Chapter 26 Parting ways with Xiao Zisheng 1921

Journalist: “How did you handle it later?”

Mao: “In June 1921, I received a notice from the Shanghai Party organization, along with travel expenses, asking me to attend the 1st Congress in Shanghai. Xiao Zisheng was going to Beijing for some work. I hoped that Xiao would accompany me. I said, ‘Please keep it strictly confidential. I want to tell you that Communist groups have been established in Beiping, Guangdong, and Shanghai. Over ten representatives are preparing to gather in Shanghai for a secret meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to formally establish the Chinese Communist Party. I am representing Changsha, and I really hope you can join me.’

However, Xiao calmly replied, ‘We can travel to Shanghai together, but I will not participate in your meeting.’

I encouraged him, saying, ‘Go there! Meet with those like-minded individuals, listen to their opinions, and talk with them!’

Xiao asked me in return, ‘What is there to discuss? Your meeting is not about discussing issues. Everything has already been decided. The goal now is to establish the Chinese Communist Party. If I attend the meeting, I will become one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party. I will be subject to the scrutiny of the Chinese people for 100 or even 1000 years, and

I will bear the responsibility towards humanity for ten thousand years. I am not prepared to participate in the establishment of the Communist Party.’

I still confidently said, ‘If we work hard, the Communist Party might be able to rule China within 30 to 50 years.’

But Xiao calmly replied, ‘It all depends on how you proceed. I also believe that after a prolonged period of struggle, the Communist Party might be able to rule China. However, it will not be beneficial for the Chinese people, and the Communist Party’s rule will not be long-lasting.’”

Journalist: “Xiao did not join the Communist Party, as he believed that Communist rule would not be beneficial for China, is that correct?”

Mao: “Yes, that’s right. But I insisted, saying, ‘Don’t you think it’s a great achievement if we manage to become rulers of China?’”

Xiao coldly replied, ‘No, I don’t think so. It may actually be a great disaster. I’d rather respond to you with the words of Laozi: ‘Governing a large country is like frying a small fish.’

I burst into laughter, thinking he was joking. But it seemed that he was speaking very seriously, and he actually fully agreed with the words of Laozi.”

Journalist: “Oh, Xiao Zisheng has already recognized that Communist Party rule would be a great disaster.”

Mao: “Yes, he was very frank about it. That afternoon, Xiao and I took a boat across the river, leaving Changsha through the West Gate. We stayed in the same cabin on the ship, with Xiao in the upper berth and me in the lower berth. Many friends came down to the ship to bid us farewell, as they knew Xiao was about to return to France. We spent the whole afternoon talking with them. As night fell, the ship set sail, and we had a good night’s sleep. When we entered Dongting Lake, we felt as if we were surrounded by boundless water, as if we were in the middle of the vast sea.”

In the morning, I woke up first and went to sit on the deck. Later, Xiao came out as well and noticed that I had a thin little book in my bag. He asked me what it was, so I took it out and showed him the title: ‘Outline of the Capitalist System.’ Xiao jokingly said, ‘So by studying capitalism, you’ll be able to establish the Communist Party?’ I smiled and didn’t say anything.

Xiao continued, ‘I understand very well that to be a communist, you don’t need to study or read these kinds of books at all. The most important thing is faith. If you believe in it, you become a communist. That’s why communism seems like a religion.’”

Journalist: “Xiao realized that you were just pretending to read the book.

He said that communism is simply a matter of faith.”

Mao: “Yes, Xiao had sharp eyes. I just smiled and didn’t say anything.

In reality, I took that book to Shanghai to impress the delegates. I had to show off some theory and talk about communism. Finally, he asked if I had eaten breakfast yet, and I said no, I was waiting for him. So, we had breakfast together.

When the ship arrived at Hankou, we had to part ways. Xiao got off the ship and went ashore, while I continued on the ship to Shanghai. We made a plan to meet at the Shanghai Bund. I gave him the secret address, and after he finished his business in the Wuhan area, he would come to Shanghai to find me.

I arrived in Shanghai and found a place to settle down. Later, Xiao arrived in Shanghai and went straight to the house on Huanlong Road in the French Concession, following the address I had given him. There were two beds in the room, one for me and the other for him. I came back in the evening, but I had trouble with a patrol officer who questioned us at length. At the time, the school was on vacation, and after many difficulties, we managed to secure the use of a classroom in a girls’ school as our meeting place. We locked all the doors and windows during the meeting, but the patrol officer still discovered us. Now we can’t hold meetings there anymore.”

Journalist: “So you two reunited in Shanghai. But Xiao didn’t attend your meetings?”

