Memoir of the Distinguished Spirit of Literary Predecessors

Author: Lu Fei / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The Story of Hua Junwu Eating Glue—One of Hua Junwu’s Hua Junwu once published a cartoon saying, "This year, the old rabbit is 83." That is, he was a rabbit in the Chinese zodiac and was 83 years old. However, from his mannerisms and speech, it is to say he looked like a 63-year-old. It seemed that over the decades, his appearance had not changed at all—tall, with a loud voice and laughter, straight-backed, and his steps were brisk. This was my impression. Listening to him talk, I couldn’t help but be infected by his enthusiasm. The stories he told were, like his cartoons, thought-provoking and amusing. Hua Junwu was a renowned cartoonist both in China and abroad. He preferred to be called Hua Junwu or Comrade Junwu, and he would feel uncomfortable if others called him a master. As a junior, I called him Hua Lao. In this article, I will still refer to him as Comrade Junwu.
I recently visited Comrade Junwu, and during our casual conversation, I learned that he had always loved painting since childhood. In middle school, he started drawing cartoons, publishing his works in the school newspaper and in newspapers in Hangzhou. He believed that cartoon art was not rigid and could express the artist’s observations, experiences, and thoughts. He didn’t finish high school and entered society early, working as a low-level clerk at a bank in Shanghai. At that time, he read progressive books like "The Philosophy of the Masses." His decision to pursue revolution and go to Yan’an was influenced by Snow’s "Red Star Over China." From the book, he discovered a new world, learning that in Yan’an there was an army serving the people and a Communist Party of China working to save China. Thus, he secretly left his mother without saying goodbye and set off alone for Yan’an. He traveled from Shanghai to Hong Kong, then Guangzhou, Changsha, Wuhan, Chongqing, Chengdu, across the Qinling Mountains to Xi’an, before finally reaching the Eighth Route Army’s office, where Comrade Li Keqiang met him. It took him three months of arduous travel to reach Yan’an alone, without any companions. His determination to pursue revolution was evident. This was in 1938, when he was 23 years old.
Comrade Junwu said, "In the old society, the inequality, hypocrisy, and darkness among people, coupled with the aggression of imperialism, especially by Japan and Britain, were deeply detestable. That’s why arriving in Yan’an gave me a sense of liberation. The atmosphere of democracy was strong, and I felt very free, daring to speak my mind. The relationships among comrades were also harmonious—completely a new kind of interpersonal dynamic."
After arriving in Yan’an, Hua Junwu entered the North Shaanxi Public College. Principal Cheng Fangwu discovered several talents, including Shi Lemu, Qin Zhongyang, Hua Junwu, Gu Yuan, and Yan Chen, among others, and assigned them to the Lu Art Institute. This happened in December 1938. At the Lu Art Institute, Hua Junwu was a researcher, describing his role as "higher than students but lower than teachers." Comrade Junwu said that the researchers were in a higher class, and Zhong Dinglai, who later became a famous film critic, was their class leader, while Comrade A Jia, a dramatist, was also in that class. Once, Comrade Junwu saw Zhong Dinglai and a few others holding a meeting at a tomb in the wilderness. After they returned, he asked Zhong Dinglai why he wasn’t informed about the meeting. Zhong Dinglai explained that it was a party meeting, and Comrade Junwu then understood. Later, he worked diligently and actively pursued membership in the Communist Party.
Comrade Junwu said that he learned to swim and ice skate in Yan’an. I was surprised and asked, "Did they have an ice rink and ice skates?" Comrade Junwu told me that Yu Lan’s (a film actress) brother could make ice skates, and the blades were made from scrap metal found in bombs. They bound the blades to a wooden frame, similar to the kind used for mending socks in the past, which also had to be handmade. Then they attached the skates to the shoes, completing the process.
Comrade Junwu said that life in Yan’an was very hard, and he once filled half a bowl of glue to eat. Hearing this, I was both amused and deeply moved. The older generation of artistic pioneers, driven by their pursuit of truth, traveled through mountains and rivers to this sacred land, willingly enduring such extreme poverty for the sake of the country and its people. Without unwavering faith, it would have been impossible for them to do so.
Comrade Junwu also told me that the cotton coats they were issued were multi-purpose. Once the coats wore out, they were turned into single coats, then into vests, and finally torn into strips to make cloth sandals. Comrade Junwu said, "Life was that hard then, but the heart was joyful. Think about it—the bowl of glue, how delicious it tasted." Listening to this, my nose kept running with tears—it really was.
July 1997, Pages 3-5