Chapter 121 The largest "right winger in the party" Sha Wenhan

In the "anti-rightist movement", amidst the "anti-warmth", the biggest "rightist in the party" that was exposed was Sha Wenhan in Zhejiang. Sha Wenhan is the governor of Zhejiang Province and a member of the Zhejiang Provincial Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China.In addition to Sha Wenhan, the "party rightists" exposed in Zhejiang at the same time include: Yang Siyi, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province; Peng Ruilin, Member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chief Procurator of the Zhejiang Provincial People's Procuratorate;

Sun Zhanglu, member of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Finance and Trade Department of the Provincial Party Committee. Sha Wenhan's wife, Chen Xiuliang, head of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, was also branded as a "rightist" and became a "rightist couple in the party". When the author entered Peking University in the autumn of 1957, there was a tall female student named Sha Shangzhi in my class.She was taciturn, with barely a smile on her face, and her grades were excellent.Later, I found out that she was the daughter of Savannah.She was lucky in misfortune. When she applied for Peking University, neither of her parents had any accidents.If she had become a "child of the rightist" a month or two later, she might have missed Peking University!

Sha Wenhan, a senior member of the Communist Party of China.He joined the CCP as early as 1925 at the age of eighteen, earlier than Ding Ling and Feng Xuefeng. Sha Wenhan was born in Sha Village, Tangxi Township, Yin County, Zhejiang Province. His father was a Chinese medicine practitioner who worked in agriculture. He had five sons and passed away when he was 39 years old.In this way, the five Sha brothers grew up in hardship under the care of their widowed mother. Savannah was third.The eldest brother Sha Menghai, formerly known as Sha Wenhan, is good at calligraphy. He served as the secretary of Zhu Jiahua, Minister of Education of the Kuomintang government for many years.Chiang Kai-shek wanted to build a family tree, but he also asked him to write it.He even served as Chiang Kai-shek's secretary.Although Sha Menghai was working in "Caoying", he secretly helped his younger brothers—these younger brothers all stood under the red flag of the CCP.

The second child, Sha Wenqiu, joined the CCP in the same year as Sha Wenhan.In 1927, Sha Wenqiu served as Secretary-General of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League.When the CCP launched the Guangzhou Uprising, he served as the captain of the Young Pioneers of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League.He was arrested after the failed uprising and was killed in Huanghuagang, Guangzhou in 1928 at the age of 24. The fourth eldest, Sha Wenwei, later changed his name to Shi Yong, is also a member of the Communist Party of China and has been engaged in underground work for many years.Later served as Deputy Secretary-General of the CPPCC National Committee.

Lao Wu joined the Communist Party of China in 1938.During the Yan'an rectification trial, he was mistaken for a "secret agent" and died of insanity. Sha Wenhan's real name was Sha Wenshu, but he used the pseudonym Zhang Deng when he was doing underground work, and he only used the name Sha Wenhan after liberation.He has been working underground for many years.In April 1937, when Feng Xuefeng became the secretary of the Shanghai Temporary Work Committee of the Communist Party of China, Sha Wenhan was the head of the Propaganda Department. After the first edition was published, I received a call from my friend Sun Hengzhi, saying that Chen Xiuliang, who was hospitalized in East China Hospital in Shanghai, wanted to have a talk with me.

On January 13, 1996, I met the 89-year-old Chen Xiuliang at Huadong Hospital.She has a good memory and is in good health. She talked with me for more than two hours at a stretch.She told me that she bought a book and was filled with emotions after reading it.As soon as I bought this book, I read the section on Savannah first.She said that it has been nearly 40 years since Sha Wenhan was labeled as a "rightist". This is the first time that this book has written about it in detail, and she is very happy. Chen Xiuliang, born in 1907, is also a senior member of the Communist Party of China.In 1925, at the age of eighteen, she had already become the leader of the student movement in Ningbo.She joined the Chinese Communist Youth League in 1926 and the Communist Party of China in 1928.

When she was studying in Moscow, she was classmates with Yang Shangkun and Chen Boda.After returning to China, she has been engaged in underground work for a long time.She used to be the Secretary of the Nanjing Underground Party Committee of the Communist Party of China. Chen Xiuliang told the author that she was a "rightist" twice in her life.The first time was in the Soviet Union, because she opposed left opportunism, and she was labeled as a "right opportunist", that is, a "rightist"; the second time was in 1957. Chen Xiuliang said that in September 1957, she was first labeled as a "rightist".In December, Sha Wenhan was also branded a "rightist".

