The assessment of professional titles had been brought onto the orbit of the government work and every March, those who wanted to apply for a higher rank began to prepare for materials, including filling in an application form, collecting and neatening all the articles and books published until to the end of the last year, and selecting articles you considered of great value to submit to be appraised by an expert in the same profession. The assessment of the lecturer was done within the school, the material for the associate professor was first sent to the city judges and that for the professor was directly sent to the provincial judges.
Before 2000, there were very few professors in Pengda. In 1997, one was approved, and 1998 a senior engineer was raised to the position equal to the professor and in 1999, another professor and a senior engineer equal to a professor were approved. There were three associate professors who applied for the title of professor, one succeeding and two being rejected. In the spring of 2000, when I began to neaten my material I was not at ease. Compared with the standard condition of a professor, I had the idea that my works were not qualified enough. I had composed three English-Chinese dictionaries for students, which I was wondering could be counted as works. One term of the standard conditions said that teaching courses used by the whole nation could be considered as works. I was still wondering whether my “Computer English Course” could be a course used by the whole nation. The course which was used by the whole nation should be authorized and there should be characters printed on the book cover.
At the beginning of 2000, my book “Finance and Business English Course” came upon considerable difficulty being published (Section 42 will deal with it uniquely). I would wait until her appearance to add to insurance. However, I was sure that the book could not be released until the end of 2001. Only in 2002 could I apply. I couldn’t wait any longer and decided to apply for the appraisal in 2000.
Three theses (including works) should be selected for experts in the same profession to justify, which would be sent by the Department of Personnel (DP). My materials were sent to CUMT (China University of Mining and Technology), NJU (Nanjing University) and XZNU (Xuzhou Normal University). It was not long before I got to know the evaluation by a professor of CUMT. He had denied one of my theses. The director of the DP, Mr. Zhu asked me whether I had asked an acquaintance to notify the professor. I had not asked any acquaintance to help me when I applied for high-rank teacher in the middle school and was shifted to the position of the associate professor. Mr. Zhu told me that I must find acquaintance to notify the professor that your material was sent to. Once the theses were denied, all the materials could not be submitted. After two days, the justification of my theses from NJU also came and it was still bad news. It was natural that the professor from such a famous university looked down upon me coming from such a low-level vocational university. He didn’t justify my theses, but wrote about the time when they were published. He wrote: “the paper was appeared in 1993, and I am sure that there is no better achievement in later 7 years. How such a writer can be promoted to the position of the professor?” He seemed to be the head of the examination and appraisal group (EAG), grasping the power to decide to let a person survive or not. It seemed to me that I must find acquaintances to help me; otherwise I cannot climb over the obstacle. The evaluation by the XZNU had not come and we could ask one of our old friends, Taihong Zhang, to notify the English professor in the XZNU of my theses. Taihong Zhang used to study in Xuzhou First Middle School in the same class with Meilan Zhang and he held the position of the chief librarian of XZNU. After days, the evaluation of my theses from XZNU came and Mr. Zhu told me that it was objective and did not have any problem. He once again asked me to find acquaintances, and the Department of the Personnel could send my material to the colleges or universities I pointed to.
CUMT and NJU could not be the destination any more. Meilan Zhang thought of Bugao Wang, who used to be one of our classmates in NJU and now is a professor in Southeast University (SEU) in Nanjing, holding the position of the vice dean of School of Humanities. We had no close relationship between us but Meilan Zhang said that in 1995, when she attended the 95th birthday party of Professor Weilian Zhang, our German teacher, she found Bugao Wang very friendly to all the old classmates and believed he would try his best to help us. Accordingly, I went to Nanjing in particular and paid a visit to Bugao Wang, telling him about it. The Wang’s were very kind to me and Wang told me that there were three English professors in SEU. Once my materials came he would notify them one by one that it was my classmate’s theses and hoped them to carry out an objective evaluation.
Returning to Pengda, I told Mr. Zhu to send my material to SEU, who thought for a while and asked me to send my theses there myself, indicating that he was supporting it with all his strength. He enjoined me from telling anyone. I took the letter of introduction written and sealed by the DP (my name became Li Zhang, which occurred to me all of a sudden), and came to the DP of SEU. I submitted my theses and the reception person asked me to come the next afternoon to take them back. I went to the rest house in NJU, which I was familiar with and called Bugao Wang, telling him that my material had got to DP of SEU. Wang promised me to call the three professors one by one. Later in the evening before I went to sleep, my phone rang and Wang told me that he had contacted two of the three and it was too late so he intended to phone the third one the next morning. I appreciated Wang’s help and felt the importance of the human relationship and feelings. The next morning, Wang called me that the third person had also been telephoned, setting my heart at ease completely.
