Chen Duxiu's "confidant" is rare

Gao Yuhan (1888-1948), formerly known as Gao Chao, was a native of Shou County, Anhui. He is an important figure in china's modern history and the history of the Communist Party of China. In 1936, Mao Zedong talked with Snow in Yan'an about the beginning of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and there were also party branches in Germany, with members including "Gao Yuhan, Zhu De, and Zhang Shenfu". It is only because of the twists and turns of Gao Yuhan's life that it is drowned in the surging tide of history, making it almost forgotten by people today.

Born out of the old times

Gao Yuhan was born into a family of shabby landowners, and received a rigorous imperial education in the righteous school taught by his father, and Shitu honored his ancestors with this honor. He was the eldest son of the family, and naturally he was pinned on greater hopes, so the requirements were more stringent. In the winter of 1904, Gao Yuhan took the imperial examination in the late Qing Dynasty and the last imperial examination in Chinese history. At that time, Gao Yuhan took the exam with his husband when he was studying at a private school. However, when the list was announced, the teachers fell off the list, and the students were rarely on the list. Accompanying the "title of the gold list" is the "cave room flower candle", so under the care of the elders, Gao Yuhan was married the next year.

It's just that after all, the times are different. The door of the late Qing Dynasty could no longer be closed, so the tide of thought in the Western world surged in. With the abolition of the imperial examination system, the dreams of readers have been shattered. As a result, there has been a diversification of learning channels, and Gao Yuhan has also been wrapped up in this historical trend. In 1905, Gao Yuhan and other students were admitted to the Anqing Army Surveying and Mapping School. After that, he went back to work and study. In 1912, like many young people who demanded "progress" at that time, Gao Yuhan also traveled east to Japan. For his own life attempt, Gao Yuhan explained: "Before the Xinhai Revolution, because of the poor situation at home, I once entered the Law and Politics School, hoping to become a high-level vagrant. Not a month later, in time for the Wuchang uprising, I was caught in the revolutionary party for a few more months. Military life, party life, bureaucratic life have all tried a little. As for the reason why he chose to study abroad, he said: "I came to Japan because I believed that politics was the only way to save the country, immersed myself in studying politics, and prepared to kick in the political arena after returning home." This shows what kind of political ambitions the young people had, like many young people of that era! During his studies in Japan, Gao Yuhan submitted articles to Jiayin magazine, which was hosted by Zhang Shizhao and Chen Duxiu, so he had a relationship with them at this time. In 1914, Gao Yuhan returned to China and came to Shanghai to teach at the Shanghai Higher Commercial School, during which time he "helped the founding of the New Youth" and published many articles in the journal.

In the autumn of 1916, at the invitation of a friend, Gao Yuhan went to Wuhu Anhui Provincial No. 5 Middle School as a school supervisor and Chinese language teacher, and among the students were later famous figures Li Kenong, Jiang Guangci, Ah Ying, Li Zongyi, Cao Yuan, and so on. During his tenure, in line with the trend of the new cultural movement, Gao Yuhan founded the first student autonomous association in Anhui Province, opened work-study schools, compulsory schools, civilian schools, and commercial schools, publicized new cultural ideas, and supported Li Kenong, Jiang Guangci, Ah Ying and other students to establish anarchist groups; after the outbreak of the May Fourth Movement, Gao Yuhan mobilized young students in Wuhu to respond. It was also a sensational figure at the time. According to Zhu Yunshan, "the movement in Anhui actually began in Wuhu Fifth Middle School." "It is inseparable from Liu Xiping and Gao Yuhan, two teachers." Mr. Xiping is highly respected in the field of education and has a reputation among his peers."

Participated in the party's early revolutionary activities

Because of Gao Yuhan's patriotic campaign in Wuhu No. 5 Middle School, he was hated by the Anhui warlords, who intended to take action against Gao Yuhan and the students. In this situation, in July 1919, Gao Yuhan had to leave Wuhu and flee to Beijing at the end of the year to take refuge. During this period, Gao Yuhan had many contacts with Chen Duxiu and "secretly participated in the early party building activities."

