Wu Yifeng: A People’s Economist Rooted in Marxism

Wu Yifeng, born in 1932, is a native of Gaoyou, Jiangsu Province. He is a first-level professor at Renmin University of China, former president and current honorary president of the Chinese Association for the Study of Foreign Economics, and chief expert of the Western Economics textbook group for the key project of Marxist Theory Research and Development. His representative achievements are collected in the ten-volume *Collected Works of Wu Yifeng*, published in 2015. Professor Wu Yifeng has received the World Marxian Economics Award, the first prize of the National Outstanding Teaching Achievement Award, the China Outstanding Publication (Book) Award, the Wu Yuzhang Humanities and Social Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award, and has been honored with titles such as National Model Teacher, Senior Translator, Beijing People’s Teacher, and Beijing Outstanding Communist Party Member.

吴易风，1932年生，江苏高邮人。中国人民大学一级教授，中华外国经济学说研究会前任会长和现任名誉会长，马克思主义理论研究和建设工程重点教材西方经济学课题组首席专家，2015年出版的十卷本《吴易风文集》收录了他的代表性成果。吴易风教授曾获得世界马克思经济学奖、国家级优秀教学成果一等奖、中华优秀出版物（图书）奖、吴玉章人文社会科学终身成就奖等，并获得全国模范教师、资深翻译家、北京市人民教师、北京市优秀共产党员等荣誉称号。

In China’s economics circles, one scholar enjoys the nickname “three-faceted economist,” meaning he is proficient in Marxist economics, Western economics, and the history of economic thought. He is the renowned economist and first-level professor at Renmin University of China, Wu Yifeng. Regarding this praise, Wu Yifeng modestly says: “Those who engage in scholarship know that mastering one field is already very difficult, requiring a lifetime of effort. How could one master several? I can only say that I am unworthy of such excessive compliments.” Wu Yifeng has long engaged in research on Marxist economics. He adheres to a people’s standpoint, critically absorbs the theories and methods of Western economics, draws on valuable research methods and tools from Western economic theory, and, guided by Marxist economic theory, corrects, supplements, and expands research in several areas of the history of economic thought, making outstanding contributions to the development of the foundational theories of Marxist economics and to the adaptation of Marxist economics to the Chinese context.

在中国经济学界，有一位学者享有“三通经济学家”的雅号，说的是他既精通马克思主义经济学，又精通西方经济学，同时还精通经济思想史。他就是著名经济学家、中国人民大学一级教授吴易风。对于这一赞誉，吴易风谦虚地说：“做学问的都知道，通一门就很不容易，要努力一辈子，哪能通几门？对于有关我的各种溢美之词，我只能说受之有愧。”吴易风长期从事马克思主义经济学研究，他坚持人民立场，批判吸收西方经济学理论和方法，借鉴西方经济理论中有价值的研究方法和研究工具，以马克思主义经济理论为指导，纠正、补充、拓展了经济思想史若干领域的研究，为马克思主义经济学基础理论的发展和马克思主义经济学中国化作出了卓越贡献。

The First Generation of Economists Cultivated by New China

新中国培养的第一代经济学家

After the founding of New China, with the help of Soviet experts, China’s economics education fully adopted the Soviet model, and Marxist political economy held a dominant position in economics teaching and research. For many scholars and students at the time, Marxist political economy was unfamiliar, even encountered for the first time, and Wu Yifeng was no exception.

新中国成立后，在苏联专家的帮助下，我国的经济学教育全面借鉴苏联模式，马克思主义政治经济学在经济学教学和研究中处于主导地位。对当时的很多学者和学子来说，马克思主义政治经济学并不为他们所熟悉，甚至是第一次接触，吴易风也不例外。

In 1953, New China began implementing the first Five-Year Plan for national economic construction. To meet the needs of economic construction, a large number of military cadres were transferred to civilian work and required training. That year, Wu Yifeng, who had not yet graduated from junior normal school and had been transferred to teach at the Jiangsu Northern Administrative Office’s organ school, was reassigned to the newly established Jiangsu Provincial Accelerated Middle School for Demobilized Cadres to teach and train demobilized cadres. In addition to teaching Chinese language and history, he also taught the course “Common Knowledge of Economic Construction.” To teach this course well, he first repeatedly studied the *Reader on Common Knowledge of Economic Construction*, and then began self-studying a translated work, *Political Economy*, which was listed as required reading for cadres at the time. This was the first time in his life he encountered political economy. “To be honest, there were many parts I did not understand at the time,” Wu Yifeng says. Nevertheless, this laid the foundation for his later entry into university to major in political economy.

