my scientific age

Chapter 450 National Changsha Temporary University!

“To be precise, it’s the Lin family of Lianjiang, a branch of the Houguan Nine Herdsmen Lin clan. However, the Qing Dynasty died out early on, and most of them still call themselves the Houguan Lin clan.” Lin Wan smiled and slowly explained, “According to seniority, Lin Huiyin is my cousin, Lin Juemin and Lin Changmin are my uncles, Lin Xiaoxun is my great-uncle, and Lin Xiaoyang is my grandfather. My original name was Lin Qingwan, but I changed it to Lin Wan when I was 13. You can call me Qingwan or Jinyu from now on. My cousin’s lineage is the main line of the Lianjiang Lin clan, while we are a branch. We don’t usually visit each other much, except when we worship our ancestors and during the New Year.”

Yu Hua was completely bewildered after hearing this: "???"

He knew that Lin Wan came from a wealthy family and had an extraordinary background, but he never expected that she was from a prominent clan.

The Lin family of Houguan—this is the Lin family of Houguan, a truly renowned family in modern history known for its loyalty and valor. You know Lin Zexu, who destroyed opium at Humen, right? He was from the Lin family of Houguan.

Lin Changmin was the founder of the predecessor of Fujian Normal University.

Lin Juemin, one of the Seventy-Two Martyrs of Huanghuagang who wrote "A Letter to My Wife".

Lin Heng was a martyr who sacrificed his life for his country as an air force pilot in history.

This is a representative figure of the Houguan Lin clan. In secret, countless other members of the Lin clan devoted themselves to the War of Resistance against Japan, shedding their blood and sacrificing their lives until the establishment of the new China.

Just like Lin Wan in front of us, she was simply not remembered by history, but that did not affect her efforts to resist Japanese aggression and save the country, and to devote herself to the revolution.

Wait, Lin Huiyin is her cousin, so what is my relationship with Lin Huiyin?
Am I Lin Huiyin's cousin-in-law?
"What's wrong? Are you scared off by the name of the Lin family of Houguan?" Lin Wan teased with a smile when she saw Yu Hua's reaction.

"I really didn't expect this. I always thought you were the daughter of some wealthy tycoon." Yu Hua came back to his senses, his eyes full of tenderness as he looked at Lin Wan and replied softly, "Who would have thought you had such a powerful background?"

Everything makes sense now. It is precisely because of her identity as a member of the Lin clan that Lin Wan was able to serve as the head of the underground organization at Beiping No. 4 Middle School and also get to know the 'Professor' who was in charge of the Northern Bureau.

“This identity is not something to flaunt. I never publicize it. Let’s go to the bus stop ahead. We need to take a bus to Yuelu Mountain.” Lin Wan shook her head in response and pointed to the mountain peak standing in the distance to the west of Changsha.

Yu Hua nodded, carried his luggage to the bus stop, waited for a while, and then took an old-fashioned bus from the Republic of China era to Yuelu Mountain. Most of the passengers on the bus were students, who were going to Changsha Linda Engineering College to register.

Yuelu Mountain is the highest peak in Changsha city. The Xiangjiang River flows through the foot of the mountain and the city, meandering northward. In the center of the Xiangjiang River is a small island called Orange Isle.

The famous Xiangjiang River flows northward, and Orange Isle is located here.

The bus traveled through the city at a moderate pace. The surrounding buildings were mostly Qing Dynasty wooden houses with a few concrete structures. The city's houses were mainly single-story, and the bustling May 1st Square of later generations was nowhere to be seen.

Changsha fire...

Yu Hua stood in the car, looking at the city of Changsha outside, his memories of Changsha flashing through his mind: the Changsha fire and the "Heavenly Furnace" strategy. This was his understanding of Changsha during the Republic of China era.

The former incurred the wrath of both gods and men, while the latter was celebrated nationwide; both occurred in the same city.

The bus traveled for about twenty minutes to reach Lingguan Ferry on the riverbank. The bus stopped, and everyone got off and went to the ferry terminal to buy tickets. At that time, there was no bridge across the river in Changsha, and the only way to cross the river was by ferry.

The Xiangjiang River's natural barrier is no exaggeration.

After buying his ticket, Yu Hua stood in front of Lingguan Ferry, gazing at the scenery of the Xiang River. Suddenly, a river breeze swept by, and a strand of black hair brushed against his face. Turning his head, he saw the profile of a woman.

