Xu Shuofang (1923-2007)，my country’s famous expert on ancient literature，An important pioneer in the study of ancient opera novels and Ming Dynasty literature。He is the author of "Miscellaneous Notes on Operas", "Chronology of Tang Xianzu", "On Tang Xianzu and Others", "Critical Biography of Tang Xianzu", "History of Han Dynasty", "On<Jin Ping Mei's Books and Others", "Yuan Opera Selector Zang Maoxun", "Chronology of Late Ming Opera Operators", "Novel Test Letters", "Xu Shuofang's Theory of Opera", "Literary History bet365 sports Ming Dynasty", etc.，Compiled with "The Peony Pavilion Collector's Notes", "The Changsheng Palace Collector's Notes", "The Complete Works of Tang Xianzu" and "The Collection of Shen Jing"，Compiled and selected "Collected Essays on "Jin Ping Mei"" and "Collected Western Essays on "Jin Ping Mei""，There is also a poetry collection "Times Like Water"、Prose collection "Travel in America and Europe" etc.。Most bet365 sports above-mentioned works have been included in "Xu Shuo Fang Ji" (five volumes) published by Zhejiang Ancient Books Publishing House in 1993。

Mr. Xu Shuofang was born on December 10, 1923，This year marks the centenary of his birth。The best way to commemorate a scholar is to learn from his academic research results，Discuss his academic research methods，For future generations to learn from，Enable his lifelong academic career to be passed on。I am the first doctoral student recruited by Mr. Xu，Worked with him for more than ten years after graduation，I have written several short articles before，Or introduce Mr. Xu’s academic research experience and achievements，Or recall every little moment of being taught and cared about by your husband。This article mainly talks about my understanding bet365 sports characteristics of Mr. Xu Shuofang’s academic research，To express my memory for Mr.。

　　Attach importance to the comparison of Chinese and foreign bet365 sports and pay attention to the integration of ancient and modern bet365 sports

Mr. Xu Shuofang was admitted to the Chinese Department of Teachers College, Longquan Branch, Zhejiang University in 1943，Transferred to the English Department after one year，Graduation thesis written in English titled "Subjectivity and Objectivity in Poetry"，Starting from the long poem "The Ring and the Book" by the British poet Browning，Considers that his dramatic poems are "objective poems"，Similar to the "state of selflessness" mentioned by Wang Guowei in "Human Words"。Experience of studying in the English Department，He not only became proficient in English，Provides convenience for using foreign language materials in future research and communicating with foreign scholars，And have a systematic understanding bet365 sports works of European literature writers，Provides a frame of reference for later research on ancient Chinese literature，This became an advantage in his academic research。

He wrote in 1962、"Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare" published in 1978，It is an important paper in the field of comparative literature research。Due to the author’s interest in Shakespeare’s life、Have a comprehensive and detailed understanding of works, etc.，So this article is not as rigid as some bet365 sports later treatises when comparative literature research became popular，Rather, it makes a specific and in-depth comparison bet365 sports social and historical environment and cultural background of two Chinese and Western drama masters, Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare, who both died in 1616，Reveals the reasons for the formation of their different ideas and their important significance in the history bet365 sports development of Chinese and Western cultures。Mr. Xu proposed，Tang Xianzu wrote in classical Chinese，For intellectuals with high literary accomplishment；Shakespeare wrote in the popular language bet365 sports time，For the market and the public。It’s not like they died in the same year，can be regarded as a contemporary。Mr. Xu also noticed that in the 20th year of Wanli (1592), Tang Xianzu was demoted on his way to Xu Wendianshi，Passing through Zhaoqing，Meeted the Roman Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci，Written "Duanzhou meets the Western Region, two lives broke the Buddha and established righteousness, two poems"，It expresses that Tang Xianzu, as the best intellectual in China at that time, had such a vague and outdated understanding bet365 sports Western world，Thinking-provoking。

