I and the Guang Gong Daily

Author: Editorial Committee of "The Great Wall Press Centennial Celebration Series"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-05-01
Features: The winding and arduous journey of a century-old newspaper is shared by many authors in this series under the common theme – "Me and The Great Wall Press." From Shanghai to Hong Kong, The Great Wall Press has celebrated its 100th anniversary of entrepreneurship: revisiting its humble beginnings and unique development, remembering the persistent journalists who turned a private newspaper into a trusted social guide. "I and The Great Wall Press" will leave you deeply moved. This book collects 100 reminiscences from The Great Wall Press colleagues, authors, readers, and historians of press history. Within these essays, historical accounts, events, and emotions are presented from multiple perspectives, showcasing the historical impact and journalistic achievements of "The People's Newspaper of China." The writing is simple yet sincere, with many previously unknown press industry historical materials. Excerpt: Thinking of Wang Yunsheng through a Letter from Guo Zhen / Xie Yong
Guo Zhen once wrote a long letter, enclosed with Wang Yunsheng's article, which might have been overlooked due to Guo Zhen never mentioning it during his lifetime. Both Luo Yinsheng's and Gao Jianguo's biographies of Guo Zhen missed it. This letter holds great significance for studying the younger Guo Zhen. I heard that Guo Zhen's collected works are currently being edited, so if it has been included, there’s no need to mention it further. If not, it would be worth adding. Wang Yunsheng's article, titled "A Letter to Northern Youth," was published in the January 25, 1937, issue of Guowen Weekly (Volume 14, Issue 15). Over a decade ago, a historical collection on the "December 9th Movement" (published by the Communist Party of China Historical Materials Publishing House in 1987) included Wang Yunsheng's article. This letter was written by Guo Zhen under his real name, Wu Jiangfon, to Wang Yunsheng after reading Wang's essays "March Forward, China!" and "A Letter to Northern Youth" in Guowen Weekly. Guo Zhen expressed some differing views and sought Wang Yunsheng’s opinion, to which Wang replied with his own thoughts in this article. Guo Zhen was 22 years old, while Wang Yunsheng was 36. Guo Zhen’s letter primarily differed with Wang Yunsheng on the understanding of the Xi'an Incident. Wang Yunsheng wrote in his article: "This letter from Mr. Wu Jiangfon was sent from Shanghai. The main point of the letter is to explain that neither the Communist Party of China nor the Soviet Union participated in the Xi'an Incident, nor did they resort to backdoor deals. Moreover, the Communist Party also loves the nation and the country. I hope what Mr. Wu writes in the letter reflects the attitude of the Communist Party." Guo Zhen wrote this letter on January 7, 1937. From it, we can see the basic approach and stance of the younger Guo Zhen in analyzing issues, as well as the depth of understanding of a 22-year-old youth regarding major national affairs. Due to space constraints, I cannot quote the original text here, but I must say that the younger Guo Zhen later became the person he was not by chance. At such a young age, he could write articles with strong logic and argumentation, maintaining a calm and respectful tone that neither hurt the other party nor dismissed their arguments, demonstrating excellent insights and demeanor. Guo Zhen was once a Communist Party member in his youth but became a different person in his later years. Wang Yunsheng was also left-leaning in his youth but later shifted his stance after joining The Great Wall Press. He once said: "I earn a living by writing for newspapers; I have no political affiliations and rely solely on the conscience of the people." Now, I would like to raise the following question: In terms of their evaluations of the Xi'an Incident, we would say Wang Yunsheng had a deeper and broader perspective. In recent years, with the declassification of archives in China, our understanding of the Xi'an Incident has also deepened. From Chen Lifu’s memoirs and some studies by modern history expert Yang Kuisong, I recalled Wang Yunsheng’s views and reached the conclusion mentioned above. The younger Guo Zhen was still inferior to Wang Yunsheng in his understanding of history, but by the 1960s and 1970s, Guo Zhen surpassed Wang Yunsheng, which is not something I need to elaborate on. Later, Wang Yunsheng no longer engaged in deep thinking, perhaps because his circumstances differed from Guo Zhen’s. From this transformation between Guo Zhen and Wang Yunsheng, we can sense the weight of history. Wang Yunsheng was once the chief editor of The Great Wall Press. In recent years, many scholars have dedicated themselves to studying modern Chinese