延大第一任校长——吴玉章

Hello everyone! Today, I’d like to tell you a story about Comrade Wu Yuzhang, the first president of Yan’an University. Let’s go back to Yan’an over 80 years ago — life was much harder then.

大家好！今天我要给大家讲一个关于suncitygroup太阳集团第一任校长吴玉章同志的故事。让我们回到八十多年前的延安，那时的生活是相当艰苦的。

   Around 1940, when Wu Yuzhang arrived in Yan’an, the Kuomintang government imposed a tight economic blockade, banning even a grain of rice or an inch of cloth from entering the border area. They wanted to break the Communists’ revolutionary spirit by cutting off supplies. The border area faced severe economic hardships, and Wu Yuzhang’s life was tough too. He even got seriously ill, with his grandnephew Wu Benqing taking care of him.

   1940年前后，吴玉章抵达延安之际，国民党政府正在实行严密经济封锁，不允许运一斤粮、一寸布进入边区，试图用物质匮乏来挫败共产党人的革命意志。边区正面临着严重的经济困难，在这样的情况下，吴玉章的生活也十分清苦，而且患上了重病，他的侄孙吴本清就在他身边照料。

   Once, when Wu Benqing tidied his things, he was shocked: Wu Yuzhang had barely any good clothes — only a Zhongshan suit and a black sheepskin coat looked decent, while the rest were tattered, patched cloth garments. Yan’an’s winters were freezing, but Wu Yuzhang only wore straw sandals wrapped in rags. Wu Benqing suggested tearing the most worn clothes to mend the sandals, but Wu Yuzhang looked at them repeatedly and said, “Mend them; they’re still wearable.” So Wu Benqing had to sew them up again.

   有一次，吴本清整理他的东西时，发现他没有几件好衣裳，只有一件中山装和黑色老羊皮大衣称得上体面，剩下的都是些破旧不堪的土布衣服。延安的冬天寒冷难耐，吴玉章只穿了双用破布包起来的草鞋。吴本清提出，把实在太破的衣服撕了用来打草鞋，可吴玉章把那些破衣服看了又看说：“补一补，还可以穿。”吴本清只好作罢，把这些破衣服又补了一遍。

    Though strict with himself, Wu Yuzhang cared deeply for his comrades. One day, Huang Caizhuo, a fellow villager from his hometown, came to him, saying he had no pen for study. Wu Yuzhang immediately gave him 5 yuan to buy one.Seeing this, Wu Benqing plucked up courage: “Granduncle, can I have 5 yuan for cotton-padded shoes?” Wu Yuzhang first criticized him for thinking only of himself, then explained patiently: “The border area government is in hard times — many comrades don’t have cotton-padded shoes. Have others got theirs? No!” Wu Benqing felt ashamed and apologized.Noticing Wu Benqing’s frostbitten, festering feet, Wu Yuzhang softened and agreed to buy the shoes. He told Wu Benqing: “Revoution needs hard work. To do it well, you need three things: determination — without it, nothing works; an open mind — without it, you learn nothing; perseverance — without it, you achieve nothing.” Then he gave Wu Benqing the money.

   吴玉章虽然对自己严加要求，但对于遇到困难的同志，则及时伸出援手。有一天，荣县老乡黄才焯来见吴玉章，向他反映学习没有钢笔的情况。吴玉章听后，立马掏出5元钱资助他买笔。吴本清见状，也鼓起勇气，向吴玉章央求道：“幺公，我也想要5元钱去买双棉鞋。”吴玉章听完，首先批评了吴本清先想自己、不顾他人的错误，然后耐心地向他说明，边区政府正面临着经济上的困难，无法向同志们提供棉鞋布袜。同时还问吴本清：“其他同志都穿上棉鞋了吗？没有！”吴本清听后，颇感羞愧，连忙低头认错。吴玉章看到他被冻伤溃烂的双脚，心头一软，便答应给他买一双棉鞋。后来，吴玉章还嘱咐吴本清说：“你必须记住，革命就是要有艰苦奋斗的精神。干革命必须具备三个心：一是决心，二是虚心，三是恒心。没有决心什么也办不好，没有虚心的态度什么也学不到，没有恒心什么事情也办不到。”说罢，便掏出钱让吴本清赶快去买棉鞋。

   From this old garment and the 5 yuan for a comrade’s pen, we see why Communists persisted back then: strict with themselves, warm to comrades, and holding fast to the revolutionary original aspiration. This spirit is still worth passing on today!

   从这件旧衣服和为同志的钢笔捐出5元钱这件事上，我们看到了当年共产党人坚持到底的原因：对自己严于律己，对同志热情如火，始终不渝地保持革命初心。这种精神在今天仍然值得传承！