Guo Moruo thinks that there are two scholars in the southwest, Nie Er and Zhang Tianxu, and Dianchi Lake and Erhai Lake are not lonely.
Zhang Tianxu is a member of the Communist Party of China and a writer of the "Left Alliance". On December 8, 1911, Zhang Tianxu was born in this two-story brick and wood structure building facing the street - No. 83, Longjie Street, Chenggong District, Kunming City. The 3 rooms on the ground floor of the street of the former residence are paved, and there is a plaque inscribed by Chu Tunan in the middle of the plaque "Zhang Tianxu's former residence". Entering the foyer, there are several small exhibition frames on the left and right sides of the "Foreword", "Revolutionary Writer Zhang Tianxu", "Introduction to Zhang Tianxu's Life" and "Zhang Tianxu's Resume". As can be seen from the patio behind the foyer, this is a courtyard house with Kunming characteristics.
Southwest II
The right wing of the former residence is the first part of "Hometown Knowledge". At the age of 14, Zhang Tianxu was admitted to Yunnan Provincial No. 1 Middle School, a school with a glorious revolutionary tradition and the cradle of Yunnan's "May Fourth" New Culture Movement. Soon after Zhang Tianxu entered the school, he participated in the "Yunnan Youth Effort Association", a youth student organization, and actively participated in publicity and performance activities. Zhang Tianxu likes to write literature and write dramas, and while reading new literary books and periodicals voraciously, he participates in student organizations and various political activities, and at the same time writes at the same time. At that time, the school organized evening parties, and often invited Nie Er's small band from the Provincial Normal School to participate, and after many contacts, Zhang Tianxu and Nie Er soon became good friends. In middle school, Zhang Tianxu accepted revolutionary ideas and joined the Communist Youth League. In 1929, he was admitted to the preparatory class of Donglu University (now Yunnan University).
The left wing room is the second part of the "Southwest Second Soldier". This section introduces the deep friendship between Zhang Tianxu and Nie Er. After meeting Nie Er, the two like-minded people often perform and chat together. In 1930, when the reactionary authorities wantonly arrested and persecuted Communist Party members and progressives, the political situation in Kunming deteriorated, and Zhang Tianxu and Nie Er were transferred to Shanghai.
After Zhang Tianxu arrived in Shanghai, he joined the "Left Writers' Union" ("Left Alliance"). In addition to participating in the activities organized by the "Left Alliance", he also continued to write essays, essays, new poems and novels. In 1933, both Zhang Tianxu and Nie Er joined the Chinese Communist Party.
Due to his activities in Shanghai being targeted by spies, Zhang Tianxu was forced to leave Shanghai for Tokyo, Japan, in March 1935. In April 1935, Nie Er also arrived in Tokyo. Zhang Tianxu and Nie Er joined the "House of Novels" and the "House of Drama" to which the Tokyo branch of the "Left Alliance" belonged, respectively. Under the recommendation of Zhang Tianxu, Nie Er participated in the "Art Dinner" of Chinese students studying in Japan hosted by Du Yi, and gave a speech entitled "Recent General Review of the Chinese Music Industry" at the meeting, seriously criticizing the popular and glamorous voices in the society at that time. Zhang Tianxu played the role of the postmaster in the play "The Inspector", which was adapted from Gogol's novel "The Minister". He also wrote some lyrics, such as "United Front" and "National Salvation Reserve Army", etc., and asked Nie Er to compose music and play it at the meeting.
On July 17, 1935, Nie Er, who was only 23 years old, was tragically killed while swimming on the seashore of Fujisawa City. After hearing the news, Zhang Tianyu was very sad, and immediately rushed to Fujisawa City, negotiated with the Japan authorities, collected and cremated Nie Er's body, and then returned to Tokyo with Nie Er's ashes. Zhang Tianxu wrote in "Nie Er" that he single-handedly laid the foundation for the emerging music scene. With the confluence of music, film, and drama, he is undoubtedly one of the most powerful people. After that, Zhang Tianxu edited the "Nie Er Memorial Collection". Author "The Iron Wheel"
In 1932, Zhang Tianxu began to write "The Iron Wheel", which was published in 1936. "Iron Wheel" is written about the protagonist Pan Xiangsheng's journey of embarking on the revolutionary road step by step after arduous tempering in suffering and struggle. From Pan Xiangsheng, a flesh-and-blood figure, we can see the awakening of the class consciousness and the enhancement of class consciousness of the broad masses of workers and peasants in the torrent of revolution. Pan Xiangsheng will inevitably take part in the revolution, and the broad masses of workers and peasants will inevitably become the main force of the revolution.
