Chapter 76 Peking University and "National University" are two messes

On June 26, 1946, Chiang Kai-shek of the Kuomintang launched a full-scale attack on the Liberated Areas starting with a 300,000 army besieging the Central Plains Liberated Areas.As a result, the KMT and the Communist Party broke down peacefully, and a full-scale civil war broke out. At the beginning of the war, the Kuomintang had significant military and economic advantages, and relied on a large number of modern equipment and combat materials such as planes, artillery, and tanks aided by the United States. The Communist Party can be eliminated in 6 months.In order to avoid the sharp edge of the superior enemy, the Chinese People's Liberation Army has voluntarily abandoned some places and cities in order to obtain a viable force to annihilate the enemy during the movement. On October 11, the Kuomintang army occupied Zhangjiakou City, reaching the climax of their all-out attack on the liberated areas.Chiang Kai-shek was elated, and ordered the convening of the "National Assembly" that afternoon to formulate a constitution, hoping to use democratic constitutionalism to save face and cover up the guilt of launching a civil war.

Hu became the representative of this "Constitutional National Congress".Participate or not? He was also a little hesitant. He once told Ye You, a reporter from Central Daily and a fellow from Jixi, that one reason was that "the situation in the country is unclear", and he wanted to wait a little longer and take a look. The second is that Peking University is also inseparable from the body. "It has only been a few months since I was demobilized. Peking University is still a mess, very complicated, and it will take a lot of effort to rectify it." ① Hu Shi was in a conflicted mood. An opportunity for American-style democratic constitutionalism, not to be missed, ready to participate.However, the Communist Party of China and other democratic parties resolutely resisted it, declaring that it violated the resolutions of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and was illegal; only the Youth Party and the Democratic Socialist Party followed the Kuomintang and waved their flags.Zhou Binglin, a colleague from Peking University, also advised Hu Shi not to attend, saying, "Whether it is a wise move to attend the meeting at this time, Lin thinks it is worth considering." ② However, Chiang Kai-shek was eagerly looking forward to the attendance of Hu Shi, a "sage in society", and gave him To save face, I personally invited him by telegram, and the telegram said:

The National Assembly is scheduled to meet on the 12th day of this year. Mr. is an elected representative. He is honored and admired by the whole country. I hope that I will drive you to Beijing to attend the meeting on the same day.Zhongzheng, steaming (ten days), Fujiao. ③ Hu Shi had no choice but to fly to Nanjing on November 11 to attend the National Assembly that opened on the 15th, and also became the chairman of the presidium of the assembly.The task of the General Assembly is to "make a constitution." Hu Shi knew that a draft constitution had already existed. This kind of stately document has blueprints from various countries, so there will be no major problems.He went in and out of the National Assembly with the thick volume of "Shui Jing Zhu"; he also took the opportunity to go to the Library of Chinese Studies and the Institute of History and Philology of the Academia Sinica to read various versions of "Shui Jing Zhu". On December 25, the General Assembly passed the "Constitution of the Republic of China".Both the CCP and the democratic parties have issued statements not to recognize it.Only American Marshall and Leighton Stuart cheered.Hu Shi also told the reporter: "I think this experiment of democratic politics in China is a great success"; ④ wrote an article praising the constitution adopted by the congress as "containing the highest and most beautiful ideals and the dreams of some people in the past 35 years." ⑤

During the meeting in Nanjing, Hu Shi had frequent contacts with celebrities, wealthy politicians, and had a lot of entertainment; some people asked him to write inscriptions.When writing a single vertical banner for others, he swiped his pen to repeat the poem "I became a pawn crossing the river" in his old work.This old work had never been published before, but it was circulated by reporters and published in a newspaper.Times have changed, and the pawns who worked hard for the country and the nation in the past are now working hard for the Chiang regime of the Kuomintang. The old topic is new, and it just expresses Hu Shi's wish to work hard for the Kuomintang government.

