I Walked from Changsha to Kunming: Three Hundred Scholars’ Three‑Thousand‑Li Educational Long March Amid a Broken Nation
民国二十六年，七七事变炮火炸碎华北大地，北平、天津相继沦陷。未名湖的书声被硝烟淹没，清华园的荷塘沦为焦土，南开校舍更是被日寇炸成一片废墟。北京大学、清华大学、南开大学三校，再也容不下一张安稳的书桌。为留存华夏文脉、守护读书种子，三校师生被迫南下，汇聚长沙，组建国立长沙临时大学。
In the 26th year of the Republic of China, the gunfire of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident shattered North China. Peiping and Tianjin fell one after another. The sound of reading by Weiming Lake was drowned in gunsmoke; the lotus pond at Tsinghua turned into scorched earth; Nankai’s campus was reduced to ruins by Japanese bombing. Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University could no longer offer a peaceful desk for study. To preserve China’s cultural heritage and safeguard young scholars, faculty and students of the three universities were forced southward, gathered in Changsha, and established the National Changsha Provisional University.
我们这群背井离乡的青年，带着课本与家国期盼，栖身岳麓山下。教室简陋、桌椅拼凑，可琅琅读书声里，仍藏着救亡图存的微光。可这份安宁转瞬即逝——南京沦陷、武汉告急，战火步步逼近长沙，日军战机日夜盘旋上空，警报声撕裂街巷，百姓流离失所，长沙已然危在旦夕。
We displaced young scholars, carrying textbooks and hopes for our nation, took shelter beneath Yuelu Mountain. Classrooms were crude, desks makeshift, yet the clear sound of reading held a faint spark of national salvation. But this peace was fleeting. Nanjing fell, Wuhan faced crisis, war crept closer to Changsha. Japanese warplanes circled overhead day and night, air‑raid sirens tore through streets, people fled in all directions, and Changsha stood on the brink of danger.
临大常委会紧急决议：全体西迁云南昆明，更名国立西南联合大学。彼时，校方规划三条西迁之路，每一条都有明确带头人、教授随行，每一段征途，都刻满乱世风骨与民族大义。
The university’s standing committee made an urgent decision: relocate all faculty and students westward to Kunming in Yunnan, and rename the school the National Southwest Associated University. At that time, three westward migration routes were planned, each with designated leaders and accompanying professors. Every journey embodied the integrity and righteousness of that turbulent age.
路线一：长沙—广州—香港—越南—昆明（海路迁滇，梅贻琦带队）
Route 1: Changsha — Guangzhou — Hong Kong — Vietnam — Kunming (Maritime Route, Led by Mei Yiqi)
这条海路，由清华大学校长梅贻琦亲自带队，是全校女生、体弱师生、教职工眷属及大部分教授的迁徙之路，右眼几近失明的陈寅恪先生，便在这支队伍之中。同时，学校珍贵的图书、实验仪器、教学标本，也尽数托付这条海路转运。
This maritime route was led personally by Mei Yiqi, President of Tsinghua University. It accommodated female students, physically vulnerable faculty and students, staff families, and most professors, including Chen Yinke, who was nearly blind in his right eye. Precious books, experimental equipment, and teaching specimens were also transported along this route.
1938年2月，梅贻琦校长率先带队出发。师生们搭乘粤汉铁路火车南下广州，彼时粤汉铁路战火纷飞，列车时开时停，窗外是焚毁的村落、逃难的流民，每一次空袭警报，都让人心惊肉跳。抵达广州后，战火气息愈发浓烈，众人匆匆办理手续，换乘轮渡奔赴香港。彼时香港尚属英辖，暂离硝烟，街巷间的粤语叫卖，却反衬出国土沦丧的悲凉。
In February 1938, President Mei Yiqi led the first departure. Teachers and students took the Yue‑Han Railway south to Guangzhou. The railway was engulfed in war; trains stopped frequently. Burned villages and fleeing refugees lined the windows, and every air‑raid siren filled hearts with dread. In Guangzhou, the smell of war grew stronger. The group quickly completed procedures and boarded ferries for Hong Kong. Under British administration at that time, Hong Kong was temporarily free of warfare, yet Cantonese street cries only accentuated the sorrow of occupied homeland.