figures, but few have focused specifically on Wang Yunsheng. The most substantial essays about him were written by his son, Wang Zhichen. In the study of The Great Wall Press, the evaluation of Wang Yunsheng has been relatively superficial. In the past, Wang Yunsheng was an exceptionally skilled writer, and if all his works were published, the number would be substantial. But I don’t know if anyone is currently planning to compile an anthology or collected works of his. I have read many of Wang Yunsheng’s articles in Guan Cha Weekly and the Tianjin edition of The Great Wall Press. Among his peers, he was undoubtedly a master of political commentary. His style of political essays is something no one can replicate today. He wrote a long essay titled "My View on Chinese History," which demonstrates his knowledge of both Chinese and Western history. After this article was published, Cai Shangsi wrote a critique of Wang Yunsheng. I have read Cai’s article, and in terms of the essay itself, he was no match for Wang Yunsheng, and his insights were also inferior. The master of political commentary has two key strengths: excellent writing and profound insights, both of which Wang Yunsheng possessed. Over 50 years ago, the commentaries he wrote for The Great Wall Press still impress us today. For anyone studying modern Chinese history, Wang Yunsheng cannot be overlooked. (Originally published on June 5, 2000, in The Great Wall Park)
Excerpt: "I and The Great Wall Press" – Twenty Years of Connections with The Great Wall Park / Dong Dingshan
During my youth, my "hero" in the world of journalism was Mr. Xu Zhucheng. His experiences at The Great Wall Press and later in founding The Wen Wei Po always fascinated me. I never had the opportunity to meet him in person during his lifetime. In 1982, he entrusted someone to send me his memoirs, Old Tales from the Press, while I was living overseas, bringing me immense joy. I still have it and often refer to it for guidance. Although I was from The Shanghai (after graduating from university in 1945), my aspirations were still to work for The Great Wall Press or The Wen Wei Po. Fan Changjiang’s reporting for The Great Wall Press became a model for journalists and inspired me with heroic admiration. I placed his book, The Northwest Corner of China, alongside Edgar Snow’s Red Star Over China on my bookshelf. Yang Gang, Pu Xixiu, and others were names I was familiar with, but another name that excited me was Xiao Qian. He was sent by The Great Wall Press to Europe to cover war news during the war. Once, I saw a photo of him in a military uniform, wearing a "War Correspondent" badge, and I was deeply envious. My dream was to become such a romantic war correspondent. Of course, he was an elder, and later, in the 1980s, I had the fortune of meeting him at a banquet in New York and forming a bond instantly. After that, we even exchanged letters as brothers. The only regret is that I did not keep his letters (a Beijing publishing house once asked me for materials to compile a collection of Xiao Qian’s correspondence, but I had nothing to offer). His memoir, A Traveler Without a Map, is a book I often read, especially as I am currently considering writing my own memoirs (a Tianjin publishing house editor has been urging me to do so). Although The Great Wall Press was my childhood idol, my connection with it began more than 40 years later. The person who gave me this opportunity was my late brother Pan Jijiong. This story traces back to my tumultuous life path. After working in Shanghai’s press industry for two years after the war (at The Shanghai, The Southeast Daily, and The Xin Bao), I went abroad to the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in 1947, planning to return in two years. Unbeknownst to me, it took decades. In 1978, I returned to China with my wife and children but stayed in the U.S. for many more years. Upon returning, I wrote a series of articles about modern China for The New York Times, syndicated by the Associated Press, which eventually caught the attention of Reference News in Beijing, leading to translations and republishing. My late brother Pan Jijiong saw these articles and asked Dong Leshan to solicit contributions from me. I still remember the excitement of seeing one of my articles published in the Great Wall Park column. My youthful dream had finally come true. Through Pan’s connections and my frequent publications in The Great Wall Press, I also reconnected with many old friends. At the time, Pan Jijiong had a column called Leisure Collection in The Great Wall Park, where he published Liu Lang’s (also known as Tang Taorong, who was once called "the 36 brushes of Jiangnan") humorous poems. One of them was a poem titled "To Dong Dingshan in New York" (1979):
"Year after year, we meet and communicate,
Every time, with deep emotion, I read your words.