1953年，新中国开始执行第一个国民经济建设五年计划。为适应经济建设的需要，当时军队有大批干部转业到地方工作，需要培训。这一年，初级师范还没毕业就被调到苏北行署机关学校担任教师的吴易风，被调入刚成立的江苏省转业干部速成中学任教，培训转业干部。他除了讲授语文课和历史课外，还教授“经济建设常识”课程。为教好这门课，他先是反复学习《经济建设常识读本》，后又开始自学当时被列为干部必读的一部译著《政治经济学》。这是他生平第一次接触到政治经济学。“说老实话，当时许多地方并没有读懂。”吴易风说。尽管如此，这为他后来进入大学攻读政治经济学专业打下了基础。

In 1955, Wu Yifeng was admitted to Renmin University of China to major in political economy. He graduated in 1959 and stayed on to teach in the Teaching and Research Section of the History of Economic Doctrines within the Economics Department. Unlike his predecessors and many economists of his generation, Wu Yifeng never studied abroad; he is a product of the first generation of economists cultivated by New China. After staying on at the university, Wu Yifeng was very diligent in his academic work, successively undertaking teaching tasks in courses such as the history of economic doctrines, Western economics, schools and currents of Western economic thought, and mathematical economics. It can be said that most of the knowledge he acquired came through painstaking self-study. As he himself says: “My educational background is low; I received little formal education, and my knowledge structure is incomplete. To teach these courses well, I made up for my knowledge deficiencies through hard self-study and gradual in-depth research.”

1955年，吴易风考入中国人民大学政治经济学专业，1959年大学毕业留校，在经济系经济学说史教研室任教。与他的前辈以及许多和他同时代的经济学家不同，吴易风没有留过学，是新中国培养的第一代经济学家。留校后的吴易风，在学术上非常勤奋，先后承担了经济学说史、西方经济学、西方经济学流派和思潮、数理经济学等课程的教学任务。可以说，他掌握的知识大多是靠刻苦自学而得。正如他所说：“我的学历低，接受的正规教育少，知识结构不完整。为了讲授好这些课程，我通过刻苦自学和逐步深入研究来弥补自己的知识缺陷。”

Professor Wu Yifeng’s diligence is evident from the writing process of his academic representative work, *British Classical Economic Theory*. During this period, Wu Yifeng went to the Beijing Library (now the National Library of China) every day to consult materials. “At that time, everything depended on the pen. Writing notes, writing index cards, copying materials, writing drafts, revising drafts, copying drafts—all done by hand. I held the pen for over ten hours every day. In the sweltering summer, without an electric fan, I wrote dripping with sweat. The sweat flowing onto my hands often soaked the manuscript paper,” he says.

吴易风教授的勤奋，从他的学术代表作《英国古典经济理论》的写作过程就可见一斑。其间，吴易风每天去北京图书馆（现为国家图书馆）查阅资料。“那时，一切都靠笔。写笔记，写卡片，抄资料，写稿子，改稿子，抄稿子，全都用笔。每天握笔10多个小时。酷暑天，没有电风扇，挥汗写作。流到手上的汗，常常把稿纸浸湿。”他说。

Diligence eventually paid off. In 1988, *British Classical Economic Theory* was published, becoming a classic work in the study of the history of economic thought. British classical economic theory is an important source of Marxism. The book closely follows Marxist political economic theory, traces its origins, and is to date the most comprehensive, profound, and original work on British classical economic theory. A review article published in *World Economy* considered that the book “fills the gaps in our country’s previous insufficiently comprehensive research on classical economic theory… enriching the field of teaching and theoretical research on the history of economic thought in our country.” In 1995, the book was awarded the first prize in the “First National Award for Outstanding Achievements in Humanities and Social Sciences Research in Higher Education Institutions.”

勤奋终有回报。1988年，《英国古典经济理论》问世，成为经济思想史研究的经典著作。英国古典经济理论是马克思主义的重要思想来源，全书紧扣马克思主义政治经济学理论，追根溯源，是迄今为止研究英国古典经济理论最全面、最深刻、最有原创性价值的著作。《世界经济》刊载的评论文章认为，该书“弥补了我国以往对古典经济理论研究不够全面的缺欠……充实了我国经济思想史教学和理论研究的园地”。1995年，该书被评为“全国高等学校首届人文社会科学研究优秀成果奖”一等奖。

A Marxist Economist with a Firm Standpoint

立场坚定的马克思主义经济学家

Wu Yifeng’s academic achievements, besides diligence, are most importantly due to the research method he has always adhered to and advocated: guided by Marxism, seeking truth from facts, and gaining true knowledge through comparison. In Wu Yifeng’s view, being guided by Marxism is not just a slogan; Marxism is his firm belief. As a master of the history of economic thought, his two major works on the history of thought, *Utopian Socialism* and *British Classical Economic Theory*, both clarify many ambiguous and unresolved issues in these two sources of Marxism, thereby demonstrating that Marxist political economy transcends through inheritance and is the only scientific theoretical system of political economy.

