My Mother Li Sha

—Interview with Professor Li Yingnan

“My mother is also my teacher. She taught me Russian since I was very little. I think she has a great impact on me.” Prof. Li Yingnan said.

Born in a Russian noble family, Li Sha has inherited the strict home principles. “My mother had a rule that we shouldn’t eat on the street. I remember when I was a child, I always loved the baked sweet potatoes. Once my mother bought me two at the street corner and insisted I should eat when we got home, though it was already very near home.” The daughter said.

Although Li Sha was strict on home rules, she had never beaten or scolded her children. “My mother was a very loving and affable woman. Even when we made mistakes, my mother would use very gentle words like ‘this is not polite’ or ‘this is inappropriate’ to tell us that we did something wrong.”

The family has always had an international atmosphere. Professor Li Sha started a family tradition of creating a bilingual environment for the children. Her children and grandchildren were all brought up using both Chinese and Russian. The daughter has maintained the tradition of his mother, “Now my grandson is also learning both languages. I think this is very beneficial for the children. We think a bilingual environment is an advantage which will prepare the kids to eventually become international talents. ”

Professor Li Sha has students learning Russian from her not onlyat home, but all over the country. “My mother’s students are scattered all over China. Some of them are in Beiwai (Beijing Foreign Studies University) or other universities and some went to the Foreign Ministry or joined the army. Several have become ministers,” said the daughter, “She also taught the first batch of Vietnamese students who came to learn Russian. The monitor of that class became the vice premier of Vietnam. Two members of the Political Bureau, eleven central committee members and many ambassadors and officials came from that class. It’s a great contribution to the society.”

When the doctors told Professor Li Sha out of climbing stairs due to old age, she stopped teaching in the university. “The classrooms of the Russian School are on the fourth floor and there is no elevator. My mother can’t climb. So she feels it’s a pity that she can’t meet students in the classrooms.” Prof. Li Yingnan said,“She just can’t quit teaching. She kept complaining that she had to retire. Teaching has been a very important enjoyment for her.”

During the Culture Revolution, Li Sha went through a lot of sufferings and unfair treatment. The daughter thinks the cheerful character and optimistic attitude has helped her to get through the tough times, “My mother could balance her mindset very well. She never fuss over trifles, instead she put her attention on the bigger picture and the future. Also once she said ‘your father went to prison in the Soviet Union and I went to prison in China, then we are even’.She was always able to treat the unfairness with humor. And something philosophical about my mother was that she said those were all history, and we couldn’t blame the history.”

Li Sha stepped on the first trip back to Russiasince the Culture Revolution in 1986. At that time, Li Yingnan was just working in Russia. “I told my mother to stay for about half a year or longer with me in Russia, but she wanted to go home right after two or three months. She had completely regarded Beijing as her home, not Moscow,” the daughter said. When she asked her mother whether her memoir should be published first in China of Russia, Li Sha also insisted that it be published in China first.

Born in 1914, Li Sha now has almost reached 100. The daughter tells, “She was tended well. Though old age has brought her some problems with the legs, she still has a very clear mind now.”

(Reported by Liu Shuya, Song Zijiang, Li Qiushi

March 18, 2014)

Li Sha

Елизавета Павловна Кишкина, known as Li Sha in China, was born in 1914. She has been known for her firm support to the Chinese revolution and for her outstanding contribution to the Russian language education in China. She had been a professor of Russian in Beijing Foreign Studies University until 1996, when she had to retire for health reasons. Her unswerving love for Li Lisan, a Chinese revolutionist and Chinese Communist Party leader, and for China through the difficult years of their lives has been praised by the peoples of China and Russia.

In 1933, Li Sha met Li Lisan, who was known as Li Ming at the time, when she was working in a publishing house in Russia. They fell in love and three year later, they got married. But the turbulent years of their life soon started. In 1938, Li Lisan was put into prison by the local police, on charges of espionage. Fortunately he was soon cleared of the charge and was released in 1939.

