Zhou Hexuan entered Kunming in a truck. The truck was borrowed from the airport and contained 2,000 pens and 2,000 notebooks.
You can’t come empty-handed. When Zhou Hexuan got on the plane in Chongqing, he brought his pen and notebook with him.
The truck driver probably rarely went into the city, so he couldn't find the way. Zhou Hexuan could only get out of the car and asked a passerby: "Hello, fellow countryman, how to get to the main office of Southwest Associated University?"
"Over there on Chongren Street," a passerby said and pointed forward, "the guy in front wearing a suit and glasses is a teacher from Southwest Associated University. Let him take you there."
Zhou Hexuan turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a suit.
This guy, ******, with a very high hairline, was hesitating around a cigarette vendor. He repeatedly took out money, but always put the money back in his pocket. He made up his mind to leave, but then turned back.
Asked: "Can you sell your cigarettes by the stick?"
The cigarette seller was an old woman. There was a flat wooden box hanging on her chest. There were all kinds of cigarettes in the open box. She replied: "What kind do you want?"
The middle-aged man with glasses swallowed his saliva and said, "The cheapest one only costs two."
"Two dollars and four cents, please take it, sir," the old woman said, handing it over.
The middle-aged man with glasses was like a hungry ghost who saw something to eat. He lit a match as quickly as possible and stood there taking a long puff. In less than 20 seconds, there was only a small section of the cigarette left. He finally stopped.
He held his cigarette butt and sighed: "Alas!"
The old woman selling cigarettes also sighed: "It's pitiful, it's pitiful."
Zhou Hexuan looked a little sad and waited for the other party to throw away the cigarette butt before he stepped forward and said, "Hello, sir, can you take me to the main office of Southwest Associated University?"
"Mr. Zhou," the middle-aged man with glasses immediately recognized Zhou Hexuan and shook hands happily, "Hello, hello, I, Huang Ziqing."
Huang Ziqing, courtesy name Bifan, Ph.D. from MIT, physical chemist, chemical educator, and one of the founders of physical chemistry in China.
Zhou Hexuan knew nothing about the field of physical chemistry and did not know Huang Ziqing. He asked: "Mr. Huang is a professor at Southwest Associated University?"
Huang Ziqing said: "Well, it used to be Tsinghua University, but now it's called Southwest Associated University. Mr. Zhou wants to go to the main office? It's very close. I'll take you there."
When Zhou Hexuan entered the city, he was sitting in the passenger seat, and the bodyguards were all in the cab. Now that there was Huang Ziqing, Zhou Hexuan simply sat in the cab, opened a pack of cigarettes and handed it to him.
Huang Ziqing's eyes suddenly lit up, he put the cigarette between his mouth and nose, sniffed it, and laughed happily: "American Camel smoke has this smell. I really miss it."
Zhou Hexuan handed over the remaining half of the package: "It was given by someone else. I am not used to smoking camels. If Professor Huang likes it, then I will lend it to Buddha."
Huang Ziqing laughed loudly and took the cigarette case cheerfully: "Mr. Zhou, you don't have to worry about me losing face. I, Huang, don't have any other hobbies. I just like to smoke a few puffs. Thank you for your kindness."
Zhou Hexuan took out a lighter and lit it for Huang Ziqing, and asked: "Are the teachers at Southwest Associated University living in embarrassment?"
Huang Ziqing said truthfully: "When I was in Changsha, I was barely making ends meet, but after moving to Kunming, it became difficult. I had to take care of my family one by one, and my salary was only 70%. Anyway, my savings have been exhausted. Brother Daisun (Chen Daisun,
(Dean of the Economics Department of Southwest Associated University) had the courage to quit smoking, but I couldn’t quit. I usually had to buy local cigarettes to relieve my addiction. Today I’m really greedy, like a big smoker, and I’ve lost all my face.”
Of course Zhou Hexuan knew that teachers at Southwest Associated University were in a difficult situation, but he did not expect that they would start to live in embarrassment in 1939. The salary payment of 70% was voluntary to save money for the Anti-Japanese War, but this year's prices have risen too much, and it is difficult for teachers
Support your family by working alone.