吴易风取得的学术成就，除了勤奋，最重要的是得益于他始终坚持和倡导的研究方法：以马克思主义为指导，实事求是，通过比较求真知。在吴易风看来，以马克思主义为指导并非一句口号，马克思主义是他坚定的信仰。作为经济思想史大家，他的两部思想史巨著《空想社会主义》和《英国古典经济理论》，都是通过对马克思主义这两个来源中诸多含糊的、悬而未决的问题的梳理，从而表明马克思主义政治经济学是在继承中超越的，是唯一科学的政治经济学理论体系。

For a period after reform and opening up, Marxist economics was once marginalized in China’s economics circles, with many views and propositions that misread or even slandered Marxist economics emerging. Wu Yifeng resolutely defended Marxist economics and debated with various views that questioned or opposed Marxist economics. In response to the view that “Marxist economics does not study resource allocation,” in 1997 he published an article in *Social Sciences in China* titled “On the Object of Study of Political Economy or Economics,” pointing out that Marxist economics does not exclude the study of resource allocation, but the mode of resource allocation is subordinate to the mode of production; it cannot replace the mode of production and relations of production to become the core of all economics. Western economics, taking the allocation of scarce resources as its object of study, is satisfied with examining abstract and so-called supra-institutional resource allocation, not only excluding the study of specific modes of production and the relations of production corresponding to them, but also excluding the prerequisite for correctly understanding and recognizing resource allocation under specific modes of production.

改革开放后的一段时间里，马克思主义经济学在中国经济学界一度被边缘化，出现了许多误读甚至诋毁马克思主义经济学的观点和主张。吴易风坚决维护马克思主义经济学，与各种质疑、反对马克思主义经济学的观点论战。针对“马克思主义经济学不研究资源配置”的观点，1997年，他在《中国社会科学》发表《论政治经济学或经济学的研究对象》一文，指出马克思主义经济学并不排除对资源配置的研究，但是资源配置方式从属于生产方式，它不能取代生产方式和生产关系而成为全部经济学的核心。而西方经济学以稀缺资源的配置为研究对象，满足于对抽象的和所谓超制度的资源配置的考察，不仅排除了对特定生产方式以及和它相适应的生产关系的研究，而且也排除了正确理解和认识特定生产方式的资源配置的前提。

In response to the property rights theories of Western economists such as Coase, and the assertion that “Coase has a property rights theory, Marx does not,” Wu Yifeng successively published two papers in *Social Sciences in China*: “Marx’s Property Rights Theory and the Reform of State-Owned Enterprise Property Rights” in 1995 and “Property Rights Theory: A Comparison between Marx and Coase” in 2007. The articles point out that more than 100 years before Coase, Marx had already created a scientific and systematic property rights theory, and moreover, compared with modern Western property rights theorists, Marx’s property rights theory is a truly scientific theory that withstands the test of practice. The various rights of property are in some cases unified, all belonging to the property owner, but in many cases, property rights can be divided, and the various rights of property can be separated from each other. Marx’s doctrine on the unity and separation of property rights has important theoretical and practical significance for studying both capitalist and socialist economies.

针对科斯等西方经济学家的产权理论，以及“科斯有产权理论，马克思没有产权理论”的断语，吴易风先后于1995年和2007年在《中国社会科学》发表《马克思的产权理论与国有企业产权改革》和《产权理论：马克思和科斯的比较》两篇论文。文章指出，早在科斯以前100多年，马克思就创立了科学的、系统的产权理论，而且，同现代西方产权理论家相比，马克思的产权理论都是真正经得起实践检验的科学理论。财产的各种权利在某些情况下是统一的，都属于财产所有者，但在很多情况下，财产权可以分解，财产的各种权利可以互相分离。马克思关于财产的权利统一和权利分离的学说，无论对于研究资本主义经济或是研究社会主义经济，都具有重要的理论和现实意义。

