Prof. Hong Buren
Xiamen's Living History Book!
(Thanks to Prof. Hong for the great black and white photos of Old Amoy at the bottom of this page! Please click the thumbnails for larger images!)

Laughter comes easily to Professor Hong Bu Ren, a merry little scholar with twinkling eyes—like an Oriental version of my mischievous grandfather.

Professor Hong’s ancestral home is Hui’an, but he is a third generation Xiamenese. In his youth, he spent 6 years at the Yang Yuan Elementary School (养元小学), one year at the TongWen Institute（同文书院）, and 3 years at the Sino-U.K. Institute (英华书院).

While the Japanese occupied Xiamen from 1938-44, Hong studied the classics in the home of Lixi (李禧), the famous scholar. Young Hong’s imagination was fired by passionate debates between literati like Wang Xuan Xian (王选闲), Zhong Wen Xian （钟文献）, and Shi Qian （施乾）. But his life’s course was set by Teacher Lixi’s comment, “Data collection is crucial. No data, no history (史料非常重要).”

Prof. Hong now has two adjoining apartments crammed wall-to-wall with shelves of books, manuscripts and notes (I’m lucky my wife gives me one corner by the bed). This advisor to universities and governments chuckled as he showed me a certificate from Xiamen University, dated November 9, 2001. “I’m old and retired, but they still need me! I’m writing a 500,000-word history on Xiamen. If I don’t, who can?”

Hong is excited that scholars around the world are taking a keen interest in Xiamen’s history. “Xiamen is making many foreign friends again, just like the good old days! Of course, not all the old days were really that good…

Water Under the Bridge Professor Hong was headed for Fuzhou University to teach history when he was accused of ‘wrong thinking (错划).’ “I spent 22 years, from ‘57 to ‘79, as a common laborer (体力劳动). I forgot all my English.” His grin faded slightly, and he added, “But we Chinese are resilient. After Reform, I was ‘rehabilitated’ as if the 22 years had never happened!”

“Do you think much about the past?” I asked.
“No!” he said. “Dwelling in the past is useless. We were all learning. Besides, I’m too old now for anyone to care what I do. I make 3,000 Yuan a month, my wife and children are well off. What more could I want? I just hope now to leave something for society. That’s life!”

Yes, that’s life. And that’s China and the Chinese—a people who can bend without breaking, and will still be here 5,014 years from now!

Professor Hong has written many books, including the beautiful bilingual pictorial, "Old Photos of Xiamen." Many thanks to Prof. Hong for allowing me to share some of these photos on our website! (I also have a few hundred old photos of my own, which I'll add on a separate page when I get time).

Click Thumbnails for larger images! Hover cursor over thumbnails for brief description--or read Amoy Magic --Guide to Xiamen and Fujian and Fujian Adventure for more details. For modern photos, see Gulangyu Postcards! (NOTE: the Boston Tea Party litho is not from Hong Buren, but I tossed it in because the tea tossed overboard during this infamous affair was from Anxi and shipped out of Xiamen! Just think of it! Had it not been for Amoy's tea, American judges might still be wearing powdered white wigs like the wags in H.K.!