Reminded by Professor Chen Rong

Today I recommended a classmate to Professor Chen Rong. Here’s the reply I got:

I’ve been to the Tongji center several times and never saw you there. I heard you’ve been busy working for the automotive electronics folks. I think you’re still young — don’t spend too much energy on “project management.” You should aim higher in technical pursuit. Early success isn’t necessarily a good thing. Let me share what I’ve seen: our 1977 cohort of Tsinghua classmates were the cream of the crop, one in ten thousand. 20+ years later, how many succeeded? Basically all “废品” (failures). I remember a key principle of essay writing: “The form can be loose, but the spirit must not scatter.” And that “spirit” comes from decades of cultivation — what’s called “steadfastness.” Mundane work and money only make one’s “spirit scatter.” You’re still young. Wasting that would be a shame.

My mind is all jumbled today. There’s an anti-Japan protest march happening in Shanghai. I don’t know how to reply. I’ll save this for now.