Snow (left) with Mao Zedong in northern Shaanxi
How did the American journalist Edgar Snow get to northern Shaanxi in 1936? He was a foreign journalist, how could he enter the heavily encircled Red Army area in northern Shaanxi? There have always been many kinds of stories about this matter, some people say through Song Qingling, some people say through the mysterious red priest Dong Jianwu, and some people say through Huang Jing, people are inconsistent. What is the truth? Snow himself said in His Journey to the West that in June 1936, a Chinese friend brought him the news that he might have a chance to enter the Red Zone. Immediate departure is required. In his 1958 book Journey to the Beginning, he mentioned Soong Ching Ling:
...... Nine years of civil war made "Red China" even more of an "unknown place." I secretly proposed to the New York Sun and the Herald Tribune that I break through the blockade around the Communist-controlled areas of the Northwest and enter the Red Zone. Both newspapers agreed with my plan... So I went to Shanghai and visited Mrs. Sun Yat-sen again. I asked her to help me so that the Red Army would at least receive me as a neutral and not as a spy. In the spring of 1936, when I returned to Beijing from Shanghai, Song Qingling made arrangements for me. Through her, I got in touch with a professor in Beijing, who gave me a letter of introduction to Mao Zedong and how to connect with underground workers in Xi'an Province. (Journey of Restoration, Xinhua Publishing House, August 1984, pp. 182-183.) )
But Snow did not say how Soong Ching-ling arranged it for him, nor how Soong Got the CCP's consent. Who is "a professor"? Is he Soong Ching Ling's contact with the Communist Party? Who wrote this letter? And why did he have the right to decide to let Snow go to northern Shaanxi? Why does Snow think that Soong Ching Ling can save him from being used as a spy by the Red Army? None of them are clear. He even said that he returned to Beijing from Shanghai in the spring of 1936, so when did he go to Shanghai? None of them said. Also, Snow did not say that at the same time as Snow entered northern Shaanxi, there was also an American doctor Ma Haide.
What's going on here? Now we can find out the ins and outs through the later documentary materials of Feng Xuefeng, the commissioner of the CPC Central Committee in 1936.
After the 1935 "129" Movement, Edgar Snow realized that the Chinese Communist Party and the Red Army, which had just marched to northern Shaanxi, were writing a whole new history in the land of northern Shaanxi, rather than killing, setting fires, and communist wives as stigmatized by the Kuomintang propaganda machine. Therefore, he decided to venture into northern Shaanxi to find the truth in this land illuminated by the red five stars. He was supported by the New York Sun and the Herald Tribune, and it is said that he had contacted Huang Jing, a member of the Chinese Communist Party who had participated in leading the "129" movement, and Huang Jing had reported to Liu Shaoqi, secretary of the North China Bureau of the Communist Party of China, but put it on hold because of immature conditions. In late April 1936, he went to Shanghai to try to find a way through Soong Ching Ling to break through the siege of the Kuomintang army and enter the red zone of northern Shaanxi.
It was precisely at this time that after the Red Army's crusade, the CPC Central Committee received a congratulatory telegram from Lu Xun and Mao Dun from Shanghai on the Red Army's crusade, so it was decided to send Feng Xuefeng, former secretary of the Central Cultural Committee and former director of the Propaganda Department of the Jiangsu Provincial CPC Committee, as a special commissioner, to Shanghai to restore the destroyed local party organizations, establish radio stations, publicize the united front policy, and reorganize the camp of the left-wing literary and art circles. At the same time, he realized the need to publicize the truth of the Red Army to the outside world, and because the physical condition of the troop personnel who had gone through the Long March was extremely poor, and there was a shortage of medical treatment and medicine, there was an urgent need for good doctors. So when the party leaders Zhang Wentian and Zhou Enlai assigned tasks to Feng Xuefeng, the commissioner to Shanghai, they asked him to find people and doctors who could do propaganda work for northern Shaanxi and send them to northern Shaanxi.
Snow (left) and Song Qingling
According to Feng Xuefeng's recollections, around April 15, Feng Xuefeng set off from Wayao Fort, arrived in Xi'an around the 20th, and according to the contact method given by the central government, found the "anti-smoking committee member" Zhong Ketuo, where he met Dong Jianwu, an old classmate of Zhong Ketuo and an underground traffic officer who was waiting for him there. Dong Jianwu was originally a secret traffic officer left behind by the Shanghai underground party special branch system after the destruction of the Shanghai party organization, and was originally under the leadership of Xu Qiang of the Shanghai side special branch. After Feng Xuefeng went to Shanghai, Dong Jianwu accepted Feng Xuefeng's direct leadership.
