preface
When it comes to China's modern institutions of higher learning, Peking University and Tsinghua University, it will naturally come to our minds.
Including today, once someone is admitted to these two institutions of higher learning, it will undoubtedly become the focus of the whole family, and it is a matter of pride and pride.
Picture丨The famous University of China - Peking University
But there are exceptions to everything, and some people will think that these so-called institutions of higher learning are not as comprehensive as they think, and they are even more disdainful of taking the exam, and even categorically refuse to apply for Peking University.
This man is Mao Zedong, who is only 25 years old.
The reason for this is also related to one of Mao Zedong's "teachers" at that time, his name was Hu Shi.
Mao Zedong's initial friendship with "teacher" Hu Shi
In 1918, this was the first time Mao Zedong came to Beiping, and the purpose of his trip was to organize Hunan students to go to France for work-study.
At that time, Hu Shi had returned from studying in the United States and came to Peking University as a professor of liberal arts at the invitation of Cai Yuanpei, the president of Peking University at the time.
Pictured: Mao Zedong in his youth
Because of the many ideas and paths in the world at that time, they arrived in China in an active and passive way, which made China's progressive young students feel confused and wandering for a while.
At this time, Hu Shi published an article advocating a new cultural movement in the magazine "New Youth" founded by Mr. Chen Duxiu, "On the Literary Revolution of Construction.".
In this article, Hu Shi began to advocate the vernacular view of literature to the public, and regarded "literature Chinese, literary Chinese" as the only purpose of the new cultural movement.
It was this article that played an important role in its promotion of the new literary revolution, but also had its limitations.
Pictured Hu Shi in his youth
It is undeniable that it was the publication of this article that made many progressive young people at that time feel confused and dull.
It was also this article that made Hu Shi, who was teaching silently at Peking University, become famous for a while.
Even Mao Zedong, who had just come to Peking University as a librarian at that time, felt great admiration.
During that period, Professor Hu Shi's courses were "History of Chinese Philosophy" and "History of Chinese Literature", and the originally boring content became vivid and interesting under Hu Shi's explanation, which was very popular with students.
As an open university, the students who attend lectures will not be limited to the students of their own schools, and students of some other schools, including people like Mao Zedong who are work-studying, often come to observe Hu Shi's lectures, indirectly becoming a student of Hu Shi.
Pictured: A portrait of Mao Zedong in those years
At that time, Mao Zedong could be said to have particularly admired Hu Shi, and even specifically sought out Mr. Yang Changji, who was a professor at Peking University at the time, that is, his later father-in-law, and asked him to help him introduce himself to Hu Shi.
During his special visit, Mao Zedong also asked Hu Shi for advice and discussed the issue of new culture and new ideological trends.
All this work was prepared for the future trip to France.
But before leaving, Mao Zedong suddenly made the decision not to go to France, and this decision made everyone feel puzzled and confused.
Studying in France was a big event at the time, and the reason for this was soon made public.
It turned out that the reason why Mao Zedong did not go abroad with progressive students at that time was that he wanted to stay at home and study China's own affairs.
Figure 丨Hu Shi and Mao Zedong
Of course, he was also influenced by Hu Shi's article, and also received Hu Shi's affirmation and support.
Before going to France to study, Hu Shi even gave Mao Zedong a lot of help.
In April 1919, Mao Zedong, who had returned to Changsha, founded the Hunan Students' Federation and began to lead progressive students in a patriotic movement.
Three months later, Mao Zedong founded the Xiangjiang Review in Changsha.
Before leaving Peiping, Mao Zedong had visited Hu Shi in the hope that he would support the struggle of Hunan students.
In the magazine Xiangjiang Review, Hu Shi saw Mao Zedong's long article "The Great Unity of the People."
Picture 丨 Mao Zedong's Xiangjiang Review published in Changsha
Later, he made this comment in the publication of the Weekly Review:
"Now there are a lot of newly published weekly and small daily newspapers... In particular, we introduce our two new little brothers, one is changsha's "Xiangjiang Review" and the other is Chengdu's "Sunday". ”
"The strength of the Xiangjiang Review seems to be on the one hand of the discussion,...... a big article in the "Great Union of the People", which has a far-sighted vision and a very happy discussion, and is indeed an important text today."
At that time, a newly published magazine and a newly published article were absolutely unexpected to receive such high praise from Hu Shi, and their influence was also very extensive.
Tu Shu Hu Shi consulted the materials in the library
It was Hu Shi's affirmation of Mao Zedong that indirectly influenced the victory of the "Zhang-driving movement" he launched in Hunan.