Gao Yuhan was good at theoretical propaganda, and in order to spread Marxist doctrine in a popular and vivid way, he advocated writing in the vernacular, getting rid of the classical style of the past. On January 11, 1920, Gao Yuhan wrote a special letter to Hu Shi in this regard, saying: "I am now editing the Chinese language that I have taught in the middle school for three years, preparing to print it, and serving as a guide for the general middle school students to write a new text." This is the best-selling Vernacular Letters published by the Shanghai Yadong Library in January 1921. The book is in the form of epistles, covering family letters, social letters, industrial and commercial letters, and letters on academics. Among them, family letters deal with women's equality and freedom of marriage, social letters deal with social inequality and the darkness of the political situation, industrial and commercial letters deal with labor pain and capital exploitation, and letters on academic studies are mainly to explain the Communist Manifesto and socialist doctrine.

The book is not only lively in form, the text is popular, it seems to be an epistle, but in fact it gives the reader a social and ideological enlightenment. As the author points out in the preface: "The correspondence between reality and people and the discussion and study of things is only one in ten; the rest are 'dead is public' and 'Mr. Nothing'." However, each article contains the most urgent and urgent problems of society, or describes the truth of society and determines the secrets of people's hearts. Sometimes there may be the interest of opera; sometimes there may be the meaning of fiction; sometimes there may be the emotion of poetry. That is what we call edutainment today.

The Vernacular Epistles is a concentrated embodiment of Gao Yuhan's early revolutionary ideas. Because the book propagated Marxism, it was banned by the authorities. However, it is loved by the majority of readers, and has been reprinted 39 times before and after, and more than 100,000 copies have been printed. At that time, the book, together with Chen Duxiu's "Duxiu Wencun" and Hu Shi's "Attempt Collection", was listed as one of the three bestsellers in Shanghai Yadong Library.

Because Gao Yuhan and Chen Duxiu are fellow villagers in Anhui, and the two have known each other for a long time and have close contacts. Therefore, Gao Yuhan participated in the revolutionary activities engaged in by Chen Duxiu earlier. In August 1920, Gao Yuhan, Together with Li Hanjun, Li Da, Chen Wangdao, Shen Yanbing, etc., engaged in the work of the Communist Party Initiation Group under the guidance of Chen Duxiu. During this period, Gao Yuhan also recommended that jiang Guangci, a student of his teaching at Wuhu Anhui No. 5 Middle School, enter the foreign Chinese society to study. While in Beijing, through Li Dazhao's introduction, Gao Yuhan participated in the Beijing Communist Party organization and the Marxist Theory Research Society of Peking University. Became a member of the Communist Party of China during its founding.

On August 4, 1922, Gao Yuhan went to Germany, where he studied and lived for 3 years. Some researchers say that Zhu De's introduction to the Communist Party during his time in Germany was Zhou Enlai and Gao Yuhan, but the author of this article deliberately consulted the "Biography of Zhu De", which said that Zhu De's introduction to the party was Zhou Enlai and Zhang Shenfu, and there was no Gao Yuhan.

After returning to China in August 1925, Gao Yuhan taught for a short time at Shanghai University. On December 20, 1925, Gao Yuhan was sent to Guangzhou by the organization to participate in the preparations for the Second National Congress of the Kuomintang. At the First Plenary Session of the Second Central Committee of the Kuomintang, Gao Yuhan was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Supervision Commission of the Kuomintang. As a member of the Standing Committee, Gao Yuhan was often offended by his straightforward personality and unaccustomed to the unhealthy atmosphere within the Kuomintang. At a meeting, Chiang Kai-shek instructed the staff to prepare exquisite snacks, but as soon as Gao Yuhan arrived at the venue, he saw this kind of pomp and circumstance, and severely criticized Chiang Kai-shek on the spot, saying that the meeting was not a guest, so why waste it so much? Chiang Kai-shek could not step down.