短暂休整后，队伍登上远洋货轮，奔赴越南海防港。海面风浪滔天，狭小船舱挤满师生，不少人晕船呕吐、彻夜难眠，却无人抱怨。抵达海防后，换乘法国修建的滇越铁路窄轨火车，穿梭于越北雨林、滇南群山之间。火车爬坡时步履蹒跚，穿梭隧道时漆黑压抑，可车厢里，教授们仍不忘研讨学问、叮嘱学子：文脉不绝，中国不亡。一路辗转，这支队伍率先抵达昆明，为后续师生筑牢了落脚根基。
After a short rest, the group boarded an ocean freighter bound for Haiphong, Vietnam. Rough seas tossed the ship; the cramped cabin was packed. Many suffered seasickness and sleepless nights, yet none complained. In Haiphong, they transferred to the French‑built narrow‑gauge Yunnan‑Vietnam Railway, winding through northern Vietnamese rainforests and southern Yunnan mountains. The train crawled uphill and plunged into dark tunnels, but professors still discussed scholarship and encouraged students: As long as culture endures, China will never perish. This contingent reached Kunming first, securing a foothold for those who followed.
路线二：长沙—桂林—柳州—南宁—越南—昆明（桂越陆路，陈岱孙组织，朱自清、冯友兰领衔）
Route 2: Changsha — Guilin — Liuzhou — Nanning — Vietnam — Kunming (Guangxi‑Vietnam Land Route, Organized by Chen Daisun, Led by Zhu Ziqing and Feng Youlan)
这条桂越陆路，由经济学家陈岱孙统筹组织，朱自清、冯友兰、钱穆、汤用彤、贺麟、郑昕等十余位文史哲泰斗同行，多为体魄康健的男同学，以包租汽车代步，穿行南国山水，借道越南入滇。
This Guangxi‑Vietnam land route was organized by economist Chen Daisun. More than ten masters of literature, history and philosophy accompanied the group, including Zhu Ziqing, Feng Youlan, Qian Mu, Tang Yongtong, He Lin and Zheng Xin. Most participants were physically fit male students traveling by chartered automobiles through southern landscapes, entering Yunnan via Vietnam.
队伍自长沙出发，沿湘桂公路向西进发。彼时湘桂公路多为土路，逢雨泥泞不堪，车轮深陷泥沼时，教授与学生一同下车推车，满身泥浆也毫不在意。一路穿行湘南丘陵，驶入广西境内：桂林山水清奇，漓江碧波澄澈，却难掩山河破碎的怆痛；柳州商贸繁华，街巷间满是备战工事；南宁古朴静谧，百姓虽处后方，却时刻牵挂前线战事。
Departing Changsha, the group traveled west along the Hunan‑Guangxi Highway, mostly an unpaved road that turned muddy in rain. When cars stuck in mire, professors and students pushed together, indifferent to splattered mud. Crossing southern Hunan hills into Guangxi: Guilin’s strange peaks and clear Li River could not hide the grief of a broken nation; Liuzhou’s busy streets were lined with war‑preparation works; quiet Nanning’s people, though far from the front, worried constantly about the battlefield.
抵达镇南关（今友谊关），国门矗立，众人出关进入越南河内。法式风情的都市与国内的战火流离形成刺眼反差，更让这群文人学子痛心不已——国土沦陷，华夏儿女竟要借道异国，方能求得一方书桌。休整期间，冯友兰先生讲授中国哲学，朱自清先生剖析家国文学，钱穆先生梳理民族历史，以学问凝聚人心，以文脉唤醒赤诚。随后换乘滇越铁路火车，一路西进，顺利抵达昆明。
At Zhennan Pass (present‑day Youyi Pass), the national gateway stood tall as they crossed into Hanoi, Vietnam. The French‑style city contrasted sharply with war‑torn China, filling these scholars with sorrow: their homeland occupied, they had to pass through a foreign land just to find a quiet desk. During the rest, Feng Youlan lectured on Chinese philosophy, Zhu Ziqing analyzed patriotic literature, and Qian Mu recounted national history, uniting hearts through knowledge and inspiring devotion to their country. They then took the Yunnan‑Vietnam Railway westward and reached Kunming safely.
