The memorial service is not an auspicious event, but it is a cultural phenomenon.
Ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, some people have passed away, no matter how big or small, there will always be some mourning activities. There are many famous memorial services in the Republic of China, such as Sun Yat-sen's memorial service, Lu Xun's memorial service, and Ruan Lingyu's memorial service are very grand, and they have a great influence on the history of the time and modern times.
After going through many memorial services in the Republic of China, the most grand one should be Zhang Jiluan, the soul of the "Ta Kung Pao".
Zhang Jiluan's name is Blazing Zhang, the character Jiluan, the pen name Yiwei, veteran, in the republic of China's press is an absolute big name. Since the partnership took over the Ta Kung Pao, the career has been even more in the ascendant. In particular, the four-point policy of "not running newspapers, not party, no selling, not selfish, and not blind" put forward by him has had a great impact on newspaper reporters until now. China's literati discuss politics, that is, he pushed them to the peak.
It is said that at that time, Zhang Jiluan did not need to be informed by the doorman when he wanted to see Chiang Kai-shek, and Chiang Kai-shek also read the "Ta Kung Pao" almost every day. At the same time, Chairman Mao in northern Shaanxi was also a loyal reader of the Ta Kung Pao. Zhou Enlai once said: "To be the editor-in-chief, you must be like Zhang Jiluan, and have the spirit of being good at what you want, like a dragon leaping over a tiger, and you should be at ease."
After the anti-Japanese war began, the Ta Kung Pao moved to Chongqing, and Zhang Jiluan also moved to Chongqing with the Ta Kung Pao.
At this time, he was already plagued by tuberculosis, and many things in the newspaper were handed over to Wang Yunsheng. However, Zhang Jiluan, who was worried about the country and worried about the report, did not idle for a day, and although his illness was getting worse and worse, he often wrote articles. During his serious illness and hospitalization, he wrote a commentary entitled "We Are Cutting Rice" (the background is that Japanese aircraft often bomb Chongqing, and Zhang Jiluan uses us to cut rice, which is a good expression of the determination of Chinese people to resist Japan), which is still a famous article in the history of journalism.
On September 4, 1941, Chiang Kai-shek, who heard that Zhang Jiluan was critically ill, personally went to the Geleshan Central Hospital to visit.
Looking at Zhang Jiluan's emaciated body tormented by illness, according to reports at the time, Chiang Kai-shek was full of tears. At 4 a.m. on September 6, the day after Chiang Kai-shek's visit, Zhang Jiluan died of illness.
On September 7, the main page of Chongqing's "Ta Kung Pao" announced the death of Mr. Zhang Jiluan and published a telegram of condolences from Chiang Kai-shek: "The Ta Kung Pao" bureau forwarded Mrs. Zhang's etiquette:
Mr. Ji Luan, a generation of commentators. Sincerely patriotic, forget to accumulate paralysis. Drain it and shake hands warmly. The Scythians do not do it. The world is sad, the mourning is mourned, the bandits can be said to be sweet, and the special telegram is condolence, but the mourning is forgotten.
Within two or three days, Kong Xiangxi, Song Ziwen, Yan Xishan, Zhang Zhizhong, Bai Chongxi, Feng Yuxiang, and other political figures, cultural celebrities such as Hu Shi, Huang Yanpei, Jiang Tingdian, Zhang Xiruo, and Pan Zinian, as well as envoys of various countries, news agencies of various countries, and press societies sent telegrams or letters of condolence, which was extremely rare.
On September 22, Xinhua Daily published a telegram of condolences from Mao Zedong, Chen Shaoyu (Wang Ming), Qin Bangxian, Wu Yuzhang, and Lin Zuhan:
"Mr. Zhang Jiluan Memorial Service and Mr. Ji Luan's Family: Mr. Ji Luan has adhered to unity and resistance in previous political meetings, and has contributed to the country. Shocked to hear of the death, mourning the same deep. Sending condolences to the emperor, I mourn. ”
Being able to get condolences from the highest level of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China at the same time, as well as the major forces of the Republic of China, shows zhang Jiluan's influence.
On September 26, the Nationalist government issued a commendation order, and Zhang Jiluan's funeral was hung at the Jialing Hotel. At that time, the top leaders of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party both went to participate. The Kuomintang Kong Xiangxi, He Yingqin, Chen Lifu, Chen Bray, Xu Yongchang, Zhu Jiahua, and others of the Kuomintang, zhou Enlai, Deng Yingchao, Dong Biwu, and Pan Zinian of the Communist Party, plus the democratic parties and influential literati at that time, totaled several thousand people. At 3:30 p.m., Chiang Kai-shek personally came to lay a wreath and gave a handwritten letter to tie the knot: "The world is immortal; the reverence of the dynasty is eternal and the world is full of sorrow."
On the same day, more than 700 people, including Zhang Jinan, Hu Zongnan, and Jiang Dingwen, also held a grand memorial meeting for all walks of life in Shaanxi, and the press circles throughout the country and all walks of life in Shaanxi formed a "Preparatory Committee for the Public Burial of Mr. Zhang Jiluan, with Yu Youren as chairman of the committee and Hu Zongnan as vice chairman."
A preparatory committee of this specification is really inconceivable for a person who is outside the system and simply runs some newspapers.
On April 21, 1942, the coffin of Mr. Zhang Jiluan held a grand ceremony to raise the spirit in Chongqing, and on the 29th, the hearse arrived in Xi'an and was suspended in the apse of Xingshan Temple. At the same time, Mr. Zhang Jiluan's cemetery began to be site-selected, purchased, designed and built. It took 4 months to finally complete.
The final funeral is scheduled for September 6 in Xi'an.
On September 5, when the spiritual hall was arranged, between the mountain gate of Xingshan Temple and the spiritual hall, there were thousands of pots of chrysanthemums. More than 2,000 pieces of the temple's corridors, walls and even trees were hung. In the middle of the spiritual hall hangs the "Wenxing Tongqin" of Lin Sen, chairman of the National Government, and on both sides is chiang kai-shek's inscription.
On the day of the public funeral, the flag of Xi'an City was lowered to half-mast to mourn, and then the hearse slowly drove to Fanchuan, south of Chang'an County, where the cemetery was located. It can be seen that Mr. Zhang Jiluan's influence in Shaanxi. Before the disaster in Shaanxi, Zhang Jiluan had been widely publicized in the newspaper to raise funds for disaster relief, so the people in the land of Sanqin all had great respect for Mr. Zhang Jiluan.
Zhang Jiluan's cemetery covers an area of 40 acres, which is said to be a feng shui treasure land of "Double Dragon Play Pearl", and in addition to the mausoleum and the stone stele inscribed with elegy emphatics inscribed by the two party leaders of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China and celebrities from all walks of life, the cemetery is also planted with acacias, poplars, peach trees and a large piece of Qinling pine transplanted from Qinling.
At 2 p.m. on the same day, Chiang Kai-shek and his wife personally went to the cemetery to pay their respects. The supreme head of state, visiting during illness, attending a memorial service in person, and going to the public funeral day in person, may be the only thing.
At that time, there were people who came to mourn Mr. Zhang Jiluan, there were also people who watched the liveliness, and there were more than 100,000 people watching the ceremony in Xi'an, and hundreds of acres of crops around Zhang Jiluan's cemetery were flattened by people, which showed the great momentum at that time.
At that time, it was still the period of resistance against Japan. In Xi'an City, Japanese planes often flew around and scattered bombs. Under such a background, it is even more rare to have such a big funeral.
Funerals of this magnitude may only happen in that special era, in special people.