"Only a hero can kill a living person, and the merits and sins are right and wrong, and there are thousands of young histories; and they have fought again and again in a war with their former friends, and they have public hatred and private friendship, all by an inch of pure heart."
This is the content of the elegy written by Chen Jiongming after the death of Sun Yat-sen in March 1925.
This pair of links was once considered "extremely delicate" because it revealed all the complicated emotions after Chen Jiongming's rebellion, and it also wrote Chen Jiongming's calmness about his own rebellion, and he firmly believed: "Right and wrong, there is a thousand autumns and green history."
Chen Jiongming and Sun Yat-sen
When he wrote this pair of letters, Chen Jiongming had just fled to Hong Kong due to the defeat of the army. This year, Chen Jiong will be 53 years old next year. People say that "fifty people know the Mandate of Heaven", and Chen Jiongming seems to have realized the Mandate of Heaven, but he does not want to admit it.
Just six months after Sun Yat-sen's death, Chen Jiongming founded the China Zhi Gong Party in Hong Kong, and Chen Jiongming was elected prime minister. Since then, the Zhi Gong Dang has adhered to the program specified by Chen Jiongming and begun a long and tortuous exploration.
The fundamental reason for Chen Jiongming's previous rebellion was that he had different political views with Sun Yat-sen, who adhered to the Three People's Principles and advocated taking Guangdong as a base for protecting the law and relying on Guangdong's human, material, and financial resources to raise troops to march west to the Northern Expedition to unify the whole country; while Chen Jiongming advocated building Guangdong as a model of provincial autonomy, believing in other provinces, and finally realizing a unified country with democratic federalism (like the United States).
After the defeat of the army, Chen Jiongming still did not give up his political views.
In 1927, Chen Jiongming also completed the more than 60,000-word "Discussion on the Reunification of China", he systematically put forward the founding strategy, and he also criticized the political line of the Kuomintang in this book, saying:
"Since the people are known, they should not do it for one party, should not rely on the help of Soviet Russia, and especially should not be under the command of the Third International."
"Discussion on The Reunification of China"
It can be seen that up to this time, Chen Jiongming still adhered to his own views, and his opposition to Sun Yat-sen and his tactics had almost penetrated into the marrow.
At the same time as writing the book, Chen Jiongming was also fond of organizing the third force, and he began to contact the deposed warlords and politicians in Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Tianjin and other places, and in December 1928, he entered into a republican alliance with Duan Qirui and others.
However, because Chen Jiongming had lost his military and political activities at this time, neither his books nor the alliances he organized had a real impact.
At the same time, Chen Jiongming, who felt that he had gone against the general trend of the times, also fell into various embarrassments in his life.
Chen Jiongming has no money! This is a fact, but this fact is difficult for many people to believe, after all, he was once the "King of Guangdong".
The reason why Chen Jiongming did not have money was because during his time as a warlord, he did not embezzle a single cent. At all times, he has been living a hard and simple life. On weekdays, he often wears a worn-out long shirt in the summer, while in the winter he wears only a blue robe.
Regarding Chen Jiongming's hardships and simplicity, Sun Yat-sen once elaborated on it, and he once frankly said that Chen Jiongming:
"Not a good woman, don't be comfortable, eat hard and be frugal, I'm not as good as."
Even in his "Letter to Overseas Comrades," which denounced Chen Jiongming, Sun Yat-sen had to admit: "In the light of Chen Jiongming's nature, his perseverance and endurance are self-superior." It can be seen that Chen Jiongming's hardship and simplicity have long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
In 1922, Chen Jiongming during the "mutiny"
Regarding Chen Jiongming's routine frugality, his friend Bai Yuehuan once told about it in his memories, saying:
"Yu saw that Chen Jun was extremely thin, only eating three rough meals a day, or a few bananas, lying on a marching bed, bed bugs like black ants, and Chen Jun ignored it...."
Bai Yuhuan sighed: Being able to work and read in an environment with a very poor climate and bed bugs and mosquitoes is really not something that ordinary people can do.
Zhang Taiyan once praised Chen Jiongming and said: "Qingcao is absolutely indispensable to the people of the time, and it is impossible to get in Guangzhong." The former "Hong Kong Chinese Character Newspaper" also commented on Chen Jiongming:
"The Chen clan is a man of firmness, courage and reticence, and his private morality can be a model for the power of the north and the south."
It can be seen from this that although the real Chen Jiongming once defected, his private morality was extremely good, and he was almost a "model" among the warlords.
