In the history of modern publishing in China, the Life Bookstore founded by Zou Taofen is a stroke that cannot be ignored. Born in the 1930s when the nation was in crisis, the Life Bookstore published and distributed a large number of progressive books and anti-Japanese publications publicizing the anti-Japanese war to save the country under the times of national disaster and people's livelihood: At the same time, the Life Bookstore has always been self-run and distributed, has a sound distribution organization, and has become the distribution center of the new publishing industry.
On December 11, "Life Bookstore Meeting Minutes 1940-1945" was first published in the Chinese edition of the study room, which is the last series of photocopied and published life bookstore meeting minutes since Shanghai Taofen Memorial Hall launched the photocopying and publication plan of the collection of documents in 2018.
The minutes of the meeting of the Life Bookstore are rare historical materials unique to the collection of Shanghai Taofen Memorial Museum, which have been difficult to preserve until now after the artillery fire of the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation, as well as the persecution of the Kuomintang such as seizure, confiscation and closure of stores. This batch of archival information is large, self-contained, and relatively complete, and is disclosed in the form of all photocopying, without embellishment, abridgement, or obscuration. Among them, there are not only resolutions on the development of bookstores, opening branches, relocation, discussions on personnel appointments and removals, reporting of operating data, etc., but also internal employee benefits, such as accommodation expenses, meal expenses, travel expenses, salary increases and decreases, etc., which are all detailed and completely record the internal management, operation status and development process of the life bookstore.
Life Bookstore Shanghai Branch (1945, No. 6 Chongqing South Road)
The time span of the archives collected in "Life Bookstore Meeting Minutes 1940-1945" from May 29, 1940 to March 24, 1945 restores the life bookstore from 56 branches in the full heyday, which were framed and destroyed, leaving only the history of the Chongqing branch, witnessing how on the eve of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, life bookstores in the darkest hours, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, struggled to persevere and heroically. The book is accompanied by a large number of historical pictures, including Tao Fen's letter to Shen Jun, a group photo of colleagues in the Life Bookstore, and Mao Dun's articles commemorating the anniversary of Tao Fen's death, many of which are made public for the first time.
Tao Fen's Letter to Shen Junru (25 February 1941)
"At the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the printing, sale, and transportation conditions of books were restricted, and at that time, the life bookstore could develop to 56 branches in the country, which seems to be a myth today. Many books published by small bookstores, on the copyright page, it is written 'National General Economic Sales: Life Bookstore', which shows the wide range of sales channels, which is also the embodiment of the business ability of life bookstores. Since the branches of the Life Bookstore are open to sell books, many progressive young people know that they can see red books and revolutionary books here. Under the influence of bookstores, many young people embarked on the revolutionary road. Zhou Limin, executive deputy director of Ba Jin's former residence, said that the spiritual tradition of the life bookstore is worth inheriting from today's publishers: first, the "spirit of service" that Zou Taofen has repeatedly emphasized is its core; second, the modern enterprise management concept and practice of the life bookstore deserve attention; third, the life bookstore has a unique cultural atmosphere, which is also the basis for the effective and fruitful performance of various management and spirit; fourth, the life bookstore has always stood at the forefront of the times and supported the cause of just struggle; fifth, the spirit of hard struggle and dedication to the ideal.
Group photo of the anniversary of Chongqing Sanlian Branch (1946)
"From the history of Life Bookstore, we can clearly and vividly see how these idealistic, ambitious, and ambitious publishers lived and worked throughout the 20th century." Chen Zishan, a professor at the Department of Chinese of East China Normal University, sighed that fortunately, the Life Bookstore has left such a precious document archive, and today people can see their difficult but calm footprints.
"Flipping through the minutes of the life bookstore meetings in different handwriting, we see not only the words, not just the ink color, nor just the yellowed paper, but the dusty people. Their voices are still there: We are confident that our cause has a bright future, we have no hidden secrets, we are all working together in the cultural cause of the country and the nation with a bright and honest attitude, the country and the nation have a bright future, and our group of hard-working cultural workers - cultural workers who struggle hard for the welfare of the country and the nation - must also have a bright future. We are not afraid of tribulations, but we are afraid that we have no courage and perseverance! Zhou Limin said.
The minutes of the second joint meeting of the Council, the Personnel Committee and the Supervision Commission indicate that Mao Dun served as an editorial board member
The information contained in the minutes of the meetings of the Life Bookstore is like a rich mine, and it also has a reference role in today's publishing management, operation and decision-making. "The four series of meeting minutes of the Life Bookstore are published separately chronologically, and it can be seen from the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors, the Personnel Committee, and the Supervision Commission that the Life Bookstore is completely in accordance with the modern enterprise management norms, and the overall operation process is carefully retained. This set of four books is not only the historical record of the life bookstore, but also the detailed record of the publishing history, cultural history and a generation of publishers in the most difficult period of china's modern history. Zhao Shulei, director of Shanghai Taofen Memorial Museum, introduced that next year is the 90th anniversary of the establishment of Life Bookstore, and the four series of typeset copies of "Life Bookstore Meeting Minutes" will meet with readers.