Reunion with Grandpa in the old newspaper I still remember his teachings
Memorial: Zheng Wendian Recipient: Grandpa
This yellowed July 10, 2001 Issue of Minnan Daily was precious to me because the fourth page of the newspaper featured anti-Japanese propaganda cartoons created by my grandfather Zheng Hua in the 1930s. Whenever I see this group of comics, I feel very kind, as if my grandfather is telling me about his fiery years.
An old newspaper repeats the deep love of ancestors and grandchildren
When I was a child, I had seen these cartoons of my grandfather, and later the transformation and demolition of the old city, I myself did not have any more trouble, and the original manuscripts of these comic works were lost. In the qingming of 2020, when I am half a hundred years old, I suddenly remembered some of my grandfather's deeds, remembered to find and sort out these manuscripts of my grandfather, and left some thoughts for myself and my son.
Zheng Wendian read the 2001 Minnan Daily, which contained a promotional report on grandpa's cartoons
In the process, I heard a relative mention that the comics created by my grandfather were published in the "Minnan Daily" in the early 1990s, and he did not remember the specific time.
So, I went to the Qiancheng District Archives in Zhangzhou City and went through the newspapers for nearly a decade, but found nothing.
In the mid-1970s, Zheng Hua (third from left, back row) took a photo with his family
"There is no way to find it when you step on the iron shoes, and it takes no effort to get there." Until June last year, Huang Qigen, a famous painter and old newspaperman in Zhangzhou, moved, and once when he was sorting out his family's firewood room, he inadvertently found this old newspaper that he had participated in editing and typesetting, and Huang Lao was happy to call and tell him that he had found my grandfather's newspaper, and there were 4 copies, which surprised me. He said to me, "It was your persistence that touched God and made me find the newspaper, so that you could meet Grandpa in the newspaper." ”
A set of cartoons leads to a wonderful life
Every time I see these anti-Japanese propaganda cartoons of my grandfather 20 years ago, I have a kind of sad and happy reunion with my grandfather across time and space.
This group of cartoons is summed up forcefully with pens, the rules are clearly black and white, full of masculine, majestic, and bold beauty, and at the same time there is no lack of a strong atmosphere of life, mainly depicting sending husbands to join the army to resist Japan, the Japanese army plundering women, the group annihilating the Japanese Kou, the big lady boasting, the anti-Japanese fighters concerned about the rise and fall of the country, the rear mobilizing to produce anti-Japanese resistance, and the Japanese Kou playing with fire and self-immolation, a total of 25 pictures, which are precious historical materials related to the anti-Japanese resistance in Zhangzhou.
Born in 1905, a native of Fengle Village, Former Shiting Town, Grandpa joined the Communist Party of China in 1929. He organized and expanded secret peasant associations in the local area, established The Red Guards, and developed the members of the peasant associations, laying the foundation for the large-scale peasant movement that followed. In 1930, Wang Zhanchun and Feng Yi flew to Wushi Village and summoned zheng hua, Gao Weinan, Chen Jiaozhi, Gao Qi, Li Qingchi, Yang Wende, Gao Chen, Wang Rushi, Sun Ping, Yang Yude, and other responsible persons of each base point village to plan and organize the Wushi armed rebellion in Beixiang, Zhangzhou, and he served as the commander-in-chief of the riot. After the failure of the riot, Grandpa fled to Shanghai, Singapore, Gansu Tianshui, Nanjing and other places, making a living from painting, and embarked on a difficult and bumpy road of battle.
After the Japanese occupation of Xiamen in May 1938, a large number of refugees from Chaoshan and Xiamen and other places poured into Zhangzhou. At that time, Grandpa was sent back to Zhangzhou to continue the revolutionary propaganda activities, and served as the director general of the Wartime Youth Service During the Anti-Japanese Period, mainly responsible for receiving refugees from Chaoshan and other coastal counties who had fled to Zhangzhou under japanese attacks, publicizing to them the Anti-Japanese War and saving the dead, helping them arrange production and solve the way out of life, persuading them to produce and save themselves, encouraging the confidence of resisting Japan and saving the dead, and integrating into the big family of society.
These works were created in the winter of 1938 after the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, when my grandfather took up the paintbrush in his hand while teaching in the present-day Changtai District of Zhangzhou, with the aim of propagating the anti-Japanese resistance, boosting the morale of compatriots, and expressing his righteous position and patriotism. Through understanding this period of history, I found that my grandfather's revolutionary deeds were recorded in the "Chronicle of Qiancheng District", "The Volume of Qiancheng In the Central Soviet District", and "The Storm of Qianjiang".
A word of advice to benefit a lifetime of growth
Grandpa rarely mentioned to us about the past battles. These anti-Japanese cartoons of his record history from a unique perspective, and now when examined, I can still feel the love and hatred of my grandfather's pen, which is a work full of combat passion and the spirit of the times, from which I can appreciate the national trauma, resentment and perseverance and tenacious spirit of struggle, reminding me to remember history, cherish the present, and do things well.
When my grandfather died, I was in the first grade of elementary school, and although many memories are very vague, my grandfather's loving voice and smile are still in front of my eyes. "After brushing your teeth every time you brush your teeth, you must throw the toothbrush dry and put it back in the cup, how many times have you said it, next time I remember, to develop good habits!" 」 When I was in elementary school, I went to the city to live with my grandfather, and once I brushed my teeth and forgot my grandfather's advice, and the old man immediately laughed at Mimi and hit me with a burst. Usually, he pays great attention to the details of life and often nags me: "Brush your teeth in the morning and evening, and rinse your mouth after meals." "For the younger generations, Grandpa always told us to develop good habits, and once we did not do what he asked, the old man would always come to us with a bang on our heads, which I still remember vividly." In my heart, Grandpa Xiao loved me the most, saying that I had a quiet personality and could take over his pen pole. When I was not yet in school, he took pen and paper and taught me to draw against the flowers and plants in the yard. It was Grandpa's subtlety that cultivated my style of doing things seriously.
Nowadays, although I did not take over my grandfather's brush, I embarked on the post of photography publicity and reporting, and for more than ten years, I used the camera in my hand to record the times with my heart, pay attention to people's livelihood, and show the style of grass-roots staff, which can also be regarded as a continuation and realization of my grandfather's expectations and a life path suitable for me. I think this is more or less to benefit from Grandpa's enlightenment, Grandpa has a spirit in heaven, and he will be pleased.