Feng Xuefeng and Dong Jianwu took a train from Xi'an to Shanghai around April 20 and arrived in Shanghai on April 25, where Xu Qiang arranged for them to stay in a small hotel near Shanghai Big World. The next afternoon, Feng Xuefeng visited Lu Xun to understand the situation. At that time, Lu Xun and Xu Guangping happened to take the child out to watch a movie together, and the nanny received him and stayed at Lu Xun's house that night, where he stayed for more than two weeks.
It was precisely on the afternoon of the 26th that Snow visited Lu Xun accompanied by the young translator Yao Ke, but because the nanny said that Lu Xun was not at home, he could not see Lu Xun.
At the beginning of May, Feng Xuefeng met with Smedley, Song Qingling, Shen Junru and so on. In addition to talking about other issues, Feng and Song Qingling also talked about finding impartial journalists and doctors to enter northern Shaanxi. In fact, at that time, recommending journalists and doctors, Song Qingling was the most well-connected and conditional. Although Feng Xuefeng made it clear that Snow wanted to go to northern Shaanxi, which Smedley had proposed to him, Smedley was originally Song Qingling's secretary and had a close relationship with Song Qingling at that time. Both Smedley and Song Qingling were acquainted with Snow, and after Feng Xuefeng arrived in Shanghai, he soon met and talked with both Song Qingling and Smedley, and Smedley had a long conversation with Feng For many days. At about the same time, Snow also found Song Qingling and proposed the idea of going to northern Shaanxi. Song Qingling promised to try to do it. Subsequently, Song Qingling asked Smedley to convey Snow's wishes to Feng Xuefeng. At the same time, Song Qingling also thought of Ma Haide, a doctor with excellent medical skills who sympathized with the Chinese revolution. Song Qingling knew that he also wanted to go to northern Shaanxi, so she asked Ma Haide to come to her house and told him very happily: "I tell you a good news, your long-cherished wish has come true." The CPC Central Committee wants to invite a fair reporter and a doctor to northern Shaanxi to conduct an on-the-spot investigation of the situation in the border areas and to understand the CPC's anti-Japanese stand. After the negotiation was completed, Song Qingling informed Feng Xuefeng of the situation. Feng Xuefeng immediately sent traffic personnel to Xi'an to report to the central authorities the request of Snow and Ma Haide to go to northern Shaanxi and request instructions. In the intricate and sharp struggle at that time, it was unimaginable and impossible to send an American journalist to northern Shaanxi without asking for instructions. At that time, only Feng Xuefeng, commissioner of the CPC Central Committee, could do this.
Feng Xuefeng later recalled the incident as follows: "Probably around mid-June or June 20,...... When I sent Zhou Wen to Xi'an to transfer the secret mail to the central authorities, I mainly asked the central authorities for Shi Nuo's question of entering northern Shaanxi... Therefore, Liu Ding came to Shanghai in late June or early July to find me..." Zhou Wen was a disciple of Lu Xun, the former head of the Left Alliance Organization, the first party member and assistant Feng Xuefeng found after he arrived in Shanghai this time, and for a period of time served as a traffic officer for Feng to and from Xi'an. Liu Ding was the representative of the CPC Central Committee in the Northeast Army at that time, and also the head of the XI'an Liaison Office of the CPC.
When Snow went to Shanghai, he also had a task, that is, his wife Helen was writing a long paper on the "Modern Chinese Literary Movement", and there were many questions to ask Lu Xun. When Snow went to Shanghai, he made a long list of 23 big questions, including many small questions, and asked Snow to consult Lu Xun. Therefore, during Snow's stay in Shanghai, according to Helen's questionnaire, Helen conducted a long interview with Lu Xun about the development of modern Chinese literature. While waiting for the notice of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. But until about mid-June, before the reply from northern Shaanxi had come, Snow returned to Beiping and handed over the interview record of Lu Xun to Helen, who completed her thesis.
In late June, the CPC Central Committee sent Liu Ding, the head of the Xi'an Liaison Station, to Shanghai to leave a note for Lu Xun at the Neishan Bookstore, asking him to relay it to Feng Xuefeng and meet for an interview. Lu Xun relayed to Feng Xuefeng. Then, on the appointed day, Liu Ding conveyed three instructions from the central government to Feng Xuefeng at Lu Xun's house, one of which was to agree to Snow and others entering the red zone of northern Shaanxi. The next day Feng Xuefeng relayed the news to Smedley. Smedley immediately forwarded it to Song Qingling. Song Qingling immediately informed Snow and Ma Haide to arrive in Xi'an according to the specified date. Since Ma Haide decided to stay in northern Shaanxi for a long time, all his actions were kept secret. Even when he arrived in northern Shaanxi, Snow never revealed it.
