Picture 丨 Smedley old photo
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="1" > preface</h1>
In today's Babaoshan Cemetery, there is a marble tombstone on the west side of the cemetery, on which is engraved an inscription written by Zhu De himself:
Friends of the Chinese people
Writer of the American Revolution
Tomb of Lady Smedley
Born into a working-class family in the United States, Smedley, who lived only half a century, became an internationally acclaimed writer and journalist who devoted her life to the cause of liberating the poor, while the most meaningful phase of her short life was spent in China...
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="67" > "I want you to tell me the whole story of your life."</h1>
In 1927, at the age of 35, Smedley made a decision to go to China. She believed that there would be a struggle between Asia and Europe, and that the center of that struggle would be China, and that she planned to work as a journalist for several American newspapers in China. Smedley set out from the United States, passed through Germany and the Soviet Union, and spent almost a year crossing the Sino-Soviet border into China.
Picture 丨 Smedley in Yan'an
After the "Xi'an Incident", Smedley gained a deeper understanding of the Chinese Communist Party in the course of the interview, and she let the world know the truth of the facts as a witness through the radio. In early 1937, Smedley came to Yan'an and met Commander-in-Chief Zhu De that night.
Before going to Yan'an, Smedley, based on various rumors about Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, fantasized that the commander-in-chief must be a grumpy and outspoken revolutionary, but when they met, Zhu De's image completely broke Smedley's imagination, "He looks completely ordinary, if it were not for his uniform, it would be easy to ignore him as a peasant boss in a Chinese village." This was Smedley's first impression of Jude.
Pictured by Jude and Smedley
The first meeting with Judd was a great touch for Smedley, and from the conversation Smedley could sense that Judd was a kind and approachable person, with no interest in making himself a personal hero. In the cave where Judd lived, there was a simple unpainted table piled high with various books and documents. Jude was only 50 years old at the time, but from his appearance, he seemed to be a little older than his actual age.
Smedley asked Judd some questions about his personal experience in an interview, and Judd sincerely replied, while also correcting some of the false information smedley obtained. For example, it is rumored that Zhu De was born in a wealthy landlord family, but in fact, Zhu De was only born in a sharecropper family, and his mother would also wash the clothes of the rich family to earn money for her livelihood.
From an outsider's point of view, Smedley mentioned that In the newspaper Judd was called a "bandit", she thought that Jude would laugh like herself, but instead of laughing, Jude lowered his head, looked at the ground, and showed a sad look. Although it was only a brief moment, Jude's answer was high-pitched and powerful:
"The problem of banditry is a matter of class."
Pictured by Smedley interviewing Jude
In the process of answering Smedley's question, Judd's every answer and every action showed the courage of a big husband, and people knew little about such an experienced commander. In the course of the conversation between the two, Smedley suddenly had an idea, she wanted to write a biography of this character who was not well understood, to publish his true experience in front of the public, through his experience, so that more people could know more about the country.
As soon as this impulsive idea arose, Smedley immediately decided to settle down. When Zhu De asked her what her plans were in Yan'an, Smedley immediately replied:
"I want you to tell me the whole story of your life."
Jude was surprised by her thoughts and asked her why. Smedley replied, "Because you're a farmer, eight out of ten Chinese are farmers, and so far no one has spoken to the world about their experiences." If you tell me everything about your life, it will be the first time that a Chinese farmer will speak. ”
Picture 丨 Wu Lili and Smedley
"My experience is only part of the life of a Chinese peasant and a soldier, and there is nothing worth writing about." Please walk around, meet others, talk, and then make your choices! Jude replied humbly to her.
Smedley followed Zhu De's advice and came into contact with many Red Army generals in Yan'an, and although their lives and experiences were legendary enough to serve as material for large-scale literary works, Smedley, after careful consideration, insisted on his original idea and wrote a biography of Zhu De, because she had developed a simple admiration for Jude.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="68" > "I didn't become a woman because I wanted to be a woman."</h1>
In March 1937, Smedley officially began to implement a writing program, and they would talk together two or three nights a week, starting with judd from his childhood, or asking questions from Smedley and judder answering; or Jude developing his mind to the fullest. Smedley carefully recorded every word Judd said, and then sorted out the interview materials on the typewriter with the translator, often until late at night. After a few months, Smedley lost confidence in the interview.
Although Zhu De had a very tortuous experience, because the cultural level of most Chinese families at that time was not high, the peasants did not care about their past, especially after Zhu De joined the revolution, he left almost no material, and some important events even Zhu De himself could not give an accurate time. These difficulties were difficult for Smedley, who wanted to write a detailed biography.
Picture 丨 Ann and Smedley (left)
Still, Smedley's interview work was slowly moving forward, as Smedley, who had lived in China for many years, was not fluent in Chinese, so he was always accompanied by a translator and Chinese teacher. In general, when interviewing, everyone uses Chinese, sometimes the words do not meet the intention, Zhu De uses German to explain, and when more complex sentences are encountered, everyone uses the mother tongue to communicate, and the translator communicates in the middle.