Sure enough, not long after the opening of the National University, Chiang Kai-shek was going to "reorganize" the government, and he had to rely heavily on this precious "pawn". At the beginning of 1947, Jiang invited Fu Sinian many times to talk, and proposed to invite Hu Shi to be a member of the national government and the director of the examination; The ardor of admiration in my life is also based on the ardent needs of the country and the government." ⑦ In fact, as Fu Sinian said, it was out of "pressure from the United States" and wanted to use Hu Shi as a "social virtuous" brand, Paint a little democratic paint on the dictatorship.So Chiang Kai-shek once said frankly that "to save face, this is the way to go."After much deliberation and deliberation, Hu Shi made a strong statement and said:

I am reluctant to join the government because I would like to help the national government.I am very grateful for Mr. Jiang's generosity, so what I say in this letter is from the bottom of my heart. I am in the opposition—we are in the opposition—it is a power of the country and the government, and it can help the government both foreign and domestic, support it, speak for it, and save face for it.If I become a member of the national government, or become the president of a hospital, or become a minister...the result will be to destroy the independent status I have cultivated for 30 years, and I will not be able to make a difference at all.The result is that even our status as a fair speaker is removed. ⑧

What a wonderful confession! I am grateful for Chiang Kai-shek's kindness, willing to help the government and save face for him, but at the same time keep the mask of "independence".This is where the pawns crossing the river are so clever! Hu Shi did not join the Kuomintang all his life, which probably has something to do with it. Hu Shi did not join the government as an official, but still stayed at Peking University as its president. However, Peking University is no longer the Chinese public school it used to be, let alone the Peking University presided over by Cai Yuanpei. The changes of the times have turned Peking University into a mess.

At that time, the Chiang Kai-shek government was politically dark and corrupt, embezzled and bribed public companies, coupled with the huge military expenditures in the civil war, they issued paper money indiscriminately, causing inflation and skyrocketing prices, pushing the people to starvation and death.The lives of people in the education field are also precarious, with many difficulties and worries.In the university, it is "professors, the more you teach, the thinner you become" year and month.Hu Shi grew up at Peking University, and originally wanted to learn from Cai Yuanpei's style of work and build Peking University into an important center of modern academics. In 1947, he proposed a "Ten-Year Plan for Academic Independence", that is, a ten-year plan for the development of higher education. He suggested that the government concentrate the country's greatest strength and run Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University well within the first five years. Five key universities, including China National University, Wuhan University, and Central University, make them the base of academic research; in the second five years, five more universities will be established in order to "establish the foundation of China's academic independence." ⑨It should be said that it is indeed an ambitious and grand idea, and it also reflects Hu Shi's views and attitudes as an educator who is dedicated to education and academic career.However, when he held a faculty meeting at Peking University to discuss the ten-year plan, his dream was shattered in the face of reality.More than a hundred professors attended the meeting, and what everyone thought and talked about was "eating"! One professor said, "What we worry about today is our life tomorrow. How can we have time to think about plans for ten or twenty years?" is the actual situation.Hu Shiwei, the principal, spent a lot of energy running around for food for teachers and students, teachers' salaries, and even coal for heating in winter.Hu Shi, who is known for his optimism, inevitably became pessimistic, saying: "Such a principal is really not worth doing!"⑩In May of this year, a vigorous student patriotic and democratic movement broke out in the Kuomintang ruled area, launching "anti-hunger, anti-civil war, anti- Persecution" struggle.The student movement in Peking, with Peking University as an important center, is even more extraordinary;

It also made President Hu Shi overwhelmed, and was in the dilemma of not daring to offend the government but not being sorry for the students. Although he supports Chiang Kai-shek and opposes the Communist Party, he is actually very conflicted in the face of the current situation, and he generally has a sympathetic attitude towards the student movement. In May 1947, when he answered a reporter from Jingshi Daily, he still said: Over the past twenty years, I have discovered a general rule that can be applied both in ancient and modern China and abroad.That is to say, if a country's politics is not on track, it is neither satisfactory, nor has a legal representative public opinion agency to supervise the government to improve politics, intervene in politics, and promote political reform. The responsibility must fall on young students.

Hu Shi advocated the policy of "causing guidance" and opposed forceful suppression.He once used his status and prestige to run among the Xingyuan city government, hoping to avoid the tragedy, and tried his best to prevent the "military police from entering the school to arrest people".When talking about the Nanjing Student Movement, Hu Shi also openly said that "both the students and the government were emotionally moved", and criticized Chiang Kai-shek's statement to the students all over the country that he was "obviously instigated directly and indirectly by the reactionary Communist Party".With Hu Shizhi's wisdom and experience, don't you know that the large-scale student movement against civil war and hunger was inseparable from the leadership and influence of the CCP, but he still threatened that he "does not believe that the student movement was instigated by the CCP" and emphasized that "because of the objective caused by the environment".This shows the contradiction in his mood.

