Exploring the hometown of linguistic giant Wang Li: perseverance in learning for future generations to follow
On November 22nd, the interview team of "Yu Jian Mei Shared Future - Overseas Media Journey to Yulin" visited Bobai County, Yulin City, Guangxi Province, to visit the hometown of Wang Li, one of the founders of modern linguistics in China. They searched for the imprint of his past in his hometown and sought his resilience in learning and academic pursuits.
Wang Li is a native of Qishan Slope, Xinzhong Village, Bobai Town, Bobai County, Yulin City, Guangxi Province. He is a famous linguist, educator, translator, essayist, and poet in China, and is a renowned cultural giant both at home and abroad. Wang Li devoted his entire life to teaching and research in the field of language, making significant contributions to the development of Chinese language science and the cultivation of specialized talents in linguistics.
The line 'Before his death, there was a generation of dragon carving hands, and behind him, there were three thousand talented horses.' This poem expresses Mr. Wang Li's academic career and achievements.
In Bobai County, Yulin City, the hometown of Wang Li, his footprints can still be traced. Entering Wangli Academy, this Hakka style building attracts many visitors.
The design above the courtyard of the academy adopts a concave convex shape of movable type printing board, showcasing the long history and unique charm of Chinese characters. The inspiration for the top text came from Wang Li's "Bobai Fangyin Experimental Record". The academy houses a large collection of Wang Li's works and precious manuscript files, and showcases them in the setting of "The Story of Wang Li and Fourteen Boxes of Books", allowing the audience to experience his extraordinary life.
After graduating from high school, Wang Li dropped out of school due to his family's poverty, but he still insisted on self-learning. At the age of 17, he started his own private school at home to educate his younger brother. At the age of 21, he was hired to teach at the Li Family Founding School in Dapingpo, Daliang Village, Bobai Town for three years. Later, with the support of local elites such as principal Li Shenxi and teacher Li Chunxin, he embarked on the path of studying abroad.
In Dacheping Tun, Xinwang Village, Langping Town, Bobai County, the story of "Fourteen Boxes of Books" is still talked about by the people here: in 1920, Wang Li was hired by the same county scholar Li Yintian to teach at the Li Family School in Dacheping. In the same year, Wang Lide borrowed 14 boxes of books from a student's parents, which contained a rich collection of books and a complete collection of classics and history. Since then, Wang Lide has diligently studied these 14 boxes of books, accumulating a profound cultural reserve.
Wang Li went to study in Shanghai, Beijing, and Paris, France successively. In 1932, he obtained a doctoral degree from the University of Paris, and later returned to China to teach at many universities such as Tsinghua University, Southwest Associated University, Sun Yat sen University, and Peking University. He also founded China's first linguistics department.
Wang Li has over 40 monographs and nearly 200 papers in the field of linguistics, totaling more than 10 million words, covering almost all areas of linguistics. His representative works include "Chinese Historical Manuscripts," "Homologous Dictionary," "History of Chinese Phonetics," "History of Chinese Grammar," etc. He has become a master of modern Chinese linguistics.
My life is a life of struggle. "" What is the purpose of living? It's not about dressing and eating. Dressing and eating are for living, and life itself has a noble purpose, which is to do something beneficial for the country and the nation. "Wang Li wrote in his will to his children.
As a renowned teacher of his generation, Wang Li has educated countless people throughout his life, and his garden is full of students. At present, the cultural symbol of "Wang Li" has deeply integrated into the education industry of Bobai County. When students from Wangli Middle School in Bobai County enroll, the teacher will distribute a book called "Biography of Wang Li" to them to read, hoping that they will learn from Mr. Wang Li's perseverance in learning. Influenced by Wang Li, Xinzhong Village attaches great importance to education. The elders tell the younger generation about Wang Li's deeds and educate their children to study hard, strive, and use knowledge to change their destiny. Every year, several students in the village are admitted to university.
Over the years, "Wangli" has developed into a cultural symbol in Yulin City and Bobai County, with representative institutions such as Wangli Academy, Wangli Former Residence, Dapingpo Water Tower, Wangli Avenue, Wangli Middle School, Wangli Book Bar, Wangli Scholarship Association, and more.
Bobai County actively builds the cultural and tourism brands of Wangli and "Bookish Culture", focusing on Wangli Academy, Wangli Former Residence, and Daliang Dapingpo Water Tower, and jointly creating the national AAAA level tourist attraction - Wangli Bookish Scenic Area. The county regards Wangli culture as a special social science research topic and promotes the integration and development of Wangli culture with urban construction. It is fully committed to building the "Seven Ones" project of Wangli culture, namely one drama, one book, one academy, one former residence, one school, one base, and one scholarship association, to promote the healthy and rapid development of tourism in the whole region, let the spirit of masters shine brighter in the new era, enhance the soft power and reputation of Bobai culture.
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