China News Service, New York, December 22. Title: Relatives and friends cherish the memory of Fu Gaoyi: Warm family, immortal giant
China News Agency reporter Ma Delin
"As a husband, he is very warm and knows how to appreciate and understand." Fu Gaoyi's wife Charlotte Ikels told the China News Agency reporter in an email on the 21st.
Due to post-operative complications, Harvard University professor emeritus and famous scholar Fu Gaoyi (Ezra Feivel Vogel) passed away on the 20th at a hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 90.
As a well-known expert on East Asian issues in the United States, Fu Gaoyi's books and others have enjoyed a reputation all over the world.
His work "Deng Xiaoping Times" is well known to the Chinese.
His son, Steve Vogel, commented on his father in his obituary. He studied the substantive issues that existed in many countries from multiple angles. "This made him spend more time in his academic career. Become a well-known scholar in different fields."
"No matter how busy he is (and he is a workaholic), we will suspend work from 9 to 10 every night, sit on the sofa together, and each eat a piece of chocolate-he is responsible for choosing the chocolate for the night." Charlotte Special said, "We will review what we did that day, and then talk about tomorrow's arrangements."
In Steve's eyes, Fu Gaoyi is a "pious husband and father" and organizes family gatherings every year.
The family reunion event in 2020 was originally scheduled for December 20th through video conferencing software.
"He likes to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues." Fu Gaoyi insisted on running with Charlotte for many years; until shortly before his death, he still rode a bicycle every day.
Fu Gaoyi's family is a veritable "home of scholars". His wife Charlotte, two sons and a daughter are all engaged in academic work in different fields.
Charlotte is an anthropologist who worked with Fu Gaoyi on research in Guangdong, China.
"Fu Gaoyi can speak Mandarin, and I can speak Cantonese." She told reporters that at that time, Fu Gaoyi's research focused on government and policy levels, while she herself was concerned about ordinary people.
"When we compare and analyze our respective studies, we can clearly understand how the policies are implemented and actually affect the daily lives of ordinary people."
Charlotte said that their children have different job choices. Some have decided to join academia very early; others initially rejected this direction, but finally returned to the "family business" of academy with enthusiasm.
"He takes his work very, very seriously." She believes that several children have been affected by Fu Gaoyi in this regard.
Steve, who was a reporter in the early years, is now a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on Japanese issues.
"I never consciously pursued my father's path, but now I and his career are indeed very similar." Steve told a reporter from China News Agency that his father would "clarify the problem at any cost" at work. Have the same style in this respect.
"When I heard the news of his death, I was processing some mail at home." For Boston University professor Merry White, Fu Gaoyi was also a teacher and friend.
"I was completely stunned at the time. How could he pass away? He should have just finished vacation, or hiding somewhere to write a new book secretly. He will not leave." White replied to China News Agency on the 22nd The reporter's email described her feelings at that moment.
White has studied under the guidance of Fu Gaoyi since 1973, and has traveled to China with him.
"He taught me to use facts and data as the starting point for research, not hypotheses or theories." She said that Fu Gaoyi taught her how to make data tell the truth, "listen to it, and then analyze it."
"He once asked me:'How do I make the data sing?'" White said that to this day, his own research results can still be attributed to thinking about this problem.
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said in memory of Fu Gaoyi that his ideas and beliefs will have a permanent impact on us.
In White’s eyes, "Fooga Yi is immortal." (End)