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“Zhou Shuren” Before Records of Lu Xun in Sendai — Focusing on His Motivation for Studying Medicine —
AbstractWhile reading the section on “Zhou Shuren” in Records of Lu Xun in Sendai, the author noticed a significant biographical gap in Lu Xun’s life between Tokyo and Sendai — that is, between the early and later stages of his study in Japan (from Kobun Gakuin to Sendai Medical School). Previous studies have heavily focused on why Lu Xun “abandoned medicine,” but have rarely explained why he “chose medicine” in the first place. This imbalance has left a major空白 in his biography.If the “medical dream” woven from the three elements of “healing,” “faith in reform,” and “becoming a military doctor” was indeed “extremely beautiful,” as Lu Xun himself recalled, then how did he acquire the materials to construct this dream? Who led him toward the path of medicine, which was almost entirely neglected by Chinese students in Japan at the time? This is the biographical gap that the present paper addresses.
By drawing on newly discovered historical facts, this study fills that gap and organically connects the Tokyo and Sendai periods in Lu Xun’s biography. It becomes clear that various previously little-known elements — including Wu Rulun’s educational inspection tour in Japan, the Japanese educational and medical circles, the “Dōjinkai” (同仁会), the Meiji military doctor William Willis, and teacher Eguchi — worked together as a powerful force that guided the young Zhou Shuren onto the solitary path of studying medicine.
Keywords: Records of Lu Xun in Sendai, study abroad in Japan, medicine, Wu Rulun, Zhou Shuren
Research papers (academic journals)
