Mr. Lu Xun once said: "If the deceased is not buried in the hearts of the living, then he is really dead." In other words, some people are dead, but if they are remembered by future generations, then they are eternal. So, who exactly has the "qualifications" to live in Chinese mind forever?
In fact, in addition to the countless Chinese revolutionary martyrs, there is also a special group that should also be qualified, and they have an exclusive title - "old friends of the Chinese people" (foreigners who have long been friendly to China).
For example, The Canadian doctor Bethune, the American journalist Snow, the American politician Kissinger, the Japanese politician Kakuei Tanaka, the famous Polish writer Epstein and so on... Although they are not Chinese nationals, they have good deeds towards Chinese and are therefore widely respected by Chinese.
The several people mentioned above have one biggest thing in common: they are all men, but what about women? Are there no foreign women? Of course. There was a foreign lady who had lived in China for nearly 13 years, was one of the best "spokespeople" of the Chinese democratic revolution abroad, and had gone out of her way to promote the understanding of China by all countries in the world; like Edgar Snow, she was a real "old friend of the Chinese people." Her name was Agnes Smedley and she was an American journalist.
▲ Smedley
During her 13 years in China, she had become close friends with Lu Xun, who was ill, and she traveled back and forth to contact hospitals and doctors; after Lu Xun's death, she became the only two female members of the funeral committee (the other was Song Qingling), issuing the loudest roar for Lu Xun.
During her 13 years in China, she had forged a deep friendship with Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, personally went to the battlefield to observe his combat life, repeatedly requested to write a personal biography for Zhu De, and left a will after her death, asking that all the income from the manuscript fee be left to Commander-in-Chief Zhu De.
In 2009, the Party Central Committee selected "100 Heroic And Exemplary Figures who made outstanding contributions to the founding of New China", and Smedley was the No. 26 candidate.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="73" > restless American girl</h1>
Smedley was born in Missouri in 1892 to a mining worker and a servant mother who lived at the bottom of the United States. She lost her mother at the age of 16, and because she was dissatisfied with the injustice of fate, she "did the opposite", ran away from home and began a wandering life. At the age of 19, with her amazing will and self-learning ability, she was admitted to a local normal school and later showed a strong talent for writing.
In 1916, at the age of 24, Smedley came to New York and began to dabble in politics; at the age of 28, he was arrested by the New York authorities and forced into exile in Europe, first to Denmark and then to Germany.
In 1928, at the age of 36, Smedley began serializing the autobiographical novel "Daughter of the Earth" in the German "Frankfurt Daily"; at the end of the same year, he resigned from the faculty of the University of Berlin and, as a reporter for the Frankfurt Daily, came to a beautiful oriental country - China.
▲ Smedley in Yan'an
Before coming, Smedley was extremely eager for Chinese culture, but when she arrived in China, she was shocked, because she saw the most cruel and pitiful scene in the world.
She saw a group of dock workers, with ropes on their shoulders, struggling to pull a formwork car full of goods under the scorching summer sun. Suddenly, a large, bearded Indian patrol appeared, beating the workers' sweaty bare backs in order to make way for a gleaming black sedan with an arrogant foreign official inside. At that time, she felt as if the baton had hit herself. She could not help but feel ashamed to see one oppressed nation treat another in such a way. She said to herself, 'Whoever has the courage must be able to do a great deed on this earth.' She held my hand tightly and firmly expressed her devotion to the great revolution that changed the system. ”
The "she" here refers to Smedley. What was the situation in China at that time? Just one year after the end of the counter-revolutionary coup, Chinese society was completely shrouded in white terror, and the three mountains of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism were heavily pressed on the heads of the Chinese people.
Seeing this scene, Smedley, who had been born poor since childhood, could not help but shed tears, and she had infinite sympathy for the Chinese people. It was also from this time that she began to live in China for more than ten years.
During these ten years, there were two Chinese who had a crucial influence on her, one was the literary scholar Lu Xun and the other was the military scholar Zhu De.
In the 1930s, Agnes Smedley (back row, third from right) attended the Women's Symposium in the Fifth Theater.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="45" > II, Smedley and Lu Xun</h1>
According to Lu Xun's Diary, on December 25, 1929: "I received a letter from Ms. Smutley in the morning and replied in the afternoon." Two days later, in a building in Jingyunli, Shanghai, Smedley met for the first time Mr. Lu Xun, known as the "Gorky of China."
Perhaps due to the fact that both spoke German (Lu Xun spoke two foreign languages, Japanese and German), their first meeting went very smoothly. Lu Xun sat in a rattan chair by the window and introduced Chinese revolutionary literature to Smedley. Because of Lu Xun, Smedley had a very good impression of the Chinese literati.
▲Shanghai Lu Xun's former residence
On September 25, 1930, on the occasion of Lu Xun's fiftieth birthday (calculated according to the lunar calendar), the Shanghai "Left Alliance" held a celebration banquet for Lu Xun, and Smedley was also invited to attend.