On January 19, 1926, Gao Yuhan was appointed political director instructor of the Whampoa Military Academy, major general party representative of the Enlisted Students' Department, secretary of the Communist Party's Whampoa Party Group, and together with Deng Yanda, Zhang Zhizhong, and Yun Daiying, he was denounced by Chiang Kai-shek as the "Four Evils of Huangpu". During this period, Gao Yuhan also served as the director of political training at the Sixth Peasant Movement Training Institute headed by Mao Zedong. After the Zhongshan Incident, Gao Yuhan and others were wanted by Chiang Kai-shek and were forced to leave the Whampoa Military Academy. On April 20, 1926, Chiang Kai-shek, at a banquet for party representatives and officers who had withdrawn from the First Army of the National Revolutionary Army, criticized Gao Yuhan by name, saying that in the Whampoa Military Academy, "every speech, tangible and invisible, slandering the non-revolutionary remarks of this school are public, as everyone knows, there is no need for me to say it", "His intentions, first implied that a group of comrades lost faith in me." In response to Chiang Kai-shek's accusations, Gao Yuhan, who originally wanted to remain silent, wrote the famous "An Open Letter to Mr. Chiang Kai-shek", which was published in the Guide, June 16, 1926, No. 158. The groundless accusations against Chiang Kai-shek were refuted one by one. However, perhaps confined to the environment of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communists, the tone of gao yuhan was still very polite, and he tried his best to maintain Chiang Kai-shek's "authority." In his letter he said, "Sir! The old lady gave birth to me, and this is the bone! I have a good advantage: I know that if a person, especially a revolutionary, cannot be criticized by others, cannot openly admit his faults, or even goes to the text to exaggerate his political life, so no matter who criticizes me or accuses me, I am very happy to accept it. "In short, I have not denigrated Mr. Slander, but thereafter anyone else who wishes to slander Mr. Li or Slander Mr. Li was placed on the Central Control Commission by yuhan, and he must be strictly impeached in order to suppress the discipline of the Party and tighten the barriers of revolution. The sea and the sky are in sight, and the treasures are precious. ”

In 1927, Gao Yuhan went to Shanghai to participate in the third armed uprising of the Shanghai workers and served as a member of the Special Propaganda Committee. After the "April 12" counter-revolutionary coup, Gao Yuhan went to Hankou, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China appointed him as the chief writer of the Republic of China Daily. He substituted his pen for a gun and propagated anti-Chiang Kai-shek propaganda. He also gave speeches everywhere to encourage people to unite to overthrow the counter-revolution. At that time, people called him, Wu Yuzhang, and Xu Qian the "three cannons" of Wuhan's anti-Chiang Kai-shek, which became a beautiful talk for a while.

After the collapse of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communists, the Chinese Communists fired the first shots of armed resistance against the Kuomintang in Nanchang. Gao Yuhan participated in the "August 1st" Nanchang Uprising and was ordered to draft the "Declaration of the Central Committee Members" guiding the Nanchang Uprising. After the Nanchang rebel forces retreated to Chaoshan in Guangdong, Zhou Enlai specially instructed Gao Yuhan to go to Hong Kong to contact Zhang Fakui and Huang Qixiang. Because Zhang Fakui and others had already left Hong Kong, the liaison work could not be carried out, and Gao Yuhan had to stay in Hong Kong and Macao.

Embark on the path of Trotskyism

In early 1928, Gao Yuhan came to Shanghai. Temporarily living in the home of a relative of Yang Zai'an, he mainly relies on the Yadong Library for assistance in his life, and usually has to write articles to earn writing fees. Organizationally, Gao Yuhan was arranged to participate in the Chunye branch of the COMMUNIST Party of China, headed by his student Jiang Guangci, and with Ah Ying, Li Kenong, Yan Qiwen, Li Zechun, and Song Jiren as members, he lived an organizational life there and participated in guiding the literary and artistic work of the Sun Society. The Sun Society was the first revolutionary literary society founded under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, founded by Jiang Guangci and others. According to Ah Ying's recollection, he said: "In 1928, the Sun Society was founded in Shanghai, and the central cadres at that time participated in the participation of Qiu Bai, Yang Zai'an, Luo Qiyuan, Gao Yuhan and Zheng Chaolin. Qiu Bai had many instructions at work, but because he was busy with political work, he did not write anything. Only Zaian and Qiyuan published several novels under pen names. Soon, the magazine was also banned. It can be seen from this that Gao Yuhan did participate in the leadership of the Sun Society, but there is no historical explanation of what he did.

But as a party member, Gao Yuhan had to obey the organization's arrangements and participate in the activities organized by the branch, such as going to the streets at night to paint revolutionary slogans and distribute leaflets. Gao Yuhan objected to this kind of adventurous activity under the white terror, but the erroneous left-leaning trend of thought prevailed in the party at that time, and Gao Yuhan's views were criticized. At the Haruno branch, there was a fierce debate between Gao Yuhan and those who adhered to left-leaning ideas. At this time, Chen Duxiu, who had risen from the post of general secretary to the post, also analyzed with a calm eye that the Chinese revolution was in a period of low tide, and should not risk and act arbitrarily with the enemy and sacrifice his comrades in vain. Seeing that the Left-leaning Central Committee continued to see the revolutionary situation at its climax, and constantly carry out such as flying rallies and instructed the Red Army to attack the big cities, Chen Duxiu accepted Trotskyism and carried out Trotskyism out of the ideas of "saving the party" and "saving the Chinese revolution", and was expelled from the Party by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on November 15, 1929.

