The Theme Learning Seminar on “Continuing the Bloodline of Legal Education and Promoting Cultural Thought” and the Book Launch of “Annotations on the Poems of Huang Youchang” were successfully held in the Guoshuang Courtyard of Peking University Law School in the afternoon of November 3, 2023. Mr. Huang Ke, descendant of Mr. Huang Youchang, the first head of the Department of Law at Peking University, and his wife Chen Weifang, Zhao Guangning, Chief Editor of Unity Publishing House Limited, and Xia Mingliang, Director of the Editorial Department, were invited to attend the meeting. More than 30 representatives from Peking University Law School, including Dean and Party Secretary Guo Li, Deputy Party Secretary Lu Jiangnan, and Assistant Professor Wu Xunxiang, attended the meeting. The event was chaired by Lu Jiangnan.

 

Deputy Secretary Lu Jiangnan presided over the meeting

Dean Guo Li delivered a speech on behalf of Peking University Law School, extending warm congratulations on the publication of "Annotations on the Poems of Huang Youchang". He expressed that as the first head of the Department of Law at Peking University, Mr. Huang Youchang had a profound understanding of both Chinese and Western classics, a solid foundation in law, and a deep love for the country and the people. He inherited the family tradition, devoted himself to the study of traditional poetry, and made outstanding contributions to the dissemination of Chinese excellent traditional culture. Dean Guo emphasized that Peking University Law School should adhere to the direction of "cultural inheritance and innovation" in education, guiding teachers and students to shoulder the great responsibility of cultural rejuvenation with rich content and diverse forms, inspiring all Peking University legal professionals to firmly uphold their ideals and beliefs, and inherit and carry forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture.

 

Dean Guo Li delivered a speech

Chief Editor Zhao Guangning shared the origins, editing ideas, and reasons for the publication of "Annotations on the Poems of Huang Youchang" in his speech. The book includes a complete collection of Mr. Huang Youchang's poems that can currently be collected, with detailed explanations and annotations, allowing readers to have a clearer understanding of the background and allusions of the poems. From the perspective of literary appreciation, he elaborated on the diversity of Mr. Huang Youchang's poems in terms of emotional expression, poetic genre, language style, etc. He stated that the publication of this book is not only the inheritance and continuation of the Huang family's literary tradition but also the inheritance and development of Chinese excellent traditional culture, as well as the best memorial to the legal scholar and poet Huang Youchang.

 

Editor-in-Cheif Zhao Guangning delivered a speech

During the unveiling and book presentation ceremony, Mr. Huang Ke, Mrs. Chen Weifang, Chief Editor Zhao Guangning, Director Xia Mingliang, Dean Guo Li, and Deputy Secretary Lu Jiangnan jointly unveiled the new book. Mr. Huang Ke presented the book to the Peking University Law Library, and Director Chen Zhihong awarded Mr. Huang Ke a commemorative certificate.

 

Attending guests unveiled the new book

 

Mr. Huang Ke presented a book to Professor Chen Zhihong, the Director of the Law Library

 

Professor Chen Zhihong presented a commemorative certificate to Mr. Huang Ke

Subsequently, Mr. Huang Ke delivered a speech. He expressed heartfelt thanks to Peking University Law School, Unity Publishing House, and the guests and students present on behalf of the descendants of Mr. Huang Youchang at home and abroad, and emotionally elaborated on the story behind the publication of the poetry collection. Mr. Huang Youchang wrote over a thousand poems in his lifetime, but most of them exist only in manuscript form. The publication of his poetry collection condenses the efforts of later generations to organize scattered manuscripts, revise texts, and annotate chapters, gathering the sweat and efforts of three generations, embodying the intergenerational inheritance between ancestors and grandchildren. Mr. Huang Ke reviewed the life of his ancestor with a clear structure, vivid stories, and personal experiences, making the teachers and students present admire Mr. Huang Youchang's outstanding contributions to the construction of Peking University's legal education and his patriotic and progressive spirit in fighting for the country and the nation, and more firmly affirmed the historical responsibility of inheriting and carrying forward the treasures of traditional Chinese culture.

