Chapter 32 Zhang Naiqi and the "Red Bourgeoisie"

In addition to the high-level Mingfang meeting held by the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, various kinds of Mingfang conferences are held in mainland China.Up and down, there was a warm atmosphere full of loud noises. Zhang Naiqi spoke. Zhang Naiqi, as the vice-chairman of the China Democratic National Construction Association, has only attended three symposiums for leaders of democratic parties held by the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.He was very busy at the time because he was the Minister of Food, as he stated:

"My main energy is on business—calculating the social balance of grain and oil, preparing to speak at the National People's Congress, and holding several meetings within the Ministry to discuss the appropriate relaxation of the grain distribution quota around Beijing and the improvement of the special supply of cooking oil approach to plug loopholes and prevent the possibility of 'big democracy'."① Because of his busy schedule, Zhang Naiqi only made a brief speech at the meeting of the leaders of the democratic parties of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee.

On May 31st, the enthusiasm for making a big statement was getting higher and higher. Zhang Naiqi gave a long speech on a series of problems of the Chinese bourgeoisie at the National Industrial and Commercial Reform Counseling Work Symposium held by the China Democratic Construction Association.The influence of this speech on the whole country is no less than Zhang Bojun's "Political Design Institute", Luo Longji's "Rehabilitation Committee" and Chu Anping's "Party World". Zhang Naiqi became famous all over the country as early as 1936: In November of this year, the Kuomintang government arrested seven people who saved the National Assembly, including Shen Junru, Zhang Naiqi, Zou Taofen, Li Gongpu, Wang Zaoshi, Sha Qianli, and Shi Liang. The leader, known as the "Seven Gentlemen".A campaign to rescue the "Seven Gentlemen" was launched across the country, and the "Seven Gentlemen" were finally released.Since then, Zhang Naiqi's "gentleman" image has been deeply in people's hearts.

Zhang Naiqi was born in Qingtian, Zhejiang, in 1896, the same age as Luo Longji.His original name was Zhang Ting① Zhang Naiqi was introduced by the principal Zhou Jilun after graduating from Type A commercial school in Zhejiang, and joined the bank as a trainee.He was promoted step by step from trainee to deputy general manager of Zhejiang Industrial Bank. Zhang Naiqi focuses on Chinese politics.He founded the fortnightly "New Review" in November 1927, criticizing Chiang Kai-shek.Since then, he has actively participated in the anti-Japanese and national salvation movement. In 1933, Zhang Naiqi participated in saving the National Congress.As he said: "Nine-tenths of the hundreds of thousands of documents for the National Salvation Congress were written by me. I am required to participate in all major activities, such as raising funds and deploying people on the streets. It is common for me to work all night long." of."②

In this way, Zhang Naiqi is also an entrepreneur and a politician. After he became one of the "Seven Gentlemen", he became famous.He became a representative of the Chinese business community. In 1938, he served as the director of the Finance Department in Anhui, and in exchange for a unified tax, he subsidized the New Fourth Army with 30,000 yuan a month! He was increasingly dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government, and he was getting closer to the CCP.In 1944, Dong Biwu, a veteran of the Communist Party of China, secretly sent Chen Jun, a member of the Communist Party of China, to meet with Zhang Naiqi.Chen Jun conveyed the CCP's suggestion and asked Zhang Naiqi to come forward to contact people in the business circles and organize political groups in the business circles.

So Zhang Naiqi, Huang Yanpei, Hu Juewen, Yang Weiyu and others jointly initiated and formed the "China Democratic Construction Association" mainly composed of business people. The China Democratic Construction Association and the China Democratic League have become comrades-in-arms of the CCP and jointly opposed Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government.Zhang Naiqi laughed at himself as a "manifesto expert", almost all the manifestos of the China Democratic National Construction Association came from his pen. In 1948, Zhang Naiqi left the company he founded in Hong Kong and came to Northeast China at the invitation of the CCP.He heard "Without the Communist Party, there would be no China" being sung everywhere.He listened and suggested adding a word "new".Because China existed long before the Communist Party.

In early 1949, Zhang Naiqi came to Peiping to participate in the preparations for the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.When Mao Zedong met with Zhang Naiqi, he said to him very politely: "Your opinion is very good, we have asked the author to modify the lyrics." At that time, Mao Zedong paid attention to even such an opinion on a song, and corrected it.Since then, that song has been changed to "Without the Communist Party, there would be no new China". Since then, he has served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, vice chairman of the China Democratic National Construction Association, and minister of the Ministry of Food.