Chen Jiongming
Chen Jiongming is also a well-known "model of self-discipline" in the military, and his life is indeed praised for being careful in words and deeds, being honest and honest in performing official duties, not being greedy for money, and not being greedy for women. In his early years, he insisted on banning gambling in Guangdong, and gamblers wanted to bribe him with a lot of money and beautiful women, but he always refused sternly.
Also because of too much "self-discipline", Chen Jiongming did not seek any family property for himself and his family in his life.
When he lived in Hong Kong, Chan Had to live in a small apartment with his octogenarian mother, wife and children. In the aisle of this apartment, if someone happens to come from the opposite side, you need to lean on your side to barely make the trip. At that time, their daily diet was a very simple coarse grain.
However, even with such a life method, Chen Jiongming in the later period could not bear it. People say that "five buckets of rice can make a hero bend his waist", and this is also true of Chen Jiongming.
Seeing that the family could not open the pot, in March 1931, in a letter to Lin Yishun, an overseas Chinese, he asked him to provide financial support for himself, in which he wrote:
"Last year, my uncle was Bier's share capital, and he repeatedly tried to sell it, which was really amazing. If you are not on the defensive, you will not count this area. Love me like a brother, and be able to help. It's best to weigh the current price... If you are not in a hurry, please make good friends with relatives and friends, and try to devalue and ask for concessions, when it can be achieved; If it fails again, it will be the xiding force to take the initiative and take the money to help the urgent need, that is, to expose the stock as a pledge."
From this passage, it can be seen that Chen Jiongming wants to borrow money from Lin Yishun with the share capital, that is, the dowry sent to her by the uncle of the little daughter Bi'er. Unfortunately, after this heartfelt letter was sent, it did not receive any reply. And Chen Jiongming's loans from other overseas Chinese have not been echoed.
At that time, the overseas Chinese were unwilling to support Chen Jiongming, which was obviously related to the fact that the Zhi Gong Party he founded was not yet mature and did not do anything, and the overseas Chinese concluded that Chen Jiongming had no day to turn over.
However, even to such a destitute point, when the September 18 Incident broke out and the Japanese tried to win him over and offered to give him a huge sum of money, he not only refused without hesitation, but also in turn asked the Japanese invaders to return the three eastern provinces.
The Japanese saw that they could not win Chen Jiongming over, so they gave him a check for 80,000 yuan when they left. What they did not expect was that Chen Jiongming actually punched a cross on the 80,000 check and returned it to them.
After the September 18 Incident, Chen Jiongming sent a telegram on behalf of the Zhi Gong Dang to denounce Chiang Kai-shek's policy of non-resistance, and he also called on comrades inside and outside the party to unanimously participate in the anti-war work and contribute money to fulfill their duties.
On January 28, 1932, the Battle of Songhu broke out, and Cai Tingkai and others agreed with the slogans put forward by the Communists and the Red Army, "Chinese do not fight Chinese" and "the muzzle of the gun is consistent with the outside world", led the Nineteenth Route Army to rise up against the Japanese army's invasion of Shanghai, and set off a new wave of anti-Japanese salvation.
Chen Jiongming, who was in a state of poverty and illness in Hong Kong at this time, was deeply encouraged when he learned of it, and he immediately wrote a poem praising:
"General Cai, who was born in heaven, is of divine descent. Hundreds of battles turn mountains and rivers, and thousands of jun arms are strong. Two Cantonese athletes, three armies of eagles. The enemy is endowed with the same hatred, and the people of the country are fighting for each other. ”
Chen Jiongming also optimistically predicted in the poem: "Since this battle, the prestige will spread overseas. The drums are exhausted, and it is difficult to return to the land. ”
Soon, however, as the domestic situation developed, Chen Jiongming's concern for the country deepened, and he began to have a premonition that the War of Resistance Against Japan was not as easy as he imagined.
For Chen Jiongming, who lived in Hong Kong in his later years, the only thing that can be called lucky is that his wife Huang Yun has been carefully accompanied.
Huang Yun is the daughter of Teacher Chen Jiongming, and the two were married when Chen Jiongming was 21 years old. After marriage, the two have a very good relationship. Even if Huang Yun gave birth to five daughters in succession, he did not feel any displeasure at all. His wife and the people around him advised him to marry another wife, after all, at that time, the society still paid attention to "no filial piety has three, and no posterity is greater." But Chen Jiongming insisted on not marrying, he said: "The wife in my heart, only Huang Yun is alone."