路线三：长沙—湘西—贵州—昆明（湘黔滇徒步线，黄师岳任团长，闻一多等教授随行，沈从文探路，张治中护行）
Route 3: Changsha — Western Hunan — Guizhou — Kunming (Hunan‑Guizhou‑Yunnan Hiking Route, Led by Commander Huang Shiyue, Accompanied by Professors Including Wen Yiduo, Reconnoitered by Shen Congwen, Protected by Zhang Zhizhong)
这是我义无反顾选择的征途，也是中国教育史上最悲壮、最伟大的“文军长征”，史称湘黔滇旅行团。
This was the journey I chose without hesitation—the most solemn and greatest “cultural army long march” in China’s educational history, known as the Hunan‑Guizhou‑Yunnan Traveling Corps.
彼时，经过严格体检，近300多名三校热血青年入选徒步队伍，均为体魄强健、心怀家国的学子。队伍由原东北军师长黄师岳中将任团长，南开大学教务长黄钰生任辅导团主席；闻一多、袁复礼、曾昭抡、李继侗四位教授领衔，另有吴征镒等六位助教随行，全程指导教学、考察民情。
After strict physical examinations, 288 passionate young students from the three universities were selected for the hiking team, all physically strong and devoted to their country. The group was commanded by Lieutenant General Huang Shiyue, former Northeastern Army division commander, with Huang Yusheng, Dean of Academic Affairs at Nankai University, as head of the counseling team. Four leading professors joined: Wen Yiduo, Yuan Fuli, Zeng Zhaolun and Li Jidong, together with six teaching assistants including Wu Zhengyi, guiding studies and conducting field research throughout the journey.
出发前，湘西匪患猖獗，深山密林间绿林盘踞，寻常商旅都不敢贸然穿行，何况我们这群手无寸铁的书生。危难之际，时任湖南省政府主席张治中挺身而出，亲笔致信湘西沿途所有匪首，字字恳切、句句赤诚：日寇侵华，国难当头，这批学子是国家读书种子、民族未来栋梁，手无寸铁、只为求学，恳请诸位以民族大义为重，放行护持；若敢滋扰，全省正规军必倾巢清剿。
Before departure, bandits ran rampant in western Hunan’s remote mountains. Even ordinary merchants dared not travel there, let alone unarmed scholars. At this critical moment, Zhang Zhizhong, Chairman of Hunan Provincial Government, stepped forward and personally wrote to all local bandit leaders. His sincere words appealed to national righteousness: Japan had invaded China; these students were the nation’s hope, unarmed and only seeking education. He begged the bandits to let them pass, warning that any harassment would trigger a full‑scale military crackdown.
同时，祖籍湘西、深谙当地江湖与风土的大作家沈从文，主动请缨先行探路。他凭借湘西子弟的身份，提前深入湘西群山，走访村寨、联络匪帮、勘察路线，摸清沿途路况、匪情与民情，为我们扫清前路障碍。正是这一封书信、一次探路，让我们得以在匪患丛生的湘西大地，安然通行。
Meanwhile, the great writer Shen Congwen, born in western Hunan and familiar with local customs and secret societies, volunteered to reconnoiter the route in advance. As a native son, he ventured deep into the mountains, visited villages, contacted bandit groups, surveyed paths, and mapped conditions, bandit activities and local customs, clearing obstacles for our journey. Thanks to his reconnaissance and Zhang Zhizhong’s letter, we traveled safely through bandit‑infested western Hunan.
