A Free Spirit with Principles

By Tian Xiangyu

A Free Spirit with Principles

By Tian Xiangyu

Lyu Tongyu accepted our interview on October 13th,2015, the day of the 111thbirthday of his father Lyu Zhengcao.He didn’t look like a man of 73: though he was not dressed warmly in the bitingly frigid October air in Beijing,his face shone with the robustness of a man half his age. He doesn’t have a private car. Instead of taking a taxi,he got to the interview by subway and bus. As his usual transportation is a scooter, he does not go more than five miles from his house on a sunny day.

The journalist was surprised to see him coming by bus. He smiled and said: “My father could even play tennis when he was 90 years old.The simple life makes us healthy and comfortable. It also brings longevity.”He is right. His father Lyu Zhengcao died at 106 years old, making him the longest living general of the founding fathers of the People’s Republic of China.

Lyu Zhengcao had acted as General Zhang Xueliang’s lieutenant and secretary,and participated in the war against Japanese invaders and the War of Liberation. He served as the Minister of Railways after 1949, and made great contributions to the development of the railway systems in China. In spite of his great achievements and contributions to the country, Lyu Zhengcao always told his children modestly, “I only did three things in my life: fighting against Japanese invaders, building railways, and playing tennis. I like all three of those things, so I dedicated my life to them; I feel very good about my life. I have no regrets.”

Lyu Tongyu said that his father never interfered with their studies and work, and he would never seek any bene fit for them by using his power.He didn’t care if his children would be rich or powerful. He just wanted his children to live a carefree life with principles, just like their father did.

“My father’s motto is ‘being freespirited with principles,’” said Lyu Tongyu. His father never forced them to do anything. Lyu Tongyu was naughty in his childhood. His father would never criticize him as long as he didn’t violate the rules. But if he violated them, his father would rebuke him.

2015年10月13日，父亲吕正操诞辰111周年那天，吕彤羽接受了采访。吕彤羽看起来根本不像73岁的老人。10月的北京已经有些冷，穿着单薄的他却红光满面。他没有专车，也没有打车，是自己挤地铁、坐公汽过来的。如果天气好，去的地方不超过5公里，吕彤羽的交通工具是一个小滑轮车。

见记者面露惊讶之色，吕彤羽笑着说：“我父亲90多岁时还打网球呢。越是随意简朴的生活，越是过得健康舒适，也更容易长寿。”他说得没错。他的父亲吕正操活了106岁，是中国享年最长的开国上将。

吕正操曾任张学良的副官、秘书，后参加抗日救国运动、解放战争；新中国成立后出任铁道部部长，为中国的铁路发展作出了卓越贡献。战功赫赫、贡献卓著，但吕正操总是对子女们说：“我一辈子只干了三件事：打日本、修铁路、打网球。这三件事都是我喜欢、也一直努力去做的，所以这一辈子，我过得特别自在舒适。”吕彤羽说，父亲从不会在学业和工作上对子女指手画脚，更不会用自己的职位为他们谋福利。他也不管孩子能不能当官挣钱、出人头地。他唯一在意的，是孩子们能否像他一样，自在随意又守规矩。

“父亲的人生信条是‘自在随意不逾矩’。”吕彤羽说，父亲在任何事情上都不强求。吕彤羽小时候特别淘气，无伤大雅的事情父亲从不批评，但干了坏规矩的事儿，肯定会被父亲狠狠说一顿。吕彤羽小时候和别人打扑克，人家偷牌他也偷，不然只能输。父亲发现后骂他：“正经活不会干就学做假，这样下去，一辈子都干不成事。”从那以后，吕彤羽无论是学习考试，还是大学毕业后搞科研，一直都实实在在，从不投机取巧。

从中国航天科工集团退休前，吕彤羽有机会升到正局级，但当官后就不能再做科研工作。犹豫不决的他去征询父亲的意见，吕正操说：“不要考虑当多大的官，重要的是你能做多少事。”父亲的话提醒了他。吕彤羽不再纠结是否升职，而是继续埋头搞科研直到退休。吕正操从不过问几个子女的职称、薪资，他挂在嘴边的一句话是：“给国家做实在的工作，比炫耀一些虚的东西更踏实自在。”所以，每每有聚会，其他人都穿名牌、开豪车，有秘书、保镖贴身跟随，吕彤羽总是一个人踩着滑轮去赴约。他不觉得没面子，反而发自内心地感到自在闲适。