Chen Xiuliang was branded a "rightist" because she spoke at the Second Zhejiang Provincial Congress of the Communist Party of China held in July 1956, opposing "replacing government with the party."Chen Xiuliang gave a very vivid example: the roads opened in the rural areas of Zhejiang should also be stamped with the seal of the township party branch.At that time, the township government used Fang Yinzi.Therefore, the common people say that "Fang Yinzi is not as good as Yuan Yinzi".She believes that "party" and "government" should be separated, and that "circular seal" should not be used where "square seal" should be used.

Chen Xiuliang was criticized, saying that she "has all the five poisons".The head of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee was even dubbed "Niu Kesi".This "Niu Kesi" has two meanings: one is to say that she is not a "Marxist"; Chen Xiuliang said that she is a veteran cadre of the CCP for many years and is an "independent person" politically.However, after labeling her a "rightist" in September 1957, they insisted on linking her with Sha Wenhan, saying that she was the "vanguard" of Sha Wenhan's "anti-Party activities."

Later, Chen Xiuliang realized that labeling her a "rightist" was to attack Sha Wenhan's "periphery". Finally, the firepower of the "Anti-Rightist Movement" in Zhejiang Province concentrated on Sha Wenhan. Criticism of Sha Wenhan initially started with his speech at the Second Zhejiang Provincial Congress of the Communist Party of China in 1956.Chen Xiuliang gave the author the "Speech of Comrade Sha Wenhan" issued by the Secretariat of the Second Zhejiang Provincial Congress of the Communist Party of China on July 23, 1956.She said that this statement was the main "basis" for Sha Wenhan to be branded a "rightist".

