Author: CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (130.95.128.---)
Date: 08-19-02 04:20
Wen Yiduo (updated)
Wen Yiduo (¤å¤@¦h Wen I-to) who was born in 1899. He had been a May Fourth activist when he was twenty. In 1922, he obtained a government scholarship for five years to study in America. For his first year in America he studied at the Chicago Art Institute. The second year in America he studied at Colorado College. He spent his third studying at Columbia University. Before his scholarship was over he returned to China in 1925. He did not obtain a degree after studying three years in America. He obtained a teaching post teaching classical Chinese literature in Wuhan University (ªZº~¤j¾Ç). In 1932 he became the dean of the faculty of arts in the University of Qing Dao («C®q¤j¾Ç) for a short period before he went to teach in the universities Qinghua (²MµØ¤j¾Ç) and Beijing (¥_¨Ê¤j¾Ç). Wen Yiduo was also a poet.
In July 1937, when the Japanese were marching towards Beijing (¥_¨Ê) after the Lu Gou Qiao Incident (Ī·¾¾ô¨Æ¥ó) Wen Yiduo sent his wife and their five children to his parents' house in Wuhan. He stayed behind looking after and locking up the house. A month later he joined family. In early 1938, he, his family and the university students of Beijing, Qinghua and Nankai relocated themselves to Kunming city in Yunnan province. A university, called Southwest Associated University or Lianda (Áp¤j abbreviated in Chinese) was formed so that these students could continue their study.
Japan surrendered in August 1945. Immediately after the Japanese surrender Jiang Jieshi (½±¤¶¥Û) replaced those regional commanders who were in favour of forming an United Front with the Communists with those who were preparing to go to war to elimilate the Communists. Actually the people did not want a civil war because had enough of war and they wanted peace at all cost. There were student demonstrations in Kunming against the outbreak of civil war. Kuomintang (°ê¥ÁÄÒ) agents dressed as coolies went rampaging through schools, colleges and universities, smashing windows, equipment and beating up students. The disgused Kuomintang agents killed one music-school teacher and three students. During the memorial services and the funeral processions for the four, all the students in Kunming called for a general strike. Students through out the country responded and went on strike.
On 11th July 1946, Li Gongpu (§õ¤½¾ë), a member of the Democratic League
(¥Á·ù), was murdered. Jiang Jieshi commented on Li's murder as "To kill one monkey to show the one hundred." The family of Li Gongpu was frightened and they wanted to bury him quietly so as to avoid giving the Kuomintang agents more excuses to kill innocent people. However, Wen Yiduo insisted on holding memorial ceremonies for Li Gongpu. The ceremories were held on July 15th 1946. Wen Yiduo himself addressed the crowd praising Li's example. He challenged the Kuomintang agents, who had killed Li Gongpu, if they dared to shoot him.
On 15th July 1946, at 3pm, Wen Yiduo met the reporters of various newspapers, at the office of the Democratic League Magazine. At 5.30 pm, Wen Lihe (»D¥ßÅb), son of Wen Yiduo, left home and went to Xi Cang Po (¦èÜ©Y) hostel, which was a for university staff of Souhtwest Associated University, to pick up his father. Father and son left the hostel. When they were out of the door of the hostel they were shot by more than ten people, using handguns. Witnesses said that after the thugs had fired about thirty shoots they packed themselves into a military jeep and drove off. Wen Yiduo's head received three bullets and died instantly. We Lihe was seriously wounded and was sent to the hospital. Incredibly, Wen Lihe survived.
Members of Li Gongpu's family cremated his body quietly without anymore ceremonies. Wen Yiduo's body was lay in a classroom at the University of Yunnan, surrounding by Kuomintang agents and his two little daughters sitting near his body crying non-stop. There was no coffin for his body which had shrank into an unrecognizable corpse.
The world was shocked to see that the Kuomintang agents took up the challenge by Wen Yi Duo. The Kuomintang agents warned their enemies that if they challenged them they would be dealt with like Professor Wen Yiduo. Pan Guangdan (¼ï¥ú¥¹) and Chu Tunan (·¡¹Ï«n), the two professors of Lianda were taken to the U.S Embassy by the U.S military to hide them from being assassinated.
When Wen Yiduo and his son Wen Li He were gunned down in front of the hostel in Lianda, Jiang Jieshi and his wife, Song Meiling (§º¬üÄÖ), were holidaying at Mu Ling (ªªÀ), up in the Lushan mountain (¿c¤s). The US Ambassador to China was Professor Dr John Leighton Stuart who was also the Prsident of Yenching University (¿P¨Ê¤j¾Ç). General George C Marshall, who was sent to China to mediate between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communists , had just returned to China after a consultation with President Turman. Jiang Jieshi invited them to join him. All of them, Dr Stuart, General Marshall, whose Chinese interpreter was Eric Chow, and some of the new and old staffs of the American embassy, went up to Lushan to see Jiang Jieshi. The Generalissimo and his wife were extremely happy to receive the American guests.
After dinner in the evening, friendly conversation began amiably between Mr and Mrs Jiang with the American guests. They were talking about the world affairs and someone brought up the subject about the killings of Li Gongpu and Wen Yiduo.
