Spring is cold and steep, and dark clouds are hanging low.
The Gao Junyu and Shi Pingmei cemeteries in Beijing's Taoranting Park are under maintenance and are temporarily closed to the public. I could only look around the fence for a while, and then slowly walked up the hillside of "grass colored near but nothing", and saw the statues of Gao Junyu and Shi Pingmei below, hidden among the green mountains and cypresses.
Statues of Gao Junyu and Shi Pingmei
Because I live in the Nancheng area of Beijing, I am very familiar with this place. 20 years ago, I was a middle school teacher, on the eve of May Fourth Youth Day, together with the secretary of the school Youth League Committee, I brought high school students here to visit the graves. In front of the martyr's tomb, a solemn and simple eighteen-year-old coming-of-age ceremony was held for the students.
"I am the sword, I am the spark, I wish to be born like the light of lightning, I wish to die like the swiftness of a comet." This poem engraved on Gao Junyu's tombstone is a poem of Speech and Zhizhi before Gao Junyu's death, and it is also a true portrayal of the short and glorious life of Gao Junyu and Shi Pingmei.
Gao Junyu was a backbone member of the May Fourth Movement, and in 1920, under the leadership of Li Dazhao, he and Deng Zhongxia jointly initiated the organization of the Marxist Theory Research Society, which was one of the earliest groups on the mainland to study and propagate Marxism. Gao Junyu and Deng Zhongxia used Changxindian as a base to establish schools for the children of workers along the Beijing-Hankou Railway, established workers' clubs and workers' federations, and led the early workers' movement in the north. In October 1920, the Beijing Communist Group was formed, and Gao Junyu was one of the earliest members of the group. He was entrusted by the group to prepare for the establishment of the Youth League organization, formed the Beijing Socialist Youth League, and was elected as the first secretary. In 1921, Gao Junyu joined the Communist Party of China. In 1922, Gao Junyu was elected as a member of the first Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Socialist Youth League (the predecessor of the Communist Youth League) and served as a member of the Second Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Gao Junyu
Shi Pingmei was a famous young female writer during the May Fourth Movement, whose original name was Shi Rubi, and because she admired the high meaning of plum blossoms, she changed her name to "Shi Pingmei".
Gao Junyu and Shi Pingmei met at the hometown meeting, and learned during the conversation that Shi Pingmei's father was Shi Ming, and Shi Ming was Gao Junyu's teacher in middle school. After that, because of the common revolutionary interest, the geese came and went. In his letters, Gao Junyu wrote down his sincere love for Shi Pingmei, and even more wrote down his loyalty to the revolutionary cause.
Gao Junyu was sent by the party to work in Guangzhou as the secretary of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and later assisted Dr. Sun Yat-sen in quelling the rebellion of the Guangzhou business group, and was once wounded. Afterwards, he bought a pair of ivory rings in Guangzhou, one to wear himself, and the other to send to Shi Pingmei as a birthday souvenir. In his letter, he wrote: "May we use this 'white' to commemorate this dead and dead life. ”
In March 1925, Gao Junyu suddenly fell ill. He confessed to Shi Pingmei for the last time, and Shi Pingmei did not immediately agree. After some tossing and turning, she decided to tell Gao Junyu that she was willing to marry him. Unfortunately, Gao Junyu could no longer hear his long-awaited voice, because the rescue was ineffective, Gao Junyu died of illness on March 5, 1925, at the age of 29.
According to Gao Junyu's last wishes, his coffin was buried in Taoran Pavilion. Because Gao Junyu and Tao Ranting have a deep relationship. Gao Junyu once held a secret meeting here with Li Dazhao, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Zhongxia and others to discuss the future of the Chinese revolution. He also often walked with Shi Pingmei here and talked freely about revolutionary ideals.
After Gao Junyu's death, Shi Pingmei's heart was like a knife, and he regretted it, often went to Gao Junyu's tomb to accompany him, and wrote down a weeping blood: "If my tears really condensed into a pearl, by now I have embroidered a scarf around your jade neck for you." If my acacia really turns into a red bean, by now I have accumulated for you a love that will never be forgotten. ”
Three years after Gao Junyu's death, in September 1928, Shi Pingmei was overly sad and followed Gao Junyu at the age of 26. Friends buried her next to Gao Junyu's tomb to fulfill her wish that she "could not live together before she died, and wished to be buried in the desert hill after death".
On the way back to Beijing to visit Shi Pingmei, Gao Junyu deliberately went to Tianjin to visit Deng Yingchao and handed over Zhou Enlai's letter, which promoted a pair of revolutionary partners. However, his love story with Shi Pingmei has left a lifetime of regrets. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao went to Tao Ranting's tomb several times to pay their respects. In 1956, when Premier Zhou Enlai approved the general plan of Beijing's urban planning, he particularly emphasized the preservation of the "Tomb of Gaoshi", saying: "There is no contradiction between revolution and love, and it is also an education for young people." ”
Flowers in front of Gao Junyu's tomb (Photo: Cheng Ning)