在吕彤羽看来，父亲“自在随意”的人生哲学，是建立在从不停止学习、思考和锻炼从而身心健康的基础上的。出身贫寒农家，后来在战场上出生入死的吕正操学识渊博，爱好广泛。上世纪50年代，北京的网球场屈指可数，会打网球的人很少，吕正操就约人一起打网球。后来在他的积极主张下，中国有了自己的国家网球队，队员们也有了自己的网球训练馆。吕正操晚年还迷上了桥牌，常常和专业运动员过招。除了体育运动外，吕正操还天天读书、写日记。吕彤羽说：“父亲自称是杂家，哲学、经济学、历史、文艺等书籍都看。他总是告诉我们，买书是为了读，而不是收藏。当有人送他精致的名著收藏本的时候，父亲总是转赠给图书馆。”

吕正操写过一首七绝，其中两句是这样的：“最喜夕阳无限好，人生难得老来忙。”吕正操打网球打到90岁，打桥牌打到97岁，98岁时还在游泳。看书、写日记的习惯，则一直保持到他离开人世。吕彤羽说，父亲少时挨饿受冻，战场上受过伤，但他成为开国将领中能够活到百岁的老人，这与他自在随意不逾矩的人生态度不无关系。父亲的这种人生态度，是他和子孙后代最珍惜的传家宝。

（摘自《婚姻与家庭·社会纪实》2015年第12期）

Once when playing poker with friends, he found that a player had hidden cards up into his sleeve, so he used the same trick, feeling that he would never win otherwise. His father was very angry about it when he found out, and scolded him, “Why didn’t you learn good behavior? You just learned how to cheat. You will achieve nothing if you behave like this.”

Since then, Lyu Tongyu kept his father’s words in mind. No matter whether of a test at school or a research after graduation, he always worked diligently and earnestly, and never took any shortcuts or used any tricks to get ahead.

Lyu Tongyu once had an opportunity to be promoted as director general before he retired from the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, but he would not be able to do research if he took on the role of an administrative of ficer. He hesitated and then decided to ask for his father’s opinion. Lyu Zhengcao said, “Don’t think about the power. What matters is your ability.” His father’s words were a real eye-opener. Lyu Tongyu stopped worrying about the promotion and devoted his last years to scientific research before retirement.

Lyu Zhengcao never asked his children about their professional titles or salaries. He often told them,“Actual contributions to the country will bring you more peace and joy than to show off fame and wealth.”Therefore, Lyu Tongyu always went to parties and gatherings alone by his scooter, while other people drove luxury cars and wore designer clothes with bevies of beautiful secretaries and entourages of strong bodyguards following behind. He did not feel insecure about the conditions of his life, in fact he was perfectly comfortable with it, and didn’t feel that he lost face in front of his friends.

Lyu Tongyu believed that his father’s philosophy of “being freespirited” was established on the basis of continuous study, thinking, and exercising, which gave him a sound health both physically and mentally.Born to a poor farmer’s family, Lyu Zhengcao was very knowledgeable in a great many fields, and had a wide variety of interests. The fact that he had experienced life and death on the battle fields gave him perspective.

There were very few tennis courts in Beijing in the 1950s, and even less people who played tennis, but Lyu Zhengcao still managed to find tennis companions. China had its own national tennis team because of Mr. Lyu’s proposal, and players then had their own training facilities. Lyu Zhengcao became fascinated with the game of bridge in his old age and often played with professionals. Besides sports, he also read books and wrote in his diary every day. Lyu Tongyu said, “My father called himself a polymath. He read philosophy,economics, history, art, and other books. He always said that books were bought to read rather than for collection. When someone gave him a collection of classics with exquisite hard covers, he would often donate them to libraries.”

Lyu Zhengcao once wrote a poem,in which he said, “I most love the colorful kaleidoscope of radiant rose that paints the sky a fire at dusk, how auspicious it is for the days to be full and fruitful, even at life’s sun sets.”

Lyu Zhengcao played tennis until 90 years old and played bridge until he was 97. He even swam at the age of 98. He kept the habit of writing diaries and reading until he passed away.Lyu Tongyu said that his father had suffered a lot during childhood and had been wounded on the battle fields,but the reason why he could live to over 100 years old was that he had maintained a positive attitude towards life. His father’s motto of“being free-spirited with principles” is the most valuable treasure left to him and his offsprings.

(From Marriage and Family,December 2015. Translation: Li Li.)

自在随意不逾矩

文|田祥玉