Memoirs of Erudite Hall (Illustrated and Revised Edition)

Author: Tang Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-19
Features: Midlife worries, youthful; East and West as hometowns; Blood and rain, trivial matters; Thorny paths, ordinary life; Annual reviews turned into crimes, casual talk raised to extremes; Warn grandchildren against jokes, "Second-Rate Hall" ruined my life all my life. — Wu Zuoguang
Author Tang Yu, the house he built was a favorite gathering place for literary and art circles at the time, jokingly called "Second-Rate Hall," and was also titled "Master of Second-Rate Hall." From then on, his life's fortunes were inseparably tied to "Second-Rate Hall." What was "Second-Rate Hall"? During the Anti-Japanese War, some cultural, theatrical, film, art, and news figures from Shanghai and other places who moved to Chongqing and were inclined toward progress and democracy had no place to stay and temporarily gathered at Tang Yu's home (in August 1979, Xinhua News Agency's announcement of the Cultural Ministry's rectification of "Second-Rate Hall" called it a place for the Party and some non-Party figures to connect). Without a house number, Xia Yan erected a wooden sign in front of the house, inscribed with a pleasant name like "Yilu" (or "Bilu").
Frequent visitors included Wu Zuoguang, Lü En, Ding Cong, Fang Jing, Zhang Zhengyu, Yu Feng, Huang Miaozi, Zhang Guangyu, Sheng Jialun, Sa Konglao, Shen Qiuwo, Dai Hao, Jin Shan, Zhang Ruifang, Gao Ji, and Gao Fen. These young comrades, lacking stable jobs, lived a nomadic life. Some jokingly called them "second-rate rascals," and their place was humorously dubbed "Second-Rate Hall" (Guo Moruo was also invited to write the "hall name"). Unbeknownst, a decade or two later, the tides changed—purges, the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the Cultural Revolution—"Annual reviews turned into crimes, casual talk raised to extremes" (Wu Zuoguang's words), and they could no longer live in peace. Everyone who had stayed or visited there was spared none, and countless unrelated people were also implicated. These cultural elites, who were sacrificed early (or again) during the Cultural Revolution, suffered greatly through this catastrophe.
With the rectification of variouscases after the overthrow of the "Four Gangsters," and as more "secrets" were gradually "declassified," readers urgently needed to learn the truth about the injustices, including those of "Second-Rate Hall," and the persecution of the individuals involved. In April 1997, Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House published Tang Yu's memoir, "Chronicles of Second-Rate Hall." This was what readers concerned about this "incident" had long awaited.
Talking about "Second-Rate Hall," some elaboration is needed. The "Master" Tang Yu was a warm-hearted, generous, and magnanimous man. Originally a Burmese overseas Chinese, he fled an arranged marriage to Shanghai to oppose his family's decision. In the early 1930s, after arriving in Shanghai, he met Pan Hannian, Xia Yan, and Sun Shiyi, and under their guidance, edited publications such as "New Cinema," "Little Painting Magazine," and "Lianhua Painting Magazine." Tang Yu also published articles under the pen name "A Lang."
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he came to Chongqing and served as the manager of the China Art Theater, helping to publish plays by Wu Zuoguang, Zhang Junxiang, and others.
Tang Yu had an older brother who was a wealthy businessman in Myanmar and often generously supported him. In turn, Tang Yu "gathered friends and called them together," rented a piece of land near Linjiang Road, and built a house that could accommodate more than ten people, allowing homeless cultural figures to live there.
He named the new house "Bilu." This name was a homophone for "hearth." Chongqing, a mountain city, experiences frequent rain throughout the year. In winter, when it rains, residents often rely on charcoal fires for warmth. Tang Yu loved hearths and built a beautiful one in the grand living room, creating a warm atmosphere where everyone could gather and enjoy themselves.