Li Gongpu's view of reading

Li Gongpu's reading philosophy is to raise many practical questions to enrich the theoretical discussion and break the stereotype of readers clinging to books.

Li Gongpu

Recently read the first episode of the "Reading Questions and Answers" edited by Li Gongpu, and I have learned more about his reading ideas. In the book's "Editor's Benyan", he writes: "The most important thing is to raise many practical questions to enrich the theoretical discussion, to break the reader's stereotype of clinging to the book, and to better understand how to get from the book and apply it to practical problems." This is his concept of reading live books and reapplicating them.

The First Edition of the Book of Questions and Answers was first published in May 1934 and printed in 3,000 copies. In the preface to the book, "The Origin of the Creation of the "Reading Guide" of the Circulation Library", it is said: "Most of the readers of this library are clerks, apprentices, workers, and low-level practitioners who have never entered the school or dropped out of school. Although they receive our supply of books, most of them still lack the ability to choose and digest... Our work policy is as follows: First, break the phenomenon of libraries that only passively provide readers with reading materials, without instruction or help. Second, relieve the reader of the difficulty of being overwhelmed in the 'vast sea of' classics, and carry out their own reading life with purpose and system according to needs. Third, correct the reader's attitude of leaving the actual reading for the sake of reading, and strive to make the reader realize that reading is to understand and solve practical problems."

These three points alone show that in addition to lending books, this library also undertakes the task of solving the doubts of readers. This is the purpose of the library run by Li Gongpu.

The book has eight parts, namely Reading and Life, Reading Methods, Reading Attitudes, Language Learning, Reading and Practice, Subject Selection, Reading Plans and Appendices. For example, in the chapter on the attitude of reading, four letters from readers are selected, first published in full, and then answered one by one, that is, the seriousness of reading, low-level interest, reading addiction, and the uselessness of word habits, the answer is detailed, kind and realistic.

In 1934, Li Gongpu presided over the "Declaration circulation library", in order to guide young people to study on their own, xia Zhengnong, Ai Siqi, and Liu Xiang were invited to be responsible for the work of the reading guidance department, and every day according to the letters from readers, answered various difficult questions in reading and life, and published them in the "Declaration" column of "Reading Questions and Answers". All three of them are members of the Left League and the All-China Federation of Social Associations, and use Marxist positions, viewpoints, methods, and popular language to explain to readers various problems encountered in society and to do ideological enlightenment work. All the answers to philosophical and scientific and technological issues were written by Aischi; most of the articles on social life were written by Liu Xiang. He is an underground party, and the party's demands are implemented through him. The reading article was written by Xia Zhengnong. Zhou Weizhi also participated in this work, writing some short articles in response to readers. Later, they came into contact with more readers, and they came up with their own questions in a planned and step-by-step manner, which further strengthened the ideological guidance of readers. This work was welcomed by readers and strongly supported and affirmed by Li Gongpu.

Later, Aischi's "Popular Philosophy" and Liu Xiang's "Street Speech" were the collection of this column, and Xia Zhengnong's articles originally published in the column were edited by Li Gongpu into the first episode of "Reading Questions and Answers". Under his auspices, as a public welfare library under the newspaper, the number of books increased from more than 2,000 to more than 30,000, and the number of registered readers grew from less than 300 to more than 20,000. This reflects Li Gongpu's feelings of home and country and cultural ideals.

The following year, the Kuomintang reactionaries intensified their encirclement and suppression of progressive culture, and Shi Liangcai, the general manager of the "Declaration," was killed on the Shanghai-Hangzhou Road, the circulation library could not be run, and the column "Reading Questions and Answers" was cancelled. Li Gongpu consulted with the three of them and decided to publish a monthly magazine first, so that everyone would have a position to continue to make remarks, and then set up a publishing house, which is the origin of the semi-monthly magazine "Reading Life" and the "Reading Life Publishing House". Under the run of Li Gongpu, he rented No. 71 Xieqiao Lane (now Wujiang Road) on Jing'an Temple Road (now Nanjing West Road), as the Life Reading Publishing House (later changed to the Reading Publishing House), published "Capital" translated by Guo Dali and Wang Yanan for the first time in China, and later jointly formed the Sanlian Bookstore that continues to this day with the Life Bookstore and the Xinzhi Bookstore.

Li Gongpu wrote in the inaugural speech of "Reading Life": "In my spare time, I want to read a few pages of books, in order to seek a little knowledge related to my actual life, use it to open my eyes, inspire my own understanding, and guide myself how to live." At that time, Li Gongpu edited Aischi's "Application of Knowledge", as the second episode of "Reading Questions and Answers", published by Reading Life Publishing House. At the same time as editing the "Reading Question and Answer Collection", Li Gongpu also edited the "Half-Corner Small Series", including "How to Self-Study Social Science" and "How to Self-Study Literature". It can be seen that Li Gongpu runs a library, runs a publishing house, and edits a series of books and periodicals, and the content involved reflects his own reading point of view, and is regarded as "one of the causes of serving society and giving the public the opportunity to seek knowledge", and in reading books, he understands society and solves practical problems.

Speaking of Li Gongpu (1902-1946), it is really awe-inspiring. In Shanghai, at the critical moment of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he initiated the establishment of the "National Salvation Congress from All Walks of Life" and advocated that "all parties in the country unanimously go to the outside world." This made the Kuomintang hate him to the bone, and he was arrested in Shanghai with Shen Junru, Zou Taofen, Shi Liang, Zhang Naiqi, Wang Zaoshi, Sha Qianli, and seven others, and imprisoned in the Suzhou Detention Center, which was then called the "Seven Gentlemen Incident." After his release from prison, he traveled to Wuhan, Yan'an and other places. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese entered Thailand, Burma, and Vietnam, and Yunnan became an important hub of the War of Resistance, so he went to Kunming, founded the Beimen Bookstore and the Beimen Publishing House, risked his life, and delivered spiritual food to the broad masses of the people, arousing everyone's belief that the War of Resistance would be victorious.

After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Li Gongpu went to Chongqing to attend the First National Congress of the Democratic League, and also joined forces with Tao Xingzhi to establish the Social University. In February 1946, Li Gongpu was wounded by the enemy while presiding over a mass rally at The Gate of Chongqing. Returning to Kunming with his wounds, he saw that the crisis of the civil war was getting bigger and bigger, and his activities for democracy and peace were becoming more and more active. At the same time, there were also many signs that made him feel that the Kuomintang would poison him, saying: "I stepped out of the door with two feet, and I am not ready to step back!" On the evening of July 11, 1946, he was assassinated by Kuomintang agents in Kunming Academy Slope. Mao Zedong and Zhu De, upon hearing the news, said in a joint condolence telegram that "Mr. Mao has done his utmost to save the country and the cause of progressive culture, and he is mighty and unyielding, and rich and noble are not obscene." On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Lee Gong-pu, I would like to express my respect for the sages in this article. (Wei Yang)