Chapter 36 China Literature and Art Association

Ding Ling, who was persecuted by the Kuomintang and her marriage was hurt, went through hardships and traveled thousands of miles, and arrived in Hongdu Zhidan on November 10, 1936.Ding Ling's arrival has received special attention from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.In Zhidan, she initiated and established the Chinese Literary Artists Association, which laid the foundation for the revolutionary new literary creation. In her documentary article "Going to the Front" at the time, she recounted: "It was the day I arrived at Bao'an from Xi'an." That night, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a high-level welcome banquet for her in a very spacious cave dwelling.Zhang Wentian, Zhou Enlai, Lin Boqu, Kaifeng, Li Kenong and other comrades attended the meeting first, and many of them spoke.Mao Zedong came late.When he walked in, the cave was already full of people.He put on a cotton coat, his face was clean-shaven, and everyone laughed.Zhou Enlai: The chairman looks beautiful today.Mao Zedong also laughed and said: I haven't had my hair cut yet.At this welcome banquet, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China also specially invited "well-known ladies" from the base area to accompany Gui Rong.When Ding Ling saw the widow of the mass leader in the Northwest, she kept asking about the customs and customs in northern Shaanxi and the revolutionary situation in the base area, and Gui Rong answered them one by one to the best of her knowledge.Seeing that Mao Zedong called Tong Guirong "Sister-in-law Liu", Ding Ling also called Tong Guirong her sister-in-law, and the two were very cordial.

After Ding Ling arrived in Baoan, she was regarded as a treasure, and the Communist Party of China loved her very much, because she was the first famous writer to come from the Kuomintang-controlled area.For Ding Ling, this is of course a great honor, and she is also full of gratitude.Under the circumstances of extremely difficult material life, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave Ms. Ding Ling a good meal for three days!The so-called good rice is a little meat.Three days later, there was nothing left, only potatoes, millet, and sauerkraut.For this reason, Zhou Enlai invited Ding Ling to his house for a meal, which consisted of two meat dishes, a few steamed buns, and butter from northern Shaanxi!Ding Ling ate the steamed bun with butter and was very happy.

Ding Ling, formerly known as Jiang Bingzhi, was born in a poor bureaucratic family in northwestern Hunan in 1904. She grew up in culturally developed areas such as Changde.In his early years, he was a classmate of Yang Kaihui in middle school in Changsha, and knew Mao Zedong's name.Influenced by the May Fourth Movement, Ding Ling entered Shanghai University to study at the age of 19 with the help of the head of the Communist Party of China, Qu Qiubai and others. In 1927, he began to publish novels, causing a national sensation with "Ms. Shafi's Diary". In 1928, Ding Ling and her husband Hu Yepin went to Shanghai to engage in revolutionary cultural work. In early 1931, her husband was arrested and shot dead in Longhua Prison.Ding Ling inherited her deceased husband's career and secretly joined the Communist Party the following year. Qu Qiubai, as a representative of the Central Propaganda Department, presided over her party joining ceremony.

Later, Ding Ling married Feng Da, an underground party member who worked as a translator and secretary for Smedley.Unfortunately, Feng Da was arrested by the KMT, surrendered and gave his home address. Ding Ling was also secretly arrested. Domestic newspapers published the news that "Ding Ling, the most famous female writer in China, has disappeared recently. Some people suspect that she was kidnapped or killed".The Kuomintang authorities took a softer approach to this, persuading her to issue an anti-communist statement or surrender herself, but Ding Ling firmly refused.Ding Ling was imprisoned for 3 years. In the summer of 1936, she was freed and left Nanjing. She broke up with Feng Da, raised travel expenses from various sources, and decided to go to the red northern Shaanxi, and was escorted by Nie Gannu to Xi'an.Under the arrangement of the underground organization of the Communist Party, she and four other comrades took a Northeast Army car to Luochuan, rode northward on horseback, and entered the liberated area.

Ding Ling went to Zhidan and stayed at the guest house of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Mao Zedong often went to her cave to chat after dinner.Ding Ling recalled: Chairman Mao propped one leg on the edge of the Kang, with his back against the wall, and he talked about everything.Sometimes we go out for a walk together and chat while walking.Ding Ling said in the article "Writing in front of (going to the front)", "This is the happiest and most glorious moment in my life, and it must be the happiest and most glorious moment in my life. I was so carefree and full of joy for the first time in such a I spoke in front of many leading comrades. I talked about a period of life in Nanjing, just like a child returning home from afar, chatting endlessly to his father and mother so intimately.”

