On the afternoon of June 12th, the donation ceremony to commemorate the 105th anniversary of Qian Gurong’s birth and an academic seminar on modern literary criticism with Chinese characteristics were convened at the Shanghai Social Science Museum.

Mao Shian, Advisor and former Vice President of the China Literary and Art Critics Association, made a speech observing that to truly understand Prof. Qian’s theoretical contributions embodied in his concept that “literature is the study of humanity”, one must factor in the complex environment during his time. Only then can one appreciate that his work was “sharp and incisive”, “reflecting a high degree of engagement by university scholars with literary realities and the reality of literature. Prof. Qian’s criticism, invariably people-centered, always unfolded from the perspective of human beings and their portrayals. His sensitive artistic intuition and incisive analysis flowed naturally and were deeply moving. In education, Prof. Qian adhered to a combination of laissez-faire and targeted guidance, nurturing a group of renowned scholars”. 

“The humanistic academic achievements made by professors including Qian Gurong, Wang Yuanhua, and Xu Zhongyu are invaluable cultural assets of Shanghai. Their generation did particularly foundational work, including calling for the establishment of the Shanghai Foundation for Literature Development and initiating Shanghai-style Culture Series in publication, which have benefited late-coming scholars in the most profound ways. The development and growth of the humanistic discipline at ECNU is inseparable from the pioneering efforts made by Prof. Qian and Prof. Xu.,” noted Prof. Yang Yang, Vice President of the Shanghai Writers’ Association and professor of Shanghai Theatre Academy. “Prof. Qian was so influential that he could be designated as one of the Men of their Era.”

Hu Xiaojun, resident Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Literary and Art Critics Association and Director of the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Theory Research Office, argued that Prof. Qian’s research demonstrated that the freedom of literature study depends on the freedom of individuals and he had recognized how intellectuals, through their knowledge and philosophy, could engage with society, communicate with others, and contribute to the development of themselves, others, and society in a better and happier direction. “Prof. Qian admired the reclusive Zhuge Liang, but he himself approached life in a combination of detachment and engagement, harmonizing ancient wisdom with contemporary relevance and maintaining a balance between tradition and innovation.”

Professor Zheng Chongxuan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Literature of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, regarded Prof. Qian’s research as exemplary approach of literary criticism with Chinese characteristics, which helped build China’s independent knowledge system. “We should summarize his knowledge system, discourse system, evaluation standards, and aesthetic guidelines. His theoretical contributions embodied in his famous proposition that ‘literature is the study of humanity’ still have an important role to play even in this era of AI. We should take Prof. Qian’s books and papers as a mirror, which reminds us to integrate people-centered literature into literary creation and criticism.” 

Prof. Gao Yuanbao from Fudan University identified admirable self-engagement and imaginativeness in Prof. Qian’s articles. Self-engagement in literary criticism means authentic revelation of the critic’s personal emotions, experiences, standpoints, interests, and preferences. “In contemporary literary research, one almost naturally refrains from exposing oneself.” The imaginativeness principle requires one to write in a more accessible way, rather than obscurely. These features are instructive for the construction of China’s independent knowledge system.

Prof. Wang Hongsheng from Tongji University suggested that knowing how Prof. Qian viewed and understood “humanity” would be the key for us to get into his intellectual palace. “His view of ‘humanity’ was directly reflected in how he treated others, how he kept his promises, and how he behaved himself, all of which deserve commemorating.

Prof. Qian, along with other scholars in his generation, was a pioneer in combining traditional culture with Western culture in the early days.” Prof. Wen Guiliang, Director of the Department of Chinese, ECNU, concluded that Prof. Qian was a keen theorist with profound thoughts, an outstanding scholar in the field of contemporary Chinese literature, and an educator who had nurtured numerous brilliant high-achieving scholars. “Overall, he is a noble-minded intellectual and an academic model for our time.”