Soon, Zhang Naiqi's remarks about the nature of the China Democratic National Construction Association attracted Mao Zedong's attention. Some people say that the China Democratic National Construction Association is a Chinese bourgeois political party under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.Zhang Naiqi said that the China Democratic National Construction Association can be called a "red bourgeois political party."Zhang Naiqi's words are an extension of Liu Shaoqi's statement about "red capitalists". This word reached Mao Zedong's ears.Zhang Naiqi said:

"Chairman Mao once pointed at me at the Supreme State Council and said: 'I agree with your red bourgeoisie, do we still allow the white bourgeoisie to exist?'"① In fact, Zhang Naiqi's original intention was to say "red bourgeois party", but Mao Zedong said it was "red bourgeoisie". Later, when Zhang Naiqi was labeled as a "rightist", Mao Zedong repeated the old saying, but called Zhang Naiqi a "white bourgeoisie"!Mao Zedong said: "Those on the right who are unwilling to change. Probably Zhang Naiqi is one of them. If you want him to become a proletarian intellectual, he won't do it. He says he has changed for the better and is a 'red bourgeoisie'. You can report yourself, but everyone still needs to discuss it publicly. We said, you are not good enough, you Zhang Naiqi is a white bourgeoisie.”②

In Da Ming Da Fang, although Zhang Naiqi was busy with the work of the Ministry of Food, he also published speeches or articles on some occasions. Zhang Naiqi talked about not deifying Mao Zedong at the symposium on the missionary work of the Central Standing Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association held on April 15, 1957: "Thought remolding work should be done naturally, not violently, not mysteriously, not just shouting abstract slogans without content, and not deify any individual. Everyone is human, and no one is a god, including Chairman Mao. The chairman has always been against deifying him."

This completely correct statement was later labeled as "opposing Chairman Mao". Zhang Naiqi once published the article "From the Ideological Basis of 'Wall' and 'Ditch'" in the "People's Daily" on May 14th.In his article, he criticized "replacing government with the party": "The situation of 'replacing the government with the party' does exist. The central government is less, and the lower the level, the more. I have this idea: many party members do not have enough understanding of the role of state institutions, and do not fully understand the state. Institutions are the party's weapon for making revolution and building socialism." Zhang Naiqi used a vivid metaphor: "The party organization is like the director of a drama, and other state institutions are like actors, art technicians, and management personnel. Directors generally don't have to go to the stage by themselves, let alone replace art technicians and management personnel. In this way, the party organization can make its mind clearer. , leading more holistically and more proactively.” Zhang Naiqi's metaphor was accurate and vivid, but later he was said to be "anti-Party". The theme of Zhang Naiqi's speech at the China Democratic National Construction Association's National Industrial and Commercial Reform Counseling Work Symposium on May 31 was still about the nature of the Chinese bourgeoisie.His speech was later summarized in the People's Daily on June 2. Zhang Naiqi said: "If bureaucracy is added to a socialist enterprise, then its efficiency will be lower than that of a capitalist enterprise. I am not nostalgic for capitalism. But capitalism also has good and bad, and we should absorb what is beneficial to socialism." Zhang Naiqi also said: "Why are some socialist enterprises not as good as the modern private enterprises in the past? This is because capitalists are good at selecting talents for profit, and they must try to be fair in the cultivation and promotion of talents. Otherwise, it will be difficult for them to communicate with others. competition. And some socialist enterprises can’t do that.” Zhang Naiqi's criticisms of state-owned enterprises are precisely the ills of state-owned enterprises that the reform and opening up is trying to overcome today, but they were said to be "anti-socialist" back then. Zhang Naiqi expressed his views on fixed interest issues: "Some people think that the nature of fixed interest is exploitation. I think it is worth studying. Because according to the literal meaning of exploitation, the exploited should be very painful, but we also say that the current contradiction between the bourgeoisie and the working class is not confrontational. This makes no sense. I think fixed interest should not be described as exploitation, but as income for nothing, so that industrial and commercial people can feel calm.” He also said, “There is also a need to reconsider the research on the 2,000-yuan pole. Because this number is too small, it is difficult to classify those above 2,000 yuan as the bourgeoisie; those below 2,000 yuan as the petty bourgeoisie.” Zhang Naiqi described the Chinese bourgeoisie in this way: "There is an essential difference between the bourgeoisie and the working class, that is, one is an exploiting class, and the other is a non-exploitation and anti-exploitation class. However, it cannot be said that there is an essential difference between the elements of the two classes. The exploitation of the bourgeoisie is inherent. The bourgeoisie can be reformed, because his exploitation is not inherent. At present, the characteristics of all classes in our country have basically been eliminated, and everyone is returning to the common nature of human beings. transition."