In 1946, the couple decided to move back to China.Afterwards Li Sha started her career as a professor in Beijing Foreign Study University. Around the 1960s, Li Sha was suspected to be a spy of the Soviet Union, so she had to decide whether to keep the Chinese nationality or the Soviet Union nationality. She decided to become a Chinese citizen.

When the Cultural Revolution started, Li Lisan was not able to stay away from all the pressure of the chaotic situation in China at the time. When the slander and injustice were too much for him, he ended his life by swallowing an over-dose of sleeping pills. What was more tragic was that Li Sha only came to learn about his death eight years later when she was released from the Qin Cheng Prison.

Li Sha was a tough woman. She refused to bury herself in mourning and sorrow and committed herself to work on promoting understanding between China and Russia. In 1980, she came back to Beijing Foreign Studies University, and restarted her career as an educator. She was glad and proud to be called “Professor Li” again. She was 66 years old. Most of the professors retired at 66, but she chose to stay. “I’d like to work 24 hours a day.” She took on more work that her health allowed. Fourteen hours of teaching per week finally made her weak and one day she fainted during a class. In 1996, she was diagnosed with heart disease, which forced her to retire.

Li Sha’s work and her life story have been widely praised and celebrated internationally. In 1998, she was awarded Pushkin Medal by International Professor of Russian League. And in July 8^th 2013, she was awarded Legion of Honour by the French Government.

Li Sha is a professor without a classroom. She still cares about education in China and wants to contribute to its development. So she started to write memoirs after the retirement. One of them is My Love for China, which recalls the life story and history of Chinese revolution. It is a valuable records of modern Chinese society.

Li Sha, a Russian woman who chose China for her life and career, never regretted her choice. She is turning 100 years old in 2014, and stays as  healthy and optimistic as ever.

英语学院新闻系  李秋实、宋子健、刘淑雅

2014/3/17

程立真：我眼中的李莎老师

记者/王聿舜 刘云龙 早扎

（程立真老师在家中接受采访）

1963年，刚刚毕业于北京外国语大学俄语系的程立真直接在系里留任，成为了分管外籍教师管理工作的副系主任。也正是从那时起，她与李莎老师结下了长达半个世纪的深厚情谊。

程老师生活在西院家属区，年事虽高，依旧十分热情主动。走进屋内，便可看到茶几上摆放着一本俄语版的李莎老师回忆录。谈及当年的往事，程老师更是滔滔不绝。

在程老师眼中，作为俄语系元老的李莎老师教育起学生来一丝不苟，既让人倍感亲切又心生敬畏。在李莎老师的课堂上，学生们充分开发了独立思考能力，也在全俄语教学的氛围中打下扎实的基础。而在课下，李莎老师严格依旧。程老师犹记得有一次前往李莎老师家中做客，第一次登门的她因为紧张而不由自主地蹦出了中文。李莎老师便立刻纠正到，“教员应该多说俄语，你怎么能说汉语呢？以后和我交流请用俄语。”“后来我才明白，这都是为了让我们能够利用各种场合练习俄文，快速掌握，随时随地去应用它。”程老师如此解释。

李莎老师出生在俄国一个庄园主家庭，早年却放弃了优越的生活条件，投身于共产主义事业，对共产主义有着深刻的认识与理解并将其视为一生的信仰。

然而，十年动乱却给了这位革命战士不公的待遇。文革期间，李莎老师同丈夫李立三蒙冤入狱。程老师仍然记得，李莎老师冤案被平反后，将李莎老师从监狱接回家的那一幕。程老师回忆说：“她一看到我，就愣了。俄语也说不出，汉语也说不出。”

