Recently, the results of the selection of outstanding alumni of the Open University of China (OUC) were announced, recognising 328 alumni from various industries across the country.
These individuals, with accomplishments as their foundation and technology as their wings, demonstrate resilience, confidence, and a pragmatic, enterprising spirit, writing a unique chapter of progress of the OUC people. From today on, the stories of some alumni will be selected for sharing. By reviewing their outstanding deeds and listening to their life insights, the OUC’s achievements in talent development over the last 45 years are highlighted.
Pu Zi, whose real name is Pan Jiaping, is a Communist Party member, a contemporary writer, and a member of the Chinese Writers' Association. In July 1982, he studied Chinese Language and literature at the China Central Radio and Television University (CCRTVU, now known as the Open University of China, OUC). He once served as the deputy head of the Publicity Department of Ninghai County Party Committee in Zhejiang Province. He is the author of the novels "Wangzhuang Trilogy", Bridge Piers are not Bridges, and Long Bones, the collections of short stories The Man Who Eats Dinner and Selected Short Stories of Pu Zi, the collections of essays Treading on the Moss and From Moscow to Stockholm, and the long-form reportage works On the Xiayangtu and The Spine, etc. "Wangzhuang Trilogy" and Long Bones were shortlisted for the Mao Dun Literature Prize, and On the Xiayangtu and From Moscow to Stockholm were shortlisted for the sixth and seventh Lu Xun Literature Prizes.
Quietly Writing for a Literary Heart
In 1957, Pu Zi was born in a small mountain village named Guanzhuang not far from Ninghai County. He was from the same village and clan as Pan Tianshou, a master of traditional Chinese painting. Under the influence of the master and the enlightenment of his mother, Pu Zi had been in love with literature since childhood. Although the conditions were tough when he was young, he still searched everywhere for good books. "For me at that time, having a good book was the happiest thing." Even now when he looks back, Pu Zi is still full of emotions. It was this habit of studying diligently since childhood that laid a solid literary foundation for Pu Zi's later creations.
When the college entrance examination was resumed in 1977, Pu Zi took the exam as a former student and was later admitted to the Ningbo branch of Zhejiang Automobile Driving Technical School. After graduation, he was assigned to the long-distance bus station, and successively worked as a rural passenger bus conductor, salesman, dispatcher, and secretary. No matter what job he did, Pu Zi always had a literary heart. His "writer's dream" had never died out, and writing quietly was the most important thing in his spare time.
Thirsty for Knowledge, Realising a University Dream
In the year of the college entrance examination, due to concerns about whether he could be admitted to a university and whether he could continue to take the exam the following year if he failed, Pu Zi chose to apply for a secondary vocational school. When the results came out, his score was far higher than the university admission score, which made him miss the opportunity to enter a university, and he was extremely regretful.
In 1982, Pu Zi accidentally heard about the CCRTVU (now known as the OUC), and his university dream was instantly ignited. Then he found the Ninghai workstation of Zhejiang Radio and Television University (the former Ninghai College of Ningbo Radio and Television University) and knocked on the door of the university. At that time, it was not easy to be admitted to the Radio and Television University. One had to pass a strict entrance examination, and not many students could reach the admission score line. Pu Zi could only study as a single-subject student. After completing the credits through each subject's examination, he was also allowed to graduate. Pu Zi was lucky to be able to study in the Chinese Language and Literature major of the CCRTVU, and he also cherished this learning opportunity even more. Every time he recalled the learning experience at that time, he would talk about it with great enthusiasm. As the saying goes, "Hard work pays off." In August 1985, he obtained his graduation certificate with excellent results, just like other formally admitted students.
The three-year study at the Radio and Television University benefited Pu Zi a great deal. He absorbed the essence from famous works and internalised it for his own use, making his basic literary skills more solid and improving his writing level greatly. Soon after, his novels began to be published in magazines, and later were published in "People's Literature", causing quite a stir in the county's literary world. Later, Pu Zi successively worked in the local county newspaper, the county Party Committee reporting group, and the publicity department, and his work and literature became closer and closer.
He is full of deep affection and gratitude for his alma mater. On June 3, 2016, Pu Zi published an article titled "My University" in "Guangming Daily", recalling his university days. He said, "My university was a bit strange. It was called the CCRTVU, and in recent years it has been renamed the OUC. There was a school, but I couldn't see the teachers. I could only hear their voices on the radio at first, and later I could gradually see their figures on TV. The school had no walls, but the campus was extremely vast, and every place where radio signals could be received was considered part of the campus." At the end of the article, he expressed his deep nostalgia: "I miss the days without teachers: without the sky, I held up the sky myself; without the ground, I paved the ground myself; without the road, I made my own path. Among my classmates, there are quite a few writers, government officials, and entrepreneurs, who have become pioneers and leaders in certain industries. Their ability to face difficulties without fear, I think, largely stems from the learning experience at the Radio and Television University."
In January 2021, Pu Zi returned to his alma mater, Ningbo Radio and Television University Ninghai College. Although the school had been relocated and the former teachers had retired, he still felt a sense of closeness. He recalled the difficulties of studying in the past with the teachers of his alma mater, and marveled at the convenience and rich resources of Internet teaching in the Open University nowadays. He also wrote poems to encourage his juniors to cherish the good times.
Continuously Writing, Depicting a Lifetime of Hometown Affections
Even after retirement, Pu Zi still keeps on writing, depicting the construction scenery of his hometown. In 2020, he published the long-form reportage The Moon Shines in the Deep Forest, which touches on the current situation of rural revitalisation through art in Ninghai. The work spreads the stories of Ninghai and investigates and reports on cases such as the rural revitalisation through art work of Professor Cong Zhiqiang's team from Renmin University of China in Gejia Village, attracting the attention of all sectors of society and receiving a great deal of praise. The other two long-form reportage works published in the same year, Rising from the Flat Ground and New Knowledge in Goulu City, also continue Pu Zi's consistent hometown feelings, depicting the great achievements of Ninghai's urban construction with powerful writing.
Pu Zi is still on the road of creation. He is still painstaking, not chasing after false fame, making unremitting efforts, silently watching over the land he loves deeply, and writing continuously.
By OUC News Network