Chapter 01 Jiang Qing at the beginning of her career, inciting class struggle 1951-1956

Journalist: “What did you release Jiang Qing for?”

Mao: “Iwant to use her, she has been groomed to be a lapdog. I became the president of the new China, Jiang Qing became the first lady, the queen. Everything in life, everything. The car has been replaced by four, now the highest grade, the special car for Politburo members.
I used to forbid Jiang Qing to be exposed in the political arena. I lived in Fengze Garden, and she and I lived in two separate rooms, rarely together. The company’s main business is to provide a wide range of products and services to the public. I intended to release her to do something according to my will. She also felt that she had to contribute to me in terms of power.”

Journalist: “Jiang Qing came out and caught what?”

Mao: “I said verbally that ‘a hundred flowers bloom, a hundred schools of thought contend,’ but in action is another matter, I let Jiang Qing catch a lot of things to beat the stick and put on the hat: the film ‘Secret History of the Qing Palace’ as a traitorous film; criticism of the film ‘Wu Xun Biography’ is for the landlord bourgeoisie to build a monument to biography; organization of articles The first big injustice I created in the literary and artistic circles was the ‘Hu Feng Anti-Party Group.’”

The Secret History of the Qing Palace

Journalist: “Jiang Qing caught the “Secret History of the Qing Palace’ is how it happened?”

Mao: “From March to May 1950, the movie The Secret History of the Qing Palace was staged in Beijing, Shanghai and other places. The film was based on the theme of the Hundred Days Reform, and deplored the failure of the Hundred Days Reform. The film was originally progressive and patriotic in nature.

I did not go to see it when it was screened for the central leaders in Zhongnanhai, but Liu Shaoqi and many leaders and their wives did. Liu Shaoqi affirmed the film. Lu Dingyi and others think: a film film, the No. 2 leader nodded on the line, did not ask me again. Jiang Qing thought that this was the first sign of a decline in power, a question of whose supreme authority to establish. She encouraged me to come out and speak, and gave me a separate tune-up for ‘The Secret History of the Qing Palace.’”

Journalist: “Oh, Jiang Qing was using the issue to play off the fact that it was Liu Shaoqi who took your power?”

Mao: “Yes, I was reluctant to showdown with Liu Shaoqi for such a small issue at this time. Later, Jiang Qing stepped in and approached Lu, Zhou and Hu, accusing the “Secret History of the Qing Palace” of promoting traitorous nationalism and organizing criticism, but Jiang Qing did not specify which opinions were mine and which were hers, making it very difficult for Lu Dingyi and others to agree at the time and organize people to write the article, which later did not dare to publish. Because I did not have clear instructions. If the public criticism, Liu Shaoqi there how to account for? The matter was quietly suppressed.”

Mao: “Won’t this just go away?”

Mao: “It’s not over yet. In the Cultural Revolution, Qi Benyu wrote: ‘Patriotism or Traitorism?’ tells how this happened: ‘Comrade Jiang Qing, who was then a member of the Steering Committee for the Film Industry of the Ministry of Culture, adhered to Chairman Mao’s revolutionary line and proposed several times at meetings to criticize The Secret History of the Qing Palace. But Lu Dingyi, Zhou Yang, and Hu Qiaomu sang a big counter- play.’”

Journalist: “Oh, the Cultural Revolution Qi Benyu helped Jiang Qing, refurbishing old debts and playing on the issue?”

Wu Xun Biography

Mao: “Yes. In the spring of 1951, a new film from Shanghai called ‘Wu Xun Biography’ was released nationwide.

The film was created based on the wishes of the civilian educator Tao Xingchi, and the historical materials provided. On July 26, 1949, Sun Yu, the writer-director of the film, reported to Zhou Enlai about the filming of ‘Wu Xun Biography’ at the Nankai Middle School in Tianjin, where he was a classmate. Zhou Enlai listened to Sun Yu’s report very carefully and instructed 3 items: ‘1) Stand firm on the class position; 2) After Wu Xun became famous, the ruling class immediately enlisted to take advantage of it; 3) Wu Xun’s final doubts about Xingxue.’ These 3 articles became the guiding principle of the choreography.”

Journalist: “Isn’t Zhou Enlai a very clear party position? What kind of person is Wu Xun?”

Mao: “Wu Xun, formerly known as Wu Qi, was born in 1838 and died in 1898. His father was a poor peasant who died at an early age. He followed his mother to wander around and begged for a living. As a teenager, he worked for a landlord who bullied him for not being able to read and write and deducted his wages. He sold the 3 mu of land he had received from his family and saved it up with the money he had earned from begging, and put it in a rich gentleman’s house for him to put up debts to generate profits. In order to raise money for the school, he swallowed tiles, drank dirty water, and let people ride his horse.

