About the Author Zhu Dongrun (1896｜1988), born in Taixing, Jiangsu, is an expert in ancient Chinese literature and various genres of literature.In 1916, he graduated from Southwest College in London, England.From August 1918 to April 1929, he served as an English teacher in Tongzhou Normal School and Nantong Middle School.After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as the director of the Chinese Department of Fudan University and the honorary president of the National Writing Society. He was one of the first batch of doctoral supervisors in Fudan University.For the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, he offered courses such as History of Chinese Literary Criticism, Studies on Lu You, Studies on Mei Yaochen, and Chinese Literature, and trained dozens of master's and doctoral students.His research fields involve ancient Chinese literature and ancient Chinese history, especially in the creation of biographies of historical figures.Good at combining ancient Chinese literature with Chinese history, paying attention to the collection of historical materials and the analysis of historical facts. He is the author of "The Great Biography of Zhang Juzheng", "Du Fu Narrative", "Outline of the History of Chinese Literary Criticism", "Lu You Biography" , "Yuan Haowen Biography" and other biographical works, and his "Outline of the History of Chinese Literary Criticism" is one of the earliest literary criticism works in my country.He is also a calligrapher, good at seal script, official script, line and cursive script.

Zhu Dongrun is proud This article is excerpted from Issue 2010005 of "China Youth", author: Anonymous Zhu Dongrun often said: People can't have arrogance, but they can't be without arrogance.Those who know him well know that he is not just talking.In the early days of the Cultural Revolution, Zhu Dongrun was among the first batch of bourgeois reactionary academic authorities to be denounced at Fudan University, but his answer was: As for me, authority is barely one, but for reactionaries, not necessarily.As the criticism gradually escalated, the torture Zhu Dongrun suffered became more severe.Once, a rebel leader led several Red Guards to arrest Zhu Dongrun and beheaded him for public display. They found a Japanese saber, pressed his head against his shoulders, and pulled his neck with the saber as a saw.Fortunately, the sword had been worn for a long time, so the head did not fall off.They also asked viciously: What are you?They thought that Zhu Dongrun would beg for mercy this time, admitting that he was a reactionary.Unexpectedly, Zhu Dongrun raised his head proudly and said: I am the head of the Chinese Department!Zhu Dongrun was so steadfast and unyielding that some of the critics shouted at Zhu Dongrun's arrogance.

Zhu Dongrun is proud, confident and conceited, and he is well-known in Fudan.Chen Sihe, a professor of the Chinese Department of Fudan University, once relayed a story about Mr. Zhu Dongrun. He said that Mr. Zhu once gave an academic report on biographical literature. He believed that there are only three biographical works in the world that are worth reading. Paul's "Jason Biography", one is French Roman.Roland's "Biography of Beethoven" and his own "Biography of Zhang Juzheng". Zhu Dongrun has every reason to be so conceited, because he is recognized as the pioneer of modern biographical literature in our country.He listed his "The Great Biography of Zhang Juzheng" as one of the three best biographies in the world, and the world praised "The Great Biography of Zhang Juzheng" as one of the four major biographies of the 20th century.In addition to "The Great Biography of Zhang Juzheng", Zhu Dongrun also wrote "Chen Zilong and His Era", "Du Fu's Narrative", "Lu You Biography", "Mei Yaochen Biography", "Li Fangzhou Biography", "Yuan Hao Wen". "Biography" and so on.

When Zhu Dongrun created the writing style of modern biographical literature, he once emphasized that besides literariness, the most important thing in biographical literature is truth.He said: biographical literature is literature, but also history.Because biographical literature is history, in terms of records, we should pursue the truth, which is completely different from the novelist's style of constructing out of thin air.This principle has been resolutely implemented in his first biography "The Great Biography of Zhang Juzheng". All the facts have been verified in a very detailed way, so that they are credible and well-documented.

At the age of seventy-two, Zhu Dongrun completely violated the standards of biographical literature he had set, and he even dedicated a masterpiece to a fictional ordinary woman named Li Fangzhou.Critics aren't blaming him for it, though.Because this is a work dedicated to his beloved wife.When Zhu Dongrun was regarded as a reactionary academic authority, his wife, Ms. Zou Lianfang, committed suicide due to the double torture of mental illness and illness.Zhu Dongrun entrusted Li Fangzhou with his longing for this gentle, virtuous, strong and decisive housewife who dedicated her life to her husband and children.He wrote in the preface of "The Biography of Li Fangzhou": This book was written amidst turbulent waves, but my state of mind is calm, because I believe that no matter what happens to human beings, they will always find a way forward.

Moving forward, the road is tortuous, and the light is still ahead.Zhu Dongrun is convinced of this.The book "The Great Biography of Zhang Juzheng", which he completed during the difficult period of the Anti-Japanese War, finally wrote: The whole of China is not a matter of one family and one surname.When anyone goes back to his ancestry, he finds many remarkable facts; some more prominent, some less so.But when we think of our ancestors who fought for freedom, worked hard for development, and even shed blood for survival, we certainly see infinite glory for the past, and we must have greater expectations for the future.Go forward, sons and daughters of every Chinese nation!

After the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China, the Anti-Japanese War, the Liberation, and the Cultural Revolution, Zhu Dongrun has always yearned for the bright and persistent progress.In 1979, Zhu Dongrun, who had reached an octogenarian age, chose to join the Communist Party of China, and he managed to move forward forever.When criticizing Zhou Yang in the 1980s, newspaper reporters asked him about his evaluation of Zhou Yang and his views on alienation. Zhu Dongrun’s answer was always the same: I am ninety years old now, and I believe that only the Communist Party can save China.

Zhu Dongrun once hoped that people could say that Zhu Dongrun, a Chinese biographer, was dead after his death, and that was enough.However, after his death, the world's evaluation of him is: Zhu Dongrun is a famous educator, biographer, literary historian and calligrapher in our country.