At the banquet, Smedley, who has always loved photography, took many photos of Mr. Lu Xun, the most classic of which was Mr. Lu Xun sitting on a rattan chair in the courtyard wearing a robe. In the book, Smedley describes in detail what Lu Xun looked like at that time, she said:
He was short and weak, wearing a beige silk robe and a pair of Chinese soft-soled cloth shoes. He did not wear a hat, his short black hair was cut like a brush, and the outline of his face was the most common Chinese, but in my memory, it was the face with the richest expression I had ever seen, constantly overflowing with the vivid brilliance of wisdom and alertness. His demeanor, his speech and every gesture radiate the charm of a perfect personality. I suddenly felt clumsy and rude like a fool. ”
Thanks to Smedley, after 91 years, we can still feel Mr. Lu Xun's voice and smile.
▲ In September 1930, on the fiftieth birthday of Lu Xun, he took a photo on a rattan chair on the lawn of a Western restaurant (Smedley photography)
By 1931, because the Kuomintang reactionaries had suddenly killed Rou Shi, Li Weisen, Yin Fu, Hu Yipin and other young writers, the news came, and Lu Xun's body trembled with anger. He was furious and wrote articles such as "The Current Situation of the Literary and Art Circles in Dark China" on the same day, fiercely condemning the vicious -- "murderer" face of the Kuomintang agents.
After hearing this bad news, Smedley also rushed to Lu Xun's home immediately, and saw that Mr. Smedley's eyes were sunken, his face was gray, and his beard did not seem to have been shaved for several days, and Smedley was even more upset. Later, she personally translated Mr. Lu Xun's article and published it in the American progressive journal New Masses, exposing the brutal acts of Kuomintang agents to the whole world.
The public opinion offensive created by Smedley abroad exerted tremendous pressure on chiang Kai-shek's government, and in a fit of rage, they shut down leftist publications such as "Outpost," and Smedley was therefore more "cared for" by the spies.
However, due to the jealousy of Smedley's status as a foreign journalist, the agents did not dare to really do anything with her, and Smedley continued to wield the "sword" in his hand.
▲ In 1933, Smedley (first from the left) took a group photo with Lu Xun, Lin Yutang, Yi Luosheng, Cai Yuanpei, Song Qingling, And George Bernard Shaw
Smedley's friendship with Lu Xun is not only reflected in work, but also in life.
On November 8, 1935, the Consulate General of the Soviet Union in Shanghai held an open reception for only a few people to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the victory of the October Revolution.
According to Mao Dun's memoirs in his later years, "The Road I Walked", when the cocktail party was about to end, Smedley deliberately pulled him aside and said: "We all think that Lu Xun is sick and his face is not good-looking." Mrs. Sun also felt this way. The Soviet comrades said that if he was willing to go to the Soviet Union to recuperate, they could arrange everything, and the whole family could go. We also think that's the best way to do it. ”
Then, she said that she had mentioned this matter to Lu Xun many times, but she had been rejected. Smedley hoped that Mao Dun would come forward to persuade Lu Xun that as long as he was willing to go, everything else could be said, and hoped that Lu Xun would put his health first.
For Lu Xun's condition, in fact, it is due to the long-term day and night work and writing that exhausts the body, at first it was dizzy, and then gradually developed into lung disease. In fact, when Smedley proposed to persuade Lu Xun to go to the Soviet Union to recuperate, he was already very ill, but he had been holding on.
▲ Lu Xun
"Don't you say that minor injuries are not in the line of fire, and when I feel that I can't support it, I will talk about the matter of rehabilitating to the place." Lu Xun declined the kindness of Smedley and others.
In May of the following year, Lu Xun's condition suddenly worsened, and Smedley proposed that if he did not want to go abroad to recuperate, he could find a foreign doctor in Shanghai for examination and treatment. This time, Lu Xun could not bear to refuse and agreed to Smedley's suggestion.
On the afternoon of May 31, Smedley brought an American doctor to Lu Xun's home. Before the examination, the doctor asked Smedley what language did the patient speak? Shi A: Japanese is very good, German can not be spoken but understood, English is not understood.
Then, the doctor carefully diagnosed Lu Xun with a stethoscope and percussion, and listened to it for about twenty minutes. Afterwards, the doctor said to Smedley in English: Very sick. Smedley asked: How serious is it? The doctor said: I'm afraid it won't be a year!
As soon as Smedley heard this, the tears couldn't stop flowing, but she immediately realized that she had to hold back again.
▲Lu Xun died of illness
Later, Smedley helped contact the hospital and gave Lu Xun an X-ray. When the doctor saw the light sheet, he was surprised and said: This is the first Chinese I have ever seen who is good at resisting diseases, and ordinary people may have died a long time ago. Because from the light film, Lu Xun's two lungs were basically empty. Smedley heard even more grief.
Later, Lu Xun did not go abroad. More than four months later, on October 19, Lu Xun finally died of illness. On Lu Xun's list of 13 members of the funeral committee, there were only two female members, one was Song Qingling and the other was Smedley. Although she only had 7 years of interaction with Lu Xun, she was a very important good friend of Lu Xun before and after his death.