民国二十七年二月十九日，长沙韭菜园细雨霏霏，我们身着统一草绿色军服、打绑腿、背干粮袋、挎油纸伞，在誓师大会后夜渡湘江，正式开启三千里徒步征途。
On February 19, 1938, drizzle fell over Jiucai Garden in Changsha. Dressed in unified grass‑green military uniforms, puttees, carrying ration bags and oil‑paper umbrellas, we crossed the Xiang River at night after a solemn oath‑taking ceremony, officially beginning our three‑thousand‑li hiking journey.
初入湘西，群山连绵、古木参天，山路湿滑泥泞，晴天一身灰、雨天一身泥。我们每日天未亮便起身，摸黑赶路；夜幕降临，才寻破庙、山洞或百姓屋檐歇息。饿了，啃一口干硬的杂粮饼；渴了，掬一捧山涧泉水；双脚磨出血泡，破了结痂、再磨再破，每走一步都钻心刺骨，却无一人掉队。
Entering western Hunan, we faced rolling mountains and ancient forests, slippery muddy roads dust‑dry in sunshine and mire‑thick in rain. We rose before dawn and traveled in darkness, resting only at night in ruined temples, caves or under villagers’ eaves. Hungry, we chewed hard grain cakes; thirsty, we drank mountain spring water. Blisters covered our feet, bursting and scabbing repeatedly, each step piercingly painful—yet no one fell behind.
湘西百姓食不果腹、衣不蔽体，却总把仅剩的红薯、苞谷塞到我们手中，一句“娃们好好读书，将来打鬼子”，让我们热泪长流。沿途山林间，偶尔有匪首在山岗遥望，却从未下山劫掠——张治中的书信、沈从文的斡旋，让这群绿林好汉，守住了民族大义。
Local people in western Hunan suffered hunger and poverty, yet always offered us their last sweet potatoes and corn, saying, “Study hard, young ones, and drive the invaders away.” Their words moved us to tears. Bandits watched from mountain ridges but never attacked, restrained by Zhang Zhizhong’s letter and Shen Congwen’s mediation, honoring national justice.
踏入贵州，方知何为“地无三尺平，天无三日晴”。群山巍峨陡峭，山路如天梯悬空，脚下便是万丈深渊；阴雨连绵不绝，泥泞裹住双脚，每一步都沉重万分。我们翻越玉屏、镇远、贵阳、镇宁，走过著名的二十四拐险路，穿越荒无人烟的原始密林，从寒冬走到初春，从枯枝走到花开。
Entering Guizhou, we truly understood the local saying: “Not three feet of flat land, nor three sunny days.” Steep mountains rose like ladders above bottomless valleys; endless rain turned roads into clinging mud, making every step exhausting. We crossed Yuping, Zhenyuan, Guiyang and Zhenning, navigated the famous Twenty‑four Turns, and trekked through uninhabited primeval forests, moving from cold winter into early spring, seeing bare branches bloom into flowers.
行路再苦，我们从未荒废学业。白日赶路，闻一多先生一路采集民间歌谣、考察民俗风情，为后续《楚辞》研究积累素材；袁复礼教授勘探地质地貌，讲解山川成因；曾昭抡教授边走边做化学科普，吴征镒助教沿途采集植物标本；夜里篝火旁，教授们围坐授课，讲家国、论学问、传文脉，风声虫鸣为伴奏，山石草木作书桌，哪怕衣衫褴褛、满身伤痕，读书报国的信念从未动摇。
Hard as the journey was, we never neglected our studies. By day, Wen Yiduo collected folk ballads and studied local customs for his future research on Chu Ci; Professor Yuan Fuli surveyed geology and explained mountain formation; Professor Zeng Zhaolun gave chemistry lessons along the way; Assistant Wu Zhengyi gathered plant specimens. By campfire at night, professors lectured on nationhood and scholarship, passing on cultural heritage. Wind and insects accompanied us; rocks and grass served as desks. Though ragged and wounded, our resolve to study for the nation never wavered.
