Chapter 53 10. Golden September: Mingjin retreats

September is here, it is the season of harvest, and September has the same significance for the enlarged party group meeting of the Chinese Writers Association. On September 1, the "People's Daily" published an editorial "Struggle to Defend the Socialist Literary and Art Line", saying: "In the struggle to fully counterattack the bourgeois rightists on the political and ideological fronts, the literary and art circles exposed Ding Ling, Chen Qixia, The anti-Party activities of Feng Xuefeng, Jiang Feng, Zhong Dianfu, etc. This is a principled struggle to distinguish right from wrong, a struggle between the Party’s socialist line in literature and art and the anti-Party and anti-socialist line in literature and art.”

From mid-August, branches of writers' associations in various places sent letters and calls to the Chinese Writers Association, expressing their firm support for the struggle against the anti-Party clique of Ding, Chen, and Feng. Some telegrams were published in "Literary News".A strong critical offensive has formed in the literary circles across the country. On the afternoon of September 4th, the 25th enlarged meeting of the party group was also the last mass exposure and criticism meeting.So far, the exposing and criticizing stage of the enlarged party group meeting of the Chinese Writers Association has ended successfully.

On the same day, "People's Daily" published the summary report of the third stage of the enlarged party group meeting of the Chinese Writers Association. There are three articles in total. The titles are: "Allegiance to the Ding Chen Group Encourages Rightists to Attack and Promote Trotskyist Theory (Shoulder Title) Li Youran is an anti-Party ugly class The accomplice of Ding Ling (theme)", "Ding Ling's partner, Li Youran's old friend, Jiang Feng's siblings, Wu Zuguang's confidant (shoulder title) Ai Qing has been running among the reactionary groups for a long time (theme)", "Luo Feng Bailang colluded with Ding and Chen Attacking the Party (topic) Luo Feng sang with Ding Ling and slandered the revolution (subtitle) as early as in Yan'an.

The report said that the enlarged meeting of the party group of the Chinese Writers Association "further exposed a series of anti-Party words and deeds by Li Youran, a pawn of the Ding Chen Group, and also exposed and criticized the anti-Party words and deeds of Ai Qing, Luo Feng, Bai Lang, etc." "The meeting. As of August 31, it has been held twenty-three times. After the nineteenth meeting, those who continued to speak at the meeting were: Hua Junwu, Cao Ming, Li Ji, Xu Chi, Gong Mu, Mao Xing, Wei Junyi (joint speech by seven persons), Ge Yang (joint speech with Hu Kao), Sha Ou, Qin Zhaoyang, Tian Jian (joint speech with Kang Zhuo and Xing Ye), Gu Ligao, Cui Yi, Jing Yandun, Jia Ke, Changmin, Yang Shuo, Xiao San and other forty-eight people. In his speech, Xiao San made a self-criticism for his mistakes in the relationship with Ding Ling. At the meeting, everyone lacked the minimum sincerity in their criticism of Li Youran, Luo Feng, Ai Qing, etc. Expressed great dissatisfaction. The meeting continues."

The enlarged meeting of the party group of the Chinese Writers Association started on June 6th and lasted for three and a half months. In addition to the two-day summary meeting on the 16th and 17th, there were 27 sessions in total, with 138 speakers. A solemn and serious meeting should have a solemn and solemn ending.Starting from September 5, the leading party group of the Writers Association began to be busy with two tasks. One was to compile and compile the wonderful speeches at the criticism meeting into a collection, and the other was to prepare for the summary meeting to be held on September 16.In addition, the Central Propaganda Department will hold a national meeting of propaganda ministers.All these works are for the same purpose: to show the world the brilliant results of the anti-rightist struggle of the Chinese Writers Association.