Afterwards, Mao Zedong immediately wrote a letter to Hu Shi, the general content of which was:
Xiang zi zhang, the weather is new, and the educational circles are quite vigorous. In the future, there will be more points to borrow sir, and when the time comes, it will be detailed. Not much more. This ode teaches peace.
From the general content of this letter, we can infer that Mao Zedong had respect and respect for Hu Shi at that time.
Picture 丨 Young Mao Zedong
However, with the continuous changes in the situation of the Chinese revolution, Mao Zedong, who believed in Marxism, and Hu Shi, who adhered to liberalism, eventually parted ways under the circumstances of different ideas and paths.
The Tao is not the same
Hu Shi, who studied in the United States for many years, has always believed in pragmatism and advocated the change of water drops and stones, and he has always been in an opposing position against Marxism.
Because Hu Shi did not approve of "violent revolution" from the bottom of his heart, he had already identified the Nationalist government formed by the Kuomintang as the only orthodox in China.
Curiously, Hu Shi was an opponent of the one-party dictatorship, and he never participated in any work entrusted by the government because he wanted to maintain his personal independence and freedom of criticism.
In July 1921, Mao Zedong went to Shanghai and participated in the Communist Party congress
After fourteen years of arduous resistance, the Chinese nation finally ushered in the long-awaited victory.
At this time, Hu Shi stood on the standpoint of the Kuomintang and had a long all-night talk with Dong Biwu, the main content of which was to persuade the armed forces under the leadership of the Communist Party to lay down their weapons and participate in the country's election activities simply as the country's second largest party.
Hu Shi wrote to Mao Zedong at that time:
Mr. Runzhi:
It was reported that Brother Fu Mengzhen conveyed my brother's greetings to Hu Shizhi, and he was grateful for the old good, and he was overwhelmed with thoughts.
The night before, he had a deep conversation with Brother Dong Biwu, who earnestly stated his contempt, believing that the leaders of the CPC, Zhu Gong, should examine the world situation today, cherish China's future, strive to forget the past, look forward to the future, make up their minds, give up force, and prepare to establish a second-largest political party for China that does not rely on force.
If the public can have this determination, the domestic dispute will be resolved in eighteen years, and the efforts of the public and the public for more than twenty years will not be completely eliminated by civil war.
At the beginning of the founding of the United States, Jie Fusheng struggled peacefully for more than ten years, and the Democratic Party, which he founded, won power in the fourth election.
Looking at the fact that the British Labour Party received only forty-four thousand votes fifty years ago, and the result of the peaceful struggle, which this year received twelve million votes, became the overwhelming majority of the party, both of which are enough for deep reflection.
The CCP has become the second largest party today, and if it can maintain its endurance and perseverance, it will develop peacefully in the future, and its future is unlimited.
Don't be small and unbearable and cause self-destruction!
Pictured: Mao Zedong who grew up in the Chinese Revolution
A letter represents the extent to which Hu Shi is almost ignorant of the current political situation, and Mao Zedong laughed when he saw the telegram sent from thousands of miles away.
At that time, when the Communist Party of China seized power and established a new China, Chairman Mao still remembered his old feelings and hoped that Hu Shi would stay on the mainland and not follow the Kuomintang's path to the black.
Even Mao Zedong personally said that Hu Shi could continue to serve as the president of Peking University and concurrently serve as the director of the library, and continue to apply what he had learned.
But at this time, Hu Shi only said one sentence: "People, do you believe me?" ”
In the end, Hu Shi still got on a plane from the Kuomintang side, flew to Nanjing, and finally went to the United States.
Pictured Hu Shi and Chiang Kai-shek
After Hu Shi left Chinese mainland, the inland also began to criticize Hu Shi's ideological activities, but despite this, Mao Zedong still paid the greatest attention to Hu Shi and hoped that he would return to China.
At that time, Hu Shi said such a paragraph in the face of reporters:
Mao Zedong was not my student, he was just working in the library of Peking University at that time, and according to Mao Zedong's level at that time, he could not pass the Peking University examination.
As soon as this sentence was uttered, it caused an uproar within a certain range, and even Mao Zedong himself did not expect that he did not apply for Peking University in that year, and now it has become a "means" for Hu Shi to attack himself.
The so-called real gold is not afraid of fire refining, and Mao Zedong still did not make too much evaluation of Hu Shi's remarks.
Mao Zedong spoke at the meeting
However, Hu Shi's nonsense was met with great opposition at home, and some people even turned over the dialogue between Mao Zedong's friend Luo Zhanglong and the chairman at that time, and it was confirmed.
