Geography Reference
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and which he helped so much during her days of suffering. He offered his life for
work in and friendship with China.
Early this morning I ran to the School amidst heavy snow taking with me the sad
news. I raised my head and looked at the newly painted door of the School. There I
saw the golden words inscribed above it: “School of Geography.” Tears fi lled my
eyes. I meditated mournfully that for several decades, hundreds of students of
geography had been taught there by the old beloved professor. Now he lay dead in
far-off China, my motherland.
I entered the building to seek my tutor, and Professor Roxby's successor,
Professor H.C. Darby, intending to inform him of the sad news. I found him in the
library reading room. Even before I opened my mouth I noticed his sadness.
“Professor Roxby is dead,” I murmured. “Yes, I know,” Professor Darby solemnly
replied, “Mr. Smith phoned me early this morning.” (Mr. W. Smith is a lecturer in
Chinese geography whose own specialty is the economic geography of England.)
“We are waiting for more details. It is a pity indeed. We were to wait for his return
in the summer to offer an open-to-all lecture on China.” We left the reading room.
Later, I met Mr. F. J. Monkhouse, a young lecturer who taught me cartography.
The fi rst few words he said were “As a 'cultural ambassador' to China, Professor
Roxby was the best one.” I replied, “Undoubtedly. A cultural ambassador is actually
an ambassador of friendship. It is not unusual that cultural ambassadors come before
any political ambassadors. Such people are pioneers of their age. They are born not
made. As a Chinese student of geography my sorrow is twofold. Personally I have
lost a respected teacher in my fi eld; as a Chinese student, my country has lost a great
friend!” I declared this loudly, standing near the staircase, resembling someone who
is making a public speech, but actually it was an expression of my uncontrollable
sorrow.
I then went upstairs to the top storey of the building, to the Center for the Study
of Chinese Geography. The Center was organized and established by Professor Roxby.
Another Chinese fellow-student also came, a Mr. Wu Chuen-Chun from Nanking
University, who was a lecturer of geography there. We exchanged information
concerning Professor Roxby's death. At the end, he suddenly blurted out, “You know,
immediately after the Japanese started the Sino-Japanese War, they tried to buy
scrap iron and copper here in England. I don't know how Professor Roxby came to
know of this, but anyway, he wrote to the newspapers practically daily, disclosing the
facts, and denouncing the Japanese until he fi nally stopped their plan.” Thus even
before England declared war against Japan, Professor Roxby had already become
our comrade in the trench.
Just by chance, I looked back at the wall. There, hanging on it, was a glass frame
with Chinese calligraphy by Professor Gu Jie-Gang, who had tutored me in China.
It was the full text of “Yu Gong,” one of the most ancient classics on Chinese
geography, taken from
Shang Shu
, an ancient historical scripture. The frame was a
present from two Chinese students of Professor Roxby at the opening of the Center.
They are Professor Zhang Yin-Tang of Qinghua University at Peking, and Professor
Lin Chao of Central University at Nanking. Looking at the glass frame, I couldn't
help but refl ect, “Now that Professor Roxby has gone, will this Center continue to