At that time, there was also a case of Shen Chong, a female student of Peking University, raped by American sailor Pearson, which caused a sensation throughout the country.Hu Shi was also very indignant about this case. He once told reporters: "The students, professors, and myself are all very outraged by the rape of girls by the U.S. military. It is all right for students to hold meetings and parades, but a strike will delay their studies. But it is not appropriate. With the qualification of the president of Peking University as the guardian of the students, he hired three famous law professors, Yan Shutang, Fei Qing, and Cai Shu, as Shen Chong's legal advisers; The court sentenced Pearson to the crime of rape. When Hu Shi talked to reporters, he affirmed that "the verdict in this case is extremely fair."After Pearson appealed, the Chief Prosecutor of the U.S. Department of the Navy's Military Law Department canceled his charges. Hu Shi once made a statement to the reporter of the English version of "Current Affairs News", saying that "I am dissatisfied with this new development" and "hope that the Secretary of the U.S. Navy will not will approve."However, it was approved later that Pearson was acquitted, and Hu Shi was helpless. In view of the unmanageable political situation, Chiang Kai-shek later wanted to invite Hu Shi to be the executive president.Hu Shi was very anxious about this, and suffered from insomnia for several times. He still insisted on resigning.As a scholar and principal, he once invited some professors and celebrities from various universities in Beijing and Tianjin to organize an "Independent Current Issues Society". Newspapers at home and abroad published it at the same time, helping Chiang Kai-shek's government in terms of public opinion. Regarding the student movement, Hu Shi advocated the policy of "relaxing" and opposed military and police entering schools to arrest people. He was inherently sympathetic and caring for students, but it was also for the sake of the Kuomintang government.He and Mei Yiqi, President of Tsinghua University, jointly sent a telegram to Zhu Jiahua, saying it most clearly: If the military and police were to enter the school, Shi and Qi felt that it was not feasible. If they did so, the school would fall into long-term chaos and it would be impossible to clean up.The commentators may think that the United States also has the Act of Purging the Communist Party, so they must be able to understand.Little do they know that the U.S. Qing Communist Party has used all legal procedures, and absolutely cannot forgive the current situation of military and police entering schools and arresting people.Try to imagine that if the recent strange phenomenon of Yunnan University were repeated in Peking University, Tsinghua University and other schools, the tangible and intangible losses suffered by the country would be incalculable, and the students in the whole school rioted, the teachers disintegrated, and Shi, Qi, etc. would never be able to maintain the aftermath.Therefore, I dare to worry about it on weekdays, so I will remonstrate and block this matter in the past. Unlike Chiang Kai-shek and other bureaucrats, Hu Shi simply said that the student movement was instigated by the Communist Party, scolded it nakedly, and even suppressed it by force, causing bloody tragedies.He advocated "caution". On the one hand, he persuaded the students to oppose the strike;Some students even believe that "Principal Hu is getting closer to young people", that he "cherishes students" and "stands with students".Zhu Jiahua, Minister of Education of the Kuomintang government, also called Hu Shi, saying, "The chairman (accordingly, Chiang Kai-shek) expresses his great gratitude to my brother for his efforts to stabilize education in the north."If Hu Shi becomes an official in the government, can he play this role? On June 2, Deng Shihua, a student at Peking University’s School of Engineering, wrote to Hu Shih, expressing his dissatisfaction with the KMT’s rule, and especially hating Chiang Kai-shek for “blindly believing in the unity of force, disregarding the interests and public opinion of the people of the country, and blindly carrying out brutal civil wars”, saying He is a "traitor to the father of the nation".But Deng lacked political savvy, did not understand the Communist Party, and hated and scolded both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, so he felt pessimistic, depressed, and hesitant.Hu Shi felt that this young man's depression and pessimism were quite representative, so he wrote back to him late at night, advising him not to be pessimistic, but to understand the country's difficulties, saying, "Pessimism can't save the country, shouting can't save the country. Blame others but not yourself." Efforts cannot save the country. Ibsen