In fact, in addition to Lu Xun, Smedley was also very friendly to other Chinese writers, and she once lamented to Mao Dun that Chinese writers were generally malnourished and lacked exercise. The same is true of Mao Dun.
But there was no way, in those days, although they did not fight bayonets on the battlefield, they also bore the threat of life from the reactionaries. The pen in their hands is a knife that is dangling and makes the enemy feel frightened.
▲ Lu Xun's funeral
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="61" >3, Smedley and Commander-in-Chief Judd</h1>
In addition to Lu Xun, Smedley also has a very respected figure in China, that is, Commander-in-Chief Zhu De.
After the Xi'an Incident in 1936, Smedley came to Yan'an and visited many revolutionary leaders, including Mao Zedong, of whom Zhu De especially admired her.
Commander-in-Chief Zhu was born into a poor tenant peasant family in Sichuan, and with amazing courage grew up to be a famous general in the Dian Army, but after that, he gave up his existing honors, resolutely refused the temptation of Houlu, a high-ranking official of the National Government, went to Europe to study at the age of 36, and joined the Communist Party that was "poor and white" at that time. After that, together with Mao Zedong, he founded the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and experienced a 25,000-mile long march, leading Chinese people to fight on the anti-Japanese battlefield.
In Smedley's view, Judd's experience was perfect, enough to excite the oppressed people of the world, so she felt that Jude should write a biography, and took the initiative to ask for help, personally wrote a book for him. Zhu Deben did not want to publicize himself too much, but later agreed, as Smedley said, this is to speak out for Chinese farmers, it is worth it.
Smedley (right) with Zhu De and Mao Zedong
To this end, Smedley conducted a large number of interviews with Jude, and observed the battlefield for a year in the field, interviewing and marching during the day, typing and sorting at night, accumulating a large amount of rich material.
The more he learned about Zhu De's experience, the more Smedley felt that the Chinese revolution was not easy, and the more he admired and admired Commander-in-Chief Zhu.
During this time, when Judd spoke of his mother, who had worked hard all his life, Smedley also thought of his mother, and when she fell into grief, Jude said in a rough voice: "The poor people in the world are originally a family!" This optimism and boldness in Judd made Smedley deeply moved.
Later, Zhu De led the Eighth Route Army to the anti-Japanese front. Considering that the troops had to move and fight frequently, Smedley had to leave. After that, she never saw her idol Jude again.
Judd and Smedley
In September 1941, Smedley fell ill and had to return to the United States for treatment. Like Edgar Snow, she suffered political persecution in the United States. However, in an extremely difficult situation, she insisted on writing a biography of Jude and named it The Great Road.
In February 1949, under the influence of McCarthyism in the United States, Smedley was slandered by the U.S. Army authorities as a "Soviet spy" and suffered extremely cruel abuse and torture, leaving her with almost no place to live.
However, in such a poor and sick situation, and even her life is threatened, she still insists on her faith. In October 1949, she heard the news of the birth of New China on the radio, and she was so excited that she immediately decided to return to the land of China for which she had fought.
To this end, she broke through the obstruction of the US government and came to Europe, preparing to leave for China from here.
However, just as she was preparing for it, the disease once again struck her already fragile body. This time, she couldn't get through it. Smedley died in London on 6 May 1950 at the age of 58.
Before dying, Smedley said affectionately: "I may never see China again, in any case I already know that the new Chinese government has finally become a reality, and the world will never be the same again... If one day I can return to China, I must kiss its land. ”
Finally, Smedley added: "All the proceeds of my book, wherever they come from, are given to General Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, according to his wishes." ”
In Smedley's mind, Commander-in-Chief Zhu is the representative of the greatest Chinese soldiers, and this book is originally about zhu De's deeds, and she is just an ordinary "middleman". Until her death, she still wants to make one last contribution to the China she loves.
▲ Jude and his family
Later, the money was deposited at the Chinese Embassy in Germany.
Until February 1958, Commander-in-Chief Zhu received a request from the Embassy: "Vice Chairman Zhu De has deposited 95008.30 marks in our library for two years. Zhu De replied: "Buy a new book on natural metallurgical science and send a new book on chemistry to send it back." ”
Later, the Chinese Embassy in Germany purchased a large number of foreign latest scientific and technological books and sent them to major domestic libraries and relevant scientific research units. These books have made indelible and tremendous contributions to the development of new China's scientific and technological undertakings.
▲ In honor of Snow, Smedley, and Strong ("3S"), the "Friends of the Chinese" stamp was issued on June 25, 1985
Like Snow, Smedley bravely pursued justice in his heart and showed the whole world the struggle of the Chinese revolution because of his kindness and integrity; they also suffered a lot of political persecution because of such "righteous deeds", and eventually died in other places (Edgar died in Switzerland in 1972, smedley died in England in 1950).
Although they are Americans, they all have a heart that loves China, is not afraid of risks, does not care about safety, and serves the Chinese revolution; their sincere dedication is worthy of our eternal memory; they are eternal "old friends of the Chinese people."