In 1948, the first academician election of Academia Sinica was held. The list of the humanities group was: Wu Jingheng, Jin Yuelin , Tang Yongtong , Feng Youlan, Yu Jiaxi , Hu Shi , Zhang Yuanji , Yang Shuda , Liu Yizheng, Chen Yuan, Chen Yinke, Fu Sinian, Gu Jiegang, Li Fangui, Zhao Yuanren, Li Ji, Liang Siyong, Guo Moruo, Dong Zuobin, Liang Sicheng, Wang Shijie, Wang Chonghui, Zhou Kunsheng, Qian Duansheng, Xiao Gongquan, Ma Yinchu, Chen Da, Tao Menghe.
One feature of this list is that the left-wing Guo Moruo was elected, while Chiang Kai-shek 's guest Qian Mu was not elected. In 1966, Qian Mu was nominated as an academician of Academia Sinica. Qian Mu was still aggrieved by the first academician election: "In the first academician election in the 37th year of the Republic of China, more than 80 people were elected. Shouldn't I have predicted the number!"
During the Great Revolution, Guo Moruo wrote the famous essay "Look at Chiang Kai-shek Today", calling on the military and civilians across the country to rise up against Chiang. As a result, he became a wanted criminal by the Nationalist Government and had to go into exile in Japan. Guo Moruo painstakingly studied ancient history, oracle bone inscriptions, and bronze inscriptions in Japan, becoming a master of history.
Hu Shi wrote in his diary a list of proposed nominations for the humanities section of the humanities section of the first academician election of the Academia Sinica, which was sent to Sa Bundong and Fu Sinian. Among them was Guo Moruo but not Qian Mu.
The first academician election of Academia Sinica is based on academic contribution. Although Guo Moruo had a Communist Party background and criticized Chiang Kai-shek, it did not affect Guo Moruo's election. On October 27, 1947, Xia Nai, who represented the Institute of Historical and Linguistics at the committee meeting, recorded in detail in his diary:
The committee would continue to review the list in the morning. Regarding the nomination of Guo Moruo, Hu Shizhi asked the chairman to leave the chairman's position and what his opinion was on this. Mr. Zhu Jiahua said that he participated in civil strife and was guilty of traitorous crimes, so it seemed inappropriate to include him; Director-General Sa said that it might stimulate the government and have an impact on future funding; Mr. Wu Zhengzhi said that he was afraid that in the future he would make random remarks outside his status as an academician. When Wu Baosan stood up to oppose, it should not be based on party affiliation, influence and academic contribution; Mr. Tao Menghe said that if the government's will is the criterion, it is better to ask the government to appoint; Mr. Hu Shizhi also said that the academic stance should be the main one. Both parties expressed their opinions, and a secret vote was held in the end. Those who were present could not participate in the vote and had no right to vote. They stood up and said that some people in the meeting were talking about alien parties and traitors, but the central research institute is Academia Sinica [China's Academy of Sciences]. Apart from academic contributions, the only requirement is that they are Chinese. If they are traitors, they cannot be considered Chinese at all. If they oppose the government, they are different from traitors and cannot be compared with them. There was China before the Nationalist Government (and there was still China after the Nationalist Government was overthrown). This sentence came to mind without needing to be uttered, and was stopped midway. Therefore, we may be strict with traitors, and we may be lenient with those with different political parties. The result of the vote was 14 to 7, and it was still included in the list.
Guo Moruo's election can be said to be well-deserved. It is completely an affirmation of Guo Moruo's academics. His political stance is not what everyone considers. Zhu Kezhen once wrote in his diary: "Qu once read the records of the institute and saw the name of Guo Moruo, knowing that the institute can be eclectic."
Guo Moruo studied ancient documents, oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, and studied ancient Chinese history. Created a new historiography with historical materialism. Dong Zuobin said that Guo Moruo's "Research on Ancient Chinese Society" "melted the paper historical materials in "Poems", "Books" and "Yi" and the underground materials in oracle bone inscriptions and Ji Jinwen into one furnace to create a materialist history. perspective on the ancient Chinese cultural system."
