Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, December 4th, title: Hong Kong History Expert Liu Shuyong: Let History Come into Reality
Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Min
On a weekend at the end of November, a field investigation team of anti-Japanese historical sites was walking in Sai Kung and the North District of Hong Kong.
The leading old professor is gray-haired, with a camera on his back, and sneakers on his feet. He walks around and takes pictures, stopping from time to time to explain.
More than 20 middle school history teachers followed closely, listening and recording attentively.
The old professor is Liu Shuyong, an expert on Hong Kong history who promoted and participated in the editing project of Hong Kong local chronicles. He is currently a senior researcher at Lingnan University in Hong Kong and a consultant for Hong Kong local chronicles.
Recently, he held a lecture on "Historical Contributions of the Hong Kong-Kowloon Independent Brigade of the Dongjiang Column", which was attended by more than 100 middle school teachers online and offline.
"The study of history is not about burying one's head in old papers. It is the social responsibility of historians to get out of the ivory tower, influence the people with a correct view of history, and promote social progress." Liu Shuyong said that the history education in Hong Kong is at the right time.
Xiu Zhi - Continuing to write the historical memory of Hong Kong
Liu Shuyong has been engaged in the study of Hong Kong history for 40 years.
In 1982, Liu Shuyong graduated from graduate school and entered the Institute of Modern History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences to work.
At this time, the Sino-British negotiations began, and the Hong Kong History Research Group came into being, and Liu Shuyong's research direction changed to Hong Kong history.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Hong Kong belonged to Xin'an County, Guangzhou Prefecture. After the British occupation of Hong Kong, there was no revision work.
The state has its history, and the locality has its aspirations.
Compilation of local chronicles is a Chinese cultural tradition, which has the functions of "preserving history, educating people, and educating people". How can it be missing?
Since the return of Hong Kong to the motherland in 1997, Liu Shuyong has actively called for the revision of histories with a sense of responsibility as a historian.
In 2005, retired Liu Shuyong was invited by Lingnan University to study Hong Kong history and became one of the leading figures in promoting the compilation of local chronicles.
Hong Kong Cultivation Journal adopts the model of "government support, social participation, and scholars majoring in".
Due to the lack of social consensus in the early stage and the need to be self-responsible for its own profits and losses, it was very difficult for Hong Kong to revise its will at that time.
With the strong support of the central government and the SAR government, the United Hong Kong Foundation established the Hong Kong Local Chronicles Center in 2019 and fully launched the compilation of local chronicles.
After the unremitting efforts of Liu Shuyonghe's team, at the end of 2020, the first volume of "Hong Kong Chronicle", which was hailed as "has great historical significance and cultural value", was officially published, continuing to write the historical memory of Hong Kong.
Liu Shuyong caressed the blue cover of "Hong Kong Chronicle", full of emotion.
He called for the promotion of Hong Kong Chronicles for more than 20 years. He did a lot of meticulous and solid research, and participated in the drafting and revision of the first volume's general introduction and the review of the memorabilia. He was so tired that he fell ill.
Now that his long-cherished wish has come true, his heart is full of joy.
"Compiling local chronicles allows us to know how Hong Kong came to be, how Hong Kong people came here, and how close the relationship between Hong Kong and the country is," he said.
In addition to the characteristics of the intersection of Chinese and Western cultures, Liu Shuyong pointed out in the overview of "Hong Kong Chronicles" that Hong Kong is also a center for cultural exchanges between the North and the South, which strengthens the relationship between Hong Kong and the country.
Seeking Roots - Compiling the First Village Chronicle in Hong Kong
40 years of research on Hong Kong history, the first 23 years were in Beijing, and the last 17 years were in Hong Kong.
Such a unique experience allowed Liu Shuyong to have both a macro perspective and a local perspective in historical research.
"Mainland scholars conduct research based more on literature and materials, with a broad historical perspective and a high position; Hong Kong scholars focus on case studies and are more in-depth and meticulous." Liu Shuyong said.
He and two local historians, Liu Zhipeng and Ding Xinbao, formed the "Two Lius and One Ding" team in the field of Hong Kong historians to learn from each other's strengths, promote the study of Hong Kong's history to a higher level, and promote closer historical exchanges between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
In Hong Kong, there are many opportunities for field trips, and I can gain a deeper understanding of Hong Kong society.
"Investigation and research at the place where historical events occurred can supplement the insufficiency of document records and even correct mistakes." Liu Shuyong said.
He cherishes this opportunity very much. Regardless of his old age, he travels in the urban and rural areas of Hong Kong, doing field research and special research, looking for valuable historical relics and protecting them with all his strength. Special research.
Liu Shuyong took a Hakka village as a pilot to edit the "Lian Ma Hang Village Chronicle", which not only became the first village chronicle in Hong Kong, but was also included in the Chinese famous village chronicles series of the Chinese Local Chronicles Steering Group.
"This Hakka village is very characteristic. It is located on the border of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. It has a close relationship with the mainland. It has rich historical connotations and has produced many patriotic people with lofty ideals." Liu Shuyong said that he and his team visited villagers from village to household. "Through genealogy and oral history , Tracing the history of each family in the village".
Liu Shuyong supports Hong Kong's conditional local chronicles.
He said, don't underestimate a village chronicle. By tracing the historical and cultural roots, many people understand that the roots of their clans are in the interior of the motherland, and they will become closer emotionally.
"This is a journey of root-seeking." Liu Shuyong said.
Educating people—promoting the establishment of the Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall
In September this year, the Sha Tau Kok Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall, the first Anti-Japanese War Memorial in Hong Kong, officially opened as a patriotic education base.
"I check the content and layout of the exhibition." Liu Shuyong is very proud.
In recent years, he and his team have carried out special research on the Hong Kong-Kowloon Brigade, joined forces with the Hong Kong Federation of Guangzhou Associations, the East River Column History Research Association, and other groups to study historical documents, find relics of the War of Resistance, and jointly propose the establishment of a memorial hall for the War of Resistance.
In order to find the military supplies warehouse of the Hong Kong-Kowloon Brigade, Liu Shuyong and his party walked through the wild mountains and mountains in the New Territories, and finally found two cave warehouses in the Sai Kung District.
At that time, the mountain was covered with wild trees and weeds, and there was no road at all.
Knowing that they were going to find the ruins, the local villagers spontaneously came to "hack" a path with a machete.
Hong Kong people have a patriotic tradition, such as the New Territories Anti-British, the Hong Kong-Kowloon Brigade Anti-Japanese, etc., leaving many historical sites in modern times.
Liu Shuyong believes that these precious sites urgently need to be protected and developed.
The younger generation in Hong Kong can begin by understanding their own living environment and understand the close connection with the Mainland.
To this end, he and his colleagues jointly proposed the idea of establishing three anti-Japanese cultural relic trails in Sha Tau Kok, Sai Kung and Lantau Island.
"The natural scenery of these routes is beautiful, and monuments are set up at key nodes to introduce them. They can integrate historical memories and natural protection, allowing people to look back at history during mountaineering." Liu Shuyong said that Hong Kong people like hiking. Receive a history education, the effect is better.
Having been associated with Hong Kong for 40 years, Hong Kong has become Liu Shu's never-ending concern.
Although he is in his prime, his schedule is always full.
"There is always a sense of mission and urgency, and I want to do more to repay the country and Hong Kong." Liu Shuyong said.
(Xinhua News Agency)