On the morning of that day, I went to see Mr. Zhizhong Yang, whose home was in Ertiao Lane close to Gulou. Professor Yang was the head of the Department of Foreign Language Studies, who had majored in English and worked at the Alma Master after graduationin 1964. During the Cultural Revolution in 1970 there were only students of two grades of grade 1964 and 1965 left so that we were familiar with each other even we were not in the same specialty and even he was the teacher of English and I was a student of German. When we entered 2000, as NJU had acquired the high prestige, Mr. Yang’s position in the college English domain had been raised to the top, who was the president of the College English Teaching Research Association Committee and the director of the National College Band 4 and 6 Examination Committee. He was the group leader of the Foreign Language of the EAG of the provincial high professional title. About in 1995 I saw Mr. Renfu Ni, who used to be my German teacher and also began to work in 1964 as Zhizhong Yang. I asked him to introduce me to Mr. Yang. When we saw each other in Yang’s home we looked familiar with each other although it was about 25 years since I left NJU. Later Yang came to CUMT to give a lecture, I reported the news to the president of Pengda, Mr. Hengjin Jiang, who was very happy and decide to invite the nation-famous English professor to visit Pengda. President Jiang held a dinner to entertain Yang, which made it much less abrupt for me to ask Yang help me with the appraisal of my qualification of the professorship. I got to the home of Yang and the receptionist was an old woman, who told me that Yang was busy writing something in an another place. I had to phone Yang in his home, telling him why I wanted to see him. I had talked with him about my intention to apply for the professorship and he said that several of my teachers in NJU had not obtained the title, suggesting that as an English teacher who used to major in German and worked in such a small school as Pengda, I had few chances to be promoted to the position of professor. On the telephone I said to him that I was not confident of the qualification but Pengda was applying for a qualification of an undergraduate college and the president encouraged me to do it because Pengda needed professors urgently in order to be approved to become an undergraduate college. Yang was sorry to say on the phone that he was busy writing an important article and had no time to see me.
That afternoon I got to the DP of SEU by appointment and took the material. In the bus to the railway station I opened and read the remarks by two professors, which were very satisfying, affirming the depth of my theses.
What else could I do to ensure the approval of the professorship? Wife and I were thinking and thinking. We reread the materials approving of Meilan Zhang being promoted to the title of an associate professor, discovering the signatures of the panel leaders of the Foreign Language of the EAP of the provincial high professional title were Zhizhong Yang and Xiaoxiang Li. Li was the professor of SEU and had written the remark on my article. It occurred to me suddenly that Mr. Li made a speech at the teaching and research meeting in Beijing I attended a year or so ago. His identity was the dean of the Department of Foreign Languages of SEU and the content of his speech was about how to mobilize all the active factors to take part in the college English teaching. During the buffet I sat with him at the same table and told him that I came from Xuzhou and my son had graduated from SEU. I estimated that I had not made a deep impression on him but when we saw again he was sure to be able to remember me. How could I contact him? I wrote a letter, containing the four points: First telling him that Bugao Wang used to be my classmates; second, his speech at the meeting in Beijing impressed me favorably; third, I appreciate his remark on my article and fourth ask him to continue to help me with the review of my professorship. In order to remind him of me, I enclosed a photo of me, whose size was 2 inches.
I talked with my wife again and again and thought that I should go to Nanjing to meet him. I didn’t know other members of the EAP and could not find anyone to help me. We estimated that the evaluation time was soon coming. It was better earlier than later so I decided to go to Nanjing once more.
There was a young American teacher called Stephen, who received a video recorder her parents had sent to her. The customs in Nanjing asked her to pay customs duty. I helped her to get a certificate from Xuzhou Customs, saying that the video recorder was an old one and she would use it herself. So I went to Nanjing, showing the customs officer in Nanjing the certificate and getting the customs duty back, and by the way I could pay a visit to Mr. Xiaoxiang Li. Something unexpected was waiting for me without any sign.
I got up a train which moved from north to south and went by Xuzhou, which was very crowded. I went to a desk and try to buy a berth ticket. I squeezed in and got one ticket. When I lay on the berth I discovered that money in the inner pocket of my jacket was lost and I had only the change in my hand after buying the berth ticket. What could I do when I got to Nanjing? I prayed in my heart that I could get the customs’ duty back when I got off the train. I needed money to buy bus ticket, to have a supper, to spend the night in the hotel, to have breakfast, to ride in the bus and to buy the train ticket to return Xuzhou. When the train arrived at Nanjing Station I got off quickly and went directly to the customs, which was closed. I had only 20 yuan plus and I first rode a bus to SEU. I told the receptionist in the SEU Guest House what had happened to me and asked her to let me stay one night at the cost of 15 yuan so that I could have a simple breakfast and get to the railway station. The receptionist girl said that she could not decide, asked me to wait until late in the evening and promised to ask her boss for the approval. I inquired which apartment Mr. Li was living. It was very lucky that his apartment was close to the guest house, so I went there, found his room and knocked, finding nobody in. There was no light in his room until very late in the evening. The receptionist girl agreed that I spent 15yuan staying in the guest house one night and I went to sleep. The next morning, I was ashamed of knocking Li’s door too early. I waited and waited until I lost patience and knocked his door slightly. There was no response and I went downstairs. In fact, Mr. Li heard my knocks, opened the door and found no body. He opened the window, looked down, saw me and asked me to come to his room. I talked with him in his sitting room for about 20 minutes and made him know something more about me.