In response to the view that “Marxist economics cannot be expressed mathematically,” Wu Yifeng and his collaborators successively published articles such as “On the Production Function Based on the Labor Theory of Value” and “A Study of Marx’s Economic Growth Theory Model” in journals including *Social Sciences in China* and *Economic Research Journal*, and published the book *A Mathematical Model Study of Marx’s Economics*, which was selected for the “National Achievements Library of Philosophy and Social Sciences.” These works point out that Marx used mathematical methods in the process of writing *Capital*. Moreover, Marx also conducted specialized research on mathematics. Wu Yifeng emphasized that mathematical construction within the discipline of Marxist economics should be strengthened, but this does not mean that the more mathematical methods are used, or the more complex they are, the better. He argued that several issues must be noted when using mathematical methods in economics: first, one must truly understand what Marxist economics is. Second, when using mathematical methods in economics, the principle of “the simpler the method for solving the same problem, the better” should be upheld. Third, different mathematical methods should be applied to different economic problems, and mechanical use of the same method in the study of economic issues must be avoided. Fourth, mathematical methods should not be used as a form of packaging.

针对“马克思主义经济学不能用数学表达”这一观点，吴易风与合作者先后在《中国社会科学》《经济研究》等刊物发表《论以劳动价值论为基础的生产函数》《马克思的经济增长理论模型》等文章，并出版了入选“国家哲学社会科学成果文库”的著作《马克思经济学数学模型研究》。这些成果指出，马克思在《资本论》的写作过程中使用了数学方法。不仅如此，马克思还对数学进行了专门研究。吴易风强调，要加强马克思主义经济学学科中的数学建设，但并非数学方法运用得越多越好、越复杂越好。他认为，在经济学中使用数学方法需要注意几个问题：第一，要真正弄清楚什么是马克思主义经济学。第二，在经济学中使用数学方法，要坚持“解决同样问题，方法越简单越好”的原则。第三，对不同的经济问题要使用不同的数学方法，切忌在经济问题的研究过程中机械地使用同一方法。第四，不要将数学方法作为一种包装。

In the course of debate, Wu Yifeng also made important contributions to the development of Marxist economics. He devoted himself to the study of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context [1]1 “Adapting Marxism to the Chinese context” (马克思主义中国化) refers to the process of applying Marxist theory to China’s specific historical and practical conditions, a concept formally articulated by Mao Zedong in 1938., systematically sorting out and highly evaluating the great contributions of Comrades Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Chen Yun to adapting Marxism to the Chinese context. He pointed out that in different stages of the development of New China, Comrades Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Chen Yun carried out historic explorations of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and put forward a series of new theories. For example, Comrades Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Chen Yun continuously explored and innovated the theory and practice of planning and the market. Comrade Mao Zedong’s theory on socialist commodity production from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, Comrade Chen Yun’s theory on the combination of socialist planned economy and market regulation from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, and Comrade Deng Xiaoping’s theory from the late 1970s to the early 1990s that socialism could also engage in a market economy all greatly enriched and developed Marxism and made great contributions to the history of scientific socialism. These theories not only guided the practice of China’s socialist economy in the past but still have theoretical and practical guiding significance today.

在论战过程中，吴易风对马克思主义经济学的发展也作出了重要贡献。他还致力于马克思主义经济学中国化的研究，系统梳理和高度评价了毛泽东、邓小平、陈云同志对马克思主义经济学中国化的巨大贡献。他指出，在新中国不同的发展阶段，毛泽东、邓小平和陈云同志对马克思主义经济学中国化进行了历史性的探索，提出了一系列崭新的理论。比如，毛泽东、邓小平和陈云同志对计划和市场的理论与实践进行了不断的探索和创新。20世纪50年代末至60年代初毛泽东同志关于社会主义商品生产的理论、20世纪70年代末至80年代初陈云同志关于社会主义计划经济与市场调节相结合的理论、20世纪70年代末至90 年代初邓小平同志关于社会主义也可以搞市场经济的理论，都极大地丰富和发展了马克思主义，在科学社会主义史上作出了伟大的贡献。这些理论，不仅在过去指导着中国的社会主义经济的实践，而且今天仍然具有理论和现实的指导意义。

A Marxist economist must be a people’s economist. Wu Yifeng believed that one should stand on the side of the people and be a “people’s economist.” His experiences visiting the United States and Russia in the early 1990s deeply convinced him that China must never take the capitalist road; otherwise, the suffering would fall on the millions upon millions of working people. During a visit to Russia in 1995, Wu Yifeng wrote a report on his visit to Russia titled “Russian Economists Discuss the Russian Economy and China’s Economic Problems.” After the report was published, a mainstream Russian newspaper carried a dispatch from its correspondent in Beijing: “Professor Wu Yifeng’s detailed and reliable report… has aroused widespread concern in Chinese society… This is a violent shock to independent-minded people who see the pathogen of privatization and do not want a similar disaster to befall their own country.” However, this report was taken out of context by some people in China, who attacked Wu Yifeng with ulterior motives. In 2017, during an interview with the author, Wu Yifeng said: “I often receive letters and phone calls saying that the current state of Russia increasingly clearly shows that my report on the visit to Russia was not wrong; what was wrong were those who criticized me. More than 20 years have passed, and today the path of China’s reform and opening up fully proves this point.”

