To enlighten beauty with truth and beauty with truth - Hua Luogeng and poetry
2024-12-02
Mathematics and literature, seemingly unrelated, actually have consistency in certain aspects. Famous mathematician Hua Luogeng often wandered between the mathematical world and the literary garden, enjoying the fusion of arts and sciences. Hua Luogeng has made outstanding contributions in many research fields such as analytic number theory, typical groups, matrix geometry, self preserving function theory, and multi complex function theory. While adding dazzling brilliance to the scientific hall, he has also left us with precious cultural wealth. He was diligent and hardworking throughout his life, constantly writing and enjoying reading and creating poetry. With each poem full of artistic interest, he reflected on his scientific research work and daily life, depicting a series of vivid and colorful life stories. Hua Luogeng, born on November 12, 1910 in Jintan, Jiangsu, wrote poems with great skill and determination despite being poor. After graduating from junior high school, he entered Shanghai Zhonghua Vocational School to study business. However, due to his poor family background, he dropped out of school and returned to his hometown. Afterwards, Hua Luogeng studied hard on his own and published a paper in the journal Science in 1930 titled "Reasons why the solution of the fifth degree equation of Su Jiaju's algebra cannot be established". Hua Luogeng was appreciated by Professor Xiong Qinglai of Tsinghua University and entered the university to work in 1931. In 1936, he went to the University of Cambridge in the UK for further studies, and two years later returned to China to be appointed as a professor at Southwest Associated University in Kunming. Hua Luogeng went to the United States to teach in 1946 and resolutely returned to China in 1950. After returning to China, Hua Luogeng devoted himself wholeheartedly to mathematical research and combined it with production practice. He vigorously promoted the "optimal selection method" that helps improve production processes and product quality, as well as the "overall planning method" that can enhance production organization and management efficiency. He made great contributions to China's scientific research and national economic construction. Hua Luogeng only had a junior high school diploma, but he persisted in self-learning and diligent research, becoming an outstanding mathematician renowned throughout the world. In Hua Luogeng's world, it is not just mathematics, he is also passionate about poetry creation. Hua Luogeng's poetry creation began during his teenage years. When he was in junior high school, he not only had good grades in mathematics, but also in Chinese, and was able to write and write poetry "(Hua Shun's" Dad's Story "). Hua Luogeng enjoyed writing and discussing poetry, and wrote hundreds of poems throughout his life. He also wrote his own oil printed poetry collection "Fighting in Illness", some of which were included in poetry collections such as "Selected Annotations on Poetry of Various Dynasties: The Righteousness of China" and "Selected Poems of Scientists". Although Hua Luogeng's poetry is rich, it is scattered everywhere and has not been systematically organized or publicly printed. After his death, the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Democratic League edited and published "Selected Poems and Writings of Hua Luogeng". Although the selected poems in the book are limited, they can still reflect Hua Luogeng's consistent patriotic enthusiasm, pragmatic scientific spirit, tireless educational philosophy, and optimistic and open-minded attitude towards life. The white hair shining on the road of thousands of rivers and mountains, and the strong patriotic enthusiasm has always been the foundation of Hua Luogeng's life, and his poems are also filled with distinct patriotic colors. The year after Hua Luogeng's birth, the Xinhai Revolution broke out; Before it could stand, the flames of the War of Resistance Against Japan had already ignited. The devastated mountains and rivers deeply hurt Hua Luogeng's heart, while also inspiring him to aspire to serve the country scientifically. When Hua Luogeng returned to his hometown in his later years to give a speech, he said, "At that time, of course, I didn't know about socialism or communism. I just felt that we should contribute some strength to the country and strive for some glory. That's how I started to study." (Hua Luogeng's "In Difficult Times, We Must Make More Efforts to Advance") From this, it can be seen that Hua Luogeng's original intention to study mathematics was not only out of love, but also to serve the country with what he learned. He said and did as he did, keeping his words and deeds the same until the last moment of his life. In 1938, Hua Luogeng returned from England and was appointed as a professor at Southwest Associated University. He wrote a poem to express his feelings: "On the day of traveling to Kunming, Jin'ou is in short supply of time. Foxes and tigers roam the streets, and eagles fly on the ground." In just a few words, he wrote about the turbulence of the current situation