China's fire sower of the early twentieth century commemorates the revolutionary pioneer Li Dazhao

Li Dazhao (file photo)

Editor's note: There is a tombstone in the Li Dazhao Martyrs Cemetery of Wan'an Cemetery in Xiangshan, Beijing, and the tombstone has an inscription written by the CPC Central Committee, which reads: Comrade Li Dazhao is the earliest Marxist and communist in China and is one of the main founders of the Communist Party of China. He was infinitely loyal to the cause of the liberation of the Chinese people, to his faith in Marxism and to the revolutionary future of the proletariat. His fearless dedication to the creation and development of the communist movement in our country will always be a shining example for all revolutionaries.

Li Dazhao, a native of Laoting County, Hebei Province, was born on October 29, 1889. On the occasion of the 132nd anniversary of Li Dazhao's birth, we will look back on his revolutionary career and commemorate and commemorate the earliest propagator of Marxism in China.

Staunch Marxists

In his youth, in the face of the motherland with many disasters and difficulties, Li Dazhao showed a pure heart of worrying about the country and the people. In 1913, he traveled east to Japan to study at Waseda University in Tokyo, where he became exposed to socialist ideas and Marxist doctrine. After returning to China in 1916, he actively participated in the new cultural movement, propagating the spirit of democracy and science, attacking the old etiquette and old morality, and fiercely fighting against the feudal stubborn forces. The determination and passion of him and his comrades-in-arms to transform the old China effectively stimulated the vigorous vitality and enterprising spirit of the Chinese youth at that time.

Like many advanced elements in China at that time, Li Dazhao once sought the truth from the West to save the country and the people. However, in practice, he felt that the kingdom of reason promoted by western bourgeois Enlightenment scholars could not guarantee the realization of justice, equality and human rights, especially the outbreak of the First World War, which further exposed the insurmountable contradictions inherent in the capitalist system. All of this led him to believe that the capitalist solution would not work in China.

After the victory of the October Revolution in Russia in 1917, Li Dazhao was encouraged, accepted the Marxist doctrine that he believed could really save China, and began to propagate Marxism in China. He published articles and speeches such as "Comparative View of the Franco-Russian Revolution", "The Victory of the Common People", "The Victory of Bolshevism", and "New Era", enthusiastically praising the October Revolution. He pointed out that the October Revolution opened up a "new era" in human history, which is a new era of world revolution and a new era of human awakening. Li Dazhao prophesied: "The alarm bell of humanity has sounded! The dawn of freedom has emerged! If you look at the future of the world, it will be the world of the Red Flag. With a keen eye, he profoundly realized that this revolution will have an epoch-making impact on the course of world history in the 20th century, and also saw the hope of the Chinese nation for independence and the liberation of the Chinese people.

In the process of propagating the October Revolution, Li Dazhao's consciousness quickly increased, he changed from a patriotic democrat to a Marxist, and became the earliest propagator of Marxism in our country.

The May Fourth Movement, which broke out in 1919, was the first patriotic movement in China's modern history to be completely and uncompromisingly anti-imperialist and anti-feudal. Li Dazhao enthusiastically threw himself into and participated in leading the May Fourth Movement. During and after the movement, he became more committed to Marxist propaganda and did a great deal of work. He published "My View of Marxism" in "New Youth", systematically introducing Marxist theory, which had an important impact on the ideological circles at that time. The article, which is more than 26,000 words long, fully affirms the historical status of Marx's theory, calling it "the theory of the original movement of the transformation of the world." The paper systematically introduces the basic principles of the three major components of Marxism, namely the materialist view of history, political economy and scientific socialism, and points out that these three parts are inextricably linked.

"My View of Marxism" is the earliest work in China to systematically introduce the three components of Marxism, marking the entry of Marxism into a relatively systematic stage of dissemination in China. Li Dazhao took the lead in introducing, propagating and studying Marxism in China and was a fire-sower in China in the early 20th century. In China under the rule of the Beiyang warlords, it was very difficult to spread Marxism, but with the fearless posture of a pioneer, he clearly pointed out that Marxism was the truth of the times and actively put it into action. It was precisely the arduous efforts of Li Dazhao and a number of other revolutionaries that enabled Marxism to spread widely in China, enabled a large number of advanced young people to accept Marxism and embarked on the revolutionary road, and also promoted the close integration of Marxism with the workers' movement, so that the Chinese working class developed into a class armed with Marxism. All this has laid a solid foundation for the development and victory of China's new-democratic revolution.