马克思主义经济学家必定是人民经济学家。吴易风认为，要站在人民的立场上，做“人民经济学家”。20世纪90年代初出访美国和俄罗斯的经历，让他深深感到中国绝不能走资本主义道路，否则受苦的将是千千万万的劳动人民。在1995年出访俄罗斯期间，吴易风写了一篇题为《俄罗斯经济学家谈俄罗斯经济和中国经济问题》的访俄报告。报告发表后，俄罗斯一家主流报刊载了该报记者从北京发回的报道：“吴易风教授的详细而可靠的报告……引起了中国社会的广泛关注……这对看到私有化病源而不愿意类似灾难降临在自己国家的独立思考的人是一个剧烈的震撼。”但是，这份报告被国内一些人断章取义，别有用心地攻击吴易风。2017年，在笔者对吴易风的一次访谈中，他说道：“我常接到信和电话，说俄罗斯的现状越来越清楚地说明，您的访俄报告没有错，错的是那些批判您的人。时间过去了20多年，今天中国的改革开放道路充分地证明了这一点。”

A Pioneering Educator in Economics

开拓性的经济学教育家

From the founding of New China until the beginning of reform and opening up, the Chinese economics community understood Western economics primarily through the history of economic thought, and only later gradually acquired textbooks on Western economics. Among these, *Modern Western Economics*, co-authored by Wu Yifeng and Gao Hongye, was an early textbook that systematically introduced and evaluated Western economics. This textbook was formed on the basis of the lecture notes of the two professors. At the beginning of reform and opening up, to meet the needs of national modernization, Gao Hongye and Wu Yifeng took the lead in offering courses on modern Western economics at Renmin University of China, which were widely welcomed by students. Recognizing the importance of textbooks on Western economics, the two professors first serialized their lecture notes on Western economics in Renmin University of China’s *Teaching and Research*, and later published *Modern Western Economics* in 1988 based on these notes. It became the preferred textbook for finance and economics majors in universities nationwide. The textbook accurately and comprehensively introduced the theoretical system of Western economics, offered pertinent evaluations of the defects and ideological implications of Western economics, and was very helpful in guiding readers to critically draw on Western economic theory. The book was selected as a textbook for humanities and social sciences by the State Education Commission and won the First Prize for Outstanding Achievements in Philosophy and Social Sciences in Beijing.

从新中国成立直到改革开放之初，中国经济学界都是从经济思想史入手来了解西方经济学，后来才渐渐有了西方经济学教材。其中，吴易风和高鸿业合作编写的《现代西方经济学》是较早系统评介西方经济学的教材。这部教材是在两位教授的讲稿的基础上形成的。改革开放之初，为适应国家现代化建设的需要，高鸿业和吴易风率先在中国人民大学开设现代西方经济学课程，受到学生的普遍欢迎。鉴于西方经济学教科书的重要性，两位教授合作，先在中国人民大学《教学与研究》上连载了西方经济学讲稿，后来在此基础上于1988年出版了《现代西方经济学》，是当时全国高校财经类专业的首选教材。教材准确全面地介绍了西方经济学理论体系，对西方经济学存在的缺陷和意识形态含义作出了中肯的评价，对指导读者批判性借鉴西方经济学理论很有帮助。该书入选国家教委高等学校文科教材，荣获北京市哲学社会科学优秀成果一等奖。

On this basis, Wu Yifeng, together with Wu Hanhong and Liu Fengliang, co-authored *Western Economics* as part of the Renmin University of China master’s student series textbook, which was adopted as a master’s textbook by many universities. *Western Economics for Graduate Students (Microeconomics)*, edited by Wu Yifeng, Gao Hongye, and Liu Fengliang, and *Western Economics for Graduate Students (Macroeconomics)*, edited by Wu Yifeng, Gao Hongye, and Wu Hanhong, were selected as textbooks for master’s and doctoral students at Renmin University of China. These textbooks are equivalent to the intermediate level of foreign economics textbooks but continue the style of the aforementioned *Modern Western Economics*, pointing out that even from the seemingly rigorous perspective of mathematical derivation, Western economic theory still has defects and errors. Against the backdrop of the near-total acceptance of Western economic theory at the time, these textbooks stood out as unique. *Contemporary Schools and Currents of Western Economics*, edited by Wu Yifeng, invited 34 domestic experts specializing in different schools of Western economics to write the corresponding chapters. It is a highly specialized textbook on Western economics schools in China and is used by undergraduate and graduate students in economics at many universities.