After zhu de joined the revolution, he collected many precious documents and battle maps, even during the Long March, and Smedley often discussed with Zhu De the importance of collecting and preserving historical materials. At Smedley's suggestion, Zhu De established the first Literature Research Committee in Yan'an to collate and study the history of the Chinese revolution.
Of course, just through interviews is far from being able to meet Smedley's expectations, and for more time, Smedley has always paid attention to Judd. In between Judd's work, he would often walk to the courtyard and tell stories and sing with Smedley, and when there were many people, Smedley would teach everyone to dance.
Red Army soldiers play basketball
Jude learned not only Virginian folk dance during that period, but also Western ballroom dance, and in Smedley's view, although Jude was keen to participate in these activities that he had never participated in, his dance was not outstanding, far less than He Long's innate dance talent.
According to Smedley's observation, nothing in the world can stop Judd from participating, in addition to dancing and playing basketball, Jude also likes drama, likes to sing, and never misses any opportunity to enjoy the performance. Later, the US military observation group played movies in Yan'an, and Zhu De was bound to arrive almost every time, and when the performance was wonderful, Zhu De always laughed loudly.
Such interviews lasted for several months, and after the Lugou Bridge Incident, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression officially began, and Zhu De wanted to lead his army to cross the Yellow River in the east and march to the Shanxi front. Before leaving, Judd sincerely told Smedley that he was going to the front line and asked Smedley what he planned to do. Smedley replied without hesitation:
"I will go to the front with your troops!"
Pictured by Smedley (right) with Chairman Mao and Zhu De
At the time, only half of the material on Judd's biography was collated, and Smedley hesitated whether to continue to organize the material or go to the front line for in-depth interviews. She went to Chairman Mao to ask for his opinion, and Chairman Mao sincerely said to her:
"I think it's more important for you to go to the front line to report on the War of Resistance than for you to study the history of the past!"
At Chairman Mao's suggestion, Smedley quickly packed her bags and prepared to go to the front, and just as she was getting ready to follow Jude to the front, she accidentally fell off her horse, broke her spine, and had to lie on bed to recuperate. All summer, she had to lie in the caves of Yan'an to recuperate while sorting out interview materials.
After less than two months, Smedley could not stay any longer, and asked Chairman Mao to go to the front line for an interview, and Chairman Mao gave her a rattan chair as a stretcher, along with two guards and a attendant. In this way, Smedley followed the field service regiment to the anti-Japanese front.
Photo taken by Premier Zhou and International Friends such as Smedley
When she arrived in Xi'an, Smedley went to the hospital for examination, and the results showed that her injuries were not serious, but her muscles were seriously sprained, and under the treatment of doctors, Smedley went to Shanxi after two weeks of recuperation in the hospital. In late October, at the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army on Mount Wutai, Peng Dehuai personally received them, and Kang Keqing hugged smed warmly as soon as he saw Smedley, like a sister who had been reunited for a long time.
The next morning Smedley went to visit Judd, who was getting a haircut in front of the door, and when he saw Smedley arrive, Judd immediately got up to greet Smedley despite the towel he was still wearing. After Jude finished his haircut, he accompanied Smedley in the courtyard for several hours, all talking about his battle with the Japanese invaders.
At that time, Smedley's friends were allowed to accompany the army to the anti-Japanese front, and Smedley heard about it and asked Zhu De to go with him, but was rejected by Zhu De and Ren Bishi.
Pictured: Smedley poses with the cadets of the New Fourth Army
Jude and Ren bishi offered various reasons, such as that everyone on the front line needed to be prepared to fight, and Smedley said that he could also fight, and that he grew up in the Western United States. Zhu De and Ren Bishi found another reason to reject her:
"But you're a woman..."
This sentence immediately caused Smedley's dissatisfaction, and he immediately launched a fire on Jude and Ren Bishi: "I did not become a woman because I wanted to be a woman, God made me like this!" This sentence immediately caused Judd and Ren Bishi to laugh, because Smedley mentioned God, and the Communist generals were staunch atheists. Years later, Kang Keqing still remembers that day Smedley pouted all day and wiped his tears.
In the end, Judd granted Smedley's request to go to the front, but stipulated that they must go with the combat team and could not act alone. Smedley was overjoyed to hear the news, and for a long time afterward, Smedley observed Judd commanding the battle on the battlefield.
Pictured by Smedley about the New Fourth Army
Later, Smedley followed the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army to many places, interviewed on the front line of the War of Resistance, and wrote dozens of field communications. In 1938, Smedley went to Wuhan, participated in the assistance activities to assist the Chinese army, and mobilized a large number of international friends to work in the anti-Japanese base area. In 1939, she once again went to the front line to interview the New Fourth Army, and her attention to Zhu De came to an end.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="69" > "All my posthumous relics were handed over to Jude" to deal with</h1>
When Smedley began actually writing Judd's biography, it was 1945, eight years after she first interviewed Judd. In 1940, Smedley was hospitalized in Hong Kong due to her injuries, and after returning to the mainland, she was often harassed by Dai Kasa's subordinates because of her long-term propaganda and assistance to the Eighth Route Army.