During that time, Luo Zhanglong, a close friend who traveled with Mao Zedong, passed the exam and became a formal student of the philosophy department of Peking University, but Mao Zedong, as an auditor, was unmoved.
When Luo Zhanglong persuaded Mao Zedong to apply for Peking University as well, he refused, and Luo Zhanglong recalled:
At that time, Mao Zedong did not have the will to apply for Peking University, and even had a "dismissive" attitude.
This is because Mao Zedong felt that peking university's curriculum was too old and too decadent to waste energy on in-depth study and waste time at Peking University.
Going to Hunan to organize the struggle was something he thought was worth doing at the time.
Portrait of Mao Zedong during the Long March
From the above remarks, we can see that Mao Zedong was working and studying at Peking University at that time, participating in various kinds of work, but still did not pull down the study.
It was during this period that Mao Zedong read a large number of books and audited a number of courses at Peking University.
By this time Mao Zedong had come into contact with Marxism, and by reading the Manifesto of Communistism, he saw the road and hope for China's future there.
At that time, Peking University was still conducting pure academic research, which had long been divorced from the actual society.
Mao Zedong's failure to take the Peking University also showed that he had the ability to think independently and had a different personality at that time.
Picture the open-minded Mao Zedong
His choice made Chinese history perhaps one less outstanding scholar, but he had a great revolutionary who broke new ground.
Chairman Mao ignored his previous suspicions and still entrusted people to bring letters asking Hu Shi to "go home"
After the incident, Hu Shi's irresponsible remarks escalated further in the Chinese mainland, while criticism of Hu Shi grew, although Chairman Mao had already expressed his disapproval.
Even under these circumstances, Chairman Mao still did not give up his work as Hu Shi and hoped that he would return to the motherland.
Just over two months after Hu Shi left the mainland, the People's Daily published an "Open Letter to Hu Shi."
Figure 丨 Hu Shi who is doing research
A letter from Mr. Chen Yuan, an old friend of Hu Shi and a former professor at Peking University, to Hu Shi.
This is because Hu Shi wrote a letter to Chen Yuan at the end of 1948, hoping that he would go south with him, but Chen Yuan still chose to stay on the mainland.
This touching letter is still Hu Shi's unhappiness, and he stubbornly believes that the letter from his friend at this moment has proved that he is no longer a real "free man".
He even published a response to the People's Daily in Taiwan's Free China magazine, insisting on his own ideas.
Despite this, Mao Zedong did not give up through various channels to win Hu Shi's return.
Figure 丨 Hu Shi in his later years
Mao Zedong even said personally: "Hu Shi advocated vernacular literature, and we must give him a credit." ”
Under Hu Shi's obstinate will, the "Criticism of Hu" movement officially began, but Mao Zedong still made demands at various congresses, and criticism was to correct mistakes, not to deceive, so it was necessary to criticize Hu Shi in a truth-seeking manner.
Mao Zedong said this:
Hu Shi was also a very stubborn person, and we entrusted someone to bring him a letter to persuade him to come back, and we didn't know what he was lusting for.
Criticism, there is always nothing good to say.
To tell the truth, the new cultural movement has its merits, it cannot be erased in one stroke, it should seek truth from facts...
Later, Mao Zedong specifically invited Hu Shi's old friend Zhou Kunsheng to do his work.
Figure 丨 Generation great Mao Zedong
At the same time, Zhou Kunsheng, a well-known patriotic journalist at that time, was also entrusted by Mao Zedong to help him persuade Hu Shi and persuade him to return to the mainland to have a look.
Cao Juren had such a sentence in the letter: "It is best to go back to Beijing to see, you can tour the whole country, and then make a judgment after Mr. Cao Juren reads it?" ”
Cao Juren even said the words "willing to accompany Mr. Cao".
However, these heartfelt words have become the meaning of "lessons" in Hu Shi's eyes, and the kindness of friends such as Zhou Kunsheng and Zhou Kunsheng has also been arbitrarily divided into areas of "unfreedom" and "following orders".
Even at the end, it was said publicly, "I have not seen this person."
Hu Shi stayed in the United States for eight years, and finally returned to his motherland in Taiwan in 1957, and under chiang Kai-shek's "arrangement", he served as the president of the "Academia Sinica".
In 1961, Hu Shi and his wife Jiang Dongxiu were treated in the hospital
It was not until Hu Shi's later years that he took the initiative to let go of the "knot" in his heart for many years and said: "In the Communist Party, the best vernacular writing is Mao Zedong. ”
After recalling the words he said in front of reporters, Hu Shi regretted it at this time.
He, who had always called himself a humble gentleman, could utter such a sentence, which he himself considered to be the least gentlemanly thing he had ever said.