said: "The most important thing in front of you is to cast your own material into a tool, and nothing else is important." '" Hu Shi also defended Chiang Kai-shek in particular, saying: Mr. Chiang Kai-shek has great strengths as well as great weaknesses.But I am used to seeing the so-called great people in the world in foreign countries. They all have strengths and weaknesses, and no one is born a whole person.Among the six giants of today, Mr. Jiang is worthy of the second and third positions.His environment is more difficult than others, and his capital is less than others, so it is understandable that his achievements cannot be as great as others.The affairs of the country are not something that one person can afford. This is how Hu Shi boasted to Chiang Kai-shek to "save face" and help the Chiang government. How considerate and loyal he was to Chiang Kai-shek! All depressed young people are "guided" to divorce from real politics and only care about the principle of "casting themselves into tools".Can the bureaucratic politicians of the Chiang government play such a role? However, the wheel of history does not stop turning because of the obstruction of a few people, it always crushes all obstacles and rolls forward.The People's War of Liberation led by the Communist Party of China has been victorious. From July to September 1947, the People's Liberation Army shifted from a strategic defense to a nationwide offensive, and the patriotic democratic movement in the Kuomintang ruled areas also continued to rise.By 1948, the Kuomintang government was surrounded by the whole people; even the United States was disappointed with it. President Truman said: "The Chinese government is a group of selfish people, so the United States cannot help." Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to go to the doctor in a hurry, trying to use the magic weapon of "democratic constitutionalism" to save the regime that was about to collapse, so he hurriedly held the first "National Assembly" in Nanjing to implement the constitution.Hu Shi was also a "National Congress representative" and flew to Nanjing in a hurry. On March 27, academicians were elected at the Academia Sinica. After 5 rounds of voting, 81 members of the first session of academicians were elected. On March 29, the National Assembly opened.The next afternoon, Wang Shijie came to see Hu Shi and conveyed Chiang Kai-shek's will, saying that "Jiang Gong intends to announce that he will not run for president" and proposed that Hu Shi be the presidential candidate. Have courage." On April 4, when the Kuomintang held an interim plenary session of the Central Committee, Chiang declared that he would not run for a candidate, and proposed that the Kuomintang nominate a person without party affiliation as a candidate, and said that this person must meet five conditions: (1) abide by the law, (2) have a democratic spirit, (3) have an understanding of Chinese culture, (4) have national ideology, love the country, and oppose rebellion, (5) have a clear understanding of the world situation and international relations. Chiang Kai-shek did not name him, but everyone knew clearly that he was referring to Hu Shi.When Hu first heard this, he was very surprised, and thought he "didn't have the courage", but felt that Jiang's idea "is a very clever and great insight, which can refresh the eyes and ears at home and abroad."Hu Shi wanted to give it a try, but he didn't have the confidence. On March 31, he discussed with Zhou Yusheng and Wang Shijie for a long time, until 8:15 in the evening, he finally decided to accept; on April 1, he "still decided not to do it". On April 4, the Kuomintang’s provisional Central Plenary Session lasted for more than six hours. The venue was a mess. Central committee members disagreed with Chiang’s proposal, and some even cried bitterly to persuade Chiang Kai-shek to be the presidential candidate. In fact, Jiang's proposal was just a political gimmick. How could he allow others to become president over him?But Hu Shi was really bookish, thinking that "Jiang Gong is very sincere", and he still didn't know that he was being played by Jiang in the palm of his hand.In the end, he happily helped Chiang Kai-shek ascend the throne of "President", and presented Chiang with a certificate of election as the chairman of the presidium of the conference and a representative of public opinion.This meeting was originally just a funeral ceremony for the Kuomintang regime, but Hu Shi still wanted to brag about this funeral-style meeting, saying it was a "real manifestation of free will."However, shortly after their "free will" performance, the Chinese People's Liberation Army successively launched the three major battles of Liaoshen, Huaihai, and Pingjin, and the Kuomintang government was precarious and collapsed. On December 