Dududu, the not-so-forceful knocking only sounded three times, and a familiar Hubei accent responded from inside the house: “Coming.” Then, the door opened, and the familiar figure of Old Yang appeared.
My eyes anxiously scanned and sought confirmation on Old Yang’s face. We hadn’t seen each other for seven or eight years. Occasionally, Old Yang would lament the helplessness of old age in private WeChat chats, so I really wanted to know what kind of atrocities time had inflicted on the venerable Old Yang.
Soon, the assessment was complete: the Old Yang before me, although unable to walk well due to Parkinson’s disease, had a rosy complexion, bright eyes, and long, flowing eyebrows. More importantly, he was clear-headed. For an 85-year-old, what more could one ask for!
Old Yang in the study. Photographed on the afternoon of May 26, 2025
Taking small steps, Old Yang guided us through his study and into the living room to sit down. The living room wasn’t spacious, only about twelve or thirteen square meters. On the wall facing the tea table, family photos and photos of his grandchildren from different eras were prominently displayed. Old Yang in each photo had a satisfied expression.
After a while, Old Yang’s wife, Aunt Xu Juerong, came out of the bedroom and joined the conversation. The topics weren’t grand, jumping between children, elderly healthcare, and daily necessities. What was gratifying was that we didn’t need to raise our voices to talk to them.
Old Yang and Aunt Xu’s descendants are all excellent. His son is an alumnus of Old Yang and also graduated from Tsinghua University, currently working in the forefront of the AI field. His grandson is pursuing a PhD in physics at Peking University, and his grandson is an undergraduate at the University of Toronto in Canada. Aunt Xu said that not long ago, her grandson published a paper in an international professional journal, and there was undisguised pride in her tone.
Old Yang emphasized with the same pride that their granddaughter especially loves reading.
We exclaimed, “Because of excellent genes!”
Regarding this point, both Old Yang and Aunt Xu obviously had no intention of being conventionally humble. Aunt Xu graduated from Wuhan Surveying and Mapping Institute in her early years and was the chief engineer at Tianjin Design Institute before retirement. Old Yang is a Tsinghua automotive engineering graduate. In the 1960s, Xinhua News Agency wanted to recruit people with a background in engineering to be reporters. Old Yang was able to enter the national agency and shone brightly, especially with the publication of several major books after his retirement, which illuminated the world. They have reason to be proud.
Mr. Li Shenzhi commented on Qian Zhongshu’s appointment as Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, saying that some people glorify people with their official positions, while a very few glorify official positions with their people, and Qian Zhongshu belonged to the latter. The implication is that Qian Zhongshu’s appointment as Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was the glory of the academy.
In my opinion, the same is true: Old Yang’s existence is the glory of Xinhua News Agency. In the years to come, the writings of the vast majority of those who make a living with words in this world will turn into the ashes of time, but Old Yang’s books will not. On the contrary, they will surely be recorded in history and become more and more magnificent with the passage of time, becoming a precious spiritual wealth of the Chinese nation. Because history is ruthless, for thousands of years, it has never given honor to those flattering words and bent spines. Only those pens that record the suffering of the nation and defend human dignity can win its favor and be passed down for a long time.
However, as Napoleon said, there are no heroes in the eyes of a servant. In the eyes of Old Yang’s family, he is just a good-tempered dad, a bookworm. Aunt Xu even complained about her husband’s lack of social skills.
This is indeed Old Yang’s “weakness.” There are many stories about his lack of social skills. Many years ago, I heard from his colleagues in his department that once, when colleagues were playing cards, Old Yang’s opponent was the editor-in-chief. Because the editor-in-chief repeatedly complained that Old Yang made mistakes in his cards, Old Yang threw the cards down and said he wouldn’t play anymore, and then walked away.
If a person has special strengths, it is inevitable that they will have special weaknesses. If Old Yang was a person who was all things to all people and good at reading the wind and steering the rudder, he might not have written those immortal works.
During the idle chat, Old Yang also revealed a sense of decline and desolation. However, even his lament for old age is touching. He said: “It’s meaningless to live so long, I’ve become a burden to society.” I believe Old Yang was sincere in saying this. A person who has made such a huge contribution to the nation and society can say this, which should make many people feel ashamed.
I told Old Yang that on Bilibili, which is popular among young people nowadays, his main works have left traces that people search for. This is proof of the vitality of his writing.
When I first entered the house, I gave Old Yang a box of tea and told him that it was new tea from Hu Shi’s hometown. Old Yang said, “Oh, Jixi.” From this familiarity, it is not difficult to see Old Yang’s ideological spectrum. This was easily confirmed in the subsequent appreciation of his collection of books.
Old Yang has a rich collection of books, with shelves lined up in his study, and also stacks on the floor. Before saying goodbye, he asked me to choose a few books from the bookshelf to take away. I chose “The Internal Revolution of the Chinese Revolution” and “The Rise of Revolutionary China” edited by MacFarquhar and Fairbank, and the signed copy of “The Change Caused by Hunger” given to Old Yang by Chen Dabin, the former editor-in-chief of Outlook.
After leaving the building, I touched the books Old Yang gave me. Besides joy, the greed grew: I should have been shameless and chosen a few more!
My wife comforted me: You can come back and ask Old Yang for more later.
My heart was slightly comforted.
Walking out of the gate of the community, looking back at the ordinary apartment building in southern Beijing where Old Yang lives, I couldn’t help but think that future people will be grateful to this short, stocky old man with clear eyes who lived here, grateful for his courage, his conscience, and his professional and diligent work.
Old Yang, take care, goodbye!
I wrote a simple poem to pay my respects to Old Yang:
A scholar, with a generous heart, pierces through the splendor and records the sorrows of the people.
No need for desolation in old age, merit is in the annals of history.
Discover more from 自由档案馆
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.