Li Dazhao for the Chinese Revolution
A great contribution to success
Li Yazhong
Everyone knows that his grandfather, Li Dazhao, was the pioneer of the Chinese communist movement, the first Marxist in China, the first disseminator of Marxism in China, and one of the main founders of the Communist Party of China. What everyone does not understand, however, is that Li Dazhao was the first proposer and practitioner of the need to integrate Marxism with the reality of Chinese society! This is very important and has a direct bearing on the success or failure of the Chinese revolution.
From the very beginning of his contact with Marxism, he did not regard it as a doctrine, but went deep into the reality of Chinese society and closely integrated it with China's practice. In fact, he played a prominent role in promoting the Sinicization of Marxism.
Marx was born in Germany, and Marxism was born in Europe under the environment of capitalist industrial countries, while China was still a feudal agricultural country with extremely backward productive forces, and there were huge differences between national conditions and European countries. As early as August 1919, before the founding of the Communist Party of China, my grandfather proposed in his article "On Problems and Doctrines Revisited" that doctrine needs to "adapt to changes in the environment according to the time, place, and nature of things." The same is true of socialism and Marxism. What is said is that Marxism should not be used as a dogma, but as a tool to guide practice, and it should be adapted to changes in the environment under different conditions.
It was also in 1919 that my grandfather made a clear choice of the main forces of the Chinese revolution, which was his profound thinking on how to apply Marxism in China, and it was the beginning of the Sinicization of Marxism. In the discourse of Marx and Engels, the working class is used as a synonym for the proletariat, and they are the main force of the socialist revolution. However, in 1919, China was still a feudal agricultural country, agriculture was the foundation of China's national economy, China's total population at that time was 450 million, peasants accounted for about 80% of the total population, and the total number of workers was about 2 million, accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population. The Chinese working class is in a weak state both in terms of numbers and in terms of its position in the national economy. The main force or motive force of the Chinese revolution could not have succeeded in the Chinese revolution by relying only on the workers in accordance with Marx's theory. Therefore, instead of adopting a "take-it-or-leave-it" or dogmatic attitude, my grandfather added the main driving force of the Chinese revolution to the peasants according to the national conditions of China, an agrarian country, and put forward the innovative idea that the main driving force of the Chinese revolution was the working class, including peasants and workers.
In February 1919, he wrote in Youth and the Countryside: "We are a peasant country, and the majority of the working class are those peasants. If they are not liberated, then all of us are not liberated; Their pain is the pain of all our people; Their darkness is the darkness of all our people; The good of their lives is the good of our politics as a whole. Later, in 1925-1926, he again emphasized in "The Land and the Peasant": "In China, which is economically backward and reduced to a semi-colony, the peasants account for more than 70 percent of the total population and occupy the main position in the whole population, and agriculture is still the foundation of its national economy. ”
My grandfather's choice of the main forces of the Chinese revolution was not just in words, but in practice. In the summer of 1921, he developed the first batch of workers' party members, such as Shi Wenbin and Deng Pei. In 1923, he sent Communist Party member Gong Zhongtao to Taicheng Village, Anping County, Hebei Province, to develop the first batch of peasant Party members Gong Fengzhou and Gong Chengshan, and established the Taicheng Special Branch, our party's first rural grassroots organization. During the same period, he also sent Communist Party members who had graduated from many universities in Beijing to rural areas across the country to develop Party members and establish Party organizations, and rural Party organizations were established one after another.
In the autumn of 1918, the young Mao Zedong came to Beijing from Hunan, and was introduced by Professor Yang Changji, who worked at Peking University, to meet his grandfather, and under his active arrangement, he served as an assistant in the library of Peking University. During the six-month period from October 1918 to April of the following year, my grandfather and Mao Zedong exchanged frequently, not only recommending Marxist works to him, but also discussing Marxist theories together. Grandfather's judgment that the main driving force of the Chinese revolution was the peasants also had a significant influence on Mao Zedong. After the heroic death of his grandfather, Mao Zedong put the ideas of his grandfather Li Dazhao into practice and developed, and the Chinese revolution was successful. Mao Zedong later recalled: "When I was working as a library assistant at the National Peking University under Comrade Li Dazhao, I rapidly developed in the direction of Marxism. ”
Historical facts have eloquently proved that the awakening of the Chinese peasants provided a steady stream of impetus for the Chinese revolution and enabled the Chinese revolution to succeed. This is the ultimate goal of recruiting party members in rural areas and establishing basic party branches in rural areas. I hope that the historical fact that my grandfather opened up this successful road for the Chinese revolution will be known to more people, and more people will understand the pioneering and leading contributions made by my grandfather in the process of promoting the Sinicization of Marxism.