Surprised to find you still among us,
Pity your sharp pen still so bold.
Returning old swallows, how could they recognize you?
Remember to burn these crooked poems.
When will we gather again by the riverbank?
Don’t let life’s parting sorrow last forever."
Tang Taorong passed away soon after. Dong Leshan asked Huang Miaozi to copy this poem with his masterful calligraphy. Huang’s handwriting and Tang’s poetry became today’s treasured and prominent memento hanging in my living room in New York. Another old friend I reconnected with through The Great Wall Press was the press industry elder Lu Xia Luo. Living in Hong Kong at the time, he saw my articles in The Great Wall Park and began corresponding with me. Later, his son immigrated to San Francisco to live out his retirement, and I went to visit him there. Shortly after, he passed away. Without The Great Wall Press, I might not have had the chance to reunite with this old friend. I rarely had the opportunity to meet Pan Jijiong, but during the 1980s, when I was actively contributing to The Great Wall Park, every time I visited Hong Kong, he would host me for lunch and introduce me to his colleagues. Through him, I met Feng Guanglie and Ma Wentong, who shared similar interests and engaged in casual conversations. What moved me the most was that each time, he would bring a thick envelope filled with accumulated manuscript fees and personally accompany me to the bank to exchange them for U.S. dollars. His attentiveness and thoughtfulness are rare treasures in today’s rushed world. After Pan Jijiong retired and settled in the West Coast of the U.S., we corresponded but never had the chance to meet again. Unexpectedly, he returned to China to "return to his roots." Until August 4 of last year, when I saw Huang Chang’s article "In Memory of Pan Jijiong" in The Great Wall Park online, I learned of the news. When Pan Jijiong was about to retire, I happened to be in Hong Kong, and he formally introduced me to the new editor-in-chief, Feng Guanglie, at a banquet. I was delighted to find that Feng Guanglie possessed the same warmth, kindness, and generosity as Pan Jijiong. He was also a gracious host, once accompanying Dong Leshan and me on a tour of universities in Hong Kong. My wife Beiqi also received his hospitality. But what I cannot forget is the dinner hosted by Pan Jijiong and his wife at the vegetarian restaurant "Dedication Garden," where the famous actress Wang Danfeng once performed. That was the first time I met his wife. That day, my impression was not only of the exquisite dishes but also of her beauty, gentleness, and elegance. They excitedly shared their retirement plans with me and showed me the newly built rural home they planned to live in after retirement. Their childlike enthusiasm made me envious. However, good times were short. Over a year ago, I received a commemorative art album of Feng Guanglie’s late wife from Feng Guanglie. I was deeply moved by his letter, filled with sorrow. I wrote to him several times, but I never received a reply, likely due to an address change. This short piece is also in his memory.
Over the past 20 years, through several changes in editorial leadership, I can proudly say I remain a regular contributor to The Great Wall Park. The column name "" (Western Mirror) was suggested by Feng Guanglie. I am grateful to the current editor, Sun Jiaping, for still allowing me to occupy this space. I have visited Hong Kong for many years and have met Sun several times, but I still hope to have the opportunity to reunite with her and Ma Wentong in the future to build deeper friendships. (Published on August 1, 2001, in New York) (Originally published in The Great Wall Park on August 30, 2001)