Historical Mystery Unveiled - (Collectible Edition)

Author: Du Zhengzheng, Liao Gailong / Country:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-03-01
Features: In the 1930s, Tao Xingzhi and his students helped Jiang Qing, and they first met in 1933. That summer, Jiang Qing, whose original name was Li Yunhe, came to Shanghai from the North after her cohabitant Yu Qiwei was arrested. She was introduced to the Morning Dawn Work-Study Group, founded by Tao Xingzhi and his students, under the name Zhang Shuzhen. Tao Xingzhi, whose School had gained fame across the country for its founding, was dissatisfied with the actions of the Nanjing government and supported progressive young students. His school was closed in the spring of 1930, and he was placed under arrest. After experiencing life as a refugee and being by the September 18th Movement for resisting Japanese aggression, his thoughts became more progressive. In the fall of 1932, to explore new paths for China's educational revolution, he proposed the principle of "Work for sustenance, study for enlightenment, and unity for protection," advocating the integration of workshops, schools, and society to seek the rebirth of the Chinese nation. He first established the Mountain and Sea Work-Study Group in Mengjiaqiao, between Baoshan County and Shanghai. That winter, he sent Xu Mingqing and Wang Dongruo, students from the School, to establish the Morning Dawn Work-Study Group in Chen Zaicun, Beixinjiao Town, Shanghai. Tao Xingzhi fully entrusted the Morning Dawn to the Communist Party member Xu Mingqing, making it an underground work base for the CCP in Shanghai. Under the leadership of the "Cultural General Headquarters" (), organizations such as the "Education League" (), "Left-Wing League" (), "Drama League" (), and "Social League" () actively conducted activities there. Against this specific background, Jiang Qing was introduced to the Morning Dawn through her connection with the "Drama League" and was protected by Tao Xingzhi and his students. In a sense, Jiang Qing received her revolutionary collective life education in the Morning Dawn. In the Morning Dawn, about a dozen members lived a collective life with a touch of wartime communism. They inherited and carried forward the practices advocated by Tao Xingzhi at the School. They set up schools for school-age children and kindergartens for female workers and rural women. In the mornings and evenings, they also organized reading classes for workers on day and night shifts. They organized "little masters" to deliver education to homes and villages, set up singing teams, and staged small satirical plays, shadow puppet shows, and Shanghai folk songs to promote anti-Japanese resistance. Their daily lives were well-organized. Morning meetings were held, they worked separately in the morning, labored in their own vegetable fields in the afternoon, and engaged in rich collective learning activities at night, including study groups on Marxist-Leninist theory, current affairs discussions, literary discussions, and foreign language classes. They took turns cooking and eating communal meals, with soybean sprouts and pumpkin soup being common dishes. In addition to three meals a day, they received no salary, and their lives were quite austere, but their enthusiasm for work was very high. Jiang Qing, newly arrived in Shanghai, quickly integrated into this special revolutionary collective. externally, she and Wang Dongruo were responsible for teaching dozens of primary school students and conducting classes for shop assistants. internally, she taught everyone to sing and learn the National Phonetic Symbols, and jointly hosted current affairs discussions with Tian Yuan. She also studied Japanese together with Wu Fusheng under Tian Yuan, and according to those involved, she even purchased a Japanese dictionary published by the Commercial Press for this purpose. It is not hard to understand that in such a collective living environment, Jiang Qing, who had few social connections upon arriving in Shanghai, would naturally establish a close relationship with Tao Xingzhi and his students. According to those familiar with the situation, Jiang Qing had several occasions to discuss matters with Tao Xingzhi through Cao Jianpei, the head of the "China Popular Education Promotion Society" () in the city. It is particularly noteworthy that Jiang Qing's relationship with Xu Mingqing and Wang Dongruo was not ordinary. Xu was the leader of this small group and also Jiang Qing's most important female partner. She was from Linhai, Zhejiang, and had nowhere to go after the failure of the Great Revolution. Admiring Tao Xingzhi's progressive educational methods, she applied to the School. In 1928, she served as the Communist Youth League secretary at the