It was Zhou Yang's opinion to compile and print the collection of speeches, and Guo Xiaochuan took the lead, because he took charge of the speaking work of the entire conference, and He Lu and Yang Li assisted in specific work.The editing principles established by Guo Xiaochuan are: select only the speeches of representative figures; select only one speech for each person; criticize each anti-Party member's speech to account for a certain proportion.Guo Xiaochuan personally read and corrected the contents and proofs of the whole book.In order to catch up with the summary meeting, the editorial and publishing speed was very fast, and the proofs were published on September 11.This collection of white-covered sixteen-page speeches is called "Criticism of Ding and Chen Anti-Party Clique—Part of the Speeches at the Enlarged Party Group Meeting of the Chinese Writers Association." 35 speeches by 39 people at the 25th meeting on April 4.These speeches were edited by the speaker when they were included in the collection. When Guo Xiaochuan revised his speech on August 20, he added dozens of lines.

Zhou Yang was nervously preparing to summarize his speech at the meeting. He called Shao Quanlin, Liu Baiyu, Guo Xiaochuan, Zhang Guangnian and others to discuss his manuscript in detail. Heads of Propaganda Departments and Writers’ Associations from various provinces came to Beijing one after another. Liu Qing, Du Pengcheng, and Hu Cai from Shaanxi, Ba Jin, Jin Yi, Zhou Erfu, Kong Luosun, Jun Qing, Yiqun, and Liu Zhixia from Shanghai, and Na?Saiyin Chaoketu, Li Yaqun from Sichuan, Yu Heiding from Hubei, Ouyang Shan from Guangdong, etc.I stayed at the Heping Hotel in Jinyu Hutong, not far from the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Building of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the Capital Theater.Friends and acquaintances who have not seen each other for a long time, when they meet, they just simply say hello. They are all cautious in their words. Who knows who is in which "circle" and who knows who will not "expose" who!

On the morning of September 16, the Chinese Writers Association held a summary meeting of the expanded meeting of the party group criticizing Ding Ling and Chen Qixia's anti-party group at the Capital Theater.The meeting lasted for two days.More than 1,350 people attended the conference, including provincial and municipal propaganda ministers or ministers of culture and education, heads of various branches of the Writers Association, and some writers and artists from other places and Beijing.On behalf of the Party Group of the Writers Association, Shao Quanlin made a concluding speech titled "The Struggle Must Go Deeper", which is divided into four parts: 1. The nature and significance of the struggle; 1. The root of the Chen Group's anti-Party ideology and its harmfulness, and 4. The experience and lessons of the struggle.Zhou Yang made a long report titled "Different World Views, Different Paths".

On September 17, the meeting started at 8:40.Guo Xiaochuan’s diary: “Zhou Yang talked first. Minister Lu said and stopped talking. Qian Junrui, Bai Yu and I went to Zhongnanhai together and asked him to speak in the afternoon. After talking with him a lot, he finally agreed. Back to the theater It was more than ten o'clock, and Zhou Yang finished speaking. Mr. Guo talked for more than an hour, and the whole morning was exhausted. Mr. Guo's words were earnest and full of revolutionary enthusiasm." The topic of Guo Moruo's speech was "Strive to Transform Yourself into a Proletarian "Cultural Worker", he said, "I'm thinking this way, we are criticizing Ding Ling and Feng Xuefeng today, if we don't constantly push ourselves and accept the supervision of the party, won't we become Ding Ling and Feng Xuefeng tomorrow?" Event: In Shanghai in August 1946, Lu Dingyi gave him a copy of "Selection of Short Stories in the Liberated Areas". After reading 12 short stories, he wrote an article in which he said, "Ding Ling is a familiar Chinese writer both at home and abroad. There are countless famous writers, but compared with the other 11 works, her work is definitely inferior in technique." Ding Ling's one is.Guo Moruo said, "Ding Ling must have seen my post-reading review. Her letter to Chen Qixia said, 'Let Guo Moruo lead the readers'. Maybe it was an arrow she gave me in return. I received her arrow. Well, whether it's a cold arrow or a commanding arrow."