As the governor of Zhejiang Province, Sha Wenhan emphasized in his speech that the party should not replace the government.Savannhan said: Our current practice, which is to let the party committee take over many administrative affairs of government agencies and bring the work of large and small government agencies to the party for decision-making, has obviously fallen behind the development of the situation, and it has hindered the party's ability to solve major issues. The lack of research and leadership has also made the actual content of our political organs mechanical and empty, unable to meet the people's increasing demands. Savannah recommends: Unify the party's understanding of the functions and work of the government organs, including whether the government organs have an independent form and their own balance and unified leadership organization, whether it is independent and scattered, hindering the work of the party committee, etc., conduct serious research and discussions. Savannah thought: How should government agencies shoulder their responsibilities under the unified leadership of the party committee? What tasks should be done by the party committee and what should be done by the government? Law, and make it less repetitive, less wrangling, and each can perform its duties and play its role.We have no experience in this area yet. I think we all should actively explore and study it, so that after a certain period of time, we can convene a meeting to solve this problem, or list this problem in the institutional meeting as a special major issue. It can also be solved.Because in government work problems, in addition to the above-mentioned problems, there are also problems such as too much concentration of superiors, too little power of subordinates, too strict regulations, and no room for maneuver. Sha Wenhan also talked about his views on the issue of promoting democracy within the party: Indeed, there is too little democracy within our party. Due to the lack of this precious element, there are many undue barriers between the top and bottom of our party and among comrades, which suppresses the enthusiasm of party members and seriously It damages the principle of the mass line and prevents collective wisdom from being fully utilized.Under such circumstances, it is impossible for us to work without making mistakes. Savannah also said: One of the major reasons for our mistakes in the past was that we did not actually recognize the collective level of Marxism-Leninism, which was much higher than our own level. An important key to mobilizing the enthusiasm of the whole party.Comrades’ various criticisms of the previous Provincial Party Committee and requests for the future Provincial Party Committee all boil down to the need to strengthen democratic life within the Party (including collective leadership) and oppose arrogance, subjectivism, and leadership that is divorced from the masses. Style, that's exactly right. Sha Wenhan's speech was labeled with two big hats: opposing the replacement of government by the party, it was said to be "usurping the party and seizing power"; Strengthening inner-party democracy is described as "opposing the leadership of the party" and "opposing the dictatorship of the proletariat." It's also a coincidence that the "round seal" and "square seal" that Chen Xiuliang mentioned at the conference are also about the issue of not being able to "use the party to replace the government".In this way, Chen Xiuliang was listed as a member of Sha Wenhan's "anti-party group". The author asked Chen Xiuliang whether Sha Wenhan's inclusion in the "right" list was related to the "Pan Hannian incident" in 1955? Chen Xiuliang said that when they were engaged in underground work in Shanghai, Sha Wenhan and Pan Hannian had many working contacts.In 1955, Pan Hannian was accused of being an "internal traitor", and Sha Wenhan was also implicated.At that time, someone once said that there is not only "Pan Hannian of Shanghai", but also "Pan Hannian of Zhejiang".It goes without saying that this "Pan Hannian of Zhejiang" refers to Sha Wenhan.Although Sha Wenhan was still the governor of Zhejiang Province at the time, he was already questioned. In this way, some of his remarks were seized in 1957, and they took advantage of the "anti-rightist movement" to brand him as a "rightist"—although when they labeled him as a "rightist", they only criticized Sha Wenhan's " Right-wing speeches", did not mention "Pan Hannian of Zhejiang". On December 13, 1957, the Second Session of the Second Zhejiang Provincial Congress of the Communist Party of China made the "Resolution on Expulsion of Rightists Sha Wenhan, Yang Siyi, Peng Ruilin, and Sun Zhanglu from the Party": The congress unanimously believed that this was a two-way principled struggle within the Zhejiang party organization.The victory of this struggle is of great historical significance for consolidating and purifying the party organization, strengthening the strong unity of party organizations at all levels in the province under the unified leadership of the central government, and enhancing the party's combat effectiveness. The materials exposed at the meeting showed that Sha Wenhan and Yang Siyi had completely degenerated into agents of the bourgeoisie in the party.During the period of making great speeches this spring, Sha and Yang sang together with rightists inside and outside the party, supported each other, and were as close as brothers.Sha Wenhan actively supported the rampant attacks on the party by rightists Song Yunbin, Li Shihao, and Chen Xiuliang.The relationship between Yang Si and Li Shihao is very close, and Li Shihao's reactionary appearance is covered up in many ways.During the anti-rightist struggle, Sha Wenhan and Yang Siyi arrogantly resisted the policies of the central government and the instructions of the provincial party committee.The materials exposed at the meeting showed that the anti-Party and anti-socialist activities carried out by Sha Wenhan and Yang Siyi were not accidental, but consistent.During the first meeting of the Second Zhejiang Provincial Party Congress in 1956, they joined forces to viciously attack the Party.At that conference, Sha Wenhan propagated the bourgeois views on political power, slandered our country's people's democratic system, opposed the party's leadership over the political work, and supported the bourgeois literary and artistic line of the anti-party group in the literary and art circles headed by Huang Yuan.In addition to actively supporting Sha Wenhan's reactionary views on the regime, Yang Siyi also fabricated facts, viciously negated the work achievements of the province over the past few years, distorted the truth about life in the party, boasted that he was always correct, and pretended to be a representative of the masses to attack the party's leadership.During the anti-revolutionary movement, Sha and Yang were also dissatisfied with the party's anti-revolutionary policy, and Yang Si slandered the anti-revolutionary five-member group for violating the party's organizational principles.The delegates also unanimously pointed out that Yang Siyi has consistently adhered to the position of localism and sectarianism for several years, wooing some people in the party and attacking some people, and even developed to draw circles within the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, deliberately creating a split in the party... Chen Xiuliang and Sha Wenhan were branded as "rightists" one after another, and they had been hiding the truth from their only daughter, Sha Shangzhi, who was studying at Peking University.They were afraid that their eighteen-year-old daughter would not be able to bear such a big blow.Later, "People's Daily" published an article criticizing Chen Xiuliang and Sha Wenhan, and Sha Shangzhi finally learned of the tragedy of both parents being labeled as "rightists". After Chen Xiuliang was labeled as a "rightist", he was "decentralized" to work as a farmer in the countryside of Jiaxing, Zhejiang. After Sha Wenhan was branded a "rightist", he still had the vacant title of "member of the Zhejiang Provincial Political Consultative Conference".In his extreme depression, he immersed himself in the study of ancient Chinese history.He wrote the book "Discussion on Chinese Slavery". The mental torture made Cha Wenhan fall ill.On January 2, 1964, Savannah died of emphysema at the age of fifty-five! In September 1979, Chen Xiuliang's "rightist" injustice was vindicated. Sha Wenhan's "rightist" injustice was rehabilitated in 1980.With the redress of Pan Hannian's unjust case, in 1982, Sha Wenhan's contribution to underground work was also fully commended.The book "Discussion on Chinese Slavery System" written by him in his later years was also published by Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Publishing House.