Shortly after the "Anhui Incident" in the summer of 1941, Smedley returned to the United States, where she had planned to rest for a while and return to China again to complete her biography with Zhu De. At that time, a civil war broke out in China, and the United States was involved, so that the writer and journalist who had been in China for more than a decade never returned to the land of China.
Pictured by Smedley (second from left) with Zhang Yuhui, Huang Xuzhou and others
Smedley's life in the United States was not stable, and in 1945 she moved to Yedezhuang, a creative center for artists and writers, before diving down to complete the biography of Jude. In order to enrich the original material, Smedley wrote to Zhu De, who, at her request, sent her a large amount of materials on the Red Army and his own published articles, along with two small round pins embedded with portraits of Zhu De and Chairman Mao and a handmade shawl made in Yan'an.
In order to devote himself to writing, Smedley decorated the room with a Chinese atmosphere, and even gave up some good opportunities to eliminate various distractions. When Indian officials had invited her to India to participate as an advisor to the new government, Smedley thought twice, believing that the book had exhausted all her energies and that she could not get out of this state for a long time, so she had to give up the perfect opportunity to go to India.
In early 1949, When Smedley completed the first draft of Zhu De's biography, Chiang Kai-shek was in a slump in China, and was accused by the U.S. government of being a "Soviet spy" for years because Smedley had been publishing speeches and articles about China everywhere in the United States for many years. Her life was greatly affected by this, not only was she unable to give lectures and articles, but even the homes of her friends were implicated, and Smedley was forced to rent a small hotel with high rents.
Pictured is Smedley wearing a Red Army uniform
At that time, Smedley chose to go abroad, but never applied for a passport, and the passport bureau officials insisted that she was a member of the Communist Party, as evidenced by her writings about the Eighth Route Army. Under such circumstances, the publication of Judd's biography naturally encountered difficulties, and the originally signed publishing house suddenly asked Smedley to revise the content of the article and add anti-communist content to the end of the article, but Smedley categorically refused, and the plan for the publication of Judd's biography was stranded.
After the founding of New China, Smedley heard the news on the radio, and she immediately wrote a long letter to Zhu De, saying that she would resolutely support New China and would do everything in her power to support China. After several twists and turns, Smedley's passport was finally granted, and she was allowed to travel to England.
Upon arriving in London, Smedley immediately attended the inaugural meeting of the Anglo-Chinese Friendship Association, at which Smedley spoke passionately about what he had seen and heard in China. At that time, Smedley was already suffering from a very serious stomach disease, but she still insisted on continuing the revision of Zhu De's biography, and as long as there were events related to new China, she would definitely attend.
Picture 丨 Smedley with a friend old photo
Far from the persecution of the U.S. government, Smedley was finally able to continue his work in a stable environment, but unfortunately the good times did not last long, and in April 1950, Smedley's condition deteriorated severely, and he was bedridden for three weeks, and the day before undergoing surgery, Smedley still insisted on sorting out the original manuscript of Judd's biography and explained in writing where the materials he had collated were placed.
Before the operation, Smedley wrote a will, handed over all his belongings to Zhu De for disposal, and also asked to send his ashes to China for burial, and to play the Chinese national anthem, "The March of the Volunteers". On the afternoon of 5 May, Smedley underwent gastric resection and died the next day after the operation.
Judd was devastated and burst into tears when he heard the news of Smedley's death. On the first anniversary of Smedley's death, her ashes were transported from England to China and buried in the Babaoshan Martyrs' Cemetery, with an inscription handwritten by Zhu De:
Figure 丨 Smedley's tombstone
Smedley's "The Great Road: The Life and Age of Jude" was not published until 1955, first translated into Japanese by her friend Ayako Ishigaki, and then published in eight languages, including German, Russian, and French, which had a very far-reaching impact on progressive people in various countries.
During his lifetime, Smedley said that he would transfer all the fees for the book to Judd, and after Smedley's death, Judd never asked about the fee. In February 1958, the Chinese Embassy in Germany asked Zhu De for instructions:
"Vice Chairman Zhu De has deposited 95008.30 marks in our library for two years, how to deal with this paragraph?"
"Buy a new book on natural metallurgical science and a new book on chemistry and send it back!" Zhu De immediately raised his pen and gave instructions.
Figure 丨 "The Great Road: The Life and Era of Jude"
Therefore, the embassy bought back a large number of foreign latest scientific and technological books and distributed them to major libraries and scientific research units in China. In 1979, the Chinese translation of The Great Road was finally published, which was called by many as a classic depicting the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. This work has not only become the research material of historians around the world, but also deeply attracted ordinary readers around the world who are concerned about China, and nearly 30 years have passed since Smedley's death.