Wood chips collection

Author: Zhou Zuoren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: "A few years ago, I wrote some short articles for the evening papers in Shanghai and Guangzhou, totaling about dozens of pieces. I am very grateful to the publisher for selecting some of them for publication. The original title of the book was Claw Collection, but it was too common and I was afraid of repetition. I considered changing it to Grass Leaf Collection, but it might be confused with Whitman's poetry collection. So, finally, I decided on Wood Chip Collection, because the so-called bamboo heads and wood shavings in ancient times could also be of some use. However, if they were cut from bamboo slips, then they would be useless, and could only be used as firewood."
Speaking of Yüsi, it has been over thirty years since then. For middle-aged people, it already feels distant, let alone young friends. But when it comes to the struggle between Lu Xun and the "gentlemen of high moral character," this was the base. So, discussing its history is not without meaning.
The May Fourth Movement was originally a patriotic political movement by students, starting with university students and gradually spreading to primary and secondary schools, eventually affecting the business and labor sectors, who supported it by striking to show solidarity. This movement succeeded smoothly without any sacrifices. Although the movement appeared to be over on the surface, its influence was vast and deeply penetrating, giving rise to what is known as the New Culture Movement. This name is not entirely inappropriate, as it showed significant results in culture. Before May Fourth, there were New Youth and Weekly Review, which were almost fighting alone. After May Fourth, it became a "relay battle," and the momentum grew stronger. Yüsi was one of the teams in this movement, but to say its reasons for establishment, one must start with Morning News Supplement.
Around the time of the 20th anniversary of Lu Xun's death, many articles on Yüsi were published. As far as I know, the best ones were written by Zhang Chuandao and Sun Fuyuan, who were all involved in its founding. Morning News was originally the party organ of the Research Society, but during the May Fourth period, it also supported the movement. Sun Fuyuan joined National Gazette due to Luo Jialun and later transferred to Morning News, where he edited the fifth section, publishing some miscellaneous essays. Lu Xun also frequently contributed, bringing a fresh atmosphere. Later, Sun Fuyuan became the chief editor of the newly added supplement, further showcasing his editorial skills, and his reputation grew. Lu Xun's famous The True Story of Ah Q was published in that supplement. However, Sun Fuyuan was later dismissed and replaced by Xu Zhimo, a friend of Chen Yuan. Thus, Morning News Supplement completely changed its character, almost becoming the daily edition of Modern Review. Sun Fuyuan's dismissal was certainly difficult for him, but he was soon invited by Shao Biaoping to edit Beijing News Supplement.
However, those who had written for Morning News Supplement felt somewhat aggrieved and planned to start their own small publication to freely express their opinions. According to my diary, on October 24, 1924: "In the evening, I went to Dong'an Market to the top floor of Kaiming North Building and met with Xuantong, Fuyuan, Chuandao, Shaoyuan, and Jiegang to discuss starting a small weekly. We decided to call it Yüsi, and it was expected to be published around the 17th. We dispersed at 8 p.m." On November 16: "In the afternoon, I went to the market for a tea party of the Yüsi Society and stayed until after dinner." That day was a weekday, so it seems that later, Yüsi was published on weekends. There were originally other members in the group, such as Liu Banong, Lin Yutang, and Yu Pingbo, but I don't know why they were absent on that day. I remember the name of the publication came from a poem collection of someone, and it wasn't an existing phrase. We randomly pointed to a word twice, and it happened to be somewhat understandable, which was good enough. I believe most of those who attended the meeting can still remember this story.
As for the inaugural editorial, it was drafted by me because we couldn't clearly define a specific purpose, so it had to be quite general, but it still largely fit. Later, when Yüsi clashed with Modern Review, it raised two slogans: "Use your own money to say your own words," which still carried the same meaning, but targeted Modern Review's reliance on official subsidies, with a bit of sarcasm. The articles in Yüsi covered both ancient and modern topics, mixing seriousness with humor, and their main purpose was always anti-feudalism. However, when Chen Yuan and others appeared as the "gentlemen of high moral character" in Modern Review and started talking nonsense, Lu Xun retaliated, and Yüsi truly got angry. Therefore, recalling Yüsi is closely tied to the "Women's Normal School Incident," although it also made efforts during the Nationalist Party's so-called "purge period."
Chen Yuan was indeed skilled at making witty remarks, but unfortunately, he used them in the wrong direction. By defending the female principal who represented feudal forces, he went from wit to cruelty and debasement, truly deserving the nickname "lapdog." However, without Lu Xun's sharp and powerful pen, it would have been difficult to defeat him.
I myself once suffered a small setback. Once, Chen Yuan told some people that all female students could now call for dates. This remark was passed to us by Zhang Dinghuang, who was present, and it was exposed in Yüsi. Chen Yuan was furious and forced me to declare the source of this statement in Modern Review. I was originally willing to state it truthfully, but Zhang Dinghuang pleaded with me, so I had to withdraw and claimed it was based on rumors, which was tantamount to admitting fault and allowed Chen Yuan to escape. Zhang Dinghuang had connections with the "gentlemen of high moral character," and for a time, I also interacted with them through his mediation. He was two-faced, and Lu Xun once co-edited a supplement for National News with him, which inevitably led to his manipulation.
The aforementioned declaration incident involved Chuandao, who was deeply affected. When Zhang Dinghuang refused to vouch for Chen Yuan's words, Chuandao was furious. At that time, the Yüsi Society was meeting at Huixian Hall in Shichahai, and he wanted to expose it on the spot. I stopped him to maintain the dignity of our colleagues, but in the end, I myself suffered the consequences.
The Women's Normal School Incident was also a major event, and I have some memories of it, but those involved are still alive and know much more, making their accounts more credible. Therefore, I prefer to keep quiet on this matter.