Chapter 18 Chapter 17 Concocting the "Summary"

Lin Biao's "high evaluation" of "being strong in politics and expert in art" greatly increased Jiang Qing's political capital. Chen Boda's two "ideas" won Jiang Qing's applause.Soon after Chen Boda and Jiang Qing "formed an alliance", Jiang Qing invited this "old master" to participate in the "secret"... For Jiang Qing, who "occasionally reveals himself", organizing and publishing Yao Wenyuan's article was just the first shot.However, she is not even a member of the Central Committee. If she wants to realize the queen's dream, she has to improve her reputation.She turned to Lin Biao for help.

On January 21, 1966, Jiang Qing traveled from Shanghai to Suzhou, visited Lin Biao, and asked Lin Biao to give her a hand—she wanted to hold a "military literature and art work symposium" and asked Lin Biao to give it the name of "Comrade Lin Biao entrusted Comrade Jiang Qing to hold it" , to increase reputation. It is unknown what Lin Biao and Jiang Qing said quietly.However, there is a paragraph that was later included in the "Minutes of the Symposium on Cultural and Art Work in the Army Entrusted by Comrade Jiang Qing by Lin Biao", printed clearly in black and white:

Before coming to Shanghai, Comrade Lin Biao gave the following instructions to the army comrades who participated in the symposium: "Comrade Jiang Qing talked with me yesterday. She is very strong in literature and art work, and is also expert in art. She has many You must pay great attention to your precious opinions, and you must earnestly implement Comrade Jiang Qing’s opinions ideologically and organizationally. In the future, you will send her the army’s documents on literature and art. If you have any news, you can contact her at any time. Let her understand the situation of the army's literary and artistic work, solicit her opinions, so that the army's literary and artistic work can be improved. The army's literary and artistic work should not be satisfied with the status quo in terms of ideology and artistry, but must be improved even more."

Lin Biao's "high evaluation" of "being strong in politics and expert in art" greatly increased Jiang Qing's political capital.It must be known that Jiang Qing was trying to make his mark on the political stage at that time, so he needed the support of a "big man" like Lin Biao! Although she is the "First Lady", she knows that Mao Zedong will never give her such a "high evaluation". Taking the "Order Arrow" from Lin Biao, the "Army Forum on Literature and Art Work" was opened at Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel from February 2 to 20, 1966.There are only five official members participating in this symposium, namely Jiang Qing, Liu Zhijian, Xie Tongzhong, Li Mancun, and Chen Yading.According to the cloud, within 18 days, "individual conversation 8 times", "group discussion 4 times", "watching movies 13 times", "watching theater 3 times".

It is said to be a symposium, but it is actually Jiang Qing's "one-speaking hall".Jiang Qing said, others remember, that's all.In Jiang Qing's words, she asked Lin Biao, the "god of the dictatorship of the proletariat", to "attack those representatives of the bourgeoisie who have sneaked into the party." The symposium was over, and the "scholars" of the army sorted out Jiang Qing's "high-level discussions" and compiled a "summary". Jiang Qing was very dissatisfied with this "summary" and turned to "Old Master" and Zhang Chunqiao for help.Although neither the "Old Master" nor Zhang Chunqiao had military positions, they were more effective than the four official members in military uniforms attending the symposium.

The "Old Master" deserves to be called a "theoretician". After reading the draft "Summary", Jiang Qing came up with two important "ideas". Regarding the first "idea", he said: "In 17 years (quote's note: refers to the 17th year of the founding of the People's Republic of China), the issue of the dictatorship of the black line of literature and art is very important, but it is only mentioned in this way, without beginning or end. It is necessary to clarify the source of this black line of literature and art. The continuation and development of literature and art." After such "pointing" by Chen Boda, the criticism of the "black line of literature and art" was "understood" at once!Jiang Qing immediately adopted and revised the Minutes:

"Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the literature and art circles... have been dominated by a black line of anti-Party and anti-socialism that is opposed to Mao Zedong Thought. The combination of period literature and art... We must, in accordance with the instructions of the Party Central Committee, resolutely carry out a great socialist revolution on the cultural front, and completely get rid of this black line." Regarding the second "idea", he said: "If you want to talk about the achievements of the dramatic revolution led by Comrade Jiang Qing, that is the real proletarian stuff; in this way, it will be clear what to break and what to build."