In the afternoon, "the meeting was held at 2:30. Mao Dun spoke for a long time, about 1.5 hours, and Ba Jin only had a little more than ten minutes. Minister Lu arrived at nearly four o'clock. Lao She made a wonderful speech, with fresh language and sharp opinions, only somewhat oily The six o'clock meeting ends." (Guo Xiaochuan's Diary) The topic of Mao Dun's speech was "Disputing Right and Wrong", and the topic of Ba Jin and Jin Yi's joint speech was "Always Follow the Party and the People on the Road of Socialism-Communism Forward”, Lao She’s topic of speech was “Establishing a New Ethos”, he said, “Comrade Ding Ling, you have always looked down on us, and you still look down on us today. Your sense of superiority makes you want to confess your sins to us.” Demonstration, let us see how careful you are and how you can write. You have some talent, but if you use your talent to excuse yourself and cover up your crimes, you will only be fooled by your cleverness."

In Lu Dingyi's speech, he emphasized the ideological transformation of writers, saying that writers and artists work in the way of handicrafts, which tends to produce individualistic and liberal thoughts, and writers are easy to become famous, so they tend to be complacent and complacent, and become captives of the bourgeoisie.Writers should completely reform their thinking, put "I" under the collective, and put the masses of the people and the cause of the party in the highest position.He said that some intellectuals who belonged to the bourgeois right had joined the party organizationally, but even after long-term education by the party, they could not be reformed. Feng Xuefeng and Ding Ling were such examples.In addition, socialist society can also cultivate new intellectuals with bourgeois consciousness, such as Zeng Yanxiu, Zhong Lianfu, Chen Yong, Liu Shaotang, Guo Wei, etc. Zhou Yang's long speech was delivered in two parts on the 16th and 17th.Li Xin recalled: Zhou Yang said in his report that the rightists in the literary and art circles must dare to fight and be able to fight. Only when they dare to fight and fight can they win the final victory. Have the best laugh.These few words of Zhou Yang had no income when the manuscript was published, but they were spoken loudly and chicly at the time, and more than 1,200 people present at the meeting heard them.Wei Junyi mentioned Zhou Yang's speech in "Thinking of Pain": "Murderous, unreasonable, it can be described as the pinnacle." "Until the People's Literature Publishing House edited and published "Zhou Yang's Collected Works" in 1985, Zhang Guangnian also came up with an idea: 'Don't take that article in. Some of the issues raised there are still very sensitive.'" Gong Yuzhi also said: "It was at these meetings that I saw Zhou Yang speak harshly, aggressively, and formidably One side." ("Reminiscences of Zhou Yang after several winds and rains") On the afternoon of September 24, Lu Dingyi asked Liu Baiyu and Guo Xiaochuan to compile a manuscript of their speech for publication by People's Daily and Wenyi Bao.After sorting out by reporters, the news of Lu and Zhou's speeches was published in "People's Daily" on September 27. Later, Zhou Yang sent his speech to Mao Zedong for review.Mao Zedong appreciated it very much, and issued an instruction on November 24: "I will send Comrade Hu Qiaomu to Comrade Xiaoping: I talked with you the day before yesterday by the way: it should be printed and distributed to all comrades in the meeting headed by Xiaoping, and have a serious discussion once or twice (detailed beforehand) Read Zhou Wen), revise it carefully, and then publish it. Please send it to me once before publication. Zhou Yang and several other literary and art leaders should participate in the discussion of the meeting. Please report this matter to Xiaoping.” “This is a big deal.” We should not take it lightly." Afterwards, Zhou Yang repeatedly solicited opinions, and asked Lin Mohan, Zhang Guangnian, etc. to make major revisions, and he finalized the draft, changing the title to "A Great Debate on the Front of Literature and Art". On February 24, 1958, Zhou Yang sent "A Great Debate on the Literary and Art Front" to Mao Zedong for review. Mao Zedong made several changes and wrote to Lin Mohan, saying: "This article is very well written. I made a few minor points. Please see if it is possible to revise it? If the latest issue of Wenyi Bao has not been printed, it is best to publish this article in Wenyi Bao and People’s Daily at the same time.” After the newspaper made a proof copy, it was sent to Mao Zedong, and he used it on the proof proof on February 27. Pencil comment: "Tui Lin Mohan Comrade: There is a little modification, please decide." "A Great Debate on the Front of Literature and Art" was published