在此基础上，吴易风又与吴汉洪、刘凤良合写了中国人民大学硕士生系列教材中的《西方经济学》，该书被许多高校选作硕士生教材。吴易风和高鸿业、刘凤良主编的《研究生用西方经济学（微观部分）》以及和高鸿业、吴汉洪主编的《研究生用西方经济学（宏观部分）》，被中国人民大学选作硕士生、博士生教材。这些教材相当于国外经济学教材的中级版，但延续了前述教材《现代西方经济学》的风格，指出了即便从数学推导这个看似严谨的角度来说，西方经济学理论仍然存在缺陷和错误。在当时几乎全盘接受西方经济学理论的背景下，这些教材独树一帜。吴易风主编的《当代西方经济学流派与思潮》，约请国内34位专门研究西方经济学不同流派的专家撰写相应章节，是国内专业化程度较高的西方经济学流派教材，被许多大学经济学专业本科生和研究生选用。

Wu Yifeng and Yan Pengfei, as chief experts of the Western Economics subject group for the key textbooks of the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project [2]2 The Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project (马克思主义理论研究和建设工程) is a major state-led initiative launched in 2004 to develop a new generation of textbooks and academic works grounded in Marxism for use in Chinese higher education., jointly compiled the project’s key textbook *Western Economics* (Higher Education Press, People’s Publishing House, 2011 edition). At that time, Gao Hongye had already been selected as the chief expert for this textbook. Regrettably, just as the design and compilation work for this textbook was about to begin, Mr. Gao passed away. In addition to Wu Yifeng and Yan Pengfei, the textbook’s compilation group also included experts and scholars such as Wang Zhiwei (passed away in 2022), Yang Yusheng, Feng Jinhua, Wu Hanhong, Liu Fengliang, Guo Qiyou, and Wen Jiandong. During the compilation process, they adhered to the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method. While providing an accurate and detailed introduction to Western economics, they also offered a scientific explanation of the class nature of Western economics and its applicability under specific conditions, making several explorations to ensure that China’s teaching and research of Western economics followed the correct path.

吴易风和颜鹏飞作为马克思主义理论研究和建设工程重点教材西方经济学课题组首席专家，与课题组共同编写了工程重点教材《西方经济学》（高等教育出版社、人民出版社2011年版）。当时，高鸿业已被遴选为这部教材的首席专家。令人痛心的是，当这部教材的设计和编写工作即将启动的时候，高先生却与世长辞。除了吴易风和颜鹏飞之外，这部教材编写组还有王志伟（2022年辞世）、杨玉生、冯金华、吴汉洪、刘凤良、郭其友、文建东等专家学者。在教材编写过程中，他们坚持运用马克思主义的立场、观点和方法，在对西方经济学进行准确、细致介绍的同时，对西方经济学的阶级性和在特定条件下的实用性作出科学说明，为使我国沿着正确道路进行西方经济学的教学和研究作了若干探索。

Throughout the compilation of Western economics textbooks, Wu Yifeng consistently upheld the views and practices held by Gao Hongye: first, extensively referencing various Western economics textbooks and accurately introducing Western economics strictly according to its original appearance; second, adhering to the guidance of Marxism and offering commentary on Western economics. Wu Yifeng believed that this approach was necessary because Western economics is rooted in Western countries and is the theoretical expression of the views of the ruling classes of Western countries on the capitalist market economy. Therefore, it has a dual character: first, its class nature, and second, its applicability under specific conditions. In the process of studying and drawing on Western economic theory, one must adhere to an attitude of seeking truth from facts. In particular, the younger generation must strive to study Marxist economic theory, arm themselves with this theory, and use it to analyze, critique, and draw on Western economic theory, thereby enhancing their ability to discriminate, rather than blindly obsessing over Western economic theory.

在西方经济学教材的编写过程中，吴易风始终坚持高鸿业所持的观点和做法：一是广泛参考多种西方经济学教科书，严格按照西方经济学的原貌准确地介绍西方经济学；二是坚持以马克思主义为指导，对西方经济学进行评论。吴易风认为，之所以要这样做，是因为西方经济学根植于西方国家，是西方国家统治阶级关于资本主义市场经济看法的理论表现。因此，它具有二重性：一是阶级性，二是特定条件下的实用性。在学习和借鉴西方经济理论过程中，要坚持实事求是的态度，特别是青年一代要努力学习马克思主义经济学理论，用这一理论武装起来，去分析、批判、借鉴西方的经济理论，以提高自己的鉴别能力，而不是一味地迷恋西方经济学理论。

