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Friendship Across Borders : Smedley's Trip to China
On January 12, 1937, Smedley's arrival was seen as a major event, and she was escorted by a group of Red Army soldiers through rugged mountain roads and finally arrived in northern Shaanxi. At that time, this area was an important base of the Chinese Communist Party, far from the direct control of the Kuomintang.
The soldiers of the Red Army, dressed in simple but neat uniforms, each with firmness and enthusiasm written on their faces, showed great respect and friendship to this international friend who had come from afar. Despite the tiring journey through the bitter cold, Smedley's arrival was full of symbolism and marked an important exchange of left-wing forces between the East and the West.
Upon arrival, she did not go directly to her lodgings to rest, but was ushered directly to a local conference room for her first formal meeting with the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. Mao Zedong and Zhu De personally received Smedley, and this kind of high-profile reception is uncommon, which shows that Smedley's influence in the international communist movement and his support for the Chinese revolution are highly valued.
Mao Zedong and Zhu De's reception place was simple and full of revolutionary atmosphere, with slogans and revolutionary artworks hanging on the walls, showing the spiritual outlook of the revolutionary base area. After a deep initial connection was established during the first meeting, the conversation between Smedley and Jude gradually became a fixture.
Each week, they pick out two or three nights dedicated to networking and recording. In these moments, Zhu De will share in detail his past experiences, whether it is the days of fighting or his unique insights on the political situation. These evening conversations usually take place at Zhu De's residence, a relatively private environment away from the distractions of everyday business.
Jude would light a dim oil lamp in a modest room, facing Smedley, and the two would sit across from the wooden table. The room was small, but furnished as comfortably as possible to facilitate long conversations.
In these conversations, Zhu De not only recalled his early days in the revolution and how he gradually grew from an ordinary soldier to a senior commander of the Red Army, but also described in detail the various battles and strategic decision-making processes in which he participated.
For example, he recounted in detail the difficulties and dangers of the Long March, including how to make decisions in the face of enemy encirclement, how to deal with difficulties along the way, and how to maintain the morale of the troops in the face of almost despair.
Zhu De also shared his difficulties and achievements in the reform of China's rural areas, such as the adjustment and implementation of land policies. He explained how these policies changed the lives of ordinary peasants and what they meant for the Chinese revolution in the long run. Through these detailed accounts, Smedley was able to gain insight into the internal mechanisms and practical effects of the Chinese Revolution.
Through these intensive and systematic exchanges, Smedley gradually amassed a wealth of valuable first-hand information that would later form the basis for her book The Great Path: The Life and Times of Jude.
International response and support: Dispatch of medical teams
Under Smedley's active appeal, the international community began to pay more attention to the plight of China's anti-Japanese base areas, especially the shortage of medical resources. A group of international doctors with a humanitarian spirit, such as Bethune and Kotnis, responded to this call and decided to go to China and directly participate in the front line of the anti-Japanese war.
Bethune is a surgeon from Canada who has extensive experience in field medicine in Canada and Spain before heading to China. Kotnis, on the other hand, is an American physician who is equally passionate about international aid.
Upon arrival in China, these doctors were first sent to northern Shaanxi and several other anti-Japanese base areas, where their arrival significantly improved the level of medical care. After arriving at the anti-Japanese base area, Bethune and Kotnis quickly began their work. First, they conducted an assessment of the existing medical facilities.
Due to the prolonged war and lack of resources, many medical facilities are in an unusable state. Using his experience, Bethune began to organize and train medical teams, teaching them not only the latest medical knowledge, but also first aid skills and surgical procedures to ensure effective medical care even on the front lines.
In addition to improving medical skills, these international doctors have introduced new management methods. For example, Kotnis introduced a medical record card system that keeps detailed records of each patient's treatment, which plays an important role in improving treatment efficiency and patient management. They are also working to improve sanitation and reduce the spread of diseases caused by poor sanitation.
In actual medical work, Bethune and Kotnis often went to the front line to personally treat war wounds. Bethune once worked for hours on end after a battle, dealing with first aid and surgery for a large number of wounded. Their selfless dedication and professional skills have earned them great respect and gratitude from Chinese soldiers and civilians.
Writings and biographies: "China's War Song" and "The Great Road"
Smedley's experience in China was extremely rich and diverse, and she gained an in-depth understanding of the lives and struggles of the Chinese people during the Sino-Japanese War. These experiences provided rich material for her later book, The Battle Hymn of China. The book is an exhaustive account of the living conditions of the people in China's vast countryside and cities, as well as their heroic performance in the War of Resistance Against Japan.
