Chapter 17 The Origins and Development of the New People’s Study Society
(Xinmin Study Society) 1914-1921

Mao: “In 1914, when I arrived at the First Normal School, I met my classmate Xiao Zisheng, who was three years ahead of me. We had a close relationship and often gathered together after dinner. We would walk along the riverbank, engaging in continuous discussions. During the summer, we would often sit on the grassy slope of Miaogao Peak, a small hill located behind our school. From the top of the hill, we could overlook the school buildings. At night, we would climb to the peak, sit under the stars and moon, and engage in deep conversations while gazing at the sparkling lights of Changsha city.”

Journalist: “What interesting topics did you discuss?”

Mao: “One particular conversation remains vivid in my memory. We had an intense discussion one night. At that time, Yuan Shikai was serving as the President of China, so we naturally talked about the news in the newspapers, attempting to make predictions about China’s future.

I said, ‘Look, besides Yuan Shikai, who else is capable of leading China’s transformation? Kang Youwei had some good ideas, but he is outdated. Sun Yat-sen, although a revolutionary leader, lacks any military power.’ Xiao said, ‘To transform China, we need a brand new ideal.’ I seconded, ‘Of course, new forces are necessary.’

Xiao continued, ‘In the process of transforming the country, every citizen must undergo transformation. Each person needs to sharpen themselves.’

I added, ‘To gather a large number of people and outline a common ideal, the two of us can accomplish anything.’”

Journalist: “It seems like the two of you emphasized different points.”

Mao: “Yes, that’s true. But Xiao said, ‘No, the two of us alone are not enough. We must have many people who share our ideas. We need to organize them and make them our comrades.’

I said, ‘As a first step, let’s consider our classmates. There are about a thousand of them. Let’s see how many can participate in our organization.’

Xiao said, ‘We must choose the most outstanding and capable individuals, only selecting those with noble ideals.’

I said, ‘We all know who the most capable individuals are, and we are familiar with their actions, but it’s not easy to know their ideals.’

Xiao replied, ‘You and I can discuss issues with them and then select the most outstanding individuals. We can have separate conversations with them. For example, Cai Hesen from the Advanced Normal School is one. We know that he shares our ideals. There are also Xiong Guangzu, Chen Chang, and Chen Shaoxiu, among others. I believe they will all become the first members of our organization. You have a better understanding of the lower grades, so you can try to select from there.’

The journalist said, “It seems that Xiao has a lot of ideas. What do you think?”

I replied, I agree and said, ‘Yes, I have one or two people in mind whom I can talk to.’”

The journalist said, “Xiao is really organized in his thinking!”

Mao: “I said, ‘Yes.’ We continued discussing the plan, and Xiao said, ‘We can start by selecting 10 people from the thousand students in the school. Of course, there may be many more deserving candidates, but the selection process must be extremely cautious. We will take these 10 people as the core and establish an organization. Once the first group is organized, we can then start recruiting more members.’

I suggested, ‘The organization must have a good name and rules. Why don’t you start drafting some rules?’

Xiao said, ‘The purpose of this organization is research. We can call it the New People’s Study Society. I believe the organization should have three objectives: first, to encourage good moral behavior among its members; second, to exchange knowledge; and third, to establish strong friendships.’”

The journalist: “Oh, Xiao came up with the name Xinmin Study Society and proposed three objectives, with good ethic as the first.”

Mao: “I said, ‘I think you should draft a detailed set of regulations, and then we can study them thoroughly.’

We then had a detailed discussion on how to recruit new members for the group. We decided that if there were no suitable candidates within our own school, we should look outside. We spent a long time discussing various feasible methods.

Finally, we decided to write a summary of our purpose, explaining our way of saving the country and the reasons for establishing the group. We believed it should be written concisely and sent to student associations in other schools. Anyone who agreed with our principles and purpose would write us a letter, and we would visit them for further discussions before deciding on their membership. I started drafting a letter, intending to print and distribute it to various middle schools in Changsha. The letter was short and its main idea was:

‘Currently, our country is in a critical state of survival, and there is not a single person in the government whom we can trust. We intend to seek like-minded individuals to organize a group together. The main purpose of the club is self-motivation and the transformation of the country. Students interested in this are kindly requested to send us a letter, so that we can arrange private meetings for further planning.’

It was a rather bold public letter, and we were afraid it might become a laughingstock. So, instead of signing our real names on that letter, which would not have been wise, we used pseudonyms. My pseudonym was ‘28 Painting Student.’ When you combine the three characters of ‘Mao Zedong,’ it adds up to 28 strokes, so ‘28 Painting Student’ became my code name.”

Journalist: “Oh, so you started using ‘28 Painting Student from that point onwards.”

