In fact, Hu Shi is only impressed in history classes or movies and TV plays, so I only know that he is one of the leaders of the New Culture Movement, but I don't seem to have read any of his works, and I don't seem to have had a chance to get in touch with them.
But by chance, my friend introduced me to several episodes of China on the Tip of the Tongue, which was directed by Chen Xiaoqing as a guest. After reading it, I was deeply attracted by Chen Xiaoqing's speech. In the program, he mentioned that he liked Wang Zengqi's books very much, so I found some works of Wang Zengqi to read. The first one I chose was "Be sure to love something". As a result, he wrote Rain in Kunming from the beginning.
After reading this collection of essays, I can't help but sigh Wang Zengqi's love for life. There is an optimistic attitude between the lines, which infected me and made me quickly choose the second book "Living interestingly is a person's forever good weather". I admit that sometimes I read the title when I choose a book, and I don't know what the book is about in advance. It turns out that this book is a collection of essays, but the authors in it are all modern people! It opened my eyes. I think the article can be selected into the middle school Chinese textbook, but I'm glad it wasn't selected. Otherwise, asking students to guess the central idea that the author wants to express in one sentence or a paragraph will really make people lose interest in reading, turn reading into a task, and the article will not be very fragrant.
There are not only the well-known essays by Zhu Ziqing, Lao She and Lu Xun, but also the famous essays by Liang Shiqiu, Feng Zikai, Lin and Zhou Zuoren, "Living interestingly is a person's forever good weather". What a luxury! Think about that era is really gorgeous! Some of them are meticulous, some are serious and pragmatic, and some are humorous. The most interesting thing is "Four Gentlemen" written by Lao She, which made me laugh. Specially recommended!
It is for this reason that I read three essays by Hu Shi, Mr. Almost, Gu Hongming and Women's Issues. After reading it, I especially liked his writing and thoughts, so I decided to put Mr. Wang Zengqi's book aside first, and then read it again, and hurriedly finished reading Mr. Hu Shi's book. I chose Tolerance and Freedom as my first book, so I'm going to write a formal review. Is foreplay too long?
Tolerance and Freedom is actually a collection of Hu Shi's speeches on various occasions and articles published in journals and magazines. His works are divided into six categories: liberalism, new culture movement, freedom of the press, women's liberation, good government and China youth spirit. Because it is a collection, each article is not long and the language is easy to understand. Some of them are more colloquial, because they are speeches, just like he is talking to you.
The most important thing that inspired me about this book is the title Tolerance and Freedom. He mentioned that one of his history professors, Professor George Lincoln Burr, told him, "As I get older, I feel that tolerance is more important than freedom."
In the article, he also gave examples and made more explanations. Of course, he started from politics and inspired me in my life. In life, there are often different views and different living habits from others. In fact, a manifestation of respecting others is to accept each other's differences and not to judge the right or wrong of each other's practices with their own values. This is also giving others freedom. Sometimes it is inevitable to expect "keeping pace" when getting along with people, but perhaps it is not necessary in most cases, and it is acceptable to tolerate some disharmony.
I benefited a lot from the big paragraphs in it. If I write them all down, it's like copying a book.
The warning to young people in the book is sincere and incisive, and I think his thoughts can really be used to encourage and teach everyone now. Among them, thinking method is mentioned, and it is mentioned that "thinking is organized, systematic and methodical." He put forward five steps to manage our thoughts. His five steps are the same as those of doing research, that is, "after a difficulty occurs, determine the difficulty, then assume the solution to the difficulty, judge and select the hypothetical result, and finally confirm the result." For this reason, he suggested that we should think in a scientific way, that is, "pay attention to facts, assumptions and confirmations". He also mentioned that young people in China do not pay attention to the use of ideas, which I think is still lacking.
He also prescribed a prescription for young people in society: "The first medicine is called' Problem Dan'; The second medicine is called' Xifen'; The third medicine is called' Xin Xin Tang', which is particularly interesting. He warned young people to keep an enterprising attitude, have their own hobbies and be optimistic and confident about life. In addition, he mentioned that there are three elements in the outlook on life of young people in China: "First, there must be a critical spirit; Second, we must have the spirit of adventure and enterprising; Third, we should have the concept of social progress. "
The advice for middle school students talks about the formation of good habits. He mentioned "diligence and gentleness", meaning hard work and down-to-earth; Treat things carefully; A calm attitude without losing his temper; Be patient, don't worry, and don't jump to conclusions easily. I find these words particularly enlightening. Although it is not easy to know, it is helpful to cultivate your own habits if you exceed this goal.
Hu Shi also mentioned the idea of choosing a major. He used his own experience as an example. His brother wants him to study mining or early railways. When he arrived in America, he first chose agronomy, which could save money for his family. As a result, he found that agronomy was not his favorite major and finally transferred to the College of Literature.
Therefore, Hu Shi's advice to students is that choosing a major should follow social standards and personal standards. The standard of society is what kind of talents this society needs, and the personal standard is which subject you want to study. However, in his view, the choice of these two standards should be based on the major you want to study and your "similar temperament and ability", mainly relying on your own ideas. At this time, I can think of many parents thinking, "What do children know? Children's choices must be fun. What should I do in the future?" But I also wonder, is it because the child's growth is too simple, full of papers and cram schools, and it seems that it can't provide a sound environment for the child to discover what he really likes? With the growth of age, the criteria for judging the living method that people seem to "live well" have become single. Does this also prove that our tolerance is not enough?
The last part I want to express is the emancipation of women's minds in the book. Hu Shi used many Chinese and foreign historical events, documents and comparisons between China and the West to express the status of women in China. Of course, some comparisons are different because of different times, but they can also be used as information to understand that era. He talked about a "outlook on life other than a good wife and a good mother", that is, "self-reliance". Women should also pay attention to cultivating themselves, living independently and not relying on others.
I find it hard to agree with this. I think a person must learn to be independent, that is, he will not think that he is dependent on others. And the social role of women should be "people" first, not daughters, wives and mothers, not "people" as in the past. We should be ourselves and play different roles. Many women are like this now. There are many independent women around me, who have independent values, arrange their work, life and hobbies in an orderly way, and get along with their partners on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. Now the status of women is no longer the era of "treating women like cattle and horses". Hu Shi said to women in the book:
I not only talked about the status of women, but also talked about chastity, divorce and free love. I feel that he is more modern than some modern people, and his three views are very positive, which makes me feel very moved. The improvement of women's status and women's access to more rights are really not achieved overnight. It is precisely because men and women are constantly fighting for women's rights and interests that we are basically equal now. This also reminds me of an English film, Women in Politics, which I have seen. Some women have been calling for women to have the right to vote, and they are persistent, whether they are driven out of the house by their husbands, despised by people around them, or even sacrificed their lives.
The comfortable life now, what we take for granted now (such as education), is what our predecessors yearn for and strive for. Then why don't we cherish it? This book really benefited me a lot, and I sincerely recommend it to everyone. I hope more people will read it.