我们牵挂前线战事，担忧家人安危，夜里挤在破庙，听着野兽嘶鸣、寒风呼啸，借着月光温习课本。四十岁的闻一多先生，放弃安稳海路，执意徒步西行，他说：“一辈子困在书斋，唯有亲历山河破碎，才能读懂这片苦难的土地。”年过半百的黄钰生教授，一路照料学生起居、安抚人心；黄师岳团长全程护送，纪律严明却体恤学子，护我们一路周全。
We worried constantly about the war front and our families. Huddled in ruined temples at night, listening to wild animals and howling winds, we studied by moonlight. At forty, Wen Yiduo chose the harsh hike over the safe sea route, saying: “Confined to study rooms all my life, only by witnessing this broken nation can I truly understand our suffering land.” Over fifty‑year‑old Professor Huang Yusheng cared for students and comforted hearts; Commander Huang Shiyue protected us all the way, enforcing strict discipline while showing great compassion.
整整68天，我们徒步三千五百余里，翻越两百余座高山，跨过无数江河溪流。当昆明城的轮廓终于映入眼帘，我们拖着残破的身躯、黝黑的面庞、结满厚茧的双脚，瞬间泪如雨下。
For 68 days, we hiked more than 3,500 li, crossed over 200 mountains and countless rivers. When Kunming’s skyline finally appeared, our worn bodies, sun‑darkened faces and calloused feet dissolved into tears of relief.
抵达昆明之日，梅贻琦、蒋梦麟、张伯苓三校校长亲自出城迎接。黄师岳团长手持花名册，郑重交接：“我把你们的学生都带来了，一个不少，一个未缺。”那一刻，所有的艰辛、委屈、悲痛，都化作滚烫的泪水，淌过脸颊。
On our arrival in Kunming, the three university presidents—Mei Yiqi, Jiang Menglin and Zhang Boling—welcomed us personally outside the city. Commander Huang Shiyue held the roster and solemnly reported: “I have brought all your students here, every single one safe and sound.” At that moment, all hardship, grievance and sorrow turned into hot tears streaming down our faces.
三路人马，殊途同归；三千里征途，文脉不灭。海路辗转多国，桂路穿行南国，徒步横跨三省，无论哪条路，北大、清华、南开的师生们，都在战火中守住了书桌，在山河破碎里扛起了民族希望。
Three groups, one destination; three‑thousand li of journey, unbroken cultural heritage. The sea route crossed multiple nations, the Guangxi route traversed southern landscapes, and the hiking route spanned three provinces. No matter which path they took, faculty and students of Peking, Tsinghua and Nankai preserved learning amid war and upheld the nation’s hope in a broken land.
我这一生，走过无数坦途，却永远铭记这段从长沙走到昆明的路。那不是寻常的迁徙，是一代中国知识分子，以青春为履、以信念为灯、以家国为魂的伟大长征。张治中的护持、沈从文的探路、教授们的坚守、百姓们的接济，都刻在我心底，成为乱世中最温暖、最催人泪下的记忆。
In my life, I have traveled many smooth roads, yet I shall never forget this journey from Changsha to Kunming. It was not just a migration—it was a great long march undertaken by a generation of Chinese intellectuals, walking on youthful feet, guided by faith, and bound to their motherland. Zhang Zhizhong’s protection, Shen Congwen’s reconnaissance, professors’ perseverance, and villagers’ kindness remain etched in my heart, the warmest and most tear‑jerking memories of that turbulent era.
山河虽破，文脉永存；书生虽弱，风骨长存。这段三千里烽火求学路，是中华民族永不屈服的见证，更是我此生最光荣、最刻骨铭心的旅程。
Though our land was broken, our culture endured; though scholars seemed fragile, their integrity stood firm. This three‑thousand‑li journey of learning through war stands as a testament to the Chinese nation’s unyielding spirit, and remains the most honorable and unforgettable journey of my life.
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