After more than 30 years, Wu Xun had accumulated over 2,000 taels of silver, but he still ‘did not seek comfort in his living conditions, did not choose food when hungry, wore ragged clothes, and slept without pillows or quilts,’ continuing to endure hardships. In 1888, he established the first private school in Liulin Town, Tangyi County. The following year, he established the second private school in Guantao County. In 1896, shortly before his death, he established the third private school in Linqing County. This was Wu Xun’s wish.

Journalist: “Wu Xun painstakingly scrimped and saved money to run the school, is not a good deed, very rare?”

Mao: “Yes, according to this prototype, and Zhou Enlai’s three instructions, the choreographer and director made an artistic creation. Wu Xun’s intention is to promote education for the poor, when he heard the first student Zhao Guangyuan said, after the completion of the study can become an official, he cried bitterly in disappointment, kneeling down to the students, begging them “in the future, do not forget our poor.

When the emperor gave him a ‘King’s Gifted Coat’ in recognition of his righteous school, he refused to kneel down to thank the emperor for his kindness and faked madness in a tragic act of defiance.”

Journalist: “It sounds like Wu Xun is not very noble?”

Mao: “Yes, in order to indicate the historical limitations of Wu Xun’s righteous school, the scriptwriter also wrote about Zhou Da, a car driver who was a Taiping army, leading the prisoners in a prison riot, organizing armed peasant teams and fighting heroically against the government bullies. In order to point out the historical limitations of the peasant uprising without the leadership of the Communist Party, the author added a paragraph at the end of the story: ‘Wu Xun fought for the poor children’s opportunity to receive education, and the feudal forces did not give in, tough struggle for a lifetime. But his personal resistance was not enough. He personally set up three voluntary schools, which were later robbed by the landlords.’”

Journalist: “Haha, the writer and director made up the story to glorify the Communist Party?”

Mao: “Yes, this is in line with my literary principles. The choreographer said, ‘So, by studying alone, also can not liberate the poor, Zhou Da alone by the peasants’ revenge psychology to remove the bully revenge, he did not organize the masses. In that historical environment at that time, neither of them could achieve a decisive victory. The toiling masses of China, after thousands of years of hard labor and bloody struggle, only under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, pushed down the ‘Three Great Mountains’ and were liberated.”

Journalist: “All this fabricated content is for propaganda on behalf of the Communist Party?”

Mao: “Yes, so careful and so bent to the Communist Party, it still did not pass the threshold. On the evening of February 21, 1951, Wu Xun Biography was shown to the leaders of the Central Committee in Zhongnanhai. Zhou Enlai came accompanied by Hu Qiaomu, Zhu De came with his wife Kang Keqing, and there were more than 100 cadres of the central government organs watching together. But Jiang Qing and I did not come. After watching the film, Zhu De and the writer-director Sun Yu shook hands warmly and said, ‘It’s very educational.’

The premiere of ‘Wu Xun Biography’ was held in Beijing on February 26, 1951, and the audience was enthusiastic and full of praise. Various newspapers published the public’s afterthoughts for days. A teacher wrote: ‘I have been working as an educator for only two years, and I have been uneasy about my work several times, and I have been suffering from fever and cold in the course of my work. When I saw the aged Wu Xun shaking his crooked braid and walking firmly in the northern wilderness, my eyes were blurred by tears. ‘The Biography of Wu Xun’ educated me that although Wu Xun’s methods and path of struggle are not what we want to learn, his persevering character will guide me to work more pragmatically, meticulously and exclusively for the children.”

Journalist: “Isn’t that a lot of praise, what else is wrong with that?”

Mao: “There are. Jiang Qing seized the biography of Wu Xun to make an article because Tao Xingchi, a civilian educator, respected Wu Xun and actively advocated and supported the making of this film during his lifetime. Tao Xingchi had a big favor and a small grievance against Jiang Qing. The kindness was in helping her twice, and the resentment was in a poem.

In the summer of 1933, Jiang Qing (then called Li Yunhe) left Qingdao and came to Shanghai for the first time. She landed at the home of Tian Han, a famous dramatist. Tian Han introduced her as a teacher in the ‘Morning Shift Engineering Group’ sponsored by the civilian educator Tao Xingchi, who took her in.