八年的牢狱生涯，基本上切断了李莎老师与外界的所有联系，使其语言能力或多或少都出现了退化。“得知平反的消息时，她却异常的冷静。因为她相信真理会战胜错误的东西，相信共产党一定会搞清楚她的情况，将事实还给大家，不再让她蒙冤。而这一天最终还是来了。”程老师说。也正是这一份对共产主义的坚定信仰，让李莎老师对自己多舛的命运毫无怨言。“可能很多人无法想象，是什么让她能在受到不公待遇时，依旧保持冷静，相信理智。而这样的一份精神力量也始终鼓舞着我们，得以不在那个特殊年代里参与到任何损人不利己的活动中。”程老师补充到。

程老师的家中有一张近年的照片，照片内是李莎老师与新中国几代俄语学者的合影。作为一名华籍俄罗斯人，她将自己的大半辈子都奉献在了中国的教育事业上。作为一名外语教育家，她在教书的同时，将自己的高尚精神传达给了一代又一代的年轻人。

忆李莎

 2014年3月19日是李莎百岁寿辰。每次有关于李莎的纪念活动，学生关于她的回忆总是必不可少。在过去的一百年中，她把近一半的时间都花在她热爱的教育事业上，而学生们在她身上看到的不仅有为人师表的敬业，还有一个前苏联知识分子的涵养。

汪嘉斐是李莎在俄语专修学院教课时遇到的学生，后来由于一直在一起工作，对李莎的了解逐渐加深。李莎对于汪嘉斐来说亦师亦友，而汪嘉斐对李莎教授则是仰之弥高，钻之弥深。

李莎在她的回忆录里提到汪嘉斐，说他的发音是那么精准，让她很惊讶，一时竟忘了在上语音课。不过汪嘉斐说李莎老师的描述是戏剧化了的，因为人们总是喜欢把过去的事描述地生动细致。

那是在1952年她教的一节口语课上，那时节北京俄文专修学校刚成立不久，像那时候的很多青年人一样，汪嘉斐怀着对苏联的理想与向往选择了俄文学校。国家需要大批的俄语专业人才，而友好的苏联也有很多的知识分子来到中国任教，李莎也是其中之一，自1946年随挚爱的丈夫李立三来到中国之后，就再也没有离开过。

到中国后不久，她就被安排在哈尔滨俄语专科学校任教，1949年又被调到北京俄语学院任俄语教师，从此便开始了她长达半个世纪的教学生涯。为北外俄语学院作出了不可估量的贡献。

正如那个年代在中国的许多苏联知识分子一样，李莎带给学生的不仅是她的文化学识，

更多地是她身上的一种教养，她不会抬高一个学生，歧视另一个，对青年学生都是热忱相待，学生有疑问也会常去请教。这是汪嘉斐对于那个时期的苏联知识分子所普遍具有的一种印象，他们都有着儒雅的风度，一种君子风度。学生们在这些特性中受到很大的感染，以至把它作为一把标尺，到他们成为老师时无形中量取自己的师德。

李莎作为老师也是从来不吝啬赞美学生的，她热情的赞扬也鼓励了很多学生。对于汪嘉斐来说，李莎就像是伯乐，她发现他语音上的天赋，鼓励他发展演讲的才能，让刚学了一个月俄语的汪嘉斐像高年级同学那样上台做演讲。汪嘉斐说他受到了很大鼓舞，第一学期受到的启蒙在他一生的事业当中起到特殊作用。李莎就是这样善于发现学生的特点，注重因材施教，她会对一名学生说，好好学习吧，你将来准能成为俄语教授；她还会告诉另一名同学，你会成为一名国际记者的。

一次汪嘉斐同李莎及其他两位俄语学者一同去上海外国语学校做讲演，面对着底下的几百名国内知名学者，汪老师感到很紧张，心怦怦直跳，李莎也在第一排坐着听。讲完之后李莎教授激动地握着他的手对他说讲得很好，那时候汪还是一个青年教师，还是俄语界的一个小弟弟，李莎的鼓励对于他有莫大的作用。在上外那几天，是他和李莎教授关系最密切的几天，他清楚地看到李莎教授对于工作的认真，看到她作为同事的热情。

