Among the Huxiang historians, Zhai Bozan is a very maverick one. He did not specialize in history, but the shift from economics he was good at to social history and historical philosophy to historiography shows that the style and tradition of Huxiang scholars who pay attention to coherence are fully reflected in Zhai Bozan's body. Directly linking history with politics and linking scholarship with revolutionary struggle seems to be a good trick for the pan-politicization of scholarship before the founding of the People's Republic of China. From this, we can also see the bloody nature of the late Huxiang scholars who have learned to apply what they have learned and learned to interfere in politics. If it is understandable that before 1949, Zhai Bozan "pointed out the mulberry and cursed the locust", "ridiculed the present through the ancients", "ridiculed the present", and kneaded academic research and political criticism together, then in the early days of the republic, he openly followed the "instructions" and pointed the sharp edge of criticism at the academic masters, which seemed to be not very loyal.
Uyghur historian Zhai Bozan of Taoyuan County, Hunan (1898~1966)
Zhai Bozan did not study history, he studied business at Wuchang Business College, and studied monetary economics. Studying at the University of California is also mainly related to economic studies. After returning to China, he became the secretary of The Suiyuan Capital Tong Shangzhen. After that, Zhai Bo approved of being the secretary of Qin Zhen, the elder of the League and a small compatriot of Taoyuan. During the Chongqing negotiations in 1946, Zhai Bozan engaged in historical research and the united front work of the Communist Party of China as Qin Zhen's secretary, and his head was revealed in the Field of Chinese Historiography. Because of his status as an academic secretary, Zhai Bozan has cultivated political sensitivity and full acumen, and also allows him to have a strong ability to detect and observe colors in different political camps. The reprint of Zhai Bozan's "Course in the Philosophy of History" was reprinted and had a great impact. This was an important asset for Zhai Bozan to become the head of the Department of History at Peking University in the early days of the Republic.
Bibliography of the writings of Jabzan
Zhai Bozan's criticism of Hu Shi and His criticism of Yu Pingbo seems to be "inviolable to the Mandate of Heaven" and has to be done, which is still justified; criticizing Shang Yu's "Outline of Chinese History" seems to be entangled in his own will. In 1957, when opposing the rightists, Zhai Bozan organized academic groups or wrote his own articles criticizing Lei Haizong, Xiang Da, Rong Mengyuan, Wang Zhonghan, etc., which seemed too radical. Emotions soon entered a state, and the anger of criticism was created at once, followed by naturally more agitated critical waves. Xiang Da and Wang Zhonghan are specialized historians who are well-known in the academic arena for their proficiency in examinations, and both of them are fellow Hunan compatriots of Zhai Bozan and their own peers. However, Zhai Bozan did not remember his nostalgia, and directly took a knife to Xiang Da, attacked Xiang Da's theory of "five golden flowers", put it on the line, and the criticism of the cannon fire was very fierce.
There is a collection of quite a few anti-rightist articles by Jabzan
As the head of the history department of Peking University in the Republic, if Zhai Bozan played a little less role in the local moment at that time, reduced his passion a little, and published his own words a little less, would he have reduced some of the shock to the historical community? Academic heroes do need it, but heroes can breathe a little relief at a certain juncture in history, and history may have to go in other ways. However, the bloody Zhai Bozan did not think from the academic public mind at all, and his criticism was very directed and very lethal. After Chen Boda put forward the call of "thick past and thin present, while learning and doing", Zhai Bozan also actively followed up, expressing his loyalty to politics and scholarship. In the big-character poster he wrote at Peking University in 1958, which had the headline "Against Only Engaging in Materials and Not Theories," Zhai Bozan said that he "fully agreed with Comrade Chen Boda's proposal."; later, Zhai Bozan elevated "thick past and thin present" and "thick present and thin ancient" to "a struggle between two lines on the front of history and science." It can be said that many of the great criticisms, movements, discussions, and struggles in the historical circles of the 1950s were very much related to Zhai Bozan's great ability, great ability, and upper and lower hands.
An important historical work by Jabzan
As a historian with personality and thought, Zhai Bozan put forward many major historical research propositions such as "historicism", "breaking the dynastic system", "evaluation of historical figures" and so on in the new historiography movement of the 1950s. The impact or correction effect of these propositions on the field of history is still very large. The main tone of historical research cannot be dominated by a single person, let alone by Zhai Bozan. Why? Under the monopoly of the historical program of the class struggle in the 1960s and the pure atmosphere of pursuing politics, Zhai Bozan was the secretary of Shang Zhen and Qin Zhen, who were members of the Kuomintang. This naturally becomes an inkerning that cannot be washed away. When the historians revolve around these academic propositions, it is naturally very uncomfortable for the well-known scholars or historians who agree with Zhai Bo. Yin Da's "Carrying the Historiographical Revolution to the End" published in the journal "Historical Research" in the 1960s seems to have a layer of meaning for Zhai Bozan.
Hunan Taoyuan Zhai Bozan Memorial Hall in the statue of Zhai Bozan
Looking at the academic situation of Zhai Bozan in the 1950s and 1960s, and finally his suicide, we can think of a lot. Pulling oneself academic and political, scholarship naturally cannot be pure, and the so-called politics is not different. In academia, a scholar or expert identifies you as a politician; in politics, a bureaucrat confirms that you are an academic person. The state of mind is distorted, the ideas are divergent, learning and art are completely separated, and the political and academic sides are not people, and in the context of that special era, it is natural to play a tragedy. Coupled with zhai bozan's criticism of many academic masters in the 1950s, it naturally reminds posterity of the word "unkind".