school and later succeeded in taking over the party branch work in early 1930. After the School was closed, she wandered to Shanghai and was ordered by Tao Xingzhi to take charge of the Morning Dawn, continuing her underground work. Wang Dongruo was from Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. During his time at the School, he was influenced by the ideas of the Nationalist Party. However, the closure of the school and the martyrdom of his classmates opened his eyes, leading him to gradually shift his political stance. At the same time, his personal frustrations in marriage were somewhat alleviated by the lively Jiang Qing's arrival. After Jiang Qing came to the Morning Dawn, they taught primary school together and had more contact. Wang Dongruo's talent undoubtedly helped deepen their relationship. In fact, it was not a secret among Tao Xingzhi's disciples that Wang Dongruo was pursuing Jiang Qing at that time. To be fair, Jiang Qing made considerable political progress during her time at the Morning Dawn. In the summer of 1933, the Shanghai West Suburban Branch of the Communist Youth League came to the Morning Dawn to recruit members and establish a branch. Jiang Qing and Wang Dongruo soon joined the league. That winter, Yu Qiwei was released and reunited with Jiang Qing in Shanghai. They found temporary housing in a small restaurant on Jing'an Temple Road. Yu Qiwei requested to rejoin the Communist Party, but the Shanghai West Suburban Committee tested him by ordering him to participate in the 1934 "January 28th" anniversary demonstration. During this activity, a Morning Dawn member named "Big Wang" was arrested, and he reportedly mentioned from prison that the enemy had noticed Jiang Qing in the demonstration and was about to arrest her. Under the increasing pressure, Jiang Qing returned to Beijing with Yu Qiwei, ending her more than six months at the Morning Dawn Work-Study Group. When Jiang Qing returned to Shanghai for the second time, it was in the summer of 1934. After returning north with Yu Qiwei, things did not go smoothly. Yu's membership application was unresolved, and his financial support was not guaranteed. In desperation, Jiang Qing came to Shanghai alone once again to seek help from Tao Xingzhi and his students. However, the situation in Shanghai had changed. Due to the influence of the "Leftist" line, the activities of the Morning Dawn were not very concealed, drawing serious attention from the authorities. Xu Mingqing was frequently questioned by the authorities and could no longer stay at the Morning Dawn. With Tao Xingzhi's introduction, she moved to the Shanghai Christian Women's Youth Association to engage in women's education. Soon after, the authorities conducted a surprise raid and closed the Morning Dawn, arresting Chen Qixia and four others. Therefore, Jiang Qing could no longer relive her old dream at the Morning Dawn when she came to Shanghai again. In the face of all these difficulties, Tao Xingzhi extended his help once again. He introduced Jiang Qing to the women's workers' school run by the Christian Women's Youth Association to teach advanced classes in Chinese, helping her find a foothold in Shanghai. Soon after, due to her connection with Xu Mingqing and Wang Dongruo, Jiang Qing joined the "Education League." At that time, in the Shanghai West Suburban Committee of the "Education League," the party and league leaders were Sun Daseng, Xu was in charge of organization, and Wang was in charge of publicity. It was said that Jiang Qing performed well at the time, and the organization was preparing to resolve her membership application and assign her some responsible work in the Shanghai West Suburban Committee. Just then, an unexpected incident occurred. In October 1934, Jiang Qing was suddenly arrested and imprisoned. Regarding the cause of her arrest, those familiar with the situation recalled that Jiang Qing was helping Huang Yanpei organize a play for his agricultural work-study group and had arranged to meet a fellow youth named A Dong in Zhaofeng Park to play the huqin. A Dong, who had previously worked for the underground party radio in Qingdao and was later transferred to the Central Committee of the League in Shanghai, had exposed his identity and was under the enemy's surveillance. Therefore, Jiang Qing was arrested immediately after parting with him. After Jiang Qing's arrest, Sun Daseng and others tried to find her in prison through their connections. A month later, the Christian Women's Youth Association intervened to secure her release. Unfortunately, we no longer know how much role Tao Xingzhi played in the prison visits and the release process. However, one thing is certain: after her release, Jiang Qing continued to receive help from Tao Xingzhi's disciples. P61-63