Mao: “When I was drafting this letter, Xiao was working on drafting the regulations for the New People’s Study Society or Xinmin Study Society. After we both completed our tasks, we exchanged them for review and made several revisions and suggestions. By then, it was already dawn, and suddenly, a loud bugle sounded from below the mountain, and it was already the next morning. It was the wake-up call, and we descended from the hill and returned to school. We spent the entire night planning the first step of transforming China.”

Journalist: “So, that’s how you and Xiao came up with the regulations for the New People’s Study Society.”

Mao: “Yes. That’s how Xiao and I initiated the New People’s Study Society in 1914. Initially, it consisted of carefully selected students with good character who shared our ideals. The aim was for each person to self- motivate, enhance moral and spiritual strength, engage in academic discussions, and talk about the transformation of China, without expressing any political views or affiliations. Later on, some members, including myself, developed ambitious political aspirations and embraced communist theory. After I came to power in Beijing, many high-ranking leaders were former members of the New People’s Study Society. And some other members, who were academically inclined and idealistic, remained liberals. When communism sparked interest among Chinese intellectuals, the New People’s Study Society already had core figures of communism. Therefore, the New People’s Study Society can be considered the embryo of Chinese communism.”

Journalist: “So, did the New People’s Study Society later become your base for promoting communism?”

Mao: “Yes. In 1914, we drafted the regulations for the New People’s Study Society, which consisted of only seven articles, very concise. After I read them, I didn’t add many comments. We re-evaluated the nominated founding members, a total of nine individuals, plus the two of us as initiators, making a total of eleven. We referred to ourselves as the ‘Eleven Sages,’ seeing ourselves as fulfilling a mission of the times. At that time, we were like-minded brothers, mutually respectful.

One Sunday morning, the eleven of us gathered at a church in the First Normal School for our first meeting. In a solemn atmosphere, we held the inaugural meeting. We distributed the printed regulations of the New People’s Study Society to each person and invited attendees to provide suggestions, but no new ideas were put forward. Each person paid a minimal membership fee, and Xiao was appointed as the first secretary. We decided not to have a president.”

Journalist: “Oh, so Xiao became the first person in charge of the New People’s Study Society.”

Mao: “That’s right. That’s how the New People’s Study Society came into being. No one gave speeches. A closer bond was established among the eleven of us. With our lofty ideals and enthusiasm, we felt a newfound strength. We all felt that from that moment on, we had shouldered a new responsibility.

I didn’t say a word during the meeting. Everyone was clear about our purpose and what each member should do. We all knew we should be practical and avoid empty talk. Among the members of the New People’s Study Society, there was only one who was inclined to give long speeches, and that was Chen Chang. He became known for his lengthy speeches. Chen, a student from Liuyang, later became one of the early organizers of the Communist Party and was executed by the Kuomintang government in 1928.

The New People’s Study Society held monthly meetings, and although the gatherings were not held in secret, we tried to avoid attracting too much attention. Because our selection of members was strict, those who were not invited might feel jealous or neglected. We had to deal with the important matter of how to admit new members who met our standards. When a new name was proposed, it had to be voted on by all members to decide whether to accept them. If one person voted against it, they were rejected. To become a member of the New People’s Study Society, unanimous support from all members was required.”

Journalist: “It seems that your membership was very strict at that time.”

Mao: “Yes. Mr. Yang Huaizhong already knew about the establishment of the New People’s Study Society and knew that our selection of members was extremely strict. One time, he told Xiao that he had heard from Xiong Guangzu and Chen Chang that there were three female students in Changsha, Tao Siyong, Ren Peidao, and Xiang Jingyu, who seemed to meet our criteria perfectly. They were all excellent students. Later, at a meeting, Xiao proposed their names, and they were unanimously accepted by all members without any objections.”

Mao: “Tao Siyong, a native of Xiangtan County, was one of the gentlest and most elegant individuals I have ever known in my life. She joined the New People’s Study Society in 1914. Six years later, she and I opened a bookstore together in Changsha, named ‘Wenhua Bookstore (Cultural Bookstore).’ We deeply loved each other at that time, but due to our different political beliefs, she eventually left me and founded a school in Shanghai called ‘Lida Academy.’ She passed away in 1932. She was the first female member of the New People’s Study Society and also the first member to oppose communism.”

Journalist: “Oh, Tao Siyong was your first lover, and because she opposed communism, you broke up.”

Mao: “Yes. Xiang Jingyu was another captivating and intelligent woman.

She had a beautiful writing style, excellent calligraphy skills, and a natural talent for public speaking. She had a captivating appearance, untouched by embellishments, and was truly beautiful. She was warm and kind to friends, like a sister. Later, in 1919, with the support of the ‘Work-Study Movement,’ she went to France, where she fell in love with Cai Hesen. She was the first female member of the New People’s Study Society to embrace communism. She was arrested in the French Concession of Hankou in 1928 and was executed by the Kuomintang.”

Journalist: “It’s unfortunate that Xiang Jingyu sacrificed herself. Are there any other remarkable women?”