Southern Chen Bei Li met to establish the party

In early 1920, Chen Duxiu was invited to Wuhan in secret to give a speech, and because of his speech promoting the socialist revolution, he was expelled by the warlord authorities in Hubei. Therefore, when Chen Duxiu returned to Beijing, the Beijing Police Department, which had already received the news, was ready to arrest Chen Duxiu again. After Li Dazhao learned of this news, he made a plan for Chen Duxiu's safety, and after obtaining his consent, decided to personally escort Chen Duxiu out of Beijing. At this time, it was the season of collecting accounts in the north, so Li Dazhao hired a mule car, dressed as Mr. Collecting Accounts, and let Chen Duxiu sit in the car. In order to avoid revealing Chen Duxiu's southern accent, all negotiations such as accommodation along the way were handled by Li Dazhao. It was also on this mule that was hired to tianjin that Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao "discussed the establishment of Communist Party organizations in China." This is the story of "Southern Chen, Northern Li, Meet to Build the Party" that was later passed down as a beautiful talk.

On March 31, 1920, Li Dazhao led the establishment of the Marxist Theory Research Society of Peking University. In May 1920, Chen Duxiu led the establishment of the Shanghai Marxist Research Society. In August 1920, the early organization of the Communist Party of China was established in Shanghai. Before its founding, Chen Duxiu consulted Li Dazhao on the issue of the party's name, and Li Dazhao advocated the name "Communist Party," and Chen Duxiu agreed. Under the leadership of Li Dazhao, the Beijing Communist Party Organization was formally established in October 1920 in The Office of Li Dazhao in the Library of Peking University, when it was named the "Communist Party Group". After the establishment of party organizations in various places, there have been 8 early party organizations at home and abroad, with a total of more than 50 party members. Therefore, the convening of the Party's National Congress and the establishment of a unified organization of the Communist Party of China became an inevitable requirement. Under the leadership and attention of Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, on July 23, 1921, the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Shanghai, marking the birth of the Communist Party of China. Since then, the face of the Chinese revolution has been completely renewed.

After the founding of the Communist Party of China, Chen Duxiu took on the heavy responsibility of leading the work of the party throughout the country as secretary of the CPC Central Bureau, and Li Dazhao was responsible for guiding the work of the party in the northern region. Under the leadership of Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, the first cooperation with the Chinese Kuomintang was realized, setting off the climax of the National Revolution. In 1925, under the direct leadership and command of Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, the May Thirtieth Movement won a victory, dealing a powerful blow to imperialism such as Britain and Japan.

Implement the central decision and vigorously promote cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party

In 1921, after the founding of the Communist Party of China, Li Dazhao, on behalf of the Central Committee, guided the work of the north, actively promoted the integration of Marxism with the Chinese workers' movement, and successively launched famous struggles such as the Kailuan strike and the Beijing-Hankou railway strike.

This year, Ma Lin, a representative of the Comintern, came to China, and Li Dazhao respected him very much. When Ma Lin proposed cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communists, Li Dazhao initially couldn't figure it out. However, he listened carefully to Marin's insights and accepted them with an open mind. After Being introduced by Li Dazhao, Ma Lin was accompanied by Zhang Tailei to Guilin to meet sun yat-sen. In August 1922, at the West Lake Special Conference devoted to the discussion of Kuomintang-Communist cooperation, Li Dazhao, newly elected as a member of the Second Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, actively endorsed the formation of a revolutionary united front with the Kuomintang, and was one of the first to stand up in support of Ma Lin. He pointed out that the Chinese Kuomintang "embraced the ideal of democracy and struggled against the evil forces for more than ten years ... From now on we will help them, and we will no longer take the attitude of a bystander."

In order to promote the first Kuomintang-Communist cooperation, Li Dazhao held talks with Sun Yat-sen on behalf of the Communist Party of China on many occasions, and in less than two years he crossed the Yangtze River five times, went to Shanghai three times, and went to Guangzhou twice, and was busy to promote cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.

On August 20, 1922, Li Dazhao was entrusted by the party, accompanied by Lin Boqu, to meet with Sun Yat-sen, who was living in Shanghai, to discuss "the question of revitalizing the Kuomintang to revitalize China" and explain the CPC's proposal for implementing Kuomintang-Communist cooperation and establishing a revolutionary united front. The two talked freely about the domestic and international situation, political construction, and the crux of China's problems. Soong Ching Ling once recalled: "Sun Yat-sen especially admired and respected Li Dazhao, and we always welcomed him to our home. ”

Li Dazhao and Sun Yat-sen met frankly. Li Dazhao bluntly explained to Sun Yat-sen that he was a member of the Third International. Sun Yat-sen did not mind at all, and said: "It does not matter, although you are a member of the Third International party on the one hand, you join your own party to help me on the other." After that, with Sun Yat-sen personally as the introducer, Li Dazhao became the first Communist Party member to join the Kuomintang in his personal capacity.