In the summer of 1934, Jiang Qing went to Shanghai for the second time to make a living. The group was already closed. Tao introduced her to theYWCA’s Xiaosadu River Girls’ School as a language teacher for the senior class.”

Journalist: “Oh, Tao Xingchi helped Jiang Qing 2 times, isn’t that great? Jiang Qing and how?”

Mao: “Jiang Qing married Tang Na, but not restless, before the honeymoon she went back to her hometown to visit her mother, and went to Tianjin with her ex-husband Yu Qiwei to relive the dream of love. 26 June 1936 Tang Na chased to Jinan, from Jiang Qing’s sister, knew that Jiang Qing had abandoned her heart, resentful.

After leaving a suicide note to Jiang Qing and Zheng Junli, he committed suicide by taking poison in a travel agency. However, the poignant and desperate letter he left to Ah Ping (Jiang Qing’s stage name is Lan Ping) was published by the media and reprinted in newspapers and magazines, and even the Nanjing Central Daily reported it with the title ‘The sensational suicide case of Tang Na in Jinan.’ In response, Tao wrote a new poem, ‘To Mr. Tang Na,’ which was published in the Life Daily, edited by Zou Taofen and published in Hong Kong. The first stanza of the poem reads as follows

I heard that you are seeking death, I am worried for you! You must know that Ping Lan is Ping Lan and does not belong to you. If you are intoxicated with the movie, why do you need to occupy her? Why did you come to this world? You should also ask a clear. Life comes for a big cause, is love a mountain top? If you love her and she still loves you, everyone will be happy to hear the good news. If you love her, she no longer loves you, that is the nightingale that has flown away.”

Journalist: “Oh, Tao Xingchi wrote a poem saying that Jiang Qing is a nightingale that has flown away?”

Mao: “Yes, this ‘flying nightingale’ is to compare Jiang Qing to a watery prostitute. This is the deeper reason why Jiang Qing made waves and actively advocated criticism of the movie ‘Wu Xun Biography.’ He wants to deny Tao Xingchi’s life as a civilian educator by criticizing the ‘Wu Xun Biography.’”

Journalist: “Oh, Jiang Qing wanted to criticize Tao Xingchi by criticizing ‘Wu Xun Biography?’”
Mao: “Yes. The May 10, 1951 issue of Wen Yi Bao, Vol. 4, No. 2, published Yang Er’s article, ‘Try to discuss whether Tao Xingchi’s praise of the ‘spirit of Wu Xun’ has a positive effect? This deep-seated historical grudge was exposed. This layer of reason is unknown even to me.

Jiang Qing reported to me that Zhou Enlai and Zhu De reviewed the film, and pointed out that Sun Yu, the editor and director of the biography of Wu Xun, was a classmate of Zhou Enlai in his youth. Once Zhou Enlai and Zhu De were on the scene, newspapers across the country were touting the film. Jiang Qing’s sensational report and analysis of the collapse of great power moved me. Jiang Qing ordered the film to be transferred for me to see.”

Journalist: “Haha, you were moved by Jiang Qing’s fabrication that great power had fallen away?”

Mao: “Yes, I was determined to intervene in this matter. on May 20, 1951 I wrote the article ‘Should pay attention to the discussion of the film ‘Wu Xun Biography.’ The article was published in the highest authoritative tone as an editorial in the People’s Daily, and people all over the country, especially in the cultural circles, were stunned and dumbfounded. Gossip within the Party quickly spread: ‘This editorial was written by Chairman Mao himself.’ Again, it spread from within the Party to the community, adding to the mysterious and unpredictable fright.”

Journalist: “Haha, you listened to the goons and wrote the editorial yourself, alarming the whole country?”

Mao: “Yes, this is the first article I wrote after gaining power, referring to the deer as a horse. The purpose was to remove the right of other Politburo Standing Committee members to speak in the ideological field and establish my right to speak.”

Journalist: “Oh, your purpose, is to listen to me regardless of whether it’s right or wrong?”

Mao: “Yes, in order to prove the correctness of the 5.20 editorial in People’s Daily, People’s Daily and the Central Ministry of Culture organized a ‘Wu Xun History Investigation Mission’ to investigate the hometown of Wu Xun in Shandong. The delegation consisted of 13 people: Yuan Shuipai (People’s Daily), Zhong Xiaofei, Li Jin (Central Culture Department), Feng Yizhi (CCP Shandong Branch Propaganda Department), Yuguang, Yang Jinren (CCP Plain Provincial Committee Propaganda Department), Wang Yanfei (Plain Provincial Federation of Literature), Chen Yunshan (Plain Daily), Si Luolu (CCP Liaocheng Local Committee Propaganda Department), Duan Junqing, Zhao Anbang (CCP Tangyi County Committee), Zhao Guobi (CCP Linqing (Propaganda Department of the Township Committee), Han Bo (Propaganda Department of the CCP Linqing County Committee).”