 

Mr. Huang Ke delivered a speech

During the thematic learning and preaching session, representatives of teachers and students from the school made exchanges and speeches. Chen Zijun, a 2023 graduate student of law, emotionally recited Mr. Huang Youchang's poem "Ten Poems of Plum Blossoms" and expressed that the process of reading Mr. Huang's poems is a process of inheriting the thoughts of the ancestors, drawing on cultural nutrients, and inspiring the path forward. In the new era, legal professionals from Peking University should take Mr. Huang Youchang as an example, spur themselves on, inherit glory, and use Xi Jinping's cultural thought as a powerful ideological weapon and scientific action guide to strengthen historical self-confidence and cultural confidence, and advance towards the construction of a strong country and the revival of the nation with firm determination.

 

Student Chen Zijun gave a speech

Teacher Wu Xunxiang introduced Mr. Huang Youchang's academic achievements and historical contributions from the perspectives of academic research and teaching. He stated that Mr. Huang Youchang's academic life is closely related to the historical changes of Peking University Law School and the growth and evolution of legal education at Peking University today. Mr. Huang Youchang's teaching and research on Roman law were extremely profound, with an extremely broad vision. He examined the historical function of Roman law from the perspective of China's legal education and legal system, leaving behind remarkable works. As a young teacher of Peking University Law School and a Roman law scholar, one should deeply study Mr. Huang Youchang's academic achievements, further inherit and carry forward his academic style, and continue to contribute to the talent cultivation and discipline construction of Peking University Law School.

 

Professor Wu Xunxiang delivered a speech

Finally, the guests and students present took a group photo. The theme learning seminar and the new book launch event ended successfully.

 

Group photo for remembrance

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in his important instructions on propaganda, ideology, and cultural work that efforts should be made to continue the Chinese cultural heritage and promote the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese excellent traditional culture. On the occasion of the in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping's cultural thought by teachers and students of the school and the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the establishment of Peking University Law School, the publication and issuance of "Annotations on the Poems of Huang Youchang" are of great and far-reaching significance. From the establishment of the "Department of Law" at the Imperial University of Peking to the establishment of the Department of Law, from the reconstruction of the Law School to the comprehensive promotion of the construction of "double first-class" in the new era, the patriotic sentiment and cultural background of Peking University legal professionals have always shone brightly in the historical time. Guided by Xi Jinping's thought on the rule of law, Peking University Law School will continue to inherit and carry forward the noble spirit and cultural pursuit of Peking University legal professionals represented by Mr. Huang Youchang, cultivate outstanding legal talents with firm ideals and beliefs, strong patriotism, and solid legal foundation, and integrate cultural confidence into the whole process of teaching and educating people, contributing continuously to the comprehensive promotion of the rule of law, the construction of an educationally strong country, a talent-strong country, and a culturally strong country in the new journey of Chinese-style modernization.

Relevant Background Information:

 

Huang Youchang, also known by his courtesy name Fuxin (黼馨) and pen name Qijiangzi (凄江子), was born in Linfen, Hunan Province in October 1885. He was a renowned jurist and poet. In April 1918, he was elected as the head of the Law Department at Peking University, concurrently serving as the head of the Department of Law. After the May Fourth Movement, the legal education at Peking University underwent changes, and he became the first head of the Department of Law and a professor, teaching courses such as Civil Law and Roman Law. He also held teaching positions at Tsinghua University, Chaoyang University, and Beiping University. He authored several works including "Roman Law and Modern Times", "Interpretation of Civil Law", "Interpretation of Civil Law: Inheritance Theory", and "Interpretation of Civil Law: Kinship Theory", earning him the title "Huang Roman" in academia. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he continued his academic career as a professor in the Department of Law at Hunan University. Later, upon the invitation of Premier Zhou Enlai, he served as a researcher at the Institute of Chinese Literature and History. He passed away in Beijing in 1970.