Chapter 25 Steal fire

On September 15, 1915, the first issue of the 16-format "Youth" magazine was published by Qunyi Bookstore, and only a thousand copies were issued.In the inaugural issue, Chen Duxiu published the opening speech, proposing that science and human rights "like a boat and a cart have two wheels", and raised the two banners of science and democracy. After "Youth" magazine was published, the Shanghai Youth Association wrote to Qunyi Bookstore, saying that "Youth" magazine had the same name as their "Shanghai Youth" magazine, and urged "Youth" magazine to change its name as soon as possible.So from March 1916, "Youth" magazine was renamed "New Youth".

When "New Youth" was first published, it did not care about real political issues.Chen Duxiu believes that the main reason for Yuan Shikai's restoration nowadays is that Chinese people are generally bound by feudal ideology, which is also one of the reasons for the failure of the 1911 Revolution.Therefore, the purpose of Chen's magazine is to "reform the minds of young people and guide them in self-cultivation". In the "New Youth" answering readers' questions, Chen Duxiu said: "Who says this magazine represents public opinion? The purpose of this magazine is to resist public opinion!"

In the article "New Youth Magazine Proclamation", Chen Duxiu looked forward to the ideal new society: "Our ideal new society in the new era is honest, progressive, positive, free, equal, creative, beautiful, kind peace, mutual love, joyful labor, and happiness for the whole society.” Chen Duxiu cried out for his era: "Destroy, destroy idols, destroy hypocritical idols. Our beliefs should be based on truth and reasonableness. Religious, political, moral, and vanity that has been passed down since ancient times are deceiving and unreasonable. All beliefs are idols and should be destroyed. If such false idols are not destroyed, the real truth in the universe and the belief in our hearts will never be one.”

The initiator of the New Culture Movement was Hu Shi, but the propagandist and implementer was Chen Duxiu.After Hu Shi published the article "Suggestions on Literary Reform" in "New Youth", Chen Duxiu then published "On Literary Revolution", in which he shouted: "Yu Gan dared to be the enemy of academics all over the country, and raised the banner of the 'Literary Revolutionary Army', thinking that I The solidarity of friends. The three major principles of our revolutionary army are written on the flag, saying, overthrow the polished and flattering aristocratic literature, and build a simple and lyrical national literature; Realistic literature; say, to overthrow obscure and obscure mountain and forest literature, and build clear and popular social literature." At the end, he declared, "I wish the cannon that lasted forty-two lives to be the forerunner!"

With the active efforts of Chen Duxiu, "New Youth" published the first batch of new vernacular poems, the first vernacular short stories and the first vernacular one-act drama script of Chinese new literature.When Lu Xun recalled that time, he said: "The editor of "New Youth" came to urge me again and again. After a few times, I will write an article. Here I must remember Mr. Chen Duxiu. He is the last person who urged me to write a novel. A powerful one." In 1916, Wang Tongzhao, a student of Shandong Provincial No. 1 Middle School, wrote a letter to "New Youth" about school education.Chen Duxiu wrote back affirming that he was "indulging in vulgarity when he was sick, and his enthusiasm was appreciable", and also pointed out: "Most people in the country lack the desire to make progress. This problem is very serious. It seems that newspapers can't fix it, and I'm afraid it can't be saved by education." Chen Qifa and Wang Tongzhao later devoted themselves to the New Culture Movement and achieved great results in the construction of New Literature.

Zhang Guotao, a liberal arts student at Peking University, recalled: Since "New Youth" put forward the idea of ​​replacing classical Chinese with vernacular Chinese in early 1917, it aroused widespread attention from students. After each issue was published, it was sold out in Peking University. In 1917, Ye Ting, a student at the Hubei Army Second Preparatory School, wrote a letter to "New Youth", talking about the life issues he was thinking about.Chen Duxiu wrote back: "I don't want to rely on God and Buddha to explain my doubts about the universe and life. I don't want to rely on philosophy to explain it. I don't want to doubt it. Therefore, I give up the value and responsibility of this world and strive to realize myself. Correct thinking." Encouraged by this, Ye Ting worked harder and devoted himself to the revolution in the future.

In 1920, after the victory of the expelling movement, Mao Zedong returned to Changsha from Beijing.When passing through Shanghai, Mao visited Chen Duxiu. Chen advised Mao to read some books by Marx, and recommended to him the "Communist Manifesto" translated by Chen Wangdao, "Class Struggle", "History of Socialism" and other books. Sixteen years later, in 1936, when Mao Zedong mentioned this interview to Snow, he said: "Chen's firm belief has been deeply imprinted in my mind, and it has become the reason for the transformation of my life... In my life, this transformation During the period, it can be said that Chen Duxiu had a very deep impression on me.... He may have influenced me more than anyone else.”

Yang Zhensheng, a student of the Chinese Department of Peking University, said: "New Youth" "is like the first spring thunder, ... awakening the youth of the entire era. They first realized that they were young, and then roughly understood their own era, and then looked at old morality and old literature. , the seeds of rebellion were born in the heart. Some young people gradually or even suddenly broke the shackles on their bodies, and rushed out of the feudal fortress singing." Fu Binran said: "New Youth's articles attracted us from the very beginning, but at the beginning, they criticized Confucianism and traditional human ethics so strongly that we couldn't accept it emotionally. But after a while, we completely accepted it. "

Cheng Junying and Luo Jingxuan, students of Beijing Women's Normal University, said: "New Youth" "These publications have become indispensable reading materials for my class. Some students read "New Youth" from the first issue to the last issue, which makes my class's writing style After a change, I will no longer write ancient prose that is full of rhetoric and empty and empty.” At the beginning of 1919, young Yun Daiying and Lin Yunan organized the Xinsheng Society in Wuhan and published the magazine "Xinsheng".They wrote to "New Youth" and said: "We used to live in chaos. Since we read "New Youth", we have gradually come to our senses. It is really like seeing the dawn in a dark place." Under the influence of Anarchism, Yun Daiying, a believer in anarchism, turned to Marxism.

On April 20, 1919, Chen Duxiu published an article in the "Weekly Review", publicly calling Zhang Zongxiang, Cao Rulin, Jiang Yong, and Lu Zongyu the Four King Kongs of the pro-Japanese faction. The days of these people have been difficult ever since.Half a month later, the May 4th Movement broke out, Zhang Zongxiang was beaten by students, and Cao Rulin's house was burned down by students. In the early 1920s, Chen Duxiu and others founded a workers' publication in Shanghai, which spoke out the aspirations of the workers, and was very popular among workers.Chen Wenhuan, a fitter at the Yangshupu Electric Lamp Factory, once wrote to Chen Duxiu: "I was oppressed by the capitalists in the past... I couldn't say anything, and I had nowhere to appeal for grievances! Now that you have published the "Labor World", our distressed workers, If you have something to say, you can appeal for grievances. Be the mouthpiece of our workers and the star who saves our workers!" "Long live "Labor World"! I wish you good health!"