(This article is based on Li Yazhong's speech at the 2024 Spring Festival group meeting of the Eastern Hebei Revolutionary History Research Association in Beijing on January 21, 2024)
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Li Dazhao, a pioneer of the Chinese communist movement
Li Dazhao (1889.10.29—1927.4.28), a native of Leting, Tangshan, Hebei Province. Pioneer of the Chinese communist movement, great Marxist, outstanding proletarian revolutionary, one of the main founders of the Communist Party of China.
Comrade Li Dazhao's lifelong struggle is closely linked to the history of the spread of Marxism in China, the history of the founding of the CPC, and the history of seeking happiness for the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC.
In 1907, Li Dazhao was admitted to Tianjin Beiyang College of Law and Politics; In August 1913, he graduated from Tianjin Beiyang College of Law and Politics, joined the Chinese Socialist Party with his classmate Guo Xujing, and went to Beijing to participate in the activities of the Chinese Socialist Party after graduation. In the same month, Chen Yilong, the leader of the Chinese Socialist Party, was killed, the Socialist Party was confiscated, and Li Dazhao fled Beijing and took refuge in Xiangyun Island in his hometown of Leting County. In 1914, he organized the Shenzhou Society to carry out anti-Yuan activities. In 1915, in order to oppose Japan's "Twenty-one Articles" to destroy China, in the name of the General Association of Students Studying in Japan, a telegram was issued "A Warning to the Fathers and Elders of the Whole Country", calling on the Chinese people to resist to the death with "the determination to break the kettle and sink the boat".
In May 1916, Li Dazhao returned to China and founded the "Morning Bell Newspaper" in Beijing, serving as editor-in-chief. Xuan resigned and became the editor of the "Jiayin Daily" to promote the development of the New Culture Movement.
In 1918, Li Dazhao served as the director of the library of Peking University (during this time, Mao Zedong served as the librarian of Peking University, and Chairman Mao participated in Li Dazhao's various progressive activities), and later served as a professor of economics and history, participated in the editing of "New Youth", and founded the "Weekly Review" with Chen Duxiu to promote communism.
In 1920, Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu conceived and established the Communist Party of China and initiated the organization of the Marxist Theory Research Society. In October of the same year, together with Deng Zhongxia, Gao Junyu, He Mengxiong and others, he established the Beijing Communist Group. After the founding of the Communist Party of China, Li Dazhao served as a member of the second, third and fourth Central Committee.
In 1922, according to the instructions of the Comintern, Li Dazhao went to Shanghai to meet Sun Yat-sen. In 1924, he participated in the "Kuomintang-Communist Cooperation", attended the First National Congress of the Chinese Kuomintang, joined the Kuomintang in his personal capacity, and served as a member of the first Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang. Li Dazhao once delivered a speech at the First National Congress of the Chinese Kuomintang: "I was originally a member of the Soviet Union and a member of the Communist Party of the Third International......
On behalf of the position of the Chinese Communists, Li Dazhao openly petitioned the Beijing government, demanding formal recognition of the Soviet government and support the stationing of Soviet troops in Outer Mongolia. According to Gu Weijun, the foreign minister of the Beiyang government, Li passionately claimed that "even if Outer Mongolia was placed under Soviet rule, the people there could live a better life."
After the outbreak of the May Day Movement in 1925, Li Dazhao, Zhao Shiyan and others organized a demonstration of more than 50,000 people in Beijing. Li Dazhao was wanted by order of the Beiyang government for "gathering the masses under the pretext of communist doctrine and repeatedly causing trouble", so he fled to the Russian barracks in Dongjiaomin Lane. In March 1926, Li Dazhao led and participated in the struggle against imperialism and the Beiyang warlords in Beijing.
