Fu Lei, courtesy name Nuan’an, also known as Nuan, was originally from Nanhui County, Jiangsu Province. He was a renowned Chinese translator, writer, educator, and art critic. Early in life, he studied at the University of Paris, translating a vast array of French literature, including works by Balzac, Romain Rolland, and Voltaire.

Fu Lei’s life was guided by a fierce sense of justice. His translations often exposed societal flaws and portrayed human struggle, seen in works such as Eugénie Grandet, Father Goriot, and Jean-Christophe. He was also a devoted and strict father; his letters to his son were later compiled by his younger son Fu Min into Fu Lei’s Family Letters, which remain widely read and influential. His children were Fu Cong, a world-famous pianist, and Fu Min, an English teacher.

His translation of Beethoven may be thin, but it is masterful, compressing Beethoven’s lifelong struggle into rhythmic Chinese prose, powerful and stirring. As an art critic, Fu Lei emphasized capturing the spirit of a subject, blending technical skill with literary grace.

In 1957, during the anti-rightist campaign, Fu Lei was not immediately labeled a rightist. But in 1958, during a “supplementary anti-rightist” movement in Shanghai, Fu Lei was targeted by Shanghai’s Writers’ Association. The city leadership, including Ke Qingshi, insisted on labeling him a rightist, though Zhou Erfu and Zhou Yang initially thought it was discretionary. When Fu Lei complied with party demands and prepared to move on, Ke Qingshi reversed the decision and officially marked him as a rightist.

In December 1958, Fu Lei’s elder son Fu Cong fled from Poland to the UK, after which Fu Lei withdrew from public life. In September 1961, he was “cleared” of his rightist label. But in late August 1966, at the start of the Cultural Revolution, Fu Lei’s home was ransacked by Red Guards, and he endured four days and nights of brutal struggle sessions, forced kneeling, and high-hat humiliation. Unable to bear the shame, he and his wife chose to end their lives.

The Jade Emperor, upon learning of Fu Lei’s ordeal, sought him out directly.

The Jade Emperor said: “The Heavenly Court will judge Mao Zedong. You suffered during the Cultural Revolution and took your life with your wife. Speak freely about your grievances.”

Fu Lei replied: “The Red Guards stormed in, ransacked our home, beat me, forced me to kneel, and humiliated me with the high hat. I was a man of character, valuing dignity above life. After four days and nights of torture, I could endure no more, choosing to leave with my dignity intact. I wanted my wife to survive, but she said: ‘If you go, I follow. Only death can separate us.’ I could not live without her. We lived in harmony, complementing each other’s strengths. The poison I prepared was insufficient for both; I took it all, and she hanged herself.”

The Jade Emperor asked: “Did you leave a letter?”

Fu Lei: “Yes, to my brother-in-law. I detailed everything unfinished in life, and sent him the remaining 53 RMB.”

The Jade Emperor: “Any instructions for your son?”

Fu Lei: “To my son Fu Cong: First, be a good person; second, be an artist; third, be a musician; fourth, be a pianist.”

The Jade Emperor: “Why did you feel compelled to end your life? Others, like Zhang Naiqi, survived similar ordeals.”

Fu Lei: “Zhang Naiqi had extraordinary resilience; I was born like a thunder god, full of principle, yet under Mao, I was battered. In 1957–58, I was criticized repeatedly for alleged anti-party, anti-socialist, and pro-American tendencies. It was unfair. I had no anti-party sentiments; I only hoped the Party would improve. Sixty years later, I realize I was truly anti-Mao, and it had to happen.”

The Jade Emperor: “Why must Mao be opposed?”

Fu Lei: “Mao had no humanity, only a demonic nature. He was not human but a demon, representing darkness. I believe goodness can pierce darkness; its name is humaneness. Humaneness will ultimately prevail over evil.”

The Jade Emperor: “This demon Mao sought to sweep all before him.”

Fu Lei: “His cruelty was unmatched. He incited children barely in their teens to commit violence. In August 1966 alone, dozens of middle school teachers were beaten to death by students stirred by Mao. The debts of blood are countless.”

The Jade Emperor: “All these debts must be accounted for.”

Fu Lei: “Mao may escape human justice, but he cannot escape the underworld. I beg the Jade Emperor to consign him to the nineteenth layer of hell.”

NEXT: 117. Liu Wencai (1887–1949)