded as a royalist, he never flattered the dignitaries. Even the prime minister and governor, as long as they are not pleasing to the eye, they are not wrong.

People say, China Will die in the failure of diplomacy, or die in no industry.

Gu Hongming said that the death of China will not die in industry or diplomacy, but will die in the bragging of China’s governor. “Today I want to save China. The death must start with the superintendent not bragging. "

Someone said to Gu Hongming: "All your comments are king. Why doesn't it work in the world? ”

Gu Hongming’s response:

The Tao of the World has only two ends. It is not a kingly way, but a bastard way.

takes the opportunity to satirize the society’s practice of "the bastard way" ". Didn't it hit the nail on the head in the late Qing Dynasty? Lin Yutang said, Gu Hongming is a piece of hard meat, not a weak stomach can absorb.

Mr. Gu, you are so sharp, it's no wonder that you are not good at officialdom.

04

Gu Hongming’s humor is not used to curse people, but to do something else, and the effect is also to bang.

For example, to promote Chinese traditions to foreigners.

This is the most classic image of Gu Hongming

When Gu Hongming was studying in the UK, every winter solstice, he would prepare Chen Jiujin in the room where he lived to worship the ancestors. First, it means not forgetting the original.

His British landlord waited for him to bow to his ancestors, and must smile and ask him: "When will your ancestors come to eat and drink the wine and delicacies you prepared for them?" "

Guess, how did Gu Hongming answer?

He said: "Just when your ancestors came to smell the flowers you offered. "

Once, Gu Hongming went to a foreigner's friend's home to participate in a dinner. He was a Chinese, and many foreigners pushed him to the top. During the

, the foreign owner asked Gu: "What are the benefits of Confucius' teaching?" "

Gu Hongming caught the opportunity to play and said:

Just now the monarchs gave in and refused to take the first place. This is to follow the teaching of Confucius. If you follow the teaching of competition today, you can win by superiors. Loss is the main thing. After deciding on the superior, the inferior and the inferior, we will raise the chopsticks, fearing that today’s meal will not be served by everyone.

You see, humorous and talking people are different. This advertisement is seamlessly embedded.

This humorous technique is Gu Hongming’s strong point.

No matter his daily life or teaching and writing, he can draw examples from nearby places with his profound knowledge. Income.

That’s how he taught English poems at Peking University. According to Luo Jialun’s memory, Gu said in English poems that this is "foreign elegant", this is "foreign small and elegant", and this is "foreign national style". This is "Foreign Lisao".

The spread of new knowledge and thought requires taking examples from nearby places, and realizing the localization of the language makes people feel familiar. Gu Hongming did it.

If Mr. Gu can explain What would he say about the "sharing economy" nowadays?

With his old and dishonest character, he would definitely say: The sharing economy has existed since ancient times, so is the brothel.

05

Lin Yutang said that Gu Hongming is a monster, but not annoying, because he is a person with first-class talents, and more importantly, he has knowledge and depth, not a person in this era Can have.

Gu Hongming is knowledgeable enough, humorous enough, and rich enough experience, these are his capital.

But these things, throughout his life, he did not use them to realize, such as becoming a slippery speculator.

He didn't do this, but was stubborn to be the most conservative person, simply stupid.

But this "shou" keeps the true temperament.

Gu Hongming in his later years (first right)

conservative, just don’t follow the trend. This is a difficult choice at any time. It is even more difficult to insist on not following the trend for life.

Think about it, if you walk alone on the road, you walk forward and backward, there is no pressure, but when you see the dark crowd running in the opposite direction of you, your heart is not hairy at this time? Don't want to turn around and run with them?

Since modern times, China has faced a change unseen in three thousand years. Even if the Opium War is defeated, the whole country still firmly believes that foreigners are nothing more than gunboats doing well, and that we need to be scientific and systemic. With such a big background, it is easy to be a conservative person, but it is difficult to be new.

Being a humorous, funny, laughing and cursing person may also be a way for Gu Hongming to embolden himself.

At this point, we seem to see a thin old man walking by with a stick, wearing the iconic melon hat, and the most arrogant pigtail, but his back is so long and so lonely.