Journalist: “Wow, to prove that you are correct, another investigation mission with great fanfare?”

Mao: “Yes, the actual leader of the investigation mission is Jiang Qing, alias Li Jin. Everywhere you go, the authorities at all levels know that Li Jin is Jiang Qing. So, before the mission and the respondents met, the reception units have been set up in the masses.

The investigation went on for a month. Back in Beijing by Yuan Shuipai, Zhong Xiaofei, Li Jin 3 people penning the ‘Investigation Report of history of WuXun,’ by my personal revision, in July 23-28, 1951 ‘People’s Daily’ serial publication, and later printed into a pamphlet, widely distributed.”

Journalist: “You had a conclusion first, and then you went to investigate and find materials according to your tune?”

Mao: “Yes, the conclusion of the Investigation is: ‘Wu Xun is a feudal exploiter who started as a rogue, followed the will of the reactionary ruling class, used ‘School Establishing’ as a step to advance, rebelled against his own class and climbed to the position of the ruling class.’ ‘A loan shark who colludes with bureaucrats, has a special status, is greedy and cruel, and uses harsh methods.’ ‘It is a big rogue, a big debtor and a big landlord who served the landlord class and the reactionary government of the time by means of ‘schools establishing’ and was given privileges by the reactionary government of the time.’”

Journalist: “Your conclusion, isn’t it a complete reversal of right and wrong?”

Mao: “Actually it is. Through the editorial I wrote, and the investigation conducted by Jiang Qing, the history of Wu Xun was hard turned upside down. A poor peasant who begged and raised a school was branded as a big rascal, a big debtor and a big landlord. However, due to my high prestige, this incident of calling a stag a horse was accepted by the whole country. So the writers, directors, actors and actresses of Wu Xun Biography,’ those who wrote film reviews, those who published afterthoughts, the chief editors and editors who provided the garden for publishing these articles, the leaders of propaganda departments at all levels, and even the audience who had praised the film, reviewed it.”

Journalist: “Everyone had to submit to your authority and bow their heads to review?”

Mao: “Yes, Jiang Qing took credit for the film review, and in November 1951, Hu Qiaomu proposed Jiang Qing to be the director of the film division of the Central Propaganda Department. Hu Qiaomu reported to me in writing. I approved on November 16, 1951: ‘This is very good, carry it out accordingly.’”

In the Wu training history to reverse black and white, is Jiang Qing stepped in, behind is in my support, Jiang Qing small test means, the first appearance.”

Journalist: “And later corrected errors?”

Mao: “Yes, that was after my death. 1985 Hu Qiaomu speech, on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party’s reflection on the criticism of the film ‘Wu Xun Biography.’ Hu Qiaomu said, ‘At that time, this criticism was very one-sided, very extreme and very brutal. The criticism involved the film’s writer-director and actors, such as Sun Yu and Zhao Dan; all were progressive artists, and the criticism was completely wrong.’”

A Study of the Dream of the Red Chamber

Journalist: “What happened to your criticism of Dream of the Red Chamber?”

Mao: “In 1953, and how to evaluate the red scientist Yu Pingbo’s ‘Study of the Dream of the Red Chamber,’ the mainstream opinion said Yu Pingbo the book on the ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ ‘made a meticulous examination, proof, eradicate all the dreaming of the past ‘Red Chamber Study’, which is a great achievement.’”

Li Xifan and Lan Ling, students at Shandong University, co-authored an article with a different viewpoint from Yu Pingbo’s, entitled ‘’A Brief Discussion on ‘Dream of the Red Chamber and Beyond.’’ They wrote to ask the Literary and Art Newspaper whether an authoritative scholar like Yu Pingbo could criticize it, and received no reply. Thus, their article was published in the September issue of the Shandong University Journal of Literature, History and Philosophy. Li and Lan, two young scholars, criticized Yu Pingbo for denying the ‘anti-feudal tendency’ of Dream of the Red Chamber, saying that it was “an encyclopedia of social life in the declining period of feudal society.”

Journalist: “Oh, two college students disagree with Yu Pingbo authority?”