Mao: “Yes, Xiao didn’t attend the meetings. Before the 1st Congress, several key delegates discussed the qualifications of representatives and decided that He Shuheng, who lacked understanding of Marxism and had no notable work performance, should not attend the congress. Zhang Guotao informed me of this decision, and I used the excuse of an urgent task in Hunan to ask He SBeardie to return to handle it. That’s why He didn’t attend the congress. In fact, I had anticipated this situation earlier, so I had been urging Xiao to come along, hoping he could replace He SBeardie. I was the contact person for Hunan under Chen Duxiu’s name, so I had the power to make the decision. I could choose anyone to attend. That’s why I preferred to travel with Xiao instead of He SBeardie and let He SBeardie go to Shanghai alone.”

Journalist: “Oh, so He Shuheng didn’t actually attend the congress and returned to Hunan.”

Mao: “Yes. The patrol officers in the French Concession were very vigilant. They would follow the delegates wherever they went. The delegates couldn’t gather for meetings anymore and had to disperse, with one or two delegates acting as liaisons. After a few days, the patrol officers became less watchful, but we remained cautious and vigilant.”

One day, I happily said to Xiao, ‘We have come up with a new plan.

One of the delegates has a girlfriend from Jiaxing, Zhejiang. She suggested that we can pretend to be tourists traveling from Shanghai to West Lake in Hangzhou. When passing through Jiaxing, we can hold our meeting on a boat on the South Lake outside Jiaxing. To avoid the attention of the patrol officers, we have to be extra careful. We need to pretend to buy train tickets to Hangzhou West Lake. The train will have many tourists, and when we reach Jiaxing, we will get off the train under the platform and then blend in with the crowd until the train departs. Even if the patrol officers are following us from Shanghai, they won’t suspect this. Besides, they are not very familiar with the situation outside Shanghai. If you come with me to Jiaxing, after the meeting, we can visit West Lake in Hangzhou. Since I was little, I have always heard that the scenery of West Lake is the best in the world. Thanks to the patrol officers in Shanghai, we can enjoy a trip to West Lake.

Xiao happily said, ‘That’s great! Let’s go to West Lake tomorrow.’”

Journalist: “So you both went to West Lake in Hangzhou together?”

Mao: “Yes, the next morning at 7 o’clock, Xiao and I left our accommodation and went to the train station to buy third-class tickets to Hangzhou. We boarded the train, which took about two hours. Around 9 o’clock, we saw a large white sign with the words ‘Jiaxing.’ As soon as the train arrived, we jumped off and mingled with the crowd on the platform. After a while, we walked out as if nothing had happened and headed towards the main road. As we approached the city, we gazed at the calm lake, contemplating how this serene lake would soon give birth to a mighty beast—the Chinese Communist Party. The other delegates had also gotten off the train, and while walking, Xiao and I didn’t notice anyone following us, but we remained cautious. We found a small hotel on a random street and rented a room for the night.

The room in the hotel had a large bed that could accommodate two people and a small table. The bed took up about two-thirds of the room, leaving little space to move around. The mosquito net was clean and white, and Xiao stayed in the room to rest. Once settled, I went to the meeting location. I wanted to bring Xiao along to the meeting, so I held onto his arm persistently and said, ‘I want you to come with me to explore the South Lake.’

Xiao, however, said, ‘I won’t go. I’ll wait for you here. Let’s go to West Lake together tomorrow. When do you plan to come back?’

I said disappointedly, ‘If you don’t come with me to see the South Lake, I won’t be happy. I plan to return in the evening. The delegates will have dinner on the boat, so don’t wait for me to have dinner.’

I stared at Xiao for a moment without saying a word and left.”

Journalist: “So you went to the meeting, and Xiao slept in the room?” Mao: “Yes. I had meetings and played mahjong with the delegates on the boat, using mahjong as a cover to avoid drawing too much attention.

After dinner on the cruise ship, it was already dark outside when I returned to the hotel. I saw that Xiao was already asleep. I opened the mosquito net and asked, ‘Mr. Xiao, are you asleep?’

Xiao replied, ‘Yes, I am asleep. But please don’t open the mosquito net.

The mosquitoes here are terrible, and they will fly in. Did you have a satisfying meeting today?’

I said, ‘Yes, it was very satisfying. We had free and open discussions on the boat. It’s a pity you weren’t there.’

Xiao immediately responded, ‘You see, you appreciate freedom. In Shanghai, you can’t freely talk with your comrades, you can’t have free meetings, and the patrol officers follow you everywhere. You don’t like this, even though it only lasts for a few days. If you were in Russia, it would be the same almost from morning till night, every day, wherever you go. Which group of people can find a ‘South Lake’ place in Russia? You love freedom so much, but you are tirelessly preparing to undermine the freedom of your compatriots and turn China into a second Russia. What did you decide at the meeting? What actions do you plan to take?’