Lu Xun and Feng Xuefeng (front row left) two families group photo
According to the action plan determined by Feng Xuefeng: at about the end of June, according to the specified time, Snow took the Pinghan Line train from Beiping to Zhengzhou to the Longhai Line and rushed to Xi'an. Feng also sent Dong Jianwu from Shanghai under the pseudonym Wang Moumou, as a "priest", directly to Xi'an, and opened a room in the Xijing Guest House to wait for Snow to arrive. Ma Haide went alone, going directly to Xi'an and also staying at the hostel where Snow was staying (one said to go to Xi'an together after meeting with Snow in Zhengzhou). When Snow was notified to go to northern Shaanxi, he considered that he was alone in northern Shaanxi to interview, and there was still a language barrier, so he found Wang Rumei, a student of his journalism department at Yenching University and a fresh graduate, revealed his plan to go to northern Shaanxi to interview, and wanted to invite Wang Rumei as his interpreter to accompany him to northern Shaanxi. Wang Rumei had originally longed for the Red Army in northern Shaanxi very much, and when he heard that he was overjoyed, he immediately agreed to accompany him to northern Shaanxi. However, the two were inconvenient to leave at the same time, and Wang Rumei's going to northern Shaanxi still needed the consent of the Chinese Communists. So they agreed that after Snow arrived in Xi'an, he would consult with the Chinese communists and strive to obtain the consent of the Chinese communists to let Wang Rumei go with them. The two agreed that Wang Rumei would change his name to Huang Hua and that Snow would not mention his name in future reports, nor would his photograph appear.
After Snow arrived in Xi'an, he and Ma Haide both stayed at the Xijing Guest House, and immediately met with Dong Jianwu. Snow also proposed that his student Huang Hua also hoped to go to northern Shaanxi together. Dong Jianwu immediately relayed it to the CPC Central Committee, on the one hand, to make preparations for Snow and Ma Haide to enter northern Shaanxi. After Snow finally got permission to enter northern Shaanxi with Ma Haide and agreed to Huang Hua's notice to go to northern Shaanxi, he immediately sent a telegram to Helen in Beiping, asking her to inform Huang Hua. So Huang Hua immediately set off, took a suitcase and quietly left Yanjing, and even the graduation diploma could not wait. In early July, Huang Hua arrived in Xi'an, stayed at the Northwest Grand Hostel, and got in touch with Snow and Ma Haide, who were staying at the Xijing Guest House. Dong Jianwu did not go to northern Shaanxi, and after contacting the XI'an Liaison Office for Snow and others, he immediately returned to Shanghai. Feng Xuefeng made it clear that the Shanghai side was only responsible for sending it to Xi'an, and sending it to northern Shaanxi was the responsibility of the underground party in Xi'an. Later, Ding Ling, Smedley, etc. went to northern Shaanxi, which was all this model.
One morning in early July 1936 (July 7, to be precise), Snow and Ma Haide boarded a Northeast Army truck bound for northern Shaanxi in Xi'an, and after a day of galloping, arrived in Luochuan that night and arrived in Yan'an the next day. Since the Northeast Army's defensive zone only reached Yan'an, it was impossible to drive further ahead, so on the third day I rode a donkey, escorted by a donkey man, and stayed in a small mountain village that night; on the fourth day, July 10, I arrived at Bao'an (present-day Zhidan) and met the Red Army and Zhou Enlai. Huang Hua joined the latter group of people who went to Yan'an, and together with several other cultural people from the Kuomintang district, took a similar route, arriving at the Red Army garrison in Baijiaping, Anse on July 20, and then rendezvousing with Snow.
This is the whole process of Snow, Ma Haide and Huang Hua entering the red zone of northern Shaanxi.
Reading the text carefully and referring to the relevant historical materials, we will find that Snow's account of his entry into northern Shaanxi is not completely accurate, clear, and even hidden. Snow's account that he was "alone" on the way to northern Shaanxi was not true. In addition, all of Snow's records of interviews in northern Shaanxi were also hidden from Huang Hua, who had been with him for several months. Snow's account of the whole process of entering northern Shaanxi only mentions Song Qingling, an unknown "professor" in Beijing, and a "pastor Wang", that is, Dong Jianwu, without mentioning all other relevant people, including Ma Haide and Huang Hua, which should be out of strategic considerations, to avoid involving Ma Haide and Huang Hua, who originally planned to stay in northern Shaanxi. This is the source of all the rumors that followed.
At this point, the reason for Snow's entry into northern Shaanxi is basically clear. This is based on Feng Xuefeng's own repeated recollections, as the personal testimony of the parties, especially as a serious documentary evidence of historical issues made in a specific political and historical context, the main link coincides with the background and process of the entire event, and can be trusted. Even small discrepancies in individual details do not affect the reliability of their main facts and basic conclusions.
(The original title of this article: How did Snow and Ma Haide go to northern Shaanxi? ）
Author: Wang Xirong
Editor: Zhou Yiqian