When commenting on the creative style of "Jin Ping Mei"，In response to the view that many commentators classify as naturalism，bet365 sports. Xu elaborated on the development process and basic characteristics of naturalism in the history of European literature represented by Zola，Point out that "Jin Ping Mei" is filled with a lot of exaggeration and distortion、Sensual sexual descriptions，Has little in common with naturalism, which pursues authenticity of detail。

　　Based on literature, historical bet365 sports and artistic analysis complement each other

Mr. Xu Shuofang engages in ancient literature research out of his love for literature and art，But since entering the field of academic research，Strictly follow the laws of scientific research，Everything is based on literature，Do not replace historical facts and logic with subjective preferences and imagination。His "Chronology of Tang Xianzu" and even the entire "Chronology bet365 sports Qu Jia bet365 sports Late Ming Dynasty", "The Complete Works of Tang Xianzu", "Historical Review of Han Dynasty", "An Examination of Novels", etc.，All belong to literature research works，Constitutes the main part of his academic achievements。They not only laid a solid historical basis for his related research，It also provides convenience for further research in the academic community。

1962，Mr. Xu is still a lecturer in the Chinese Department bet365 sports university who has just entered his forties，Suddenly received a letter from Beijing People’s Literature Publishing House，Ask him to write "History of Literature bet365 sports Ming Dynasty"。Mr. Xu calmed down immediately after being "excited"，Believes that "writing literary history should read and study all the works of all writers in the period being compiled。The editor has the right to decide who should not be included in literary history，But be sure to read his works carefully beforehand。Inappropriate comments are inevitable，But it must be your own opinion”。He proposed，“All Chinese literary histories or chronological literary histories written by famous writers have a common problem: the writer did not read through all the works he discussed before writing，Otherwise under the editor’s reputation，Some mistakes are impossible”。Based on this “lesson learned from the past”，Mr. Xu truthfully proposed，He could not find all the materials needed to compile the book in Hangzhou where he was located。The publisher is very enthusiastic，Borrow various rare poetry and poetry collections from libraries，Send to Mr. Xu by registered mail。Mr. Xu reads “day and night”，Compile and compare various information，After a period of time, I feel "hairy and confused"，Suffering from high blood pressure，And suspected of coronary heart disease。Later，Mr. Xu handed over 18 pieces of material about 50,000 words from Gao Qi to the First Seven Sons to the relevant personnel bet365 sports Institute of Literature bet365 sports Chinese Academy of Social Sciences，Because they are writing a multi-volume "History of Chinese Literature"。Until nearly eighty years old，Mr. Xu feels that time is running out，This is the fourth time I have written "History of Ming Dynasty Literature"。

As mentioned above，Mr. Xu Shuofang emphasized that data collection and research are very important，But this is not all research work，It is basically for research work。The main tasks of literary research，Still discover the inner connotation and artistic skills of literary works，For contemporary people to appreciate and learn from。Mr. Xu is particularly good at literature review and text reading，On the characters in literary works、Pertinent analysis bet365 sports subtleties of psychological emotions and artistic expression。The analysis is lively，Different from boring concept，Also includes the history of literature、In-depth thinking on the history of thought，Can guide readers to fully appreciate the artistic beauty of literary classics，Brings profound enlightenment to readers。

　　Combining case-based empirical bet365 sports with macro-theoretical generalization

Mr. Xu Shuofang made a detailed investigation bet365 sports life and creation of dozens of late Ming opera dramatists including Tang Xianzu，Have made in-depth discussions on the writing process and ideological connotation of many important works of ancient Chinese opera novels，On the history of ancient Chinese novels、History of Opera、Specialized research on various important aspects bet365 sports literary history bet365 sports Ming Dynasty，Proposed a series of important insights。