Gao Yuhan and Chen Duxiu have long been familiar with each other, and they are better at discussing public and private relationships. Moreover, Gao Yuhan did not agree with the left-leaning ideas and adventurous behavior of the CPC Central Committee at that time. Therefore, when Chen Duxiu took the call of opposing left-leaning errors in the CCP and pulled up the banner of Trotskyism, he received the response and support of many people, including Gao Yuhan.

Because of the unity of political tendencies, Gao Yuhan completely took chen Duxiu's position, that is, the position of Trotskyism. On December 15, 1929, chen Duxiu led the publication of the "Our Political Opinion", which officially announced the separation of these people from the CCP. Behind this politically charged article were Gao Yuhan and 81 others. Soon, at the behest of the CPC Central Committee and the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, the Chunye branch expelled Gao Yuhan from the party. Since then, Gao Yuhan has embarked on another political path. However, perhaps there is no enthusiasm for the "revolution", and after Gao Yuhan joined the Trotskyists, he did not carry out too many Trotskyist activities, and the historical data is more that he was engaged in written writing activities, or that he was just making a living from literature. According to statistics, from 1928 to 1936, a total of 20 works were published.

Because of Gao Yuhan's former reputation in the party, when he became anonymous, some people who cared about him went around inquiring about his whereabouts. So there was some lace news about him. For example, at that time, the Shanghai "Social News" magazine published: "Gao Yuhan, who was expelled by the Communist Party cadres in 1930, has always been canceling the work of the party center, and last year once asked the cadre faction to restore the party membership, but the cadre faction refused it because of its insincerity." Therefore, Gao gao is still a abolitionist faction, and he is also the central standing committee member and propaganda minister of the abolitionist faction, and it is rumored that he has broken away from the abolition faction and returned to the cadre faction to work, which is not a fact. However, the problem of high life has not yet been properly solved. It is very difficult to cancel the economic book within the faction, gao's monthly fixed income of living expenses, but fifteen yuan, and Gao's hobbies are extremely much, fifteen yuan is not enough to maintain, fortunately Gao Nengwen, has been in contact with the modern bookstore, by Gao for modern compilation of a series of books, and by the modern month to Gao a few yuan, Gao's life, that is, to maintain. This half-truth and half-false "news" tells us that Gao Yuhan really sells literature for a living.

Poor old age

It is precisely because he can only earn a living by writing books, so Gao Yuhan's later years of life in the turbulent times are very embarrassing, appearing sloppy.

With the fall of Shanghai and Nanjing, Gao Yuhan first went into exile in Wuhan, where he received the care of Hu Zongnan, a student of the Whampoa Military Academy who came to participate in the Battle of Wuhan, then the commander of the 17th Army of the National Revolutionary Army and the commander of the First Army, and was recommended by Hu to serve in the Camp of the Chongqing Committee Chairman. On February 14, 1938, he flew to Chongqing and was personally received and entertained by Gu Zhutong, the director of the camp. After that, Gao Yuhan took up such a fictitious position as a camp counselor, and he could receive a little salary every month to get by.

Due to the high cost of living in Chongqing, it was unbearable, and many friends in Anhui's educational circles moved to Jiangjin due to the relocation of the National Anhui Middle School to Jiangjin, and most of the people of Anhui nationality in Chongqing also settled in Jiangjin, so in May 1939, Gao Yuhan also came to Jiangjin with Chen Duxiu to settle down. Here, Gao Yuhan and Chen Duxiu have close contacts, and they have a sense of pity for each other with the same disease. On May 27, 1942, Chen Duxiu died, and as an old friend, fellow countryman, and subordinate Gao Yuhan helped to take care of the aftermath. Afterwards, Gao Yuhan also wrote a "Testimonial on Participating in Mr. Chen Duxiu's Funeral", which made a rather objective evaluation of Chen Duxiu: "Mr. Duxiu's position in the history of ideas and culture. We do not want to exaggerate, but one thing is undeniable, that is, he put forward the following two slogans in a clear and dignified manner during the May Fourth Movement: support mr. De - democracy; and support Mr. Sai - science. At that time, Liang Qichao and others were engaged in metaphysics, the executive government of the Beiyang warlords was making a final struggle, and Mr. Duxiu's two small but sharp eyes had already seen what the urgent needs of the people of the whole country and the ideological circles of the cultural circles were. Since then, and to this day, it is these two slogans that we have worked hard to fight and that the government is now calling on the whole country to rise up and fight against it. ”