Southwest Associated University is said to be awesome, and later generations mentioned it in all kinds of romances, but the real situation is very bad. Let’s not talk about the conflicts between the three schools. The teachers clamor for salary every year. In order to make extra money, many well-known professors have to give
Write articles for tabloids.
It's actually pretty good now. At least teachers and their families can fill their bellies. But things got even worse after 1941, when prices reached outer space. In 1943, there were even rumors that professors from Southwest Associated University went on a collective hunger strike to request a salary increase. Jiang Menglin was in Chongqing
I was so frightened that I quickly called to stop it, and the Ministry of Education gave each teacher an additional NT$400 to NT$700.
Unfortunately, in early 1943, the salary of teaching assistants at Southwest Associated University was more than 100 yuan, and the maximum salary for full-time professors was only 600 yuan. This amount of money is not enough. If it were not for various subsidies, all the teachers would starve to death. The subsidies are often higher than the full salary.
One or two times higher.
By 1945, prices were even more frightening. In April of that year alone, the Southwest Associated University needed to pay more than 40 million yuan in salaries and subsidies...
Zhou Hexuan and Huang Ziqing chatted for a while and soon arrived at the main office of Southwest Associated University.
After hearing the news, President Mei Yiqi of the United Nations University and Chief of Staff Shen Lu immediately came out to greet him and took Zhou Hexuan inside to drink tea and chat.
What is the most dazzling thing about Southwest Associated University?
At the time of the national crisis, teachers and students put aside their conflicts and worked together to maintain the school. It was originally agreed that after the merger of the three schools, the principals of the three schools would take turns serving as the president of the United University, but Jiang Menglin and Zhang Boling took the initiative to give up their power and ran to
He held other public offices in Chongqing, allowing Mei Yiqi to manage the Southwest Associated University with peace of mind.
Mei Yiqi later resigned from the post of president, and Zheng Tianting, who served as general administrator, worked hard to retain him. Because other administrators, including Zheng Tianting, were from Peking University, once Mei Yiqi from Tsinghua University left, Southwest Associated University became the only one in Peking University.
big.
In order to ensure democracy in school governance and avoid speaking out, Zheng Tianting not only persuaded Mei Yiqi to be retained, but also implored teachers from Nankai University and Yunda University to join the school committee.
Southwest Associated University has been jointly run by Tsinghua University, Peking University, Nankai University and Yunnan University since the mid-term. Of course, Yunnan University is of a auxiliary nature. Because the Associated University and Yunnan University are only separated by a road, Yunnan University has insufficient teaching staff, so it invited many United Nations universities
The professor was a part-time professor. At that time, Yunda University was barely considered a part of Southwest Associated University, but it was independent in administration and funding.
After everyone chatted about the school situation for a while, Mei Yiqi took Zhou Hexuan out of the city in person, while Shen Lu stayed and continued working.
The real manager of Southwest Associated University is not the president Mei Yiqi, but the general manager Shen Lu. However, the school is in real difficulties, and Shen Lu will soon give up his job. The successor is Zheng Tianting, and the entire Southwest Associated University relies on Zheng Tianting's hard work to sustain itself.
Persevere until the victory of the Anti-Japanese War.
By the way, Shen Lu is the cousin-in-law of Mr. Yang Jiang, Qian Zhongshu’s wife, and holds master’s degrees from both Wisconsin and Columbia universities.
The truck quickly drove out of the west gate of Kunming. Mei Yiqi pointed to the distance and said: "When I first came to Kunming, the General Assembly rented the Kunhua Agricultural School building for teaching. Although the new school building has been built, some teachers and students still remain.
Kunhua Agricultural School. The new school location is over there!"
The campus of Southwest Associated University was located at the later Yunnan Normal University. Although it was said to be a school building, it actually looked like rural houses.
The school building was designed by Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin. The first version of the design showed several Western-style buildings. Due to financial difficulties, it had to be modified into a three-story brick and wood structure. The three-story building soon became a two-story building, and when it was completed, it became a bungalow with earth walls. I heard that
Lin Huiyin would shed tears every time he revised a draft.
The only thing worthy of recognition is probably that the school building has a lot of lighting. There is no glass, so large holes are dug directly into the earthen walls to serve as windows, and a few wooden strips are used to support them as window lattice.
The roof is made of iron, and soon it will be replaced with thatch and iron, which can be sold to raise funds.