In the preface to "The Iron Wheel", Guo Moruo praised Zhang Tianxu's "young people's spirit, young people's ambition, young people's justice, and young people's efforts". He said: "With the painstaking efforts of a young man under the age of 23 for three years and several blows, Tianxu wrote this 500,000-word "Iron Wheel", which is exactly the courage that our young people should have. ”
Mao Dun later recalled Zhang Tianxu in the article "Editing 'Literary and Artistic Positions' in Hong Kong", "I found that he was a vigorous and talented young man, so I kept corresponding." Mao Dun believes that "The Iron Wheel" is a true portrayal of the revolutionary history of modern China, revealing the trajectory and development trend of the iron wheel of the times, the wheel of history, with vivid artistic images, and showing the author's progressive view of history.
Anti-Japanese War Propaganda
The third part of the exhibition hall presents the content of "Anti-Japanese War Writers - Propaganda on the Battlefield with the Army". In 1937, Zhang Tianxu went to Yan'an and joined the Northwest Field Service Corps headed by Ding Ling as the head of the communications unit. In August, Zhang Tianxu created a one-act drama "Master Wang" to promote the idea of the National War of Resistance, with the theme of calling on those who have money to contribute and make powerful contributions to the whole people to participate in the War of Resistance. On September 22, more than 40 members of the Northwest Field Service Corps, waving red flags, singing anti-Japanese songs, and carrying luggage and performance supplies on small donkeys, set off to the anti-Japanese front line in Shanxi with great vigor and high spirits. In between his busy work, Zhang Tianxu went deep into the anti-Japanese front line in Shanxi to conduct interviews, and wrote reportage and war newsletters such as "Military Training Diary", "Life on the Western Front", and "On the Journey".
In 1938, Zhang Tianxu followed Xue Gufan (Xue Zizheng) and other comrades to work in the 184th Division of the Yunnan Army (60th Army), expanding the influence of our party in the 184th Division. Zhang Tianxu followed the 60th Army to Anhui, Henan, and Hubei, and participated in the defense of Wuhan. Zhang Tianxu, who was both a soldier and a journalist, edited the 184th Division's battlefield tabloid "Anti-Japanese Soldiers" and wrote a large number of war newsletters. In 1939, Reading Life Publishing House published two reportage collections, Zhang Tianxu's "The Blood Flow of the Canal" and "In the Fire Net".
After the fall of Wuhan, some people accused Zhang Chong, who had been promoted to the commander of the New Third Army, of "colluding with the Communist Party," and Zhang Chong was relieved of his military power. Zhang Tianxu was also forced to leave the 184th Division and return to Kunming. Dispatched by the Southern Bureau, Zhang Tianxu went to Yangon, Myanmar to participate in the editorial work of the local overseas Chinese newspaper "China Xinbao" to publicize the party's united front. Guo Moruo commented on Zhang Tianxu during this period: "He served with strength and illness, worked hard, tried his best to inspire overseas Chinese, and fought against the enemy and hypocrisy. Unfortunately, he suffered from a severe hemoptysis, and he fell asleep and lost consciousness, so he had to return to his hometown to recuperate. In January 1941, Zhang Tianxu returned to China due to illness, and on August 10, due to the deterioration of lung disease, he died in Kunming and was buried in Chenggong. In 1943, it moved to Kunming Xishan Celebrity Cemetery and next to Nie Er's tomb. Guo Moruo wrote an epitaph of more than 500 words for Zhang Tianxu with great regret, describing Zhang Tianxu's short and glorious life. The epitaph ends: "Although it is not eternal, karma is immortal." Ming said: The second scholar in the southwest, Nie Er is empty, the gold is bright, and Yunnan is not lonely. The righteous army has a song, the iron wheel has a book, and the string song is a hundred generations, and it will always show a magnificent picture. ”
Zhang Tianxu's life of constantly pursuing progress and constantly studying hard left a deep impression on his contemporaries. In 1943, Chu Tunan said in the article "Remembered by Mourning Zhang Tianxujun": Tianxu "leaves us with the unremitting efforts of life, and the eternal enterprising mood of ideals and hopes".