After Chen Duxiu's death, Gao Yuhan appeared even more lonely. In order to live, and in order to get rid of the loneliness of thought, Gao Yuhan wrote desperately. At a time when prices are soaring, they still can't make ends meet. In September 1942, he wrote a notice entitled "Yuhan Seeking Food", which was published in the supplement of xinmin Bao, which read: "For the sake of life, I cannot but find a job, such as someone or school, or an organ that needs teachers, or secretaries or other written battles, under the following conditions, that is, (1) one stone of rice per month in Jiangjin Laodou; (2) once in June, the rice will be converted into the Market Price of Jiangjin in advance; (3) food and accommodation will be provided." ;(4) Work three hours a day; (5) Supply back and forth Sichuan capital, etc. Contemptible people can apply. "It is obvious from the content of the notice how earnest the tone of the work is and how cheap the conditions are. Perhaps Gao Yuhan was famous in the local area, and the conditions were low, so the notice was published for a few days, and soon a merchant in Chongqing wrote a letter to hire him. The job is to help Christian bosses translate The Christian scriptures for reading. It was a very boring and arduous errand, and I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't find any other way to live, so from September 1942 to the spring of 1945, Gao Yuhan was with Jehovah and other classics day after day.

Later, when he really couldn't do it, Gao Yuhan opened up the joints through social relations, and reluctantly won the approval of the police station and the social bureau to allow him to speak at the Jiangsu Guild Hall in Chongqing. So from April 15, 1945, he began to tell the audience "Dream of the Red Chamber" in the form of storytelling, and the effect was surprisingly good, and the audience was very enthusiastic. It was lectured six times before and after, and later compiled into "Six Lectures on the Treasure of the Dream of the Red Chamber", which was issued by the Chongqing Peidu Bookstore in July 1946. In July 1945, he officially quit his job as a family translator and came to Chengdu to stay at the home of his friend Deng Jiyi, the manager of Xinmin Bao, to help Deng Jiyi and Chen Mingde, the president of Xinmin Bao, and several children who were in junior high school to tutor Chinese, a total of three girls and a boy, the boy of which was Wu Jinglian, the famous economist today. According to Gao Yuhan's evaluation, Wu Jinglian at that time: "There is a mind, a methodical, a love of learning, and a high-achieving student in high school, but his health is not good." ”

In the spring of 1946, Gao Yuhan moved to Nanjing with the Xinmin Bao, living in a simple house on Ming wa Lang Street in Nanjing, with no source of livelihood and all relying on friends to help. In the spring of 1947, Gao Yuhan, who was poor and ill, was bedridden with stomach cancer and was sent by students to the Central Hospital for treatment. On April 23, Gao Yuhan died in hospital. Hearing the news of Gao Yuhan's death, Chen Lifu, then head of the Organization Department of the Kuomintang Central Committee, immediately rushed to the hospital to mourn and initiated the organization of a memorial service. However, Gao Yuhan was destitute, and afterwards the matter was handled by friends and buried in the Flower Temple outside the South Gate of Nanjing, opposite the tomb of Wu Jingzi, the author of "Rulin Waishi". The inscription on the tombstone is written by the Kuomintang elder Yu Youren. Regarding his death and his position in China's modern history, the 33rd issue of Democracy and Unity in 1947 published an article entitled "Mr. Eulogy Mr. Yuhan", which said: "Mr. Yuhan is a fighter in the new cultural movement since May Fourth, who has always held a pen in his hand, educated people, and fought for a bright future. ...... Like his friend Mr. Chen Duxiu... It was a very difficult life. ...... Although he died today, his spirit continues to live. Young people should follow mr. Gao's personality as an example so that China can achieve freedom and rejuvenation. ”

Li Zongye vividly and concisely summarized Gao Yuhan's life in the form of poetry:

Crossing the river for a long night and looking forward to the dawn, the sea of people walking in the mist.

May Fourth Wave is a hundred feet high, and the navigation lighthouse is Sir.

Erudite and able to write and talkatively, jianghuai revolution was the first whip.

Chen Duxiu, a lifelong confidant, was as cold as depression behind him.

Source: Wenshi Tiandi Author: Zhu Yan