As the oldest mature opera style in China, "Southern Opera"，Long thought to have originated in Wenzhou。There are records of "Wenzhou Opera" and "Yongjia Zaju" in some documents。Mr. Xu’s "Discussing the Creation and Writing of Southern Opera from Early Biography" and its sequel "The Artistic Characteristics of Southern Opera and Its Popular Areas" believe that，No literature has been found so far that mentions Wenzhou having a specific vocal tone，There is no convincing evidence that Nan Opera originated in Wenzhou；Southern Opera emerged in the vast southeastern folk areas including Wenzhou，Wenzhou is just one bet365 sports earliest areas where Southern Opera became popular。

About the time bet365 sports rise of Zaju，Wang Guowei's "A Study of Song and Yuan Operas" divides the development of Yuan dramas into three phases，And think most、Pingyang and Hangzhou are the central areas in the three development stages respectively，This view has long been regarded as the final conclusion。Mr. Xu's "Re-understanding of Jin and Yuan Zaju" and other articles examine the existing drama scripts and repertoire where the stories took place、Place names appearing、Official name and historical facts、Start with Wang Shifu’s life and the creation years of “The Romance bet365 sports West Chamber” and “Lichuntang”，Demonstrates that there are 21 kinds of drama works with the Jin Dynasty as the background or bearing the imprint bet365 sports Jin Dynasty life，There are 38 kinds of drama works (at least one of them) with Kaifeng as the background，Wang Shifu should be from the Jin Dynasty，"The Romance bet365 sports West Chamber" and "Lichuntang" were both written in the Jin Dynasty。Therefore，As one bet365 sports most important forms of drama in ancient China, "Zaju" should have originated in the Jin (Song) Dynasty，Kaifeng is also one bet365 sports centers in the development of Zaju，"Yuan Zaju" should be renamed as "Jin (Song) Yuan Zaju"。

About the boundary between "Southern Opera" and "Legend"，Mr.'s "On "Pipa Story"" and other articles believe that the fundamental difference between "Southern Opera" and "Legend" is that the former is a cumulative collective creation from generation to generation，The latter is the creation or adaptation of literati，Other different attributes of both are derived from this。The "Pipa Chronicles" adapted by Gao Ming in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties has become a "legend"，The operas "Liu Xibi's Golden Hairpin" and "Cai Bojie" unearthed in Chaozhou, Guangdong in 1975 from the Xuande period bet365 sports Ming Dynasty still belong to "Southern Opera"。

About the situation of Southern Opera and Zaju in the Ming Dynasty，Proposed by Mr.，What people usually call "Southern Opera bet365 sports Song and Yuan Dynasties" is actually not limited to the Song and Yuan Dynasties，Folk Southern Opera did not decline throughout the Ming Dynasty，Creation and performance continue on the same scale，Only due to the rise of literary legend，It has lost its former monopoly position and people mistakenly think that it has declined。The creation and performance of Zaju in the Ming Dynasty were not as neglected as people imagined。If the fragmentary records scattered in the voluminous collection of Ming Dynasty poems and essays cannot leave a deep impression，Then the frequent opera performances described or mentioned in the novel "Jin Ping Mei" in the middle and late Ming Dynasty are enough to wake people up，They are all Zaju and Southern Opera，Even ancient drama，Not a word mentioning Kunqiang。Even if Suzhou actors are mentioned occasionally，They are also "children of Haiyan"。

Based on a large amount of literature, Mr. Xu proposed that Kunshan opera stands out from Southern opera，Rising to the top national drama，Much later than hitherto thought。Meanwhile，Even in the last years of Wanli，Haiyan cavity、Yiyang tune and so on are not only not extinct everywhere，Even in Suzhou, the birthplace of Kunshan dialect，They can sometimes compete with Kunshan accent。The situation in which they coexist and prosper in competition may last for one or two hundred years。The same opera can be performed by Kunshan accent，Can also be performed by other dramas，At most, through simple adaptive additions, deletions and adaptations。Related to this is the so-called "Tang Shen dispute"。After conducting a detailed investigation bet365 sports people and events involved, Mr. Tang pointed out that Tang and Shen had never had a direct confrontation，Opinions were conveyed through common friends Sun Rufa and Lu Yinchang。The "Tang-Shenyang Controversy" is the friction caused by the different understandings of dramatists during the development process of Nan Opera from multiple voices in parallel to Kun Opera becoming the most outstanding one，There is some inevitability in its appearance in the history of late Ming opera。

