Wu Xun

Wu Xun

Wu Xun (1838-1896), male, originally unknown, was given the name "Xun" by the Qing government when he begged to start a school. His name was MENGZHENG, and he was named yixuezheng after his posthumous title. He was born in Wuzhuang, Tangyi County, Shandong Province.

Mr. Wu Xun is a pioneer of mass education in modern China. He is a well-known civilian educator and philanthropist at home and abroad. He has been begging for 38 years, built three schools of righteousness, and educated countless children of poor families. He is the only one who has been recorded as a beggar in the official history in Chinese history, and is known as the "strange beggar of all ages".

Life of the characters

Early experience

Wu Xun (1838-1896) was born on December 5, 1838 (October 19, the 18th year of Daoguang) in a poor peasant family in Wujiazhuang, Liulin Town, Tangyi County, Shandong Province. It was originally named Wuqi (because he ranked seventh in his family, so it was called "Wuqi"), also known as wudoumo. In order to reward him for his educational achievements, the Qing government changed his name to Wuxun with the meaning of "training in the world".

Wu Xun lost his father at the age of 7 and begged for a living.

After 14 years old, he left home many times to work as a domestic helper and was bullied many times. Even his employer lied that his three-year wages had been spent because he was illiterate. Wu Xun argued that he was falsely accused of "blackmail" and was beaten severely. He was so angry that he frothed in his mouth and didn't eat or speak. He fell ill for three days. After suffering from illiteracy, he decided to start school by begging and became a beggar at the age of 20.

At the age of 30, he bought more than 300 mu of land in Guantao, Tangyi and Linqing counties.

In 1888, he and Yang Shufang founded Chongxian Yishu in Liulin Town, the next year, he and monk Youzheng founded Yishu in yangerzhuang, Guantao. In 1896, he and Shi Shanzheng, the leader of the guild, founded Yishu in Linqing town.

The Qing court of Shandong Province granted it the title of "yixuezheng" and granted it a yellow mandarin jacket and a plaque of "benevolence and charity" to build a memorial archway.

Organizing and preparing

In the ninth year of Xianfeng (1859), Wuqi, 21, began to implement his "great" plan and went to various places to beg for money. His hair is dirty, his face is black, and his clothes are rotten. But he is very happy. As he walks, he sings his own ballad and goes around begging for help. Over the past few years, this miserable and happy beggar has traveled all over Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Jiangsu and other places.

Every time he gets better clothes and food, he tries to sell them for money. Like an ascetic monk, he only eats the worst food and sings: "if you eat sundries, you can make a meal and save money to build a righteous college." Sometimes, like a juggler, he performs such performances as stabbing the body with a cone, cutting the head with a knife, carrying a tripod, etc., and even eats caterpillars, snakes and scorpions, swallowing stones and debris for reward. He also cut off his braid and left only a small braid on his forehead. He dressed up as a clown in the play to get charity from others.

Wu Qi begged during the day and spun at night. He sang as he worked: "pick up the thread, wind the thread, and build a righteous College; wind the thread, and connect the thread, and build a righteous school." During the busy farming season, he often worked for the rich and made up various ballads to sing to the public. In addition, he became a matchmaker and a historian to receive gifts and money. After years of hard work, Wu Qi finally saved a considerable amount of money. As he had no fixed residence and no place to deposit his money, he planned to find a rich family to deposit it. He found out that there was a Yang Shufang in the county who was upright and had a good reputation. Wu Qi felt that this man was trustworthy, so he went to Yang's house to see him. Because he was a beggar, his master refused to see him. He knelt at the gate for two days, and finally moved Yang Juren. Wu Qi recounts the whole story of begging for money and developing Yixue. Yang Ju sighs. Yang Juren not only promised to help him save money, but also said he would help him run a school.

With the increase of money, Wu Qi began to buy land for learning. At the same time, he lends to others with three percent interest to get more funds. When he was 49 years old, Wuqi had set up 230 mu of farmland and accumulated more than 3800 yuan. At that time, it was a considerable amount of money, but he still did not give up his identity as a beggar to choose to enjoy. He continued to live in abject poverty. At this time, he felt that the time had come and decided to establish a righteous school. So he proposed to Yang Juren that there were three ways to be unfilial. Wu Qi should marry a wife and have children first. Wu Qi sang: "if you don't marry a wife, you won't have children. It's selfless to cultivate a righteous school."

To build a school of righteousness

In 1888, Wuqi spent more than 4000 yuan to build the first free school outside the east gate of Liulin town in Tangyi County, named Chongxian school. It took Wu Qi a whole 30 years to realize his ideal. In these 30 years, he suffered a lot, but he was always firmly moving towards his goal step by step. After the completion of the school, he went to the local learned Jinshi and their families to kneel down and ask them to teach, and went to the poor families to kneel down and ask them to send their children to school.

