Century-old pioneer 丨 Israil Epstein: Devoted his life to writing the story of China

"Party Building" magazine co-produced by communication university of China

In 1951, the Israel Epsteins received an invitation to return to China to participate in the construction of new China. After hearing the news, the two immediately set off, traveled from the United States to Poland, and finally arrived at the port of Tianjin after 49 days of sea turbulence. Until his death in 2005, Epstein never left Chinese soil.

Epstein, born in Poland on April 20, 1915, moved to China with his parents in 1917 and has been inextricably linked to China ever since. At the age of 16, he started his career as a journalist from the English newspapers "Beijing-Tianjin Times" and "Beiping Daily News".

Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guangzhou... Between 1937 and 1938, Epstein interviewed across China and witnessed the brutal fall of these cities by Japanese bombing. The atrocities of the Japanese army struck him hard and made him more and more determined to stand with the Chinese.

In April 1938, Epstein went to the front to cover the Battle of Taierzhuang. The indomitable spirit of resistance of the Chinese military and people made him feel very excited. He wrote excitedly: "The great victory of Taierzhuang is worth commemorating... It has greatly inspired the people of All China and the whole world to believe that China and the people of Chinese are determined to fight and capable of victory. ”

Two years of interviews provided Epstein with a wealth of writing material. In 1939, his first book, The People's War, was published in London, showing the world the achievements of the early days of the Chinese People's War of Resistance. Edgar Snow praised the book, calling it "an excellent work of wartime journalism."

In 1944, Epstein conducted a seven-week interview in Yan'an and northwestern Jin. He had in-depth exchanges with Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other LEADERS of the Communist Party of China, and visited Nanniwan and other places to closely observe the production and living conditions of the military and civilians in the anti-Japanese base areas. The spirit of the local people made him convinced that "Yan'an is the epitome of China's future". After this interview, Epstein wrote more than 30 reports and published them in the New York Times and other media, which caused great repercussions.

At the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Epstein briefly traveled to the United States. There, he successively published works such as "China's Unfinished Revolution" and "Notes on Chinese Laborers", in an effort to let more people understand the great contributions made by The Chinese War of Resistance, especially the people's army led by the Communist Party of China, to the world anti-fascist struggle.

After returning to China again, Epstein officially became a Chinese citizen in 1957 and the Communist Party of China in 1964. Since then, he has devoted himself to writing about China's development and changes, participating in the translation of important party documents such as "Selected Works of Mao Zedong", co-founding the English magazine "China Construction" (now known as "China Today"), and spent nearly 30 years interviewing and writing the book "Changes in Tibet".

Epstein devoted his life to writing Chinese stories, and his wife Huang Huanbi said: "What I admire most about Epe (Epstein's Chinese name) is that he is devoted to China. ”

"I love China, I love Chinese people, China is my home, and it is this love that links my work and life with China's destiny." A year before his death, Epstein completed Witnessing China: Epstein's Memoirs, in which he made the best commentary on his life.

(Author: Sun Jinjun, the manuscript is based on relevant reports of people's network and guangming network)

Source: Party Building Network