Lin Jianhua, the president of Peking University, made frequent slips of the tongue at the school celebration, and was ridiculed by netizens as the president of Baizi.(Internet)
Scholars said that the president's slip of the tongue reflected the gap in the cultural literacy of Chinese intellectuals, and the incident aroused heated public opinion because the intellectuals were disappointed that Peking University was not as good as it used to be.
Beijing Commissioner
The president of Peking University, Lin Jianhua, apologized yesterday for making a typo at the school’s 120th anniversary commemorative meeting, explaining that his poor writing skills were due to his inability to receive a complete basic education during the Cultural Revolution.
Scholars interviewed said that the president’s slip of the tongue reflected the gap in the cultural literacy of Chinese intellectuals, and the incident aroused heated discussions in the public opinion because the intellectuals were disappointed that Peking University is not as good as it used to be.
Peking University celebrated its 120th anniversary under the shadow of a sexual assault scandal.Lin Jianhua made frequent slips of the tongue at the school celebration the day before yesterday, pronouncing honghu (hoacute;ng huacute;) as hoacute;ng hagrave;o, pronouncing xiugrave;Read it as dūn.The video of his speech in Baizi quickly spread on the Internet, and was ridiculed by netizens as the principal of Baizi.
Lin Jianhua apologized yesterday afternoon for the slip of the tongue.In his letter of apology published on the Electronic Bulletin Board System (BBS) by the account of Peking University, he wrote that he was really not familiar with Honghu's pronunciation, and his writing skills were indeed poor.He explained that when he was in primary and middle school, he was catching up with the Cultural Revolution, and his education was almost stagnant. There were only a few textbooks such as Mao Zedong's quotations, so the basic education he received was neither complete nor systematic.
He wrote: Your principal is not a perfect person. He also has shortcomings and shortcomings and makes mistakes.He promised to work hard, but it is difficult to guarantee that similar mistakes will not occur in the future, because the practice of writing is not a one-day effort.For a person of my age, I'm afraid it will be difficult to make great progress in writing in a short period of time.
Lin Jianhua, 63, holds a bachelor's, master's and doctorate in chemistry from Peking University.He has served as the president of Peking University since February 2015, and previously served as the president of Zhejiang University and Chongqing University.
Push Peking University to the forefront again
The president's slip of the tongue once again pushed Peking University to the forefront.In the past month, Peking University has been troubled by the controversy that former professor Shen Yang was reported to have sexually assaulted girls 20 years ago, and Yue Xin, a student at Peking University, was interviewed by school leaders for asking the school to disclose information about the sexual assault case.Peking University's handling of sexual assault cases in the past and now is regarded by the outside world as not being frank enough, and the level of school governance has been questioned.Some commentators pointed out that Peking University has done a lot of work to quell public opinion about the sexual assault case, including deleting posts and intimidating Yue Xin with treason, etc., which violates the concept of freedom and progress when the university was founded.
Hu Xingdou, an expert on China issues, said in an interview with Lianhe Zaobao: The current Peking University is no longer the former Peking University.
He pointed out that Peking University was once the birthplace of the May 4th Movement, leading the trend of social change, advocating inclusiveness and academic freedom, but after decades of political campaigns and class struggles, the backbone of intellectuals has been broken.A generation including the president of Peking University was once an educated youth who went to the mountains and went to the countryside. Their studies were delayed and their humanistic qualities could not be cultivated.
Hu Xingdou said: Such low-level mistakes reflect the gap in the cultural literacy of Chinese intellectuals from the side, and reflect the tragedy of the times.The learned and refined scholars before 1949 basically no longer exist.
Zhang Ming, a professor of political science at Renmin University, said in an interview that public opinion's strong response to the slip of the tongue reflected people's disappointment with Peking University as a whole.Peking University and world-class universities are drifting apart.
Peking University has made various preparations for the anniversary this year.But some intellectuals believe that the meaning of Peking University's anniversary has been distorted.
Zhang Qianfan, a professor at Peking University Law School, criticized in a WeChat post that no anniversary deserves so much money, time and attention.He reflected that in the 120 years since Peking University, except for a few years of short-lived liberalism, the left is more than the right, and the excess is greater than the merit.
The term “exquisite egoism” comes from a passage many years ago made by Qian Liqun, a retired professor of the Chinese Department of Peking University: Some of our universities, including Peking University, are cultivating some “exquisite egoists” who are highly intelligent, worldly, and sophisticated, Be good at acting, know how to cooperate, and be better at using the system to achieve your own goals.Once such people gain power, they will be more harmful than ordinary corrupt officials.