"What's wrong?" Feeling Yu Hua's gaze, Lin Wan turned her head and looked back, asking.

"It's nothing, I just think you're very beautiful, Qingwan, like a flower in full bloom. It would be a pity if I didn't appreciate it," Yu Hua shook his head, answering sincerely and earnestly.

When it comes to your partner, you should praise them directly. There is no conflict between fighting for national salvation and praising your partner.

Lin Wan blushed slightly upon hearing this, feeling somewhat shy. She glanced around and, seeing no unusual glances, whispered a reminder: "You said we can't be too intimate, let's get on the boat."

Yu Hua nodded and followed. The two lined up to board the ferry, found empty seats and sat down. Once all the seats were filled, accompanied by a loud whistle, the ferry slowly left the dock and headed towards the other side of the river.

"Changsha Linda, here I come!" Yu Hua looked at Yuelu Mountain, which was getting closer and closer, his heart filled with excitement and anticipation.

The National Changsha Provisional University, the original name of the National Southwest Associated University, was formed by Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University. Its faculty strength was almost at the peak of modern education history. It was the last swan song of education in the Republic of China. And here was what Yu Hua needed most - a government-sponsored scholarship to study in the United States.

Why must students be sent to the US on government scholarships, and why can't they travel to the US privately?

The reason is simple: the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

The Chinese Exclusion Act explicitly prohibited Chinese laborers employed as miners from entering the United States for ten years, under penalty of imprisonment or deportation. Many Chinese were brutally beaten simply because of their race. The very few non-labor Chinese who wanted to immigrate to or enter the United States had to obtain permission from the Chinese government and a U.S. visa.

Any Chinese person who leaves the United States must obtain the same permission to re-enter the United States; Chinese immigrants do not have U.S. citizenship.

However, this condition was extremely difficult to meet, and could only be met by government officials, some businessmen, and students who obtained Boxer Indemnity Scholarships to study in the United States.

If Yu Hua went to the United States without permission, he would be a complete illegal immigrant, and no American university would accept him, even if he had an invitation letter from von Kármán.

The relative importance of the Chinese Exclusion Act and the status of American university professors is self-evident.

Of course, it's not just the United States that has anti-Chinese sentiment; countries all over the world do. Chinese students who want to enter European universities also need to take the corresponding country's entrance exams to obtain legal status and visas.

For Yu Hua, whether it was to obtain legal status or to lay the groundwork for future plans, he had to take the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Examination in a legitimate manner, obtain a place to study in the United States through formal channels, and go to the United States as a government-sponsored student of the Republic of China.

A bright and clean reputation, free of any stains, is essential for going further in life; Brother Qian has already provided evidence for this.

The ferry crossed the river smoothly and docked at the pier at the foot of the mountain, where passengers disembarked.

Yu Hua and Lin Wan disembarked from the ferry and walked to Hunan University Yuelu College, which was two kilometers away. It was a leased campus belonging to the College of Engineering.

Due to tight funding and the fact that the new campus in the Yuelu Mountain area has not yet been completed and put into use, Changsha Linda University can only rent campuses from other schools for teaching. The main campus is located at Hunan Bible School in Jiucaiyuan, the city center. The College of Engineering is located at Hunan University Yuelu College at the foot of Yuelu Mountain, and the College of Literature is located at Nanyue Bailongtan Branch. The teachers live in rented houses, and the conditions are quite difficult.

Professor Wen Yiduo had the most difficult living conditions, residing in a drafty and leaky house.

Yu Hua was the top scorer in the Beiping Joint Examination and was admitted through the guaranteed admission route. He studied under Hua Luogeng and took courses from Zhuang Qianding and Zhao Zhongyao. Naturally, he chose the School of Engineering. After Lin Wan finished the Joint Examination, she also thought it over and finally decided on the School of Engineering at Tsinghua University, since she was also a student of Zhuang Qianding.

After walking for about twenty minutes, the two finally arrived at their destination—the Engineering College of the National Changsha Temporary University.

Two plaques hang at the school gate: one reads "Changda Linda Engineering College," and the other "Hunan University Yuelu College." A banner at the gate welcomes all teachers and students back to school. A row of desks is set up at the entrance, and several teachers are arranging for students to register.