and the difficulties of life, and his concern for the country is overflowing. At this moment, the selfless help from old friends made Hua Luogeng grateful for it for life. Wen Yiduo saw that Hua Luogeng's family had nowhere to settle down, so he generously gave up a room at home. Two families are living in the same room, separated by a cloth curtain hanging in the middle. Hua Luogeng wrote a poem about this: "Hanging cloth and dividing the room to accommodate each other's knees, not just two families facing difficulties together. The East is studying ancient and the West is calculating, but different professions are united in heart and hatred." In just 28 words, it blends the hardships of life, professional expertise, deep friendship with close friends, and solidarity against the enemy together, which can be described as concise and meaningful, with a long-lasting aftertaste. In July 1946, Wen Yiduo was assassinated. Upon hearing the terrible news, Hua Luogeng angrily wrote a poem to condemn him: "Dark clouds hang low and cover the clear waves, red candles shine on the bullfighting. On the Ninghu Road, hearing the bad news, the Demon Palm dares to kill Yiduo." The first two lines are colored and colorful, revealing the oppressive social situation and affirming Wen Yiduo's outstanding achievements. The last two lines explain the time, place, and reason for writing the poem, as well as the deep sorrow, regret, disgust, anger, and other emotions towards his old friend's suffering, and the reactionary forces. The words are full of meaning and endless. More than 30 years later, Hua Luogeng recalled this matter with great emotion and composed two poems, saying: "When I heard that you generously acted on a case, I felt ashamed of my cowardice and avoidance of demons. Later, I realized that I could only make up for my past mistakes and offer my white head to repay the martyrs." "The white head is dedicated to modernization, and the people will never give up when they are not well. We can bury bones everywhere for the party, no matter the rivers, seas, and barren hills." (Hua Luogeng's "Glorious Role Model for Intellectuals - Commemorating the 80th Birthday of Martyr Wen Yiduo") Hua Luogeng and Wen Yiduo's relationship experienced the baptism of war, and their friendship has become even stronger over time. In 1950, Hua Luogeng, who was teaching at the University of Illinois in the United States, published an open letter to all Chinese students studying in the United States: "In order to choose the truth, we should go back; for the sake of our country and nation, we should go back; for the sake of serving the people, we should also go back; even if it is for personal development, we should go back as soon as possible, establish the foundation of our work, and strive for the construction and development of our great motherland." With this lofty belief, Hua Luogeng resolutely returned to China, hoping to contribute his own strength in socialist construction and realize the value of life. In 1958, he went to rural areas in the suburbs of Beijing for inspection and wrote a poem: "In the city, now at the edge of the earth. The east wind brushes diligently, covering thousands of hectares of fields. Planning is used everywhere, mathematics enters the fields. Whose power is transplanted? It depends on the party, not on the sky." This poem has a smooth narrative, clear language, and clear strokes. Although Hua Luogeng had leg problems, he always overcame various inconveniences with perseverance, faced difficulties head-on, and actively applied his professional knowledge to national construction. As a result, his poetry and works reflecting work practice as the main content also became enriched. In the 1960s, when Hua Luogeng participated in the "Third Front Construction" in Sichuan and Yunnan, he was not stingy with his poetry and pen. Whenever he had the heart, he would express his feelings and observations to his pen, expressing his heroic spirit of "wholeheartedly serving the people" and "generously dedicating himself to this cause" ("Breaking through the Formation: Zhuang Ci Answering the Doctor"). Among them, the poem of "Battle" says: "Be willing to make screws, dare to defeat the devil with a pestle. Don't walk slowly, climb the cloud with a basket on his back. Lu Yang has already wielded the war, and the battle is going on at noon." Later than the poem of "Battle", "Expression" focuses on the grand scene of the workers fighting against the sky and the earth, regardless of the height of the mountains and the depth of the valley. Among them, "hold a hammer and a chisel, and step on the board in the air. Strive for a foothold first, and cut the mountains against the waist" vividly represents the workers' lofty ambition of breaking through the mountains with a firm heart. "Fighting Bulls with Vigor" depicts the scene of workers working hard with high morale. After the reform and opening up, Hua Luogeng became active again in the international mathematical community. During his overseas visits, he not only paid attention to the new situation of global technological development, but also made many friends, making active efforts to strengthen