Mr. Xu’s "Chronology of Opera Artists in the Late Ming Dynasty" outlines the life experiences of 39 opera artists，Constructed an important basic project for the study of ancient Chinese literature。When he basically completed the examination bet365 sports life stories of each opera artist，A comprehensive picture、Stereo、The dynamic picture of late Ming opera is clearly displayed in front of our eyes: late Ming opera actors based on Suzhou、Zhejiang has the most people，Anhui、Gan followed by，Obviously forming several communities。This phenomenon accurately reflects the Southern Opera at that time、The geographical distribution of legendary popular areas and songwriters。

About the author and creation time of "Jin Ping Mei"。People have always believed that "Jin Ping Mei" is China's first full-length novel created by an individual writer，Spend a lot of energy to explore the author。Mr. Xu believes after long-term research，The title bet365 sports first edition of "Jin Ping Mei" is "Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua"，The so-called words are also called scripts，It includes speaking and singing，This shows that "Jin Ping Mei" has also gone through a long-term process of spreading among the people in the form of words (scripts)，It is likely to be an independent branch bet365 sports art of speaking about the story of "Water Margin" in the long-term spread。He thinks，"Jin Ping Mei" is also a collective creation accumulated over generations。

On the writers of ancient Chinese opera novels、The work is based on a large number of in-depth and detailed case studies，Mr. is committed to the overall observation and theoretical summary bet365 sports formation and development of ancient Chinese opera novels。He thinks，Ancient Chinese opera novels are different from Western ones，Has a unique history of growth and development。One of its characteristics is that opera and novels coexist and grow together，Relying on each other，Close relationship。Therefore，Novel research and drama research must be combined。You can write a novel to prove the opera，You can also use opera to testify to novels。Only one knows，I don’t know the second one，Almost impossible。

Mr. Xu pointed out，Another striking phenomenon in the development history of ancient Chinese opera novels，He is a talented person with quite a lot of works in the book club、After being passed down from generation to generation in the hands of rappers and unknown folk writers，It was finally compiled and finalized by the literati。Many researchers admit that these works are collective creations accumulated over generations，On the other hand, they are used to treating them as personal creations。For example, thinking about works such as "The Popular Romance bet365 sports Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin"、All achievements in art belong to Luo Guanzhong、Under the names of Shi Naian and others，And these works are in ideological tendencies、structure、They must bear the sole responsibility for language and other errors；He spent a lot of energy to get admitted to Shi Naian、The life stories of Wu Chengen and others，Trying to find the connection between their personal experiences and their works；When examining the relationship between multiple versions of each opera novel，Some people say that one version is derived from another version，Someone put forward the opposite argument；Researchers often regard a certain version as the "ancient version" or the "original version"，And strongly denounce other versions, etc.。This shows，It is one thing to theoretically accept the idea of ​​“generational cumulative collective creation”，Putting it into concrete research is another matter。

Mr. Li raised the theory of "generational cumulative collective creation" to the level of an important law for the development of ancient Chinese opera novels，Through the investigation bet365 sports writing process of novels such as "The Popular Romance bet365 sports Three Kingdoms", "Water Margin", "Ping Yao Zhuan", "Journey to the West" and "The Romance bet365 sports Gods"，Made a more systematic and sufficient demonstration of this theory，And apply this rule，In turn, it conducts new discussions on many important issues and important links in the history of Chinese opera novels。He pointed out，The above-mentioned works collectively created by generations of accumulation have been basically finalized before they are finalized，They include many talented people from all ages、The ideas and aesthetic tastes of rap artists and unknown folk writers，Therefore, it is more typical in reflecting the social and cultural form of ancient China。The role bet365 sports final author of these works is actually quite limited。This type of work is often circulated among the people in various forms before being finalized，And various mutations occurred during the spread。Later, literati and booksellers compiled and published these opera novels in various versions。The one that is sorted and printed first may not be closest to its original appearance，The later edition may also be based on some kind of book that has the same long history or even an older source，There may not necessarily be a linear source-flow relationship between them。Since many works are actually in a process of change over a long period of time，So the earliest version is not necessarily the best version，Later versions should not be blamed for their changes to previous versions。Mr. Xu’s insights have important theoretical significance for the study of ancient opera novels。