Mao: “Yes. At this time Jiang Qing was observing the national dynamics, attempting to make even bigger waves, in mid-September 1953, took the Shandong University Journal ‘Literature, History and Philosophy’ No. 9, came to the ‘People’s Daily,’ chief editor Deng Tuo warm reception. Jiang Qing, as usual, did not say which were my opinions and which were hers, and asked the People’s Daily to reprint the articles of the two youths.

Deng Tuo said: ‘The party newspaper is not a place for free debate,’ and it was difficult to agree; but he could ask the Central Propaganda Department to ask the Literature and Art Daily or the Guangming Daily to reprint them. A year later, on October 16, 1954, my letter on the study of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ was quoted, which reads as follows:

‘To Comrades:

Please take a look at the two articles refuting Yu Pingbo. This is the first serious fire in more than 30 years to the so-called ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ research authoritative writers of the wrong views. The authors are two members of the Youth League. They initially wrote to the Literary Art Newspaper to ask if they could criticize Yu Pingbo, but were ignored. They had no choice but to write to the teachers at their alma mater, Shandong University, and received support and sent out their article ‘A Brief Essay on the Dream of the Red Chamber’ in the university’s journal, ‘Literature, History and Philosophy. ’

The problem came back to Beijing, where someone (i.e.Jiang Qing) wanted to reprint the article in the People’s Daily with a view to arousing controversy and criticism, which was again criticized by some people (meaning Deng Tuo) for various reasons (mainly ‘articles by smallpeople’.

The article was opposed by some people (Deng Tuo) for various reasons (mainly ‘articles by smallpeople’ and ‘party newspapers are not a place forfree debate’) and could not be realized; as a result, a compromise was established and the article was allowed to be reprinted in magazine ‘Literary Art Newspaper.’ Subsequently, the ‘Literary Heritage” column of Guangming Daily published another article by the two youths refuting Yu Pingbo’s book ‘A Study of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber.’ It seems that the struggle against the bourgeois idealism of the Hu Shih school, which has poisoned the youth for more than 30years in the field of ancient literature, may be launched.

The matter was started by two ‘little people’ who were often not noticed by the ‘big people’ and were often prevented from doing so by speaking of a united front with the bourgeois writers on idealism and being willing captives of the bourgeoisie. The situation was almost the same when the film ‘The Secret History of the Qing Palace’ and ‘Wu Xun Biography’ were screened. The Secret History of the Qing Palace, which was called a patriotic film but was actually a traitorous film, has not been criticized since it was shown nationwide. Although the biography of Wu Xun has been criticized, no lesson has been drawn so far, and the strange thing of tolerating Yu Pingbo’s idealism and blocking the very angry articles of the ‘little people’ is worth our attention.

On the top of the envelope of this letter, I wrote in my own handwriting: ‘Comrades Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Chen Yun, Hu Xie, Peng Zhen, Dong Lao, Lin Lao, Peng Dehuai, Lu Dingyi, Hu Qiaomu, Chen Boda, Guo Moruo, Shen Yanbing, Deng Tuo, Yuan Shuipai, Lin Tanqiu, Zhou Yang, Lin Feng, Kai Feng, Tian Jiaying, Lin Mohan, Zhang Jichun, Ding Ling, Feng Xuefeng, Xi Zhongxun, He Qifang Read. Retire Mao Zedong.”

Journalist: “Wow, you are seizing on a minor issue to draw out the criticism of Hu Shih’s bourgeoisie and deliberately make a big deal out of it?”

Mao: “Yes, it is worth mentioning that the first recipient of this letter, Liu Shaoqi, the letter said ‘was called patriotism is actually a sellout film of the Qing Palace Secret History,’ but as in the dark, did not even know that he was given a credit. It was not until the Cultural Revolution when the rebels questioned Liu Shaoqi: ‘Why do you say that the Secret History of the Qing Palace is patriotic and sings against the Great Leader?’ Only then did Liu Shaoqi have the opportunity to reply, ‘I did not say that the Secret History of the Qing Palace was patriotic at all.’

People only just realized that it was Jiang Qing who spread rumors and caused trouble in my ears, trying to sow discord. However, I had already made up my mind to completely overthrow Liu Shaoqi. This small misunderstanding is meaningless to discuss further.

In this letter, on the surface, I present righteous and profound arguments. But hidden between the lines, the message is a positive affirmation of Jiang Qing’s malicious role in creating trouble and sowing discord, from her criticisms of ‘Secret History of the Qing Palace,’ ‘Wu Xun Biography,’ to her analysis of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber.’ What Jiang Qing pursued under my direction was exactly this. In my eyes, she was even more capable.”