Chapter 33 The predecessor is gone, Wang Yunsheng cannot be chased: a journalist through and through (1)

Wang Yunsheng (1901-1980) was born in Tianjin, the second-generation editor-in-chief of "Ta Kung Pao", and claimed to be "a journalist through and through".At the same time, he wrote the seven-volume "China and Japan in the Past Sixty Years" and is known as an influential researcher on Japanese issues. On the afternoon of August 6, 2004, the reporter visited the home of Wang Zhichen, the son of Wang Yunsheng.On the wall of the living room is Zhao Puchu's handwriting, which is an elegy written by him for his old friend, in which there are two lines: "The sea of ​​people burns rhinoceros and tastes candle ghosts, and the main writer of the forum looks up to the rotating wheel".

In Wang Zhichen's memory, the most thrilling "rhinoceros burning" in his father's life was not for the "candle ghost".The firelight reflected the tragedy of the father. It was a fire during the "Cultural Revolution". It was not big, and it was only in the bathroom of the Wang family.Wang Yunsheng burned his uninterrupted diary for more than 40 years, which contained several large boxes. "There were sweat and tears, which dripped on the diary. Then there were big drops of nosebleeds, which kept dripping down." Wang Zhichen recalled. Relevant parties asked Wang Yunsheng to write the history of "Ta Kung Pao" before 1949, but Wang declined.Later, someone revealed that "this is what Chairman Mao meant."Wang Yunsheng wrote a long memoir "Old Ta Kung Pao from 1926 to 1949" against his will.Wang Zhichen said: "I saw it later, and I was terrified. That is, he was putting shit on himself and Dagongbao, one after another!" A person familiar with the matter told Wang Zhichen that the then central leader had privately instructed: If "Ta Kung Pao" is not criticized, the proletarian view of journalism cannot be established.

In his later years, Wang Yunsheng regretted that he participated in the "encirclement and suppression" of "Ta Kung Pao", especially the evaluation of the former editor-in-chief Zhang Jiluan.He said: "To Ji Luan, I am ashamed to treat him as my teacher, brother, and friend." When he was dying, holding a blank paper in his hand, he murmured, "Send it to him, send it to him." Give him, my blank paper..." At the end of his life, this person who believed that he had left a "blank paper" had influenced an entire era in China with his "rotating wheel" pen.

In November 1937, the Japanese army occupied Shanghai and required the "Ta Kung Pao" published in the concession to be submitted for inspection. "Ta Kung Pao" refused, and one day before the deadline, it flatly stopped publishing.On the discontinued issue, Wang Yunsheng wrote the editorial "On Non-Surrender": "We are journalists, and we have deeply cherished the ambition of serving the country with our articles throughout our lives...to this day, we can encourage ourselves and our compatriots, only these three words —do not surrender." In December 1941, Wang Yunsheng published the editorial "Supporting the Political Case of Xiuming", disclosing the scandal that "fleeing planes were packed with cages, mothers and foreign dogs" when Hong Kong fell. The shady story of purchasing a private mansion with huge public funds.He pointed out: "If we in the public opinion circle keep silent any longer, that would be dereliction of duty."As soon as this article came out, Chiang Kai-shek dismissed Guo Taiqi the same day.The scandal of Miss Kong Er triggered a student movement against Kong Xiangxi among college students in Kunming, Zunyi and other places.

At that time, all officials of the national government knew that Generalissimo Jiang must read "Ta Kung Pao" every day, and put a copy in the office, living room and bathroom for reading at any time.Therefore, in order to improve their prestige, many military and political officials always hoped to show their faces in "Ta Kung Pao". Many important officials even brought red envelopes to visit the editor-in-chief Wang Yunsheng, but they were all severely rejected.The heavy gift sent by Dai Li was even thrown out of the house. Wang Yunsheng once said: "As a spokesperson for a non-governmental newspaper, I must maintain my independent personality. Only then can I have an independent right to speak, I am qualified to tell the truth, and I can laugh and curse at the Kuomintang. At the same time, when the Kuomintang and the Communist Party Both parties must be the same, which is my consistent principle."