Through her keen observations, Smedley vividly presents the stories of the war and the human brilliance behind them to Western readers. During the writing of "The Battle Hymn of China", Smedley visited a number of anti-Japanese base areas, and witnessed many fierce battles and daily hardships.
She chronicles the resilience and selfless dedication of farmers, soldiers, workers, and ordinary citizens in harsh circumstances. In the book, she describes in detail how doctors and medical teams treat the wounded with extremely limited resources, and how to maintain their mental outlook and life in the midst of continuous fighting.
The writing and publication of this book played an important role in the Western world's understanding of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the life and spiritual outlook of the Chinese people. Smedley's description is direct and truthful, allowing Western readers far away from the war to feel the difficulty and greatness of the Chinese people's war of resistance.
In 1941, due to health problems, Smedley had to return to the United States for treatment. Although her physical condition has not fully recovered, her mind is still stuck on her unfinished business. She decided to start writing a biography of Zhu De, "The Great Road: The Life and Times of Zhu De".
The plan for the book had already been conceived during her many in-depth exchanges with Zhu De, and she hoped that through this book, she would document in detail the life of the leader of the Chinese Communist Party and his role in the Chinese revolution. Compiling Jude's biography was a daunting task for Smedley.
She needs to collate a large number of interview notes, personal notes, and relevant historical documents to ensure the accuracy and depth of the book's content. In addition, she corresponds frequently with contacts in China for more first-hand information and confirmation details. It was then that Smedley received an invitation from the newly independent Indian government to serve as an advisor to the government.
This is a very enticing career opportunity that allows her to showcase her abilities and impact in a new field. However, considering the importance of the writing project she had already undertaken and her personal commitment to completing Jude's biography, Smedley ultimately decided to decline the Indian government's invitation and choose to stay in the United States to concentrate on her work.
Legacy and Influence: Smedley's Last Will
As the political climate in the United States changed from the late 1940s to the early 1950s, anti-communist sentiment rose rapidly within the United States, entering a period known as "McCarthyism." At the heart of this political movement was a deep anti-republican witch hunt against those suspected of communist tendencies or Communist Party affiliations.
Smedley, because of his deep Chinese experience and friendly contacts with the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, was a natural target of this political hunt. In this high-pressure political environment, Smedley's life and work have been greatly affected. Her phone calls were monitored, her emails checked, and even her personal public activities were closely monitored.
Her efforts to portray the Chinese Communist Party leader positively were seen in the political atmosphere of the time as sympathy with hostile forces. Despite the intense pressure, Smedley persevered in completing her work, The Great Road: The Life and Times of Jude.
This book is not only a record of Zhu De's life, but also an in-depth interpretation of the Chinese revolution and its significance. However, in an increasingly intolerant political environment like the United States, publishing such a work is extremely risky. Eventually, considering the safety and freedom of the individual, as well as the need to maintain the safety of the manuscript, Smedley made the decision to leave the United States.
Quietly taking her manuscript with her, she left the United States, once considered a land of freedom, for England. She chose the United Kingdom as a safe haven, hoping to find a more tolerant and understanding environment where she could complete her writing. On May 6, 1950, Smedley died in Oxford, England due to complications after surgery, at the age of 58.
Her death is a great loss to the literary and historical worlds, and she was not able to see her hard-earned work visible to the world. It was not until 1956, six years after her death, that the book, which details Zhu De's life, The Great Road: The Life and Times of Zhu De, was published.
In the last years of Smedley's life, her deep affection and respect for China and its leader, General Zhu De, was reflected in her will. In the days of the race against death, she expressed an important wish in a letter to a friend, that is, to unconditionally donate the profits generated by all her works to General Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
On her instructions, the manuscript fee was aggregated and handed over to the Chinese Embassy in East Germany in the amount of DM 95,008.3. The money was deposited in the embassy in accordance with Smedley's last wishes, pending further instructions on how it would be spent. The funds were kept in the embassy for two years, until the embassy staff asked for instructions from China: "Vice President Zhu, how to deal with this money?" ”
After learning of this situation, Zhu De made a far-reaching decision. He instructed that the funds be used to purchase the latest books on natural sciences and metallurgical chemistry. Following Zhu De's instructions, the embassy procured a large number of scientific books, covering the latest research and theories in the fields of natural sciences, metallurgy, and chemistry.
These books were later shipped back to China in a unified manner and donated by General Zhu De to libraries and scientific research units in China. These libraries and research institutes are located all over China, including some institutions of higher learning and research institutes, and the arrival of these books has greatly enriched their collection resources and has had a positive impact on the improvement of the level of scientific research in China.
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Resources:
[1] Xu Gaiping. A brief discussion on the turmoil of Smedley and China's civil rights protection alliance[J].Academia,2018(2):170-186