in "People's Daily" on February 28, 1958 and the fifth issue of "Literary Daily" on March 11, 1958.When Mao Zedong revised it, he added some words, the most famous of which is: "In our country, the most thorough socialist revolution on the ideological and political fronts was held nationwide in 1957, giving the bourgeoisie With a fatal blow, reactionary ideology liberated the productive forces of the literary and artistic circles and their reserve forces, lifted them from the shackles and shackles imposed on them by the old society, and freed them from the threat of a reactionary atmosphere, opening up a broad path for the development of proletarian literature and art. , this historical task has not been completed. The work of opening up roads will still be done in the future. The removal of the old base cannot be completed in a year. But the basic roads have been opened up. The fighters of class literature and art can gallop freely and horizontally on this road. Literature and art need to build and train troops. A completely new type of proletarian literature and art army is being built. It can only be built simultaneously with the formation of the army of proletarian intellectuals. Its production and harvest can only be achieved at the same time. Only those who do not understand historical materialism will think that this is incorrect.” At the second meeting of the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in May 1958, Mao Zedong introduced two articles to the participants, one was "A Great Debate on the Front of Literature and Art" and the other was "Historical Research Must Be Thick" by Fan Wenlan. Today is thinner than the past". This autumn, which was a bountiful harvest on the political and ideological fronts, was the darkest and coldest in Ding Ling's family.The Criticism Conference of the Chinese Writers Association is over, but the exposure and criticism of Ding Ling is far from over.Before the National Day, she went to the CPPCC Auditorium to accept criticism from the Third National Women's Congress. She was criticized that day by her old friend Tan Tiwu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang, and "female women" such as Peng Zigang and Pu Xixiu. Zhonghaojie".After the National Day, the Literature Institute held a symposium for young writers to clear up Ding Ling's poison, and she attended the meeting to accept criticism.Attending the meeting were the students of the first and second phases of the Institute of Literature, young authors, Tian Jian, Kang Zhuo, and Ma Feng who had worked in the institute, and Xu Gang, the director of the Institute of Literature, etc. Eighty or ninety people filled the meeting In the whole room, Shao Quanlin and Liu Baiyu also came to show their respect.The meeting lasted for several days and was presided over by Zhou Libo, Huang Qiyun, Tian Jian, Gong Mu, Sha Ou and others. "Literary News" reported on the symposium on the headline of the October 13 edition under the title "A Profound Lesson—Report on the Symposium for Young Literary Workers". At the meeting, the toxins that were exposed and criticized by Ding Ling included: 1. Treat the Central Institute of Literature as a personal domain.If Liu Zhen's novels were praised by the Writers Association Council, Ding Ling would not be happy, because she regards Liu Zhen as her own, and only she can comment.Yu Yang, Li Yong, and Gu Yu are all students designated by Ding Ling to be tutored by Ding Ling. She is very enthusiastic about Gu Yu and actively reads the manuscript for him, but she is indifferent to Yu Yang and Li Yong. The subject is forgotten. 2. Advocate "one book doctrine" and encourage pride.Each student is required to write a book, or a novel or novel, or a collection of short stories, poetry collections, or essay collections with about 100,000 words in two years.Said to Li Na: "Why do you always write short stories, can't you write a novella?" and encouraged her to write more, as long as there is a book like Bai Lang ("For a Happy Tomorrow").He said to the students: "It's not enough just to say that we are correct, we have to take a look at the works!" He publicly called on everyone to write great works.Said to Li Yong: "As long as you write a good book, no one can defeat you." Publicly publicized to the students that "it's nothing for young people to be proud, and pride is not worth making a fuss about." 