Qian Mu is different from Guo Moruo. He specializes in handed down documents and has no contact with archaeology. He is a cultural conservative who "has a kind of warmth and respect for traditional Chinese culture." Qian Mu's famous works are "Chronology of Liu Xiang, Liu Xin and His Sons" and "Chronology of the Pre-Qin Masters". It is a miracle that a middle school student became a historian by self-study.One of the reasons why Qian Mu was not elected as an academician was that he had insufficient academic qualifications and no background in studying abroad. Xia Nai said in "Analysis of the First Academician of the Academia Sinica" that, "Except for the six members of the humanities group who have never received Western education abroad, the rest have studied abroad. Those who have studied abroad are the most numerous, accounting for 60.5% of all academicians, followed by Britain, Germany, France and Japan... As for the education received at home, of the six academicians in the humanities group who have never gone abroad to receive Western education, four are former academicians. Among those who came out of the imperial examinations of the Qing Dynasty (one Jinshi, one Juren, and one Linsheng, one is not specified), two of them graduated from national universities or graduate schools." The textual research of Hu Shi, Fu Sinian and Wang Guowei is very biased. Qian Mu said: "Hu Shiyi recommended Wang Jing'an as the first scholar in modern times. Wang's works such as "Human Words", "History of Song and Yuan Operas", Jin and Yuan History, Oracle Bone Inscriptions Research, Dream of Red Mansions Research, etc., are all close to specialization and not general studies. The academic foundation is rooted in the remnants of the Qing Dynasty before the revolution... He is really worthy of being a remnant of the Qing Dynasty, but how can he be regarded as a scholar of the founding of the Republic of China? "
Guo Moruo is often ridiculed on the Internet as "Guo Moruo". , some people called Guo Moruo a "fool", "imperial literati" and "imperial cat"... There is no academic flavor at all. So what about the performance of Master Qian Mu?
Although Qian Mu was Chiang Kai-shek’s imperial mentor and guest, he did not receive any special treatment in the academician election and instead lost the election. Qian Mu was very affectionate towards Chiang Kai-shek, and even wrote a special article "Memories of Repeatedly Summoned by the President". He had been summoned by Chiang Kai-shek since 1943, and "sit down and privately watched the President, who looked energetic and looked as if he was not tired." The Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan after the defeat. From then on, Qian Mu's status in Chiang Kai-shek's mind became higher. Qian Mu said, "From now on, I will come to Taiwan every year. Every year, I will be summoned by the president, and I will be given tea or a banquet. I will inquire calmly, and I will leave after a while." He also compared Chiang Kai-shek with Sun Yat-sen. , will be remembered in history for a long time in the future."
In 1967, at the invitation of Chiang Kai-shek many times, Qian Mu settled in Taiwan. Chiang Kai-shek specially allocated funds to build a villa for Qian Mu, the "Sushu Building".
On the occasion of Chiang Kai-shek's 80th birthday, Qian Mu presented a congratulatory message and called Chiang: "One of the most chaste and virtuous people in the history of our country. Being endowed with chastity and following the destiny of chastity, this is where the heart of heaven belongs, and our country and nation are chaste in this era." "The great responsibility of starting the Yuan Dynasty must be achieved by Gong Sheng." Li Ao said sarcastically: "It's so disappointing that the intellectuals have become so reactionary! I recall Qian Mu's letter to me, boasting of 'knowledge' and 'virtue'. The relationship between Qian Mu and the people in power is shameful. Qian Mu took advantage of Chiang Kai-shek's reaction to gain power, but as a result, he lost more and more people. As a result of Chiang Kai-shek's "advocating the superiority of animals", he lost his position as a great Confucian and left Zhu Ziyuan."
As historians, Guo Moruo has been scolded a lot, while Qian Mu has been scolded rarely. In terms of academics, Guo Moruo is not inferior to Qian Mu, and in terms of personality, Qian Mu is not necessarily higher than Guo Moruo.