李莎完全可以不工作，在俄罗斯出生于一个贵族家庭，在中国作为中国革命者领导人李立三的夫人，她完全可以安享荣华富贵。她认识很多高官将军们，高级领导人也常去他们家做客，她可以开办舞会······只是她是那么热爱她的工作。她热爱文学，也怀着满腔的热忱把她对俄罗斯文化的爱、对中国革命的爱传递给她的同学。俄罗斯是她的第一故乡，中国是她的第二故乡，看到中国的成长是她的最大乐趣。正如她在回忆录里的自白。

“我真正钟爱的事业还是教书育人，具体地说，是俄语教学。从我执教的第一天起，我对自己选定神往这个职业就不曾有过丝毫的动摇和片刻的懈怠。教室成了我实现人生理想的阵地，也成了我守望收获的田园。可以无愧地说：‘50年来，我默默耕耘，辛勤劳作，既挥汗如雨，又乐在其中，我为之奋斗了大半辈子，倾注了自己的全部心血。’”

汪嘉斐说李莎的学生都是她这一段真情告白的每一个字的见证人。不知她的人见到这段人人都会写的漂亮话，司空见惯，读不出其中含着的五十载辛苦奉献。可是汪嘉斐读到的完全是符合她的实情。这么多年一直听她讲，讲工作，讲生活，每一句都是实实在在的。

李莎的一生是大起大落，李立三在世的时候，她接触到的是最高层次的待遇，要什么就有什么，可是文革期间她戴上了苏修特务的帽子，被关进监狱。可是当汪嘉斐还有其他学生去看他的时候，她仍是非常乐观地情绪，她想的只是尽快工作。她编辑教材，做录像，重新回到讲台。

1979年，李莎走出文革浩劫，从山西的监狱回到了北京。短暂的休整之后，9月，她重新回到了讲台。教学让她忘记了之前的不幸，保持在很好的精神状态中。

同年，张建华考取了北外俄语系，和班上其他四名同学成为文革后北外招收的第一批研究生。他见到的李莎是经历风风雨雨后更加平和的一位老师，做了李莎一年的学生，他对李莎作为教师的角色有着更加朴实细致的了解。

起初，他和大家一起上课，等到第二学期，他得到了每周四上午和李莎单独交流的机会。他们在一起讨论文学，提出各自的看法，有时争论，进行了思想的碰撞。李莎对张建华的学术思维产生了很大的影响，张建华形容，李莎老师是他最感激的一位恩师。

那时没有打印机，学生的论文只能用手写，有时一写就是四五页，对于当时65岁的李莎老师来说，这是很重的教学任务，但她还是坚持批改。

课堂上，李莎经常补充课本以外的知识，开拓同学们的思维。

李莎受过很好的教育，学过法文，有时从法国文学的角度解读俄罗斯文学。张建华说，这让他对欧洲文学也有了一定的了解。

毕业后，张建华留校任教。为了第一次课，张建华准备了一个月，跑国家图书馆，做读书笔记。没有百分之百的把握，就不要传授给学生。学生懂百分之十，老师就要懂百分之二百一十。张建华说，这是李莎对他的影响。

下课后，李莎老师不会立刻离开，经常询问同学们的生活情况。

。那时，张建华三十出头，有了自己的家庭，母亲也来到了北京。他的宿舍在现在的北外行政楼，离李莎的办公室很近。私下里，李莎和他的母亲也成为了朋友。

张建华说，从认识李莎开始，就从没见她生过气，李莎既有俄罗斯女人的深厚，又有中国女人的含蓄。性格随和，遇到不开心的事，也总是一笑而过。

张建华朴实无华，汪嘉斐热爱诗歌与演讲。套用普希金诗歌中的诗句，汪嘉斐用这样两句话来总结李莎做出的贡献：“她是江河的源头，她是永远的源泉，她是良师和益友，她是永远的师表。她用自己的一生经历和全部心血确确实实在中国俄语教学的广阔园地里塑起了一座丰碑。”