scientific exchanges and cooperation between China and countries around the world. In 1979, Hua Luogeng was invited to visit the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. In a poem he gifted to Professor Weston at the university, he wrote: "When it comes to mathematics, there is no contradiction. We respect and feel ashamed to be honored guests. When it comes to presenting a humble work, we seek guidance and guidance." This shows his love for mathematics, humility, and joy in learning from peers. Hua Luogeng clearly infused deeper and stronger emotions into his poem to the Chinese scholar Tang Yonghao at the school: "With a hundred feet of progress in the past, the future for thousands of miles is already promising. Cherish it, cherish it again, and work together for the Chinese nation." While this poem earnestly teaches, it also expresses earnest expectations. This sincere emotion and earnest expectation are also reflected in the poem written by Hua Luogeng to Feng L ü chao and his wife who work in the UK: "Respect me not only for myself, but also for my country and myself. We share the same passion for Huang Zhou and were born into the same roots of Hua Xia. I swear to strive harder and not disappoint the hearts of overseas Chinese." Even in the poem he wrote to his Chinese landlord Li Zhongfa, he did not forget to pour out his patriotic feelings: "For the love of our country and myself, life is always cared for everywhere. We all belong to the Yan Huang ethnic group, and our roots are all rooted in China." In 1955, Hua Luogeng wrote in his article "Talking to My Classmates about Learning Mathematics": "I think mathematics is boring and tasteless, without art. Sex, this view is incorrect. It's like standing outside a garden and saying that the garden is dull and boring. In his opinion, mathematics is also artistic and full of fun. In 1980, Hua Luogeng highlighted the relationship between science and art in his article "Feelings of the Third Hundred Flowers Award Film Awards": "Science and art, originally he and she, are separated by nature, but today in social development, they complement each other, and two families become one family." Here it is affirmed that science and film and television art are "two families become one family", but literature has not been explicitly mentioned. In 1982, Hua Luogeng explicitly discussed the differences between scientific research and literary script creation in his article "Letter to the Editorial Department of Television Literature": "The requirements of science and literary art are not exactly the same. It is not easy for a playwright to write about real people and stories of scientific workers, while also making them have artistic typicality... As a scientific worker, I always hope that the things that can be described in the script can be as realistic as possible; but script creation requires concentrated summarization, necessary contrast, and exaggerated rendering, especially for television dramas with time constraints. Therefore, I should not arrogantly demand from a scientific perspective." This paragraph objectively and harmoniously discusses the importance of... The question of how to create a literary script centered on scientists, regarding this, In the preface he wrote for "Selected Works of Baisheng News", he once again stated: "The requirements of science and technology are strict and rigorous, and there cannot be any deviation in the results. However, literature and art must have a foundation, concentration, and exaggeration, and may even be necessary." Looking at Hua Luogeng's discourse on the relationship between science and literature and art, it can be seen that he is very clear about the similarities and differences between science and literature. As a mathematician, Hua Luogeng skillfully integrates his professional expertise into poetry, interpreting the mathematical world in a unique way, while also fully demonstrating the scientific spirit of seeking truth and practicality and the work attitude of seeking truth from facts. In the Song Dynasty, Shen Kuo's "Dream Pool Essays" once said: "Du Fu's poem" Wuhou Temple Cypress "goes: 'Frost skin slides rain for forty circles, and the black color rises two thousand feet high.' Forty circles is seven feet in diameter, isn't it too slender?" Shen Kuo's examination of Du Fu's poetry from a scientific and empirical perspective may be mechanical and fail to understand the true meaning of the poet's art. Hua Luogeng was also quite interested in Du Fu's poem and wrote "Debating the Difficulty of Using Great Materials": "Du Fu wrote a poem called" Ancient Cypress Traveling ", in which he spoke out for the injustice of the big tree. I will now change my words, and this tree is fortunate to have a courtyard. The seedlings are easily attacked by cows and sheep, and the materials are inevitably cut by axes. How did they grow to be two thousand feet tall? It depends on the deep love left by the Prime Minister. The difficulty of using great materials seems inappropriate, but they can be divided into small tools. Small materials fill large buildings, while large ones can harm the country, primary schools, and individuals