There were about 50 students enrolled in that year. According to the Convention, they were divided into Mengban and jingban. The tuition was free, and the funds were paid from Wuqi's school field. On the first day of school, Wu Qi worships the teacher first and the students second. This kind of ceremony lasts for many years. Every time he entertained the teacher, he invited the local gentry to accompany him, while he stood outside the door, waiting for him to kowtow and eat some leftovers.

At ordinary times, he often visited the private school. He knelt down to thank the diligent teachers, and knelt down to be alert to the lazy teachers. Once the teacher took a nap, and the students were fighting in the school. Wu Qi went straight to the teacher's room, knelt down and sang aloud: "Mr. sleep, the students are mischievous. I'll kneel down and beg. It's over.". The teacher was so ashamed that he didn't dare to be lazy any more. For those students who are fond of playing and don't study hard, he knelt down and sobbed: "if you don't study hard, you have no face to see your father and brother when you go home.". In this way, the teachers of the private school were very respectful to him, and the students did not dare to slack off at all. Everyone strictly abided by the school rules and made great efforts to make progress.

In 1890, Wuqi cooperated with the temple and founded the second Yixue in yangerzhuang, Guantao County. In the 22nd year of Guangxu (1896), Wu Qi saved money by begging and got the financial support from the officials and gentry of Linqing county. He set up the third school in Yushi lane of Linqing county with 3000 yuan. Wu Qi set up a school of righteousness wholeheartedly. In order to avoid the burden of his wife and family, he never married or set up a family. His elder brother, relatives and friends repeatedly asked for financial aid, but he refused. He sang: "regardless of the relatives, regardless of the reason, I have learned to repair several places."

Zhang Yao, the governor of Shandong Province, heard of Wu Qi's Yixing, so he summoned him and ordered him to be exempted from collecting money, grain and corvee from the Yixue field. He also donated 200 liang of silver and named Wu Qi as Wu Xun. At the same time, Emperor Guangxu was invited to present a plaque of "benevolence". Wuxun's extraordinary behavior caused a stir in the government and the public. The Qing Dynasty awarded the title of "yixuezheng" and the Yellow mandarin jacket. From then on, Wuxun became famous.

The death of a character

On April 23, 1896, Wu Xun died of illness in yushixiang Yishu. According to the records in the draft of the history of the Qing Dynasty, "when I heard the students chanting, I still opened my eyes and laughed.". In this way, Wu Xun left the world with a smile in the sound of reading books. He was 59 years old.

On the day of the funeral, all the officials and gentry of Tangyi, Guantao and Linqing took charge of the funeral and were buried in the east of Chongxian Yishu, Liulin Town, Tangyi county according to Wu Xun's will. More than ten thousand people from all counties attended the funeral automatically. There were a lot of people coming along the way. At one time, teachers and students were crying, and villagers were crying.

Chronology of deeds

The ninth year of Xianfeng (1859)

Wuxun, 21, began to beg for money. He used copper spoon, shoulder bag and ragged clothes to cover his body. He sang as he walked and begged everywhere. His footprints were all over Shandong, Hebei, Henan and Jiangsu. Sell the better food and clothing for money, and eat only coarse and moldy food, vegetable roots, sweet potato stalks, etc. while eating, sing: "eat sundries, can be a meal, save money to build a righteous college." While begging, he also picked up rags and tangled thread, singing: "pick up the thread, entangle the thread, and build a righteous College; entangle the thread, and connect the thread, and build a righteous school." He also often gives short-term work, and at any time to make up songs to sing to the host. When they push, grind, pull, and grind for others, they learn the animal's cry and sing, "don't use GRA, don't use cover, don't use dry soil to grind the road." In addition, he became a matchmaker and a postman to get a gift of thanks; he performed tripod erecting, wheel driving, scorpion climbing, horse riding, etc., and even ate snakes and scorpions, swallowed bricks and tiles to get money; he cut off his hair braid and left only a small braid on his forehead to exchange money and solicit alms.

The seventh year of tongzhi (1868)

Wu Xun sold off the 3 mu of land he got from the separation of his family, together with his begging savings over the years, totaling more than 210 yuan. He handed it over to someone to save for him, and then bought the land to collect rent. He sang: "I save money, I buy land, and I study for the poor."

The 12th year of Guangxu (1886)

Wu Xun has set up 230 mu of farmland and accumulated more than 3800 yuan, so he decided to establish a righteous school.

The 14th year of Guangxu (1888)

He spent more than 4000 yuan to build the first free school outside the east gate of Liulin Town, named Chongxian school. He knelt down in person to invite learned Jinshi and others to teach, and begged poor families to send their children to school. In that year, more than 50 students were enrolled. They were divided into Mengban and jingban. There was no tuition fee. The funds were spent from the school fields purchased by Wuxun. At the beginning of school, Wu Xun worships teachers first and students second. He invited the local gentlemen to accompany him. He stood outside the door, waiting to kowtow and eat some leftovers. At ordinary times, he often visited the private schools, kneeling to thank the teachers who were diligent in teaching; kneeling to be alert to the lazy teachers; kneeling to cry to the students who were fond of playing and didn't study hard: "reading is not good

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