What is extremely interesting is that Chen Jiongming's voice is backward, and his wife Huang Yun actually gave birth to three sons in succession. The three sons were: the eldest son Chen Dingxia, the second son Chen Dingyan, and the third son Chen Dingbing.
After Chen Jiongming went to Hong Kong, his eldest son and second son stayed in Shanghai to study, and both brothers had good grades, which also gave Chen Jiongming a lot of comfort in his later years.
Also because most of the children are in China, he lives in Hong Kong, so it is very difficult for him to see the children in his later years.
One day in September 1933, Chen Jiongming became unwell after eating food from street vendors, and his eating and living irregularities, he was eventually admitted to the hospital for enteritis. Seeing that his illness was getting worse and worse day by day, his wife Huang Yun was extremely anxious, but At this time, Chen Jiongming was worried about his "Unified Production" in his hospital bed.
After Chen Jiongming's illness became serious, Huang Yun hurriedly informed his relatives and friends of the news that he was critically ill, and Chen Dingxia and Chen Dingyan, who were studying in Shanghai, rushed to Hong Kong after receiving the news.
The misfortune was not only that: on the way, Chen Dingxia fell ill due to an epidemic when he was infected. On September 22, Chen Jiongming died of illness, and his son Chen Dingxia fell ill almost at the same time as him.
Before his death, Chen Jiongming said bluntly when he was urged to write his last words: "There is nothing to account for in family affairs", and the last words he left to the world were: "Republic, republic"! From this point of view, Chen Jiongming did not abandon his concept until his death: "China's local autonomy is the final expression of achieving federalism."
Chen Jiongming was not buried immediately after his death, because he had instructed his descendants to bury his body in Ziwei Mountain on the edge of Lake Ehu in Huizhou.
The reason why Chen Jiongming wanted to be buried in Huizhou, Guangdong, was because this place had an extraordinary significance to him, the "King of Guangdong". His prosperity began in Huizhou, and his final sign of decline also began in Huizhou...
A group photo of all the staff of the first art exhibition in Guangdong Province, the first four from the left is Chen Jiongming.
It is worth mentioning that because Chen Jiongming did not have any savings, he could not afford to buy a coffin when he died, so that he was placed in his mother's coffin, whose coffin was specially designed for the height and volume of women.
Because of the lack of money to do funerals, Chen Jiongming's first burial was extremely simple, he was temporarily buried in the Hong Kong Chinese Permanent Cemetery, the hangers were only Ma Yuhang, Huang Jusu and other close friends, and the condolence telegram only received a letter from Sun Chuanfang.
On September 22, 1934, a year after Chen Jiongming's death, his relatives, friends, members of the Zhi Gong Party, and many others decided after consultation that Chen Jiongming should be buried on the shores of West Lake in Huizhou.
On April 3, 1935, after careful planning, Chen Jiongming's funeral was held in Huizhou. On that day, the atmosphere under ziwei mountain next to the West Lake in Huizhou was solemn, and more than a thousand reporters and politicians of the Republic of China gathered, all of whom came to give him the last journey. According to historical records, before and after Chen Jiongming's burial, he received more than 3,000 pairs of elegance.
Judging from the reports at the time, the world still gave a positive evaluation of his life. Although Wu Zhihui lamented Chen Jiongming's rebellion and regretted that he had not repented to Sun Yat-sen, he still praised him: "There is no long thing outside the body, and the history of Youth is circulating, which shows that heroes have value."
Although Zou Lu lamented That Chen Jiongming "will never part ways," he also praised him in the link: "Thirty years of deep friendship, knowing that the brother is hard-working and honest, who drives with him."
Wu Peifu, feeling that Chen Jiongming's life was clean and honest, actually praised him despite the fact that the two of them had many political disagreements: "When you come and go, you will be clean, you will be a housekeeper with four walls, and the hero's true colors will have more than mourning." ”
Chen Jiongming's mausoleum has a tombstone pavilion, and the tombstone in the pavilion is engraved with six seal characters of "Mr. Chen Jingcun's Tomb" on the front of the tombstone, which is the inscription of The Master of Traditional Chinese Studies, Zhang Taiyan. Behind the tombstone pavilion is Chen Jiongming's cemetery, which is a circular tomb made of reinforced concrete.
Chen Jiongming Cemetery
Less than a year after Chen Jiongming was buried, his wife Huang Yun died of illness. When she died, their second son, Chen Dingyan, was only 12 years old, while their third youngest son died shortly after.