Ding Ling proposed the establishment of the Chinese Literary and Art Workers Association. Under the goal of the Anti-Japanese United Front, anyone who is interested in literature and art can apply to join.In addition to Ding Ling, the founders of the association included 34 people including Wu Xiuquan, Xu Teli, Xu Mengqiu, Hong Hong, Li Kenong, Cheng Fangwu, Li Bozhao, Lu Dingyi, and Wei Gongzhi.There are three places to contact for registration, one is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the contact person is Wang Yimin; the other is the General Political Department, the contact person is Xu Mengqiu; the third is the Central Bureau, the contact person is Xu Guoliang.With the support of the central leaders, Ding Ling hosted a preparatory meeting on November 15th. On November 22, the Literary and Art Association held its inaugural meeting, which was presided over by Li Bozhao, and Ding Ling reported on the preparatory process.At the meeting, Mao Zedong proposed to change the name of the association to "China Literature and Art Association", which was unanimously approved by all members attending the meeting.At the founding meeting, Zhang Wentian, Mao Zedong, Bogu, Lin Boqu, Xu Teli, and Kaifeng all delivered speeches.

Zhang Wentian (Luo Fu) said in his speech: Some writers in the white areas live a lonely life in a small house. They cannot see the masses and it is difficult for them to know the struggle and strength of the masses. Therefore, they can only describe some personal lives and cannot create the real lives of the masses. is a great work of mass struggle, because they have no experience of this kind of life.It was different in our Soviet area. We were integrated into the lives of the masses of workers and peasants all day long, and we could see or participate in the struggles of the masses.In the armed struggle of the masses, we can know the great strength of the masses, and these materials are inexhaustible and inexhaustible.Writers in the white areas cannot obtain such precious materials for the great real struggle, so they cannot produce great works of the masses.Why are the "iron flow" and "destruction" of the Soviet Union so attractive and great?It is because it is the great real struggle of the masses, the power of the armed struggle of the masses.The establishment of this meeting today is a pioneering work in the Soviet movement, and its mission is great.You have such determination and perseverance, and you have such rich and precious materials, you will surely be able to create many great works in the future.In the current anti-Japanese united front movement to stop the civil war and fight against Japan in unison, you use literary and artistic methods and concrete expressions to influence and promote writers, literary and art workers and all people interested in literature and art throughout the country, so as to consolidate the united front and express the Soviet Union as The core of the Anti-Japanese War, this is your difficult and great task. ④

Mao Zedong said in his speech: The Chinese Soviets have been established for a long time and have done many great and astonishing undertakings, but in terms of literary and artistic creation, we have done very little.The establishment of the Chinese Literature and Art Association today is a pioneering work of the Soviet movement in the past ten years.In the past, we had many comrades who were interested in literature and art, but we were not organized, and we did not have specially planned research to carry out literary and artistic creations by the masses of workers and peasants.Now we not only want martial arts, we also want literary skills, we want both civil and military skills.Because, now China has two fronts, one is the anti-Japanese front, and the other is the civil war.To form an anti-Japanese national united front, drive out Japanese imperialism, and strive for the independence and liberation of the Chinese nation, we must first stop the civil war.But now some people are unwilling to stop the civil war, and instead attack the People’s Red Army, the main force of the anti-Japanese war. They want to wipe out the anti-Japanese leaders and core Soviets, and all anti-Japanese forces, and those who resist Japan will also be wiped out.If we want to resist Japan, we must first stop the civil war.How can the civil war be stopped?We want to come both civil and military.From the aspect of literature, we must persuade those who are unwilling to stop the civil war, and from the aspect of literature, we must publicize and educate the people of the whole country to unite and resist Japan.If Wen's side cannot persuade those who are unwilling to stop the civil war, then we will use force to force him to stop the civil war.You writers also go to the front, encourage the fighters, and defeat those who will not stop the civil war.Therefore, in the movement to stop the civil war and unite in the resistance against Japan, the literary and art associations have a very important task. To carry forward the literature and art of the masses of Soviet workers and peasants, and to carry forward the anti-Japanese literature and art of the national revolutionary war. This is your great and glorious task.