3. Propagating reactionary literary views that are divorced from politics.Said to Li Na: "I am a person who doesn't understand rules and theories." He thought that "reading too clearly and too rationally is tasteless." After reading a novel by Gu Yu once, he wrote to him saying : "Your writing is too political, I am not moved." Said to Lu Fei: "Balzac and Tolstoy wrote great works without being proficient in Marxism." , Said to Gu Yu: "There is no need to rush those tasks, what's the use of writing so much (referring to catching up with the tasks), you have to write a book." In one lecture, Sholokhov's and "The Reclaimed Virgin Land" were mentioned. , thinking that the latter is inferior to the former, because the latter "rushed" the task.Said that she only lived in Sangganhe for 18 days and wrote it because of her skills.Said to Xu Guangyao and others: "I am a writer, and my temperament is the temperament of a writer. I don't like to follow the wave." The same issue of "Literary News" also published critical articles by Chen Dengke, Mala Qinfu and Liu Zhen. Chen Dengke said in the article "Back to the Embrace of the Party": In the spring of 1953, when the first phase of the Institute of Literature was coming to an end, Ding Ling wrote me a long letter from the nursing home, advising me not to return to Anhui, but to stay in the Institute of Literature.I planted a seed of respect and love for her in my thoughts and feelings, and at the same time felt proud, because among dozens of students, only Xu Guangyao and I could receive her personal letter.Ding Ling said: "People say that I like Xu Guangyao, Li Na, Ma Laqin, I like Chen Dengke, don't you?" I am honest and sincere to people.He said to me in Huangshan: "Xu Guangyao wrote a book called "Fire in the Plain", which has more prestige and fame than a division commander. If you mention the name of a division commander in the army, how many people will know it? Who doesn't know Xu Guangyao's name!" The title of Ma Laqinfu's article is "Clearing the Garbage in the Soul". He said: When I was studying at the Institute of Literature, an old writer reported that I had feelings of pride. When I went to talk to Kang Zhuo, he told me: "For you We have heard this kind of reaction a long time ago. At that time, I asked Comrade Ding Ling if he would tell you this opinion. Comrade Ding Ling said, don’t tell him first. A young man just wrote something and was a little subjective, so he criticized pride and complacency. , that would restrain young people." Later, when Ding Ling gave a lecture in the spring of 1954, she mentioned this incident again: "The year before last, someone reported that Ma Laqinfu was a little proud and looked down on the works of a certain great writer. I said to Kang Zhuo at that time, There is no need to tell him that there is nothing wrong with young people having their own opinions and daring to express their own opinions? Recently I heard that Ma Laqinfu is not proud anymore, so I said, this is the end, he has become sophisticated. Why do we have to call a simple What about the young people who became so sophisticated?" After two days of school winter vacation, I went to her house to say goodbye, and she said, "You are proud when you have written your works, but I am proud before I have written any works." Around 1954, Ding Ling emphasized everywhere that the most important thing for a writer is to write works. Several of our students once discussed behind their backs that Ding Ling had done literary and art administration work for several years, but she did not do it well. Now she emphasizes this sentence again and again, probably to show that Consider that although you have not done a good job in administrative work, you have good works, and use this to comfort yourself! Today's readers sniff these exposing materials, do they smell "poison" or "love"? The Ministry of Education also issued a notice requiring middle schools and normal schools across the country to strengthen political and ideological education and stop teaching the works of rightists such as Ding Ling and Ai Qing. Things were not going well at home either.Zulin's object, Li Lingyuan, was transferred to work at the Teachers College in Wuhu, Anhui, because he was determined not to sever his relationship with Zulin!Guo Xiaochuan was very sorry to hear the news, and invited Li Na and Lingyuan sisters to have a meal.Later, Li Na was criticized, and it was impossible to have nothing to do with her and Ding Ling's in-laws.Guo Xiaochuan was originally very good friends with Zhu Dan and Li Na. He also liked the lively and cheerful "Xiao Lingzi" very much. He often gathered, ate and chatted together.But the anti-rightist struggle changed their relationship, and Guo Xiaochuan's attitude towards his old friend suddenly changed.Li Na said that Guo Xiaochuan talked to me very seriously afterwards, with a straight face, saying that I was not aggressive. Chen Tuoshou wrote: After Ding and Chen were purged, activists who emerged from the struggle continued to entrust them with heavy responsibilities. The entire Chinese Writers Association no longer heard any voices of dissent. , undisputed establishment.