The purpose accomplished and my heart became at ease. One cake and one bus ticket cost me all money I had. I arrived at the customs office close to the railway station, got the refund and bought the train ticket, returning to Xuzhou and experiencing hair-raising adventure. The pick-pocket made me like a drowned mouse, which had impressed upon me deeply. I had fully understood the truth of the saying “Anything you can lose but money.”
I stopped to do my routine work and did not think of anything about the professorship. “Man proposes, God disposes.” I got ready to accept the result to come, whether it was a success or a failure. I would not repent or regret, waiting for the outcome patiently.
Time flying fast, we came to May of 2000. One day after supper, we came when we finished walking around the playground, meeting with Shuo Wu, our upstairs neighbor, vice president of Pengda, who told us, a cloud passing over his face, that my qualification for the professor has been acquired and his had been denied again (he first applied for it in 1999). Meilan Zhang didn’t dare to believe the news and we didn’t know how to confirm it, because it was late in the evening. Both of us pretended to sleep, and in fact we could not fall asleep at all the whole night. Early in the morning we got up and asked Mr. Zhu, the director of the DP about it. Zhu said that he also had heard about it but could not confirm it. What could we do? We were anxious to get to know it but had no choice but to pretend to be calm until the evening. I phoned Professor Xiaoxiang Li directly, to confirm whether it was true or false. Li said, “All the members of the EAP had the same opinion that it was not easy for you to persist in reading classical books in the countryside and appreciated your strong will. All of us passed your qualification for the professor. As long as all members have the same opinion, the general EAP didn’t discuss it any longer and it can say that you’ve win a success. Congratulations!” The good news was finally confirmed and our minds were completely relaxed. Lying on the bed, both of us talked and talked until we got very tired and we finally fell asleep.
It was the moment in my life that would be remembered forever, just like that when I got the news that I was admitted by NJU 36 years ago, because I cared for it too much. Experiencing the Cultural Revolution, I lost interest in politics completely. After graduation I put my heart into learning and had been studious of reading, teaching and writing. The success came after I had worked hard for 30 years plus the final mobilization of all my relative relationship. The professorship was a signal that I had climbed on a level I had been longing for. In the early years I had a dream of becoming a large and tall tree which should flourish like a huge umbrella. By absorbing nutrition from the deep land for 30 years, the tree had taken shape. In order that I could read and write heart and soul I got rid of all the interference to such a degree that I neglected normal emotion. The warm face of some of my bosses touched the cold buttock of mine, which was unreasonable. In Zhengji Middle School when I officially submitted my written application for our transfer to Baotian Li, Party secretary, he said from his heart that the leaders wanted to promote me but discovered that sometimes it was not convenient to make use of me. It was true that I lost interest in position seeking. The officer position seemed bright and glorious for a while but would lose its brightness and glory in the near future. I was tired of bureaucratic business. Some of the leaders disgusted me and what they said was “why so proud”, treating me unfairly. I’m here begging them for forgiving me. Everyone has his or her ambition. If it had been convenient for me to be used by all my bosses and if I had not resisted any temptation of any officer position, I would have lost my mainstay and my future looked like that of most common teachers with an officer position tinier than a grain of the sesame, which would mean inferiority and failure for me.
Certificate of Qualification for Professorship
Acquiring the qualification for the professor was to some extent attributed to the destiny. Confucius said that when you reached the age of fifty, you come to know the destiny. What is meant by the destiny is that the environment and exterior condition play an essential role in the process of your movement to your destination. First, the nation’s appraisal of the professional title was moving on a normal orbit. After working for years, the appraisal work had become standardized and systematic although there existed a lot of problems. Second, Pengda was applying for the qualification of an undergraduate college, which needed professors urgently, the more the better. The head supported associate professors who had some hope of being promoted to professors to apply and the process became flexible.
New Tang Dynasty book---Zhang Tinggui said: “Disasters rejuvenate a country, and worries produce sages. Danger promotes strong will and bitter feeling makes one think deeply so as to turn bad luck into a blessing.” Recall: I left NJU, labored in the countryside, taught in the middle school, taught myself English, and read a huge original English works, always worried and apprehensive, losing myself in a reverie, misery hidden in my heart. All those pains made me be down-to-earth, with firm resolve to succeed, and finally turned disaster into happiness.
Thanks should be expressed to my wife Meilan Zhang. Since 30 years ago, she had supported me to read every day, doing most of the housework; she had shared my joys and sorrows, my success being hers and encouraging me when I met setbacks. We had helped each other when both of us were in humble circumstances; we had showed respect and been loyal to each other; we had had no secret in each heart and privacy had not existed between us. We had never been annoyed by the wife-husband relationship, which made me always have peace in my heart. The calm was of substantial benefit to my reading and writing.
April 16 of 2011, in Xuzhou
Proofreading on March 16 of 2012 in Chicago
Uploading on Aug. 7 of 2023 in Xuzhou
