Zhaihao Fun Talk·Chen Yutang

Zhaihao Fun Talk·Chen Yutang

Chen Yutang (1924~), whose courtesy name is Shushi and whose nickname is Zilangshanmin, was born in Nantong, Jiangsu Province. Scholar, collector. He has lived in Shanghai with his parents since he was a child. When he first joined the Shanghai Secondhand Bookstore, he was responsible for purchasing old books and periodicals, searching for the essence of ancient books and collecting unique copies in the country. In 1979, he was transferred to the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and transferred to the Institute of Literature. He has long been engaged in the collection and research of biographical materials, aliases and pen names of modern and contemporary Chinese figures, and is known as the "pen name king". He is an associate researcher at the Institute of Literature of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and a member of the Jiusan Society. He is the author of "Dictionary of Names of Modern Chinese Figures" and "Illustration of Baiyu Zhai", etc.

The main study numbers are: Baiyu Zhai, Qianqiu Wanli Room, Chen Yutang, etc. Bai Menzhai

According to Chen Yutang's "Zang Men Xiaozhi": In the past, the old man Baishi called himself the "Three Hundred Stones Rich Man" by accumulating stones. After decades of cold and heat, I had more than three hundred pots in my possession. I jokingly said to my friends: I can be called "three hundred pots and well-off", so I named him "one hundred pots". The so-called bowl refers to the water bowl that is essential in the study room; only when the bowl is filled with water can the ink be dyed and the brush pen wetted. The water bowls collected by Chen Yutang can be divided into three categories: bowl, wash bowl and drip bowl. Divided by texture, there are ceramics, purple sand, crystal, glass, jade, mahogany, lacquerware and natural ores. In terms of size, the big one can accommodate a baby to bathe, while the small one can only accommodate crickets to drink. They are colorful and gorgeous, and are displayed in six large cabinets.

Bai Men Zhai is a famous family museum in Shanghai. It is not only the place where the owner of the house kept his men's pots, but also the place where he wrote books and stories. He specializes in modern biographies, pen names, aliases and bibliography at the Academy of Social Sciences. For more than 40 years, he has adopted the rigorous scholarly attitude of "a drop of water forms a canal, and a accumulation of water forms an abyss", carefully reading tens of thousands of books, newspapers and magazines, and studying the names, aliases, room names, pen names, nicknames, and even allusive names of people from all walks of life in modern times. etc., collected them one by one, conducted textual research and research, and made them into cards respectively. It turns out that Chen Yutang likes to store bowls. He not only plays with them, but also aims to inspire himself with the spirit of "storing bowls with dripping water". He immersed himself in the water bowls, collected them carefully, studied seriously, and worked tirelessly day and night. Whenever he felt tired at his desk, he would look around or rub the water bowls on display, and suddenly his fatigue would disappear and his ambition would double. The "Room of Ten Thousand Miles"

The "Room of Ten Thousand Miles" comes from Chen Yutang's hobby of collecting water bowls and collecting pen names. After a lifetime of hard work, he has collected nearly a thousand water bottles. From before the First Emperor to after the Republic of China, it existed in all dynasties, so it was called "Qianqiu"; he has compiled more than 30 information cards on the names of modern and contemporary figures (including names, pen names, names, nicknames, allusions, etc.) Thousands of figures, these characters spread all over the land of China, spanning "thousands of miles", so they are called "Thousands of Miles Room".

A plaque inscribed by the famous calligrapher Zhao Lengyue hangs on the indoor wall. On both sides of the plaque, there is a couplet written by him: "A square inch can span thousands of years, and a small house can span thousands of miles." There is a mahogany desk under the window, and many reference books are neatly placed on the desk. A spider plant hangs on the window sill facing the street, which is so green that it embellishes the study with vitality. In Qianqiu Wanli Room, he has successively compiled "A List of Some Figures During the Revolution of 1911", "A List of Figures in the History of the Communist Party", "A Dictionary of Names of Modern Chinese Figures", etc. In addition, he also authored "Bibliographic Summary of Chinese Literary History" and participated in the compilation of "Dictionary of Song Ci". Chen Yutang

Chen Yutang is his name, but it is also his nickname. According to what Chen Yutang told the author: Chen means display; Jade means the homophony of Yu; Tang means the residence of halls and buildings. Isn’t it just a natural nickname? He really had a “natural destiny” with Yu, so he often wrote the word “Yuan Yuan” as a gift of friendship.

A corner of Bai Menzhai

Chen Yutang in Bai Menzhai

Bai Menzhai

Chen Yutang

Self-titled by Bai Menzhai

Self-titled by Qianqiu Wanli Room

Self-titled by Chen Yutang