Mao: “The third remarkable woman is Ren Peidao, a native of Xiangyin County. She was an extraordinary and outstanding individual. These three ladies were like sisters. Like Miss Tao, Miss Ren also rejected communism. She graduated from the Advanced Normal School in Changsha and went to the United States in 1929 for further education at an American university. After returning to China, she served as a teacher and principal in many schools. In 1945, she went to Taiwan and became a principal of a teacher training school. She also served as a legislator in Taiwan. On her 80th birthday, she had a hall full of students congratulating her, and Chiang Kai- shek sent his regards. She was one year younger than me and passed away at the age of 94 in 1988.”

Journalist: “Oh, the third remarkable woman eventually became an anti- communist figure.”

Mao: “After these three ladies became members of the New People’s Study Society, Xiao proposed inviting Cai Hesen’s sister, Cai Chang, to join. However, the others, including her brother, did not agree. They thought she was too young, only fifteen or sixteen years old, just entering middle school. Several years later, she went to France and became a member of the New People’s Study Society there. She became one of the leaders of the women’s organization within the Communist Party. We admired her steadfast character and her trustworthiness. Due to our respect and admiration for her mother and brother, we called her ‘Little Sister.’

By 1920, before the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party, the membership of the New People’s Study Society had exceeded one hundred.”

Journalist: “The New People’s Study Society really prepared individuals for the Communist Party, didn’t it?”

Mao: “Between 1919 and 1920, Xiao and Cai Hesen recruited around 30 members in France, while I recruited over a hundred in Changsha. My main interest was in building a strong organization, and I didn’t impose strict requirements on the moral behavior and thoughts of new members. The moral conduct and ideals of the members were what we emphasized in the early stages of the movement. Later on, my approach became very open and proactive, welcoming anyone with similar ideas. I didn’t have the patience to translate theory into action, so I published a newspaper-style newsletter for the society. Letters from Xiao written in France were included in it, including the one where Xiao expressed his opposition to using Russian communism as a means to transform China. Until that time, the New People’s Study Society remained a united body, where all members had the freedom to express their political views openly.”

Journalist: “Oh, Mr. Xiao openly opposed communism?”

Mao: “Yes. In 1920, signs of division started to appear. Those who were passionate about communism, under my leadership, formed a separate secret organization. Except for Xiao, none of the members who didn’t believe in communism knew about the secret activities I was carrying out. Because I had shared everything about the new organization with Xiao and hoped he would join as well. At that time, I was quite confident that Xiao would never betray us, although he didn’t share my beliefs.

The members of the New People’s Study Society regarded Xiao as their elder brother figure. They listened to him attentively during his speeches. Therefore, I was quite anxious at that time, afraid that Xiao’s wavering might shake their belief in communism. But I didn’t dare to openly protest against him. When Xiao was absent, I did tell them that although Xiao was a respectable person and my good friend, he had a bourgeois ideology and was not a proletarian. He didn’t embrace communism.

One day, our differences became apparent between Xiao and me. Teacher He Shuheng, whom we called ‘Beardie He’ and was more than ten years older than us, had a closer relationship with Xiao. This was because they had taught at Chu Yi School together for two years. That day, He told Xiao, ‘Runzhi (My Chinese style Aka) once secretly criticized you in front of the members, saying that you are a bourgeois and don’t support communism. His real intention is to undermine the members’ confidence in you and only follow him personally.’

Later, Xiao told me what Beardie He said, and I immediately acknowledged it. Xiao asked, ‘Why did you say I am a bourgeois? I said I don’t support Russian communism. As you know, I like the principles of communism and I believe that socialism should gradually transform into communism.’ I was speechless at that moment.”

Journalist: “Oh, so you had already criticized Mr. Xiao secretly. Did you want the members to follow you?”

Mao: “Yes. There was one time when Beardie He burst into laughter and said, ‘Beardie Xiao, when you’re not here, Runzhi tells me to go one way. When Runzhi is not here, you advise me to go another way. When both of you are not here, I don’t know which path to take. Now that both of you are here, I still don’t know which path is right?’”

Beardie He’s words caused everyone to burst into laughter, as what he said was true. With a humorous tone, he described the situation at that time. In reality, Xiao was indeed the spokesperson for all the members. It was evident that a portion of the New People’s Study Society members were lost and uncertain. However, Beardie He was the only one who openly and honestly acknowledged the differences in opinions between the two leaders, which eventually led to the subsequent division.

The historical accounts of the Communist Party often depict the establishment of the New People’s Study Society on April 14, 1918, neglecting the years from 1914 to 1918. In reality, Xiao Zisheng was the main founder, and as long as Xiao was present, he was the protagonist. It was only when Xiao went to France that I became the main figure. By the time the Communist Party was officially established in 1921, I felt that there was no longer a necessity for the New People’s Study Society, especially since Xiao was in France. As a result, I essentially ceased the activities of the New People’s Study Society.”