Compared with the situation of his sons, Chen Jiongming's daughters are obviously in much better condition. His five daughters all found Ruyi Langjun when they reached adulthood, but because of the notoriety of "rebellion" borne by their father, they rarely took the initiative to mention their father to others, and over time, they also disappeared from the public eye.
Chen Jiongming's only surviving adult son, Chen Dingyan, was the most accomplished of the eight children of the Chen family, and in 1946 he graduated from Jiaotong University to study in the United States, and in 1950, he received a master's degree and a doctorate from Harvard University.
After graduation, Chen Dingyan chose to stay in the United States, where he worked as a manager of the R&D team at General Dynamics and Electric Ship. He has also taught at the University of Rhode Island, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Connecticut.
Because he always had his own views on his father's "rebellion", in his later years, he devoted almost all his efforts to the study of modern Chinese history. In this regard, some people said that he wanted to "overturn the case" for his father, but he listened to it but did not think so.
After consulting a large number of modern Chinese historical materials, Chen Dingyan concluded that his father's "rebellion" did not actually want to kill Sun Yat-sen, but he just wanted to put him under house arrest and prevent him from the Northern Expedition.
Chen Dingyan
Chen Dingyan said: "My father and Sun Yat-sen disagreed, and they were both very arrogant people, and the situation at that time was too complicated, coupled with the intervention of imperialism and other people with ulterior motives, it seemed inevitable that they would eventually fall apart." ”
It is also because of his long-term study of modern history that Chen Dingyan has become a historian and writer who writes in Chinese and English after retirement.
During this period, he also compiled nearly one million words of "Chronology of Mr. Chen Jingcun Jiongming".
In 1997, after extensively consulting the diplomatic archives of the US and British governments and a large number of Chinese and English newspapers and magazines at that time, Chen Dingyan and Gao Zonglu launched "A Great Reversal of Modern History: The Truth of Chen Jiongming's Enmity with Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek".
In 1916, Chen Jiongming (front left fourth) and Sun Yat-sen (front fifth left) and others took a group photo
Chen Dingyan, while expounding his father's political views, pointed out that the "republic" that his father wanted to create was a cosmopolitan world. The cosmopolitan world is actually "socialism for all mankind", which will abolish capitalism, realize the equality of mankind, and usher in a new era in the history of the world.
Chen Dingyan also pointed out that his father, Chen Jiongming's Datong Thought, has an old ideological origin. Confucius believed that the realization of Datong Thought mainly lies in enlightening people's hearts, in education, in having the common heart of "the world is just", "preaching faith and cultivating harmony", that is, taking peace as the motive, means and end.
In fact, Chen Dingyan's views have been corroborated by relevant researchers, and Duan Yunzhang and Ni Junming, authors of Chen Jiongming's biography "Chen Jiongming", once wrote in the book:
"Chen Jiongming's line of realizing the ideal of Datong is quite similar to confucius's thought. He believes that the unity of mankind in the world is to promote the reunification and construction of China through the autonomy of the provinces (that is, democratic federalism) based on free association..."
After Chen Dingyan's book was published, it caused a great response. Because he tried to quote as much of the source material as possible in the book, his argument quickly attracted enough attention. For a moment, different voices about Chen Jiongming also began to surface. Slowly, the world also began to perceive that simply characterizing Chen Jiongming's various behaviors as "rebellion" seemed unfair.
Chen Dingyan, who "overturned the case" for his father, is undoubtedly a great filial piety, but what he did for his father was not just "overturning the case", because his father Chen Jiongming only had one male in his vein, so after marrying his wife Xu Yasun, they had four children in succession, their sons Chen Daowei, and their daughters Chen Daoyi, Chen Daolian and Chen Daofen.
Chen Dingyan always felt: The blood of the Chen family cannot be broken!
The first on the right is Chen Dingyan
Today, there are six guang grandchildren of Chen Jiongming's fourth generation, they are Chen Jin'an (male) and Chen De'an (male), Chen Defen (female), Chen Dewan (female), Chen Jingmei (female) and Chen Demei (female).
Because Chen Jiongming's third and fourth generations were born in the United States, they are all Americans without exception. Because they have lived in the United States for a long time, their Chinese is mostly limited to the most basic oral expressions.
I don't know how Chen Jiongming, who thinks he has "worked all his life for the country", knows the current situation of his descendants, how he will feel!