2019年CRI Home letters inspire several generations

 

Letters written by Xie Juezai, a former senior Chinese government official, have been published in a book.

The book of 115 letters, which includes correspondence¹ with his family, shows the Chinese politician's dedication² to serving his country throughout his life and career.

Xie Juezai was born in Ningxiang of Hunan Province.

He was best known for his role as Minister of Civil Affairs from 1949 to 1959, and the President of the Supreme³ People's Court from 1959 to 1965.

His son Xie Yaxu says his father always saw himself as a servant working for the country.

As a result, he says his father turned down requests from relatives who wanted his help in getting jobs in the Chinese capital.

"My father always says 'I'm an official, but an official working for the country.' 'I get up very early and go to bed very late. I'm serving for the public. Do not ask me for help if you want to be an official. If you do it, I will quit and be a peasant in our hometown.' He never taught us to grow up with the aim of being an official. Instead, he encouraged us to learn some skills and make contributions to the society."

At the age of 50, Xie took part in the Long March, a military maneuver⁴ undertaken by the Red Army in 1930s.

Together with other officials and soldiers, he conquered hunger and diseases to get through the bitter struggles of the expedition.

Xie Yaxu says one of the things he learned from his father is to always be strict with himself and complete whatever task he has before him.

"At one Sunday night, we had the chance to watch a film. But my sister didn't let me go because I hadn't finished my homework. My father said, 'as you are not done with your homework, all of you cannot go to the cinema'. I was only a grade two primary school student at that time. I felt sad and such things never happened again since then."

Xie wrote over a hundred letters during his lifetime, including correspondences⁵ with his family after being deployed⁶ in government.

The letters have now been passed on to the third generation.

Xie's grandson Xie Yi says he is inspired by the positive energy from the letters, and that he's going to use it to influence others around him.

"I think the spirit reflected in these home letters is still applicable to modern society. For example, it tells us that young people should study hard. What we should do is to pass such positive energy on to future generations. My father is spending large amount of time and energy in film documentaries⁷ based on the historical materials of our ancestors."

Professor Wang Jie with National Academy of Governance says the way officials uphold⁸ themselves does not only affect their families, but also the Party, government and society as a whole.

"Some leading officials have committed crimes. One of the reasons is that they paid little attention to the role of family culture. They tolerated their family members such as wives and children to commit corruption⁹ and to be extravagant¹⁰. Today, every official should be responsible for his family and should learn positive energy from traditional culture."

Xie Juezai also served as president of China University of Political Science and Law.

He was regarded as one of the founders¹¹ of China's judicial¹² system.

1 correspondence   

n.信件，通信（联系）符合，一致，相似

参考例句：

• He showed me all the correspondence relating to the matter.他把与这件事有关的全部信件都给我看了。
• What she has just said isn't in correspondence with the views of the majority.她刚才所说的同大多数人所持的观点不一致。

2 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

5 correspondences   

n.通信( correspondence的名词复数 )；信件；符合；一致

参考例句：

• The library bought all the correspondences between the President and his wife. 图书馆购买了总统和他妻子之间的所有通信。
• He has fallen behind with his correspondences. 他有一些信件没有及时回复。

6 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

7 documentaries   

n.纪录片( documentary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• As for 'documentaries', these too are not altogether new. 至于“资料性文学”那也并不完全是新鲜事。 来自辞典例句
• These are not just animations live-action films, comedies, dramas and documentaries. 这些不仅仅是动画片，还包括表演摄制影片，喜剧，戏剧以及纪录片。 来自互联网

8 uphold   

vt.举起，支撑，赞成

参考例句：

• We will loyally uphold the principles of the United Nations.我们将忠实地维护联合国的原则。
• It's up to the government to uphold the rights of individual citizens.政府有责任维护各个公民的权利。

9 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

10 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

11 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

12 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。