Wu Yifeng points out that in China there are two erroneous tendencies in the study of Western economics: one is to see only the class character of Western economics while ignoring its practicality under specific conditions; the other is to see only its practicality under specific conditions while ignoring its class character. Both tendencies are the result of taking Western economics to extremes and one-sidedness. Complete affirmation and complete negation are both wrong, because neither understanding conforms to reality. Since Western economics has a dual character, it should be subjected to a scientific and comprehensive analysis using the method of “dividing one into two,” distinguishing which components are ideological and which are useful under specific conditions. For the former, necessary criticism and exposure must be carried out; for the latter, reference and absorption are needed. Reference and absorption also require a scientific attitude: reference means using others’ experiences and lessons as a mirror, not copying or mechanically applying them; absorption means using the digestive system’s decomposing and absorbing functions to take in nutritious components, not swallowing whole.

吴易风指出，在我国，研究西方经济学存在两种错误倾向：一种是只看到西方经济学的阶级性而看不到它在特定条件下的实用性，另一种是只看到了西方经济学在特定条件下的实用性而看不到它的阶级性。这两种倾向都是将西方经济学极端化、片面化的结果。完全肯定和完全否定都是错误的，因为这两种认识都不符合实际。既然西方经济学具有二重性，就应该用一分为二的观点对它进行科学的和全面的剖析，分清哪些是意识形态成分，哪些是特定条件下有用的成分。对于前者，要进行必要的批判和揭露；对于后者，要借鉴和吸收。借鉴和吸收也需要科学的态度，借鉴是把他人的经验和教训当作镜子，而不是照抄照搬；吸收是要经过消化系统的分解和吸收功能来摄取有营养的成分，而不是囫囵吞枣。

Regrettably, not everyone in China’s economics circles holds this position and viewpoint. The “Westernization” tendency in China’s economics education had already begun in the 1980s. Entering the 1990s, Wu Yifeng and other older-generation economists took concrete actions to correct this tendency. Starting in 1994, a group of senior scholars engaged in the teaching and research of Western economics in China held a series of academic seminars, with Wu Yifeng as the convener. According to his account, the background for holding these seminars was that at the time, some newspapers and periodicals were heavily promoting Western economics’ Coase theorem and property rights theory, shareholding system theory, etc., promoting them to an excessive degree and distorting them. Many senior scholars who had in-depth research on these theories felt deeply uneasy about this situation and, out of a sense of responsibility, believed it necessary to clearly explain the content, nature, and role of these theories as they were. The seminars were co-sponsored by the Social Science Center of the State Education Commission and the journal *Theoretical Front in Higher Education*. The results of the seminars, *Western Economics and China’s Economic System Reform*, Volumes 1 and 2, were published by the China Social Sciences Press. The speakers included renowned scholars such as Chen Daishun, Tao Dayong, Hu Daiguang, Gao Hongye, Fan Jiaxiang, Liu Diyuan, Zhu Shaowen, Luo Yuanzheng, Chen Baosen, Zhang Fan, Ding Bing, Yang Deming, and Zhi Xiaohe. The seminars discussed the Coase theorem of Western economics and China’s ownership system reform, Western property rights theory and China’s property rights system, the Western shareholding system and China’s enterprise system, the market economy and government regulation, the reform of state-owned enterprises, the reform of the financial system, and the theory and practice of introducing foreign investment. According to Wu Yifeng’s recollection, the veteran scholar of Western economics in China, Professor Chen Daishun, earnestly admonished us that we should draw inspiration from the past blind worship of the market economy in economics; the famous economist Tao Dayong also pointed out that the “invisible hand” alone is not enough; there must also be a “visible hand.”

遗憾的是，中国经济学界并非人人都持这种立场和观点。中国经济学教育的“西化”倾向从20世纪80年代就已经开始。进入20世纪90年代，吴易风和其他老一辈经济学家以实际行动纠正这种倾向。从1994年起，国内从事西方经济学教学和研究的一批资深学者举行了一系列学术报告会，吴易风是报告会的主持人。据他介绍，举办学术报告会的背景是，当时一些报刊大炒西方经济学的科斯定理和产权理论、股份制理论等，炒得太过分，炒得走了样。许多对此有研究的资深学者看到这种情况深感不安，出于责任感，认为有必要把这些理论的内容、性质、作用等如实地讲清楚。报告会的主办单位是国家教委社科中心和《高校理论战线》杂志社。报告会的成果《西方经济学与我国经济体制改革》第一辑、第二辑，由中国社会科学出版社出版。报告人有陈岱孙、陶大镛、胡代光、高鸿业、范家骧、刘涤源、朱绍文、罗元铮、陈宝森、张帆、丁冰、杨德明、智效和等知名学者。会议讨论了西方经济学的科斯定理和我国所有制体制改革、西方产权理论和我国的产权制度、西方股份制和我国的企业制度、市场经济和政府调控、国有企业改革、金融体制改革、引进外资的理论和实践等。据吴易风回忆，我国研究西方经济学的老前辈陈岱孙教授语重心长地告诫我们，应从以往经济学对市场经济的盲目崇拜中得出启发；著名经济学家陶大镛也指出，只有“看不见的手”不行，还要有“看得见的手”。