　Taking innovation as the fundamental mission of academic bet365 sports

bet365 sports. believes that real academic works must be innovative，A real scholar should write treatises that others have not written or even cannot write。No new works，Even if there is no error，No value either。Based on certain materials、After some thought、A treatise that puts forward certain new insights，Even if it is not perfect，It may even turn out to be wrong，But they provoked further exploration in academia，It also has a certain meaning。bet365 sports. Xu never writes narrative、Introductory、Popular articles and books，Each article strives to present a clear point of view。On the treatises written in his early years，With the discovery of new materials and in-depth thinking，Also constantly revising it，Some articles have been rewritten。

If you insist on innovation, you cannot blindly follow authority。Mr. never asks others to write prefaces to his works，He believes that the person who best understands his research ideas should be the author himself。April 8, 1956，He published "What kind of opera is "Pipa Ji"" in the supplement of "Guangming Daily"，Affirm the important position of this script in the history bet365 sports development of Chinese opera and its profound influence on later drama creation，At the same time, it is emphasized that its basic tendency is to promote feudal morality。Summer bet365 sports same year，He was invited to participate in the "Pipa Chronicles" seminar organized by the Chinese Dramatists Association，Fully state your opinions，Cause strong response，The "chief general" who was named the "negative faction"。The vast majority bet365 sports participating experts affirmed "The Story of Pipa"，Most of them are very famous scholars，Some are Mr. Xu Shuofang’s teachers，Mr. Xu was still a 33-year-old young lecturer at the time。But before he was truly convinced，Never change your views against your will。

This original intention was also fully reflected when bet365 sports. took on the task of "Chronology and Proofing of Tang Xianzu's Collected Poems and Essays"。This kind of independence、Seek truth from facts、The spirit of striving for innovation，It can be said that the fundamental spirit of bet365 sports. Xu Shuofang’s academic research。This spirit has been basically formed and first emerged in the initial stage of his academic research，Since then, it has been throughout his academic research activities for decades，It is the inner spiritual power that has enabled bet365 sports. Xu Shuofang’s academic research to achieve fruitful results。

bet365 sports "point" to "line" and then to "surface"

Make long-term plans for academic bet365 sports

Mr. Xu Shuofang’s academic research work，Being an interest-led person、A process that proceeds naturally according to the internal logic bet365 sports research object，Also includes subjective, full academic consciousness and thoughtful consideration，This is another important reason for his excellent academic results。A scholar’s ​​planning and design of his own academic path，Although it is just a technical factor，But it has a huge impact on the success or failure of its academic research work and the size of its achievements，Mr. Xu Shuofang has set an example for us in this regard，He took a path from "point" to "line" and then to "surface"。He first paid attention to classic works such as "The Romance bet365 sports West Chamber" and "The Story of Pipa"，Made a preliminary attempt at scattered theoretical criticism research。Generally speaking，This is essential in the initial stage of a scholar。Then，He turned to empirical research，Focus on the important "point" of Tang Xianzu，Write "Chronicle of Tang Xianzu"、Compile "Collection of Tang Xianzu's Poems and Essays", etc.，From the "point" of Tang Xianzu to the "line" and "surface" bet365 sports study of ancient opera novels and Ming Dynasty literature，Did a lot of case studies，Theoretical research and document compilation go hand in hand，Finally, the integrated results "Chronology of Musicians bet365 sports Late Ming Dynasty" and "History of Literature bet365 sports Ming Dynasty" were launched。