15, 1948, Beiping became an isolated city because it had been besieged by our People's Liberation Army.Seeing that the general situation was over, Hu Shi and his wife Jiang Dongxiu took the special plane of the Chiang government to fly to Nanjing in a hurry and became a "disgraceful deserter" at Peking University.Before leaving, there was no time to pack up his things, and he only picked up his father's manuscripts, his own manuscripts, and a Jiaxu edition.It's really desolate and frightening, so tragic. On the 17th, Chiang Kai-shek, who was also in danger, specially invited Hu Shi and his wife to dinner to celebrate Hu Shi's 58th birthday in panic. In January 1949, Chiang Kai-shek announced his "retirement". In April, Hu Shi also fled to the United States by boat, embarking on a wandering and desolate journey in his later years. ① See Ye You's "My Impressions of Hu Shi", contained in "Hu Shi Research Collection", Beijing Joint Publishing, February 1989 edition, pp. 22-28. ② Zhou Binglin wrote a letter to Hu Shi on November 9, 1946, see "Selected Letters from Hu Shi", Beijing Zhonghua Book Company, August 1, 1980, Volume 2, p. 140. ③ See "Hu Shi's Correspondence and Correspondence" Volume II, p. 141. ④ See Tianjin "Ta Kung Pao" on December 18, 1946. ⑤ "Constitution and Constitutional Government", see Tianjin "Ta Kung Pao" on August 15, 1947. ⑥Refer to Fu Sinian’s letters to Hu Shi on February 4, February 22, March 28, and April 7, 1947, see "Hu Shi's Correspondence and Correspondence" Volume II, pp. 168-170, 174-175, 190-192 , pp. 195-196. ⑦ Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Hu Shi on April 2, 1947 (transcription), see "Hu Shi's Correspondence and Correspondence" Volume II, page 193; see pages 179-180, 196-197 of the same book. ⑧ Hu Shi’s letter to Fu Sinian (draft) on February 6, 1947, see "Hu Shi's Correspondence and Correspondence" Volume II, p. 173. ⑨ See "Independence Time Essays Collection" Volume 1, Peking Independence Essays April 1948 edition, pp. 143-145. ⑩See the manuscript of "Hu Shi's Diary", Taipei Yuanliu Publishing Co., Ltd. December 1990 edition, Volume 15, September 23, 1947. (Third Edition Note) See "Jingshi Daily" on May 20, 1947, quoted from the manuscript of "Hu Shi's Diary", Volume 15, and the attached newspaper clipping after May 18 of the same year; the word "discovery" in the quotation was changed by Hu Shi. (Third Edition Note) Same note. See the letter to Hu Shi from Gao Bingsheng, a student of Peking University, etc., see "Hu Shi's Correspondence and Correspondence" Volume II, pp. 300-303. See "Shenbao" on December 31, 1946, January 7, 1947, January 17, January 19, January 25, and June 22, and Tianjin "Ta Kung Pao" on October 29, 1947 The report of Shen Chong's insult case and Hu Shi's talk to the reporter. See the "Preface" of the first episode of "Independent Times" (published by Peking University Press in April 1948), signed "Independent Times and colleagues", suspected to be written by Hu Shi.According to the "Introduction to the Author" attached at the end of the book, there are 42 authors who have participated in the independent editorials successively. See "Hu Shi's Correspondence and Correspondence" Volume II, pp. 417-418. You may refer to Hu Shi’s letter to Beijing Mayor He Siyuan (draft) on June 3, “Hu Shi’s Praise of “Guiding Politics”” published in the North China Daily on June 1, and Gao Bingsheng’s letter to Hu Shi, see “Hu Shi’s Correspondence” Selected Volume II, pages 203-206, 300-303. Zhu Jiahua sent a telegram to Hu Shi on June 19, 1947 (transcription), see "Hu Shi's Correspondence and Correspondence" Volume II, p. 210. Hu Shi replied to Deng Shihua's letter (draft) on June 2, 1947, see "Hu Shi's Correspondence and Correspondence" Volume II, pp. 201-203. The article "Youth's Anguish" was published on June 21, 1947, and was later included in the first volume of "Independent Times" published in April of the following year. Quoting from Gao Zongwu’s letter to Hu Shi from the United States on April 6, 1948, see Selected Letters from Hu Shi, Vol. 2, p. 375. See "Hu Shi's Diary" Manuscript Volume 16, March 29-31, April 1-8, 1948. (Note to the graphic edition) Hu Shi's talk to reporters on May 10, 1948.Quoting from Hu Hua's article "Criticism of Hu Shi's Theory of "Democracy" and "Freedom" Serving Feudal Comprador Rule" published in "Ta Kung Pao" on May 4, 1955. Hu Shi participated in the "50th Anniversary Celebration of Peking University" held by the Peking University Alumni Association in Nanjing on December 17, 1948 , delivered a speech at the meeting, repeatedly saying "I am a disgraceful deserter", "I can't go through the same hardships as the school with many disasters, and I really don't have the face to speak here."See the article "Hu Shi Confessed to be a Deserter" published in Shenbao on December 18, 1948.