Shi Yang: A "Labor Lawyer" Who Cares About the Toiling Masses

Author: Gao Jianwei

Shi Yang was an outstanding leader of the early Chinese workers' movement, China's first "labor lawyer", led the Hanyang Iron and Steel Factory workers' strike, the Beijing-Hankou Railway Workers' Strike, and was the main initiator and actual organizer of the Wuhan Federation of Trade Unions, the first local federation of trade unions in the country led by the Communist Party of China. Mao Zedong once spoke highly of Shi Yang: "Comrade Shi Yang's sacrifice proves that the Communist Party of China is the working class's own political party and the most protective of the interests of the working class. ”

"After earning some money, I have helped the poor workers and the grooms."

Shi Yang was born on June 13, 1889 in Shijiawan, Zhushan County, Hubei Province, to a family of scholars. He did not specialize in law in the early days, and at the age of 18, he was admitted to the Yunyang Provincial Agricultural School to study sericulture, and 3 years later he transferred to Yunyang Agricultural Middle School to continue his studies. After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, he was forced to terminate his studies due to the closure of the school. After returning to his hometown in 1912, he founded the National School and the Agricultural Affairs Association, and served as the principal and president respectively. Sympathizing with the miserable situation of the broad masses of working people who are deeply exploited and oppressed and have no fairness and justice, Shi Yang resolutely decided to change from studying agriculture to studying the law, determined to safeguard the vital interests of the toiling masses. So he was admitted to hubei law and politics college in 1915 to study law, in 1917 after graduating with honors began to engage in lawyers in Wuchang, in 1919 joined the Wuhan Law and Politics Society and was recommended as vice president, in 1922 as the legal adviser to the Wuhan Federation of Trade Unions (later changed to hubei province federation of trade unions), in 1923 as the legal adviser of the Beijing-Hankou Railway Federation of Trade Unions.

As a lawyer, Shi Yang can live a well-fed and carefree life by virtue of his professional status, social status and large income, but he does not covet comfort and pleasure, but focuses on protecting the human rights of workers and upholding justice for the majority of workers. He cared for the laborers and mingled with them, not only fighting lawsuits for them for free, but also supporting the poor laborers free of charge. Shi Yang wrote to his wife after his arrest and imprisonment: You ask me, "Why are you a famous lawyer still so poor?" I said, "After earning some money, I have helped the poor workers and the coachmen." Shi Yang is therefore known as a "labor lawyer".

Determined to "give everything for the cause of communism"

In June 1922, Shi Yang joined the Communist Party of China through the introduction of Xu Baihao, the leader of the Workers' Movement, the second deputy to the Communist Party of China, and Xiang Ying, an early leader of the Party. In his application to join the party, he wrote: "I am willing to sacrifice everything for the workers' movement and for the cause of communism, even at the cost of my precious life." Shi Yang not only said this, but also did it. Before he officially joined the Chinese Communist Party, he actively supported and organized patriotic movements among workers and students. After the outbreak of the May Fourth Movement in 1919, Shi Yang spared no effort to support the student movement, carry out rescue activities, and organize and assist the workers in their struggle. He took advantage of his status as vice president of the Wuhan Bar Association at the time to send the students killed by the military and police to the court for examination, held an emergency meeting to suggest to the Lawyers' Association that a public prosecution be initiated and demanded that the murderer be severely punished, drafted a declaration leaflet overnight, organized a strike by merchants, and supported the students' patriotic actions. In 1920, Shi Yang participated in the Marxist Theory Research Society organized in the early days of our party in Wuhan, had the opportunity to contact and read the Communist Manifesto, and accepted Marxism. He often went deep among the masses of workers, understood the difficulties and sufferings of the workers, and listened to their ideas and demands. He initiated the organization of the "Civilian Education Society", participated in the establishment of civilian schools, propagated Marxism, and actively engaged in the planned workers' movement.

After joining the Communist Party of China in 1922, Shi Yang organized or participated in leading dozens of workers' movements, such as the hanyang iron and steel factory workers' strike, the British and American tobacco factory workers' strike, and the Hankou rickshaw pullers' strike. In particular, the Beijing-Hankou railway workers' strike led by Shi Yang in 1923 became the culmination of the climax of the first workers' movement led by our Party. Due to the frenzied suppression of the Beiyang warlords, the strike ended in failure. On February 7, 1923, Shi Yang was arrested and imprisoned by the Beiyang warlords for "inciting a labor tide". In court, Shi Yang angrily denounced the heinous crimes of the Beiyang warlords and exposed the reactionary nature of the Beiyang warlords. On February 15, 1923, he was taken to the execution ground. In the face of the guns of the warlords, Shi Yang was passionate and shouted loudly: "I only hope that the Chinese laborers will get up early and eat meat and sleep together with the warlords, bureaucrats, capitalists, and people like you who are running dogs for them." "You killed one Shi Yang, and there are tens of millions of Shi Yangs," and heroically and righteously shouted "Long live the laborers."

"Let the next generation inherit the legacy of the martyrs"

A year after Shi Yang's sacrifice, Li Dazhao wrote in the article "Mourning Lenin and Commemorating the Second Seventh": "Comrade Shi Yang's death is particularly sad for me", "Their spirit is still like a wheel - the wheel of the Beijing-Han railway, constantly turning on the side of the workers, as if guiding us to continue to move forward after the dead." In order to commemorate and commemorate Shi Yang, Lin Yunan, one of the early leaders of the Communist Party of China, wrote "The Meaning of Bo Gao's Death" in February 1924, pointing out: "When Bo Gao died, the revolutionary spirit he left us was to teach us that we will never disappear", and we "compiled and printed this memorial book to commemorate his revolutionary spirit and preface the meaning of his death to tell the people of the country."

The "revolutionary spirit" mentioned by Lin Yunan is the spirit of dedication to serving the people, the sincere and strong patriotic spirit displayed by Shi Yang, and the fearless revolutionary spirit of being willing to sacrifice everything for the cause of communism. Shi Yang wholeheartedly served the people, served the toiling masses wholeheartedly, organized and led the strike without regard for personal safety, took the lead as a soldier, and charged ahead, winning the support and love of the broad masses of workers. Shi Yang had a sincere and strong patriotic heart; in the course of the enemy's escort of him, he did not forget to preach to the reactionary military and police the revolutionary principle of patriotism and salvation; when confronted with the interrogation of the enemy "why should I participate in the May Fourth Patriotic Movement," he replied with righteousness and sternness: "I am a member of the nationals, and patriotism is the natural duty of the people."; When confronted with the enemy's law enforcement officer's inquiry on the execution ground on the execution ground on "whether to write a letter from home," he replied with justice and awe: "The Republic of China is my home." Shi Yang has a revolutionary spirit of willingly throwing his head, spilling his blood, and sacrificing everything for the cause of communism, and he once said in prison: "Struggle always has to be shed, which is nothing terrible, but why do these people shed blood?" It is necessary to continue to speak from generation to generation, so that the next generation can inherit the legacy of the martyrs and strive for the final victory of the revolution. (Gao Jianwei)

Source: Learning Times