In terms of "Chronology of Musicians bet365 sports Late Ming Dynasty"，Its successful launch is also related to Mr. Xu’s careful planning。This book is one of Mr. Xu Shuofang’s masterpieces，It is also the longest work among his writings。It is derived from "Chronicle of Tang Xianzu"，To a certain extent, the whole book can be said to be an expansion bet365 sports latter。Mr. Xu when choosing this project and design framework system，Inspired by his teacher Mr. Xia Chengtao's "Chronology of Poems bet365 sports Tang and Song Dynasties" and the British scholar Qian Boshi's "British Drama in the Elizabethan Era" and other works。From "Chronicle of Tang Xianzu" to "Chronicle of Musicians bet365 sports Late Ming Dynasty"，Case study and overall study form a perfect combination: an in-depth study of an iconic writer's work sets a benchmark for studying the work of his contemporaries；Comprehensive research on the works of contemporary writers provides more observational dimensions for studying the works of iconic writers。

There were many opera artists in the late Ming Dynasty，The reason why 39 companies were selected in "Chronology of Musicians in the Late Ming Dynasty"，Mainly considering feasibility，At this point，Mr. Xu was inspired by Tolstoy。"Tolstoy told a story: The rider was allowed to gallop freely on the earth，As long as we return to the same place in the end，All the land in the circle can be owned by him，But if you can’t return to the original place before sunset，Make his route form a complete encirclement，He will gain nothing。The end bet365 sports story is that the rider was too ambitious and failed。”Mr. Xu remembers “the rider’s lesson”，Warn yourself that “the scope cannot be expanded infinitely，Otherwise it will become a pile of waste paper”。The book is therefore well designed，Completed successfully，This is undoubtedly another reason why academic research must have a broad vision、A typical example bet365 sports best way to connect China and foreign countries。

　　Strict logic and beautiful bet365 sports

​​bet365 sports. Xu Shuofang’s academic treatises are beautifully written，Unique among many ancient literature research treatises，It is well-known among academic colleagues，This constitutes another distinctive feature of his academic research。bet365 sports. Xu repeatedly emphasized，Literary researchers should pay attention to the writing of treatises，“Literary essays are also literature after all，Although writing something as fancy as Lu Ji's "Wen Fu" is almost a luxury，But at least the words must be written in an orderly manner，Making people happy to watch”。 Researchers should have some writing experience，“If you have no creative experience，And talk nonsense about ancient or modern writers，That will only remind people of Zhuge Liang’s military theorist Ma Di”。He has created a new collection of poems "Times Come Like a Fleeting Time" and a collection of essays "Travelling in America and Europe"，The richness of his emotions、The ethereal brushwork，Amazing。Here is just a small poem "Untitled" he wrote when he was nearly seventy as an example: "Happiness is like a bird thrown into the palm of a person's hand，Feel her body temperature and throbbing through her hair。Don’t think that the ancient well cannot make ripples，The heart is a slender reed facing the storm。”

bet365 sports. Xu’s research papers are not only well-founded、Strict logic，And the words are precise、Lively and jumping sentence patterns，Like flowing clouds and flowing water，There are often wonderful metaphors that add the finishing touch。bet365 sports. Xu received traditional education and English education，Have a unique personality，His writing style is basically not contaminated by eight-legged accent，No general empty talk、Nonsense、Rhetoric，No need for rigid syntax，There are often shadows of borrowing English sentence patterns behind it，Rarely use "、Place、Get、work、了、Function words such as "pass"，Basically don’t use “for、Sentence patterns such as "continue"。Seems easy but difficult，The reason why bet365 sports. Xu can do this，Of course it is related to his talents and educational experience，It is also the result of his painstaking efforts。

　(The author is the director bet365 sports Center for Ancient Chinese Literature Research at Peking University、Professor)