Bo Gu (Qin Bangxian) said in his speech: The culture of the Soviet area, comparatively speaking, should be said to be backward.Now our task is to improve the mass culture in the Soviet area and develop the literature and art of the masses of workers and peasants.The establishment of the China Literature and Art Association, the first task is to develop the epoch-making culture of the broad masses, from the Soviet area to the whole of China, so that culture is not exclusive to a few people; the second task is to use literary and artistic creation to spread The story of the struggle of the millions of people in the Soviet movement has been conveyed to our comrades, our friends, and all people throughout China and the world.This spring, "Zi Lin Xi Bao" stated that the Chinese Red Army's long march of tens of thousands of miles across uninhabited grasslands is a great epic; but it can only become an epic when it is written by literary and artistic creation.Now that the China Literary and Art Association has been established, we have to answer the reporter of "Zi Lin Xi Bao": We must and must be able to write this great epic.In addition, in the Anti-Japanese National Revolutionary War, Chinese literature and art have a new tendency. This requires the newly established literary and art associations in the Soviet area to influence and promote unity from the basic line, and become a fighting force in the Anti-Japanese National Revolutionary War. To reflect the reality of the great heroic struggle, so that the broad masses can learn from the struggle.Here, the one with the pen is more important than the one with the gun.

The founding meeting passed the constitution and elected the board of directors.16 people including Ding Ling, Cheng Fangwu and Li Bozhao were elected as officers. On November 23, the China Literature and Art Association held its first executive meeting, and Ding Ling was elected as the director (chairman) of the China Literature and Art Association.The meeting decided to publish the irregular "Red China Supplement", and Ding Ling wrote "Essays at the End of the Journal" as the opening words.She wrote straight to the point: "When fighting, we need guns, bullets, all kinds of things, these fighting tools, and use these tools to destroy the enemy; but we should not forget to use another weapon, That pen that helps to attack flanks and outflank!", "We must mobilize from all aspects, use the pen, use the most popular poems, pictures, stories, etc., to penetrate into the hearts of all Chinese people, and win them to stand On one front, a united front for national liberation and anti-Japanese war." Finally, Ding Ling called out loudly: "Revolutionary athletes, pick up your guns, and pick up your pen!"

Ding Ling was very active and happy in Zhidan, visiting the cave dwellings of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Lin Boqu, Xu Teli and other leaders successively.He also played tennis with other people and participated in cultural activities of the Red Army University. One day, Mao Zedong asked Ding Ling: "What do you want to do?" Ding Ling said: "I want to be in the Red Army." Mao Zedong said: "That's easy." Ding Ling said: "I want to fight!" Mao Zedong said: "There The final battle is being arranged." Ding Ling asked: "Who are you fighting with?" Chairman Mao said: "With the Kuomintang! Hu Zongnan is going to be attacked. You can hurry up, and you can still catch up! Together with the General Political Department at the front led by Yang Shangkun and the others go." The General Staff sent Ding Ling a horse for her westbound ride. On November 24, Ding Ling went to the front with Yang Shangkun and other comrades, arrived in Dingbian County in northern Shaanxi, participated in the commemoration meeting of the Guangzhou Riot here, and then wrote "The Commemoration of Guangriots in Dingbian".Ding Ling wrote seven or eight articles including correspondence, casual notes and sketches along the way, which were compiled as "Going North", most of which were lost before publication. In December 1936, just a few days after the Xi'an Incident, Ding Ling followed the troops led by Peng Dehuai and Ren Bishi to the south from Dingbian, via Gansu, to the Red Army's forward headquarters in Sanyuan County, Shaanxi.When the troops passed through Qingyang, Gansu Province, Commander Nie Rongzhen gave Ding Ling a telegram, which was a military telegram sent by Mao Zedong from Zhidan. The content was the word "Linjiang Fairy" presented to Ding Ling by Mao Zedong: On the front line, Ding Ling interviewed Peng Dehuai and wrote a special report entitled "New China News" on February 3, 1937.Next to the article is a portrait of General Peng hand-painted by Ding Ling.From Dingbian to Sanyuan, Ding Ling wrote seven or eight essays and compiled them into "Southward", except for a few of which exist, the others are nowhere to be found. At the beginning of 1937, Ding Ling returned to Yan'an from the front line, and Mao Zedong copied the phrase "Linjiang Fairy" and presented it to Ding Ling.