Jiang Jieshi gave his guests a stern look and said that the communists did the killings and it had nothing to do with the Kuomintang agents who were straightly under the control by the party and they were ordered not to harm ordinary civilians. Nobody said a word and no one dared to argue with the Generalissimo. Among the American guests there were a few "Chinese expert ¤¤°ê³q". One of them broght up the case of Li Furen (§õ¼Å¤¯) who was the leader of the northwest region of the Democratic League. When he was in Xian Yang («w¶§) Li Furen was shot and wounded. After the recuperation Li Furen fled to Yanan (©µ¦w) and the communists appointed him the chancellor of Yanan University (©µ¦w¤j¾Ç). One of the "Chinese experts" said that if the communist tried to kill him when they appointed him as the head of their university.
Seeing Jiang Jieshi's face turning blue, Dr Stuart said in Chinese: "³oºØ¨Æ±¡¤£²M·¡We are not clear about this kind of affairs" ha ha ha laughing away. However, the conversation was back to the assassination of Wen Yiduo. The "Chinese expert" said, "People say that Wen Yiduo was a poet. While studying in America he wrote a poem that had become very famous. He was a patriot too."
"What did he write?" asked General Marshall.
Song Meiling said, "Very good, can someone recite it to me?"
"A poem about Chinese launderers in America." replied the "Chinese expert".
and he began to recite Wen's
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§AÌ®aùؤ@¤ÁªºÅ¼ªF¦è¡M
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"Okay, Okay" Dr Stuart said, "My Yenching students wouldn't write this sort of rubbish."
However, General Marshall added," Eight out of ten of your students sympathize with Yanan, my dear ambasssdor. Some of them are working there as well."
Seeing the General and the Ambassador were about to argue Song Meiling
said quickly, "Don't talk about this thing anymore. There is a full moon shining brightly outside. Let go outside."
Laughingly, Jiang Jieshi, Song Meiling, General Marshall, Dr Stuart and the
few "China experts" went out to see the full moon. Before Jiang Jieshi left the
room Chen Bulei (³¯¥¬¹p), his personal secretary, whispered to him, "Important information from Zhong Qing («¼y)"
Actually, Jiang Jie was not keen to be in company with the talkative "China experts". So Jiang Jieshi apologetically told his guests to go first and he would follow later. He turned to his secretary and asked, "What information?"
Chen Bulei replied, "Zhong Qing Security Department has information and wants to ask for directions."
Jiang Jieshi asked again, "What information?" at the same time he opened
the envelope containing the message. He saw the words [important] and it had the following written message," Regarding the two sons of Wen Yiduo meeting the reporters from various newspapers in Zhong Qing. How to manage? Jiang Jieshi was a bit annonyed and said, "This sort of thing also want to ask me?"
Chen Bulei said," They really dare not make a decision because Li and Wen had
just died. Now the two sons of Wen Yiduo called for a press conference. If they were to proceed with the same method they are afraid that the repercussion from
every side would be not so good.¡¨
"These two kids dare to call a press conference?" said Jiang Jieshi ," What did they said?"
Chen Bulei read and said, "This is the news from the Zhong Qing left wing newspapers: [The two sons of Wen Yiduo, Li Diao (¥ßóç) and Li Peng (¥ßÄP),
called for a press conference at 3pm on the19th. The atmosphere in the meeting
was extremely silent. Wen Lidiao (»D¥ßóç) was the first one to stand up to speak. Before he spoke his eyes had already turned red He spoke: "Every Mr reporter,
now I don't know from where to start. Why my father had to die? I think I just briefly say that my father was a man who was only interested in studying. He did not care about politics and he was only doing research on classical literature. There was a period for two years that he did not even read newspapers. When the ressistance against the Japanese started he relocated himself from Beijing (¥_¨Ê) to Kunming
(©ø©ú). With his own eyes he saw evil things that he hated bitterly and the unjust society in our country. He believed that the politics in China had to be changed..]
Chen Bulei said again: "The newspapers stated that Li Diao broke down and could not continued speaking. This is another speech by 14 years old Wen Lipeng,
(»D¥ßÄP) who said that he wanted to take revenge. Finally the reporters asked Professor Ma Da You (°¨¤j·ß) who said that he left Kunming in a hurry that there were so many things he did not know. Professor Ma told the reporters that when Wen Yiduo and his son were gunned down, it was very strange that no one living
nearby heard the sound of gunshots. The headquaters of the Kunming police was just nearby. The killers had either escaped to Cui Lake (»A´ò) or the busy streets. The command post of the police was near Cui Lake. Yet, it was very strange that the killers escaped through the police command post and the police did not know and did not hear any shootings."
Chen Bulei asked Jiang Jieshi to give directions how to deal with this case.
Making a big yawn Jiang Jieshi said, "I am very tired. I am very tired. I need a rest. Tell them to do just like what we did to Li and Wen."
(Note: three of Wen Yiduo's five children were to die during the civil war.)
ª÷³®¬K¹Ú¤§²Ä¤¨÷ (Jin Ling Chun Meng - volume five)
ð¤HµÛ (By Tang Ren)
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (¾G¥Ã¤¸)
All rights reserved 2002
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