Lu Xun: The miscellaneous feelings of the Yellow Flower Festival

This article was originally published on March 29, 1927, in the seventh issue of "Political Training" edited and printed by the Political Training Department of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, "Huanghua Festival Special Number". Now included in "The Collected Works"

The Yellow Flower Festival is approaching, and we must do a little so-called article. But for the article on this topic, teaching me to do it is really close to the previous "air policy" in the examination room. Because, I was ashamed to say it, and I naturally understood what the three words of Huanghua Festival meant; but the warriors who died in the battle at huanghuagang did not know not only their names, but also their numbers.

In order to find some materials, for the sake of discussion, I had to check the "Etymology". There are some in the book, but only:

"Huanghuagang. Place name, at the foot of Baiyun Mountain outside the north gate of Guangdong Province. On March 29, the third year of the Qing Dynasty's reunification, dozens of revolutionary party members attacked the Governor's Office, but they died and were buried here. ”

Understatement, similar to what I knew, would not do me any good.

I would like to know a little about the situation on March 29, seventeen years ago, but I can't find the elderly who has seen and heard about it for a while. From the examples of other places,-such as Beijing, Nanjing, my hometown—I deduce that at that time, there were probably a few people who lamented, some who were happy, some who had no opinions, and some who used them as a talk after drinking tea. Then it will be forgotten. People who have been suppressed for a long time can only endure suffering when they are suppressed, but fortunately, when they are liberated, they only know how to make fun, and tragic dramas cannot stay in memory for a long time.

But the events of March 29 were extraordinary, when, despite its failure, October was the Wuchang Uprising, and the following year, the Republic of China appeared. So these defeated fighters also became the pioneers of the success of the revolution at that time, and the tragic drama was just about to end, and the end of a reunion drama was added. This is a blessing for us, I think, as we can see when we commemorate the Yellow Flower Festival.

I haven't personally met the commemoration of the Yellow Flower Festival, because it has been in the north for a long time. However, Mr. Nakayama's anniversary was met: in the school, there were many people who came to see the drama at night, and even the stools were broken, which was very lively. Using this example to extrapolate, then, the Yellow Flower Festival must also be extremely lively.

When I was in the lively arena on the night of March 12, I felt the greatness of the revolutionaries even more deeply. I think that when the love is successful, a lover dies, and can only give sorrow to the one who survives. However, when the revolution succeeded, the revolutionaries died, but they could give everyone who survived every year a lively and even rejoice. Only the revolutionary, whether he lives or dies, can give happiness to everyone. The same is love, but the result is so different, it is no wonder that the present youth have a lot of bitterness about the conflict between love and revolution.

The so-called "success of the revolution" above refers to temporary matters; in fact, "the revolution has not yet succeeded." Revolutions are endless, and if there is anything in the world that really "stops at the highest good," the human world will change into something solidified at the same time. However, after the cultivation of the spirit and flesh and blood of many warriors, China has indeed grown a little happiness that it did not have before, and there is still hope for gradual growth. If not, it is because there are fewer people who continue to cultivate, and there are too many people who enjoy, climb and fold this flower, and pick this fruit.

I am not saying that everyone must weep and weep every day, so that the "spirit in heaven" of the martyrs can be remembered one day a year. However, as far as Guangdong is concerned, I think that everyone needs to improve the method of festivals.

The Yellow Flower Festival is very lively, and it is naturally good to have a lively day; it is too busy to be tired, so go back and sleep well. However, the next day, the vitality was restored, and it was time to process and do the work that he should do for the day. Of course, this is labor, but it is far better than a bullet passing through a deadly place; moreover, it is also cultivating the fruits of happiness for the sake of the people who come after it.

Night of March 24

【Notes】

Huanghua Festival On April 27, 1911 (March 29 of the Summer Calendar), Huang Xing, Zhao Sheng, and other leading members of the League launched an armed uprising in Guangzhou, attacking the governor of Liangguang, Yamen, but failed. Afterwards, the collected bodies of 72 martyrs were buried together in Huanghuagang, a suburb of Guangzhou. After the founding of the Republic of China, March 29 of the Gregorian calendar was designated as the anniversary of revolutionary martyrs, commonly known as the Yellow Flower Festival.

"Empty Policy" After the Han Dynasty, when the imperial examination was conducted, questions related to political affairs and economic righteousness were used as topics, and the test takers were ordered to write down what they saw, which was called countermeasures. "Empty strategy" means that there is no specific opinion on the topic, and only the meaning of a void theory is issued.

"Ciyuan" A reference book illustrating the meaning of Chinese words and their origin and evolution, edited by Lu Erkui and others, published by the Commercial Press in 1915.

Mr. Zhongshan Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), a famous writer and character Yixian, a native of Xiangshan (now Zhongshan), Guangdong, was a great democratic revolutionary in China. He died in Beijing on March 12, 1925.

"The revolution has not yet succeeded," Sun Yat-sen admonished his comrades in his will.

"Stop at the highest good" is said in "University", which means to reach the state of perfection.