Gu Hongming's anecdote

At the beginning of the 20th century, Mr. Gu Hongming attended the Washington Conference on behalf of Beiyang Government. At a cocktail party, a superficial American lady sat next to Gu Hongming. Looking at this eccentric old man in China, she couldn't find the topic at the moment. When I came on stage, I finally couldn't help learning the broken English with Chinatown accent and asked word by word, "Do you like soup?" Do you like this soup? ) Gu Hongming nodded and smiled politely. The lady thought that the China native couldn't understand even the simplest English, so she stopped answering him. After three rounds of drinking, Gu Hongming stood up and spoke fluent and elegant English, which amazed the audience. Gu Hongming sat down and imitated the lady's accent. He whispered to the lady who was already flushed with shame, "Like a speech?" Did you like my speech? )

two

Gu Hongming once said to his students, "Now there are only two good people in China, one is Mr. Cai Yuanpei and the other is me. Why do you say that? Because Mr. Cai refused to be an official after ordering the Hanlin, he went to the revolution and is still in the revolution. What about me? Since I was an official of the former dynasty with Zhang Wenxiang (Zhang Zhidong), I am still protecting the emperor. "

One year, Yuan Shikai's subordinate Zhang Xun celebrated his birthday, and Gu Hongming sent a pair of couplets. The first part reads: "Lotus has no rain cover; The bottom line is: "There are still Ao Shuang branches in the residual chrysanthemum." Afterwards, Gu Hongming mysteriously asked Hu Shi the meaning of this couplet. Hu Shixiao replied, "Canju still has Ao Shuang branches", of course, referring to Zhang Dashuai and your old braid. But I don't know what "Qing Yu guy" means. "Gu Hongming replied:" Yugai is a big hat of the Qing Dynasty. "So they clapped their hands and laughed.

three

Gu Hongming advocates that men should marry little wives, which is the foundation of social stability. He said that men are teapots and women are teacups. A teapot must have several teacups, but a teacup cannot have several teapots.

four

Gu Hongming attaches great importance to maintaining the traditional values of Confucianism. 1893, when he was assisting Zhang Zhidong, governor of Huguang, to prepare for the mint, one day foreign experts from the mint jointly invited Gu Hongming to dinner. Everyone respects Gu and makes him the leader. At the banquet, a foreigner asked Gu Hongming, "Can you tell us about the benefits of Confucius' way in your country? "Gu Hongming immediately said:" Just now, everyone pushed me to be the director. This is the teaching of Confucius. If everyone in the west is competing like you today, and everyone is vying for the first place, focusing on the survival of the fittest, I don't think everyone can eat this meal. This is the advantage of Confucius! "

five

1896 Zhang Zhidong, Governor of Huguang, celebrated his 60th birthday, and Shen, a gifted scholar from Jiaxing, came to celebrate his birthday. Gu Hongming talked about Chinese and Western academic systems, but Shen didn't answer. Gu Hongming was surprised and asked him why he didn't say a word. Shen said: "I understand everything you said; If you want to understand what I said, you still have to study China for twenty years! " Two years later, Gu Hongming heard that Shen had come to visit Zhang Zhidong and immediately asked his men to move Zhang Zhidong's books into the living room. Shen Zengzhi asked Gu Hongming, "What is the purpose of moving books?" Gu Hongming said, "You ask Shen Gong which book you can recite and I can't? Which book do you know I don't know? " Shen said with a smile: "In the future, the burden of China culture will fall on your shoulders!"

six

After returning to China, Gu Hongming worked as an aide for 20 years in the shogunate of the Governor's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi and the Governor's Office of Huguang, and was highly valued by Zhang Zhidong. Gu Hongming dared to make fun of Zhang Zhidong and Duan Fang, two former governors of Huguang. He said: "Zhang Wenxiang is more knowledgeable than clever, so he is proud of his illness;" Dragon Boat Festival Bridge (Duanfang) is wiser than learning, so it is ill. Wen Xiang is proud, so there are many hypocrites under his door; The noon bridge floats, so there are many people under it. "

seven

In the late Qing Dynasty, Gu Hongming stepped into his official career and worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His political career is not bad. From Yuan Wailang to Langzhong, and then to Zuo Cheng, it is equivalent to the vice minister of foreign affairs. But it didn't last long. Soon, when the Revolution of 1911 broke out, Xuan Tong abdicated, and Gu Hongming could not be an official. Mr Cai Yuanpei, president of Peking University, invited him to teach English literature and Latin in Peking University. Gu Hongming respects Cai Yuanpei. In his eyes, there were only two good people in China at that time: one was Cai Yuanpei and the other was himself. Therefore, during the May Fourth Movement, Cai Yuanpei resigned as the principal, and Gu Hongming was also an active retention faction, but his reason was: "The principal is the emperor of our school and must be retained."

eight

Once, after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Ito Bowen wandered to China and had contact with Zhang Zhidong in Wuchang. As a staff member, Gu Hongming gave Ito a newly published English version of The Analects. Knowing that Gu Hongming was a pioneer among China conservatives, Ito took the opportunity to tease him: "I heard that you are proficient in western learning. Isn't it obvious that Confucius' teaching can be done more than two thousand years ago, but it can't be done today in the twentieth century? "When Gu Hongming saw the move, he replied," The way Confucius teaches people is like the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of mathematicians. Thousands of years ago, three to three made nine. Now in the twentieth century, it is still three to three to get nine, not three to three to get eight. " Ito was speechless.

nine

Gu Hongming and Hu Shi are the biggest enemies. Gu Hongming despised western learning, while Hu Shi admired it. They also met many times in the New Culture Movement. There are also arguments about Confucianism in the play.

19 17 When Hu Shigang was hired as a professor at Peking University, as the youngest professor at Peking University, he gave a speech and recited a poem by Homer in English. As a result, there was a burst of English, saying that Mr. Hu Shi's English was an inferior pronunciation in Britain, and Gu Hongming mocked Hu Shi. This is the first conflict between them. Then there are various conflicts.

ten

Gu Hongming advocated imperial power all his life, but he didn't kowtow when he met the memorial tablet. On the birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi, he blurted out a "congratulatory poem" in public: "The son of heaven lives forever, and the people spend money. Life is endless and the people suffer. " Yuan Shikai died, and the whole country mourned for three days, but Gu Hongming specially invited a troupe to hold a meeting at home, which was lively for three days.

eleven

Speaking of Gu Hongming, what impressed China people most was probably the long braid that dragged behind. In Beijing, it can be called a scene of unearthed cultural relics. Gu Hongming's braid is not just for retro. As early as when he was studying in England, he had cut off his braid and looked like a foreigner in a suit and tie. Later, everyone was talking about the anti-Qing revolution, but he left the braids planted by Manchu people back. The reason is probably "innovation". Of course, it is also in line with his retro identity. Peking University students laughed at him, and he retorted, "The braid on my head is tangible, but the braid in your heart is invisible."