Commemorative Collection of Comrade Lou Shiyi

Author: Mei Zhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features:
Yi Er Er Shi Li Qi Shu
In the second half of 1948, my husband Ba Bo and I moved from Chengdu to Hong Kong. This was because in 1947, the Nationalist reactionaries in Chengdu had created a white terror, arresting many friends, and Ba Bo was on the blacklist. Although we hid in the countryside at Lu Shaoxian's home (Liangkou, Pidu County, where the writer Zhang Tianyi was recovering from illness), the situation grew increasingly tense, and we could no longer stay in Chengdu. Reports in the newspapers revealed that the headquarters of the China Democratic League had moved to Hong Kong (both my husband and I were members of the League); from friends visiting Zhang Tianyi, we learned that many patriotic cultural figures had been arriving in Hong Kong one after another. We decided to follow them.
As soon as Ba Bo arrived in Kowloon, he was introduced to Shi Yi by the writer Jiang Muliang. After I arrived in Kowloon, Ba Bo also took me to visit Shi Yi. We had only known him as a famous writer in the literary world and knew nothing about him. Our first impression of him was very positive. He was approachable, with sparse hair on top of his head and an air of wisdom. I immediately felt that he was someone I could get along with.
After we arrived in Hong Kong, he helped us a great deal. One thing was that the Hong Kong underground party distributed relief funds (HK$100) to those who had come to Hong Kong. Shi Yi took the trouble to arrange this for my husband and me. Another thing was that when we first arrived in Hong Kong, we had nowhere to stay. Ba Bo stayed at the Cultural Association, and I stayed with my aunt. In October, Shi Yi found us a room next door to his place in Jiuhuajing, solving our housing problem. From then on, we became neighbors with Shi Yi’s family. Jiuhuajing was a small village near Liuzhijiao, not far from the Liuzhijiao swimming pool, with a relatively pleasant environment. We stayed in a large house converted from a multi-story building, divided into three rooms with spaces above and below, so we could talk to our neighbors even while in bed. We lived in the middle room, with Shi Yi and Huang Wei as our left neighbors and Huang Yongyu and Zhang Meixi as our right neighbors. My husband and I became particularly close to Shi Yi, and I started calling him "Loushan." I also became good friends with Huang Wei. We sometimes went to the Liuzhijiao swimming pool together. Ba Bo and Huang Wei could swim, but my husband and I could not. So, we would take Little Louai (our daughter) to the tea stall to chat.
Another thing was that we applied to the Party organization through Shi Yi to join the revolution in the liberated areas. He was very enthusiastic about helping us and told us to wait for notice. After we moved to Jiuhuajing, we made more friends. Neighbors nearby included Zang Keda and Zheng Man, Zhu Mingang and Lin Duoru, Jiang Tianzuo and Chen Jingrong. There were also frequent visitors like Fang Cheng, Du Muoliang, Lu Zhiyang, and Yu Xinqing. Shi Yi was also very concerned about the people living nearby, and they respected him greatly. Most of these friends were waiting for opportunities to go to the liberated areas, so when they gathered, they would always talk about the good news of the People's Liberation Army’s victories. Every time Shi Yi returned to the city, he would bring uplifting news.
In late April 1949, Shi Yi told us that the organization had decided to send us to Beijing after the liberation, by ship. He said it would be an organized trip, led by Zhou Erfu, and most of the passengers would be cultural figures. My husband and I were overjoyed upon hearing this news. We were about to work in the new China—how could we not be excited? We bid farewell to Shi Yi and Huang Wei, ending our life in Hong Kong and heading toward that free and bright liberated area.
In Beijing, I met Shi Yi again in December 1949. Hu Yuzhi introduced me to the People’s Publishing House. On the day I reported for duty, I met Shi Yi in the courtyard. I exclaimed, "Loushan, are you working here?" It turned out that he and Huang Wei had also returned to Beijing not long after we left. They were both working at the second division of the editorial department of the People’s Publishing House, with Shi Yi as the director and Huang Wei as an assistant editor. Shi Yi was very happy to see me and, upon learning that I had come to report, asked me to go to his division. I asked Comrade Wang, who was receiving me, if I could go to the second division, and he agreed. I also took a position as an assistant editor under Shi Yi’s leadership. Under his guidance, I gradually became familiar with my work until the People’s Publishing House and the Education Press were established in December 1950, when we finally parted ways.
That year was a happy one, and the scenes of that time are still unforgettable to me. I edited several small booklets, which I was encouraged and helped with by him. As a member of the China Democratic League, I had once been told that the democratic parties were bourgeois parties, which bothered me greatly. I confided in him, "So, I’m a bourgeois now? What assets do I have?" He replied, "You are a revolutionary youth—don’t carry any ideological burdens." I was very grateful for his care.
In December 1950, the People’s Publishing House and the Education Press were established, and the staff of the editorial department of the People’s Publishing Administration were assigned to these two presses. I couldn’t decide which one to go to, so I asked Huang Wei for advice. She suggested the People’s Publishing House, saying that Xinhua Monthly had already been assigned there (Zang Keda and Zheng Man were working for Xinhua Monthly), and there were more acquaintances there. I accepted her advice and joined the People’s Publishing House. Shi Yi and Huang Wei remained at the People’s Publishing Administration, and thus we parted ways with them.
That same year, the Volunteer Army was sent to fight in Korea. Shi Yi signed up to go, and was approved. I also signed up but was not accepted. He and Huang Wei went to the front, and we lost contact during that time. It wasn’t until the Korean War ended and they returned to Beijing that we reconnected, though by then we no longer had a work relationship but were just friends.
While in Beijing, I often visited them. After I was transferred to Harbin, I kept in touch with them through letters. Whenever I came to Beijing for business, I would make sure to visit them. Although we saw each other less often later, our friendship never changed, and we always had much to talk about when we met. When I heard the news of Shi Yi’s passing, I was deeply saddened. I had lost a great teacher and friend, and I would no longer hear his kind and gentle voice. On the occasion of Shi Yi’s centenary, I as a tribute to him! P72-74