This remark hit Jiang Qing's heart, and immediately set the "model opera" under Jiang Qing's command as the "direction" of "proletarian literature and art". Jiang Qing lost a wink, Zhang Chunqiao immediately wrote, and added a large paragraph of text in the "Minutes", praising Jiang Qing's merits. "In the past three years, a new situation has emerged in the socialist cultural revolution, and the rise of revolutionary modern Peking opera is the most prominent representative. Literary and art workers engaged in the Peking opera revolution, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee headed by Chairman Mao, led by Marx Using Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought as weapons, they launched a heroic and tenacious attack on the feudal class, the bourgeoisie, and modern revisionist literature and art. The most stubborn fortress of Peking Opera, which is the most stubborn fortress, underwent a great revolution in both thought and form. , and led to revolutionary changes in the literary and art circles, revolutionary modern Peking opera "Red Lantern", "Shajiabang", "Take the Tiger Mountain by Outsmart", "Surprise Attack on the White Tiger Regiment" and ballet "Red Detachment of Women", symphony The music "Shajiabang" and the clay sculpture "The Rent Collection Yard" have already been approved by the broad masses of workers, peasants and soldiers, and have been greatly welcomed by audiences at home and abroad..."

These two "ideas" of Chen Boda won Jiang Qing's applause, thinking that the "Old Master" had a "theoretical level" after all. It’s just about the literature and art in the 1930s, how it became the “source” of the “black line of literature and art”, even Zhang Chunqiao is a little unclear. Jiang Qing had no choice but to excuse Chen Boda: "'Old Master', write it down!" Chen Boda thought for a while, and wrote such a paragraph, which was later added to the "Minutes": "We must get rid of the so-called superstition of literature and art in the 1930s. At that time, the left-wing literature and art movement was Wang Ming's 'leftist' opportunist line in politics, closed-doorism and sectarianism in organization, and the literary and artistic thoughts were actually Russian bourgeois literary critics. The ideas of Belinsky, Dobrolyubov, and Stanislavsky in drama, they were the bourgeois democrats of the Russian tsarist era, their ideas were not Marxism, but bourgeois ideas... There were also good ideas in the 1930s. Yes, that was the fighting left-wing literature and art movement headed by Lu Xun. In the mid-1930s, under the influence of Wang Ming’s right-leaning capitulationist line, some left-wing leaders deviated from the Marxist-Leninist class viewpoint and proposed The slogan of 'National Defense Literature'. This slogan is the slogan of the bourgeoisie, but the slogan of the proletariat, 'Popular Literature of the National Revolutionary War', was proposed by Lu Xun..."

Some people say that Chen Boda is a "theoretician" with ambition but no opinion, which is quite insightful.In the 1930s, Chen Boda wrote "Two Slogans in the Literary World Should Have a Truce." He once said in a very firm tone: "I think the slogan 'National Defense Literature' is irrefutable." Now it is said that "National Defense Literature" is bourgeois slogan.His "theory" is like plasticine, which can be pinched around at will to meet different needs. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, when he later drafted the political report of the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he insisted that development is the main task.Since Chen Boda traced the "black line of literature and art" back to the 1930s, the so-called "four men"—Zhou Yang, Xia Yan, Tian Han, and Yang Hansheng—had become the "fathers" of the "black line of literature and art" and were criticized.

The Minutes were revised by Chen Boda and Zhang Chunqiao, and then sent to Mao Zedong for review.Mao Zedong himself changed it 3 times. On April 10, 1966, the "Summary" was issued as a document of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to the national league and county-level party committees. The "Summary" not only became an important public opinion preparation for launching the "Cultural Revolution", but also highlighted Jiang Qing's status in the whole party, laying the foundation for her to be appointed as the "First Deputy Team Leader" of the "Central Cultural Revolution Team" soon. After jointly concocting the "Minutes", Jiang Qing became more and more dependent on Chen Boda, and Chen Boda did not dare to underestimate this old Lan Ping, and began to compliment and respect her.