I calmly replied, ‘We have decided that we must turn China into a second Russia! We must organize ourselves and fight to the end.’

Journalist: “So Xiao mentioned that you wanted to turn China into a second Russia?”

Mao: “Yes, and Xiao asked, ‘How do you plan to organize yourselves?’”

“I said, ‘The delegates are not a random group of people. Some of them are knowledgeable and can read Japanese or English. We have decided to first establish a core group that will become the Communist Party of China. Afterwards, we will launch propaganda and prepare for special action plans. The first step is to mobilize the working class and young students towards communism. We also need to establish a solid economic foundation. That’s why it is necessary to align with the Third International.’

Xiao disagreed and said, ‘The Third International is Russia, and Lenin controls the Third International. Why don’t you form the Fourth International?’

‘I asked, “What exactly is the Fourth International?’

Xiao calmly replied, ‘The Fourth International is the ideal of communism, the combination of Ideals of Marx and Engels, it is libertarian communism. Do you remember what I said about the rickshaw with two wheels? The rickshaw of libertarian communism has two wheels and doesn’t need any external support. If you agree, I will dedicate my life to organizing a movement along the lines of the Fourth International.’”

Journalist: “Oh, so Xiao suggested establishing the Fourth International, which is libertarian communism, right?”

Mao: “Yes. I impatiently said with a gloomy face, ‘Let’s talk about it in a thousand years.’

I knew that such talk was useless. What Fourth International? Without a background, without money, it’s just empty talk. As I spoke, I opened the mosquito net and got into bed.

Xiao said I smelled like hell. However, he had gotten used to my odor, like being in a stinky abalone shop, you eventually stop smelling the stench. But he still said, ‘Don’t you want to take a bath? You can take one at the hotel. I just finished mine.’

I lazily said, “I’m too lazy to go and bathe. Let’s just sleep now and wake up early tomorrow to visit West Lake’ As I said that, I lay down and stretched lazily. We lay on the bed and couldn’t help but continue our discussions about communism, freedom, the state, and the individual. We didn’t stop talking, and soon it was almost dawn. I’m a heavy sleeper, so I didn’t worry about not being able to fall asleep. We slept together on the large bed, and when Xiao woke up, it was a clear and sunny day, while I was still sound asleep, lying quietly. After a while, he called me, ‘Runzhi, it’s already bright outside. Wake up.’

I half-opened my eyes and asked, ‘What time is it? Can I sleep a bit longer?’ Half an hour later, I woke up and immediately got up, saying, ‘What time is it? Did we miss the train?’

Xiao said, ‘No, don’t worry. It’s still early. There are many trains departing from here to Hangzhou every day.’”

Journalist: “So you just left West Lake like that?”

Mao: “The weather was beautiful, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of summer flowers from the lake. We stood there gazing at West Lake for a long time. There were no more boats on the lake, everything had returned to tranquility. But thinking about what happened on this clear lake yesterday, I was still filled with excitement.

Xiao, however, said, ‘The muddy water in the lake reminds me of the Great Flood in the Bible. If the Communist Party rules over China, a new flood will surely engulf this ancient country, it will be a turbid and dark sewage.’”

Journalist: “A monster was born in West Lake, and a new flood is coming.”

Mao: “Yes, that’s how Xiao sees it. I impatiently kept silent.

There were few passengers on the train, and we talked for a long time, but our conversations lacked coherence and couldn’t reach a common ground.

We talked about Chen Duxiu, saying that he was too much of a bookworm and had a rather bourgeois appearance. Li Dazhao seemed to suit my taste more, but the Russians liked Chen Duxiu because of his fame. He was one of the main planners of the South Lake meeting. Despite not attending the meeting, he was elected as the General Secretary by everyone.

In the afternoon, we arrived in Hangzhou. The houses, roads, and gardens built along the lakeside formed an indescribable picturesque view. Heaven is above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below, this description of Hangzhou as an earthly paradise is not an exaggeration.

We visited many famous scenic spots, but despite the splendor of West Lake, we were not in high spirits because we had different ambitions and beliefs. I secretly thought to myself, Bodhisattva Xiao is hopeless. We are parting ways. Let him go his own way! I want to rebel and become the king. With the party as my support, with Russian money, we can accomplish anything. I want to return to Hunan and rally my troops.”

Journalist: “So you made the decision to part ways with Xiao?”

Mao: “Yes. The next day, we took the train back to Shanghai, and I soon returned to Changsha. Xiao stayed in Shanghai for a week to take care of matters before returning to Beijing. From then on, we went our separate ways.”