In January 1924, the Kuomintang Congress was held in Guangzhou. Sun Yat-sen presided over the meeting, and Li Dazhao, Mao Zedong, Lin Boqu, Qu Qiubai, and other Communists attended the meeting. Li Dazhao, who had a "cross-party" status, was designated by Sun Yat-sen as one of the presidiums of the five congresses and was elected as a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang.

After the establishment of the Kuomintang-Communist united front, Li Dazhao was responsible for the work of the Beijing Executive Department of the Kuomintang Central Committee and became the leading core of the party organizations of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the north. Due to the addition of Communists and Youth League members, a new atmosphere emerged in the Kuomintang.

After the successful cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communists, Li Dazhao went all out to carry out the revolutionary struggle, which aroused the hatred of the reactionary authorities. The Beiyang warlord government wanted Li Dazhao for "instigating a strike" and "propagating redization," and immediately sent plainclothes police to Li Dazhao's home for arrest. Li Dazhao, who has many years of experience in struggle, was very alert, forced to shave off his beard, once again dressed as a businessman, and left Beijing with his son earlier on the day of the police arrest...

Heroes are at ease

His hair was shaved, his eyes were looking straight ahead, his expression was calm, and under the wrinkled gray cloth cotton robe hung a black and thick chain.

At 2 p.m. on April 28, 1927, Li Dazhao calmly walked to the gallows.

In April 1926, Zhang Zuolin's warlords took control of Beijing, and after the establishment of the Anguo military government, they began to arrest Li Dazhao and other Communists. Li Dazhao had the opportunity to leave Beijing, but he continued to work in the Barracks of the Soviet Embassy in Dongjiaomin Lane, Beijing, for the sake of revolutionary work. A year later, on April 6, with the acquiescence and support of imperialism, the Fengzhi warlords commanded the Beijing Police Department to dispatch more than 300 military police officers to break into the barracks of the Soviet Embassy and arrest Li Dazhao and his family, and arrested more than 60 people at the same time.

After Li Dazhao was arrested, the enemy tortured him, but he remained unyielding, strictly guarded the party's secrets, and wrote the famous "Self-Statement in Prison" in prison. This article of about 2,700 words is a historical testimony of his infinite loyalty to the cause of the proletariat and a song of the righteous spirit of the proletariat.

On April 28, 1927, the Special Military Tribunal sentenced Li Dazhao to death for the so-called crime of "attempting to disturb the public security, subverting the government, committing the crime of civil unrest in the criminal law and rebellion under the Army Criminal Regulations", and immediately executed him.

At 2 p.m. on the same day, Li Dazhao and 20 other people were taken to the execution ground behind the street of the Ministry of Justice for execution. Li Dazhao was the first to walk up to the gallows, and he walked calmly and looked at ease. When the commander of the executioner asked Li Dazhao what will he had for his family, Li Dazhao calmly said: "I am a communist who believes in communism, I know that there is doctrine and I do not know that I have a family, and I die for the doctrine. After saying this, he stuck his head into the ring and shouted "Sacrifice for the ism", calmly and righteously. After that, Fan Hongjie, Yang Jingshan, Lu Youyu, Zhang Rulan and 19 other people were killed one after another.

After Li Dazhao's death, his bones were buried in a thin-skinned coffin by the reactionary police, and they were temporarily placed in the Changchun Temple, XidiMiao Street, Beitou Road, outside Xuanwu Gate, and guarded by the police.

That night, Li Dazhao's wife Zhao Shulan, who was arrested with Li Dazhao, and her daughters Li Xinghua and Li Yanhua were released. They returned to their home in the morning sun in the ash factory where they had rented. At this time, they did not know that Li Dazhao had been killed.

On the morning of April 29, Li Dazhao's uncle went to the street to buy a newspaper to learn the news of Li Dazhao's murder, and he cried and returned home to tell Zhao Shulan the bad news.

At that time, Li Dazhao's eldest daughter Xinghua was only 15 years old, the second daughter Yanhua was 7 years old, the second son Guanghua was only 4 years old, and the younger son Xinhua was only a few months old.

Hearing this bad news, Zhao Shulan "cried out in grief, and the person who was out of breath recovered several times became more and more sick, so that he was bedridden and could not leave." The children of the children stand around the bed, and their miserable state of loneliness and misery will not shed tears when they see it."

After Li Dazhao's sacrifice, the Morning Post, the Beijing Daily, and the Oriental Times paid close attention to the tragic situation in his family's life, and even the Shuntian Times, a newspaper sponsored by the Japanese imperialists in order to cooperate with the invasion of China, wrote that "Li Dazhao did not save anything in the past, and he was extremely depressed behind him," and that Li's mansion was "empty, even if there were even very tattered ones."

Source: People's Daily - Theory Channel