A Kind Mentor

一位慈爱的师长

Professor Wu Yifeng places great importance on the bonds of friendship with colleagues and the relationship between teachers and students. When the author was studying for a doctorate under Professor Wu Yifeng, he would go to his home for lectures at a fixed time each week. On one occasion, I saw a set of works by a Russian economist placed on his desk, and it remained there for over a month. Curious, we asked him about it and learned that this person was a close friend of his who had passed away for some reason, and Wu Yifeng was expressing his remembrance of his old friend in this way. As is well known, Wu Yifeng and Gao Hongye were both teacher and friend to each other; in his youth, Wu Yifeng often consulted Mr. Gao on English and Western economics, and their mutual understanding and friendship spanned decades, with deep affection. Their relationship has always been a much-told tale in economics circles.

吴易风教授极重师友之情、师生之情。笔者师从吴易风教授攻读博士期间，每周固定时间到他家里听课。有一次见他书桌上摆放着一套一位俄罗斯经济学家的著作，此后一个多月一直摆放在案头。我们好奇，向他询问后才知道，原来此人是他的挚友，因故去世，吴易风以这种方式表达对老友的怀念。众所周知，吴易风与高鸿业亦师亦友，吴易风年轻时经常向高先生请教英语和西方经济学，两人相知相交数十年，感情深厚。两人的情谊一直是经济学界的一段佳话。

During the 2005 annual conference of the Chinese Society for the Study of Foreign Economics in Nanjing, the author suddenly learned of the passing of his own master’s thesis advisor and momentarily lost control of his emotions. Upon hearing this, Wu Yifeng quickly came over to offer comfort, his own eyes brimming with tears, even though he had only met the author’s master’s thesis advisor a few times. Besides a large collection of books, Wu Yifeng’s bookshelves are also filled with an array of holiday cards and small souvenirs, all from his friends, students, and admirers. Regardless of closeness, he has always treasured them.

2005年南京中华外国经济学说研究会年会期间，笔者突然听闻自己的硕士导师仙逝，一时未能控制住情绪。吴易风获悉后赶忙过来安慰，他眼里也噙满泪水，而他与笔者的硕士导师仅数面之缘。吴易风的书柜里除了大量藏书，还陈列着琳琅满目的节日贺卡和小纪念品，都来自他的友人、学生和仰慕者。无论亲疏，他都一直珍藏着。

The bonds of friendship with colleagues and the relationship between teachers and students are, after all, small affections. Wu Yifeng places greater importance on a larger affection—the affection for the working people. Born into a poor family and trained as an economist by New China, this experience has given Wu Yifeng deep feelings for the motherland and the working people. This sentiment manifests as a firm confidence in the future of the motherland. During special historical periods, when facing difficulties, Wu Yifeng always thought: “Our nation is a great nation; we must have confidence in the future of the intellectuals.” It was this very confidence that sustained him in writing tirelessly under harsh conditions. He emphasizes that economics has a class character, and that emphasizing the dominant position of Marxist economics in China ultimately means emphasizing that economics must serve the interests of the broad masses of the people. He has loudly called for becoming a “people’s economist.” Over more than sixty years of academic research, this is what he has said and this is what he has practiced.

师友之情、师生之情毕竟是小情，吴易风更重大情——与劳动人民之情。出身于贫寒之家，是新中国培养的经济学家，这样的经历使吴易风对祖国和劳动人民感情深厚。这种情感表现为对祖国未来的坚定信心。在特殊的历史时期，遭遇困境的吴易风总想道：“我们这个民族是一个伟大的民族，要对知识分子的未来有信心。”正是这样的信心，支撑着他在艰苦的环境下笔耕不辍。他强调，经济学有阶级性，强调马克思主义经济学在中国的主导地位，说到底，就是强调经济学要为广大人民群众的利益服务。他大声疾呼，要做“人民经济学家”。六十多年的学术研究生涯，他是这样说的，也是这样践行的。

Online Editor: Paul

网络编辑：保罗