On April 6, 1927, Zhang Zuolin sent military police to raid and search the old Russian barracks in Dongjiaomin Lane, and Li Dazhao was arrested and tried by military court. During this period, Li Dazhao wrote "Self-Statement in Prison". Since Li Dazhao is a professor at Peking University, there are people from all sides trying to rescue him, and Zhang Zuolin is under a lot of pressure. For this reason, he sent a telegram to six generals in front of the government, such as Zhang Xueliang, Zhang Zongchang, and Sun Chuanfang, to solicit their opinions. Chiang Kai-shek in the south sent a secret telegram suggesting that "the execution should be carried out quickly to avoid future trouble." On April 28, Li Dazhao and 20 other Kuomintang and Communist Party personnel were hanged and executed at the age of 38 on the charge of "communicating with Soviet Russia and foreign countries."
Among the 20 victims, Li Dazhao was the first to be tortured, and the last one was Zhang Rulan (female). In order to torture Li Dazhao, he actually hanged him three times, which lasted 28 minutes (some say 48 minutes). It is also said that Li Dazhao demanded that he be hanged instead of shot, and for this reason, Zhang Zuolin also imported a gallows from Europe out of his own pocket, but the executioner hanged Li Dazhao three times because he was not familiar with the performance of the new torture equipment.
Before the liberation of the whole country, some of Comrade Li Dazhao's writings were edited by his relatives and prefaced by Mr. Lu Xun, but they were never published under reactionary rule. It was not until 1959 that the People's Publishing House published the re-edited "Selected Works of Li Dazhao". In 1981, the People's Literature Publishing House published an updated edition of Li Dazhao's Selected Poems. In 1984, the People's Publishing House published the Collected Works of Li Dazhao with more than 1.1 million words.
Comrade Li Dazhao was infinitely loyal to the cause of the liberation of the Chinese people, to his belief in Marxism, and to the revolutionary future of the proletariat. His fearless dedication to the creation and development of the communist movement on the mainland will always be a shining example for all revolutionaries.
Li Dazhao and countless other martyrs fell gloriously, but their sacrifices did not stop the Chinese revolution, on the contrary, the Chinese revolution continued to advance in a pool of blood of the victims until it won a great victory. As an outstanding son of the Chinese people and a great proletarian revolutionary, Li Dazhao's achievements will always be remembered and respected by the Chinese people.
In order to commemorate Comrade Li Dazhao and carry forward his great communist revolutionary spirit, on March 18, 1983, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China moved the coffins of him and his wife Comrade Zhao Yunlan (1883-1933) to the newly built Li Dazhao Martyrs Cemetery.
After Li Dazhao died, in 1933, Li Dazhao's Peking University colleagues organized a fundraising organization to bury him in Wan'an Cemetery. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Li Dazhao Memorial Halls were established in places where Li Dazhao lived and fought, such as Leting in Hebei Province and Beijing. In October 1983, the Li Dazhao Martyrs Cemetery was completed in Beijing Wan'an Cemetery, and the leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China personally attended and held a grand inauguration ceremony.
On October 27, 2019, a symposium to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Li Dazhao was held in Beijing. The meeting reviewed the historic changes that have taken place in the land of China, and cherished the immortal exploits of Comrade Li Dazhao and other revolutionaries of the older generation for national independence and people's liberation, national prosperity and strength, and people's happiness.
About the Author
Li Yazhong, the grandson of Li Dazhao's martyr, is a professor-level senior engineer, and was the chief engineer of the Water Conservancy Information Center of the Ministry of Water Resources before his retirement. During the work period, he participated in the complete process of water conservancy informatization from hard work to comprehensive and rapid development, and successively presided over the compilation of three industry technical standards, all of which have been promulgated and implemented. He has successively won the National Science and Technology Achievement Completer Certificate issued by the State Science and Technology Commission, the third prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, the first prize of the Ministry of Water Resources Science and Technology Progress Award, and the Science and Technology Invention Star Award issued by the China National Branch of the United Nations Technology Information Promotion System.
He has preached the martyr deeds of Li Dazhao in the General Office of the State Council, the People's Liberation Army Army, the Great Hall of the People, Xinhuanet, CCTV, Beijing Television, the National Defense General and many units of water conservancy, hydropower and other systems, as well as some colleges and universities.
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Source: Sichuan Provincial Office of Local Chronicles
Text / Photo: Li Yazhong (grandson of Li Dazhao's martyrs)