1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

"This is..."

"These are the primary school textbooks that this country will use when school starts on April 1st this year."

"...all in Chinese?"

"Yes, all in Chinese, no Japanese." "They don't plan to teach Japanese?"

"Japanese is an elective course. Only junior high school students can take it. And it costs money."

Feng Xuefeng's eyes lit up when he realized what kind of problems this would cause, and he asked in a deep voice:

"Tell me, what are these?"

"Oh, this is horizontal layout, which makes it faster to read and holds more information... Look, you already know how to read without me telling you. Try it, and see if you can read more in a split second."

"This isn't an English alphabet, it's called pinyin, and it's used to help children learn Chinese... For example, the "ba" in "father" is pronounced as "ba," with the fourth tone... See, didn't they learn to read and memorize quickly?"

"This is the new simplified Chinese characters, also known as simplified characters/vulgarized characters, which are relative to traditional characters. You should remember that they appeared before and were resisted..."

"This is for standardization—teachers use it to guide students' thinking... I've had Haiying learn all of this, and her progress is astonishing..."

With Lu Xun's detailed explanation, Feng Xuefeng understood a lot of the content in the book and also understood the value of this book.

Horizontal layout, pinyin, simplified characters...it's no exaggeration to say that this book is a powerful tool for rapidly improving literacy and cultivating talents!

Although Feng Xuefeng has never taught, he still vividly remembers the pain and difficulty of learning Chinese in compulsory primary school. Many students only memorized those Chinese characters after their teachers spanked them so hard that they cried.

The idea of ​​simplified Chinese characters was first proposed as early as the Qing Dynasty, but was accused of "destroying the rules of our ancestors" and was abandoned. In recent years, some people have proposed it, but they were also rejected.

However, as an active participant in the New Culture Movement, Feng Xuefeng liked simplified Chinese characters very much, because simplified Chinese characters not only lowered the learning threshold, but also accelerated the speed of spreading the writer's ideas.

As for "pinyin", let alone "pinyin", because the teachers themselves have different accents, coupled with the influence of their families, the students they teach have different ways of reading Chinese characters.

Not to mention the dialect issue, students taught by different teachers in the same region cannot understand each other's "Mandarin" and can only communicate through text, which is an awkward situation!

Now, with the pinyin system, even if everyone's pronunciation is slightly different, it will definitely not be so different that even Chinese people need a translator to communicate verbally!

Lu Xun is indeed Lu Xun! He is indeed not a traitor! Feng Xuefeng took a deep breath: "Let's write the same book..."

"Yes, this is a feat comparable to that of Qin Shi Huang." Lu Xun nodded with satisfaction.

"He also added 'same pronunciation'. If this can be fully implemented, no one in China will be bothered by dialects anymore. Communication will be much faster, and talented people will emerge one after another."

"He? You mean... that person? He did all this?"

"Yes, it was done under his leadership. He gave me the main text, and I just made some minor revisions."

Feng Xuefeng found it difficult to accept for a while.

In his opinion, Fujiwara no Kanezane was a powerful figure similar to Zhang Zuolin. He never expected that he would have such great accomplishments in culture, especially in Chinese culture.

But, think about it.

If it were not for this, my good friend would never come to the Northeast even if a gun was pointed at the heads of his entire family.

"But if that's the case, we can do it in Shanghai, so why..."

"Shanghai?" Lu Xun sneered:

"Xuefeng, have you forgotten how the Kuomintang government persecuted us? Putting aside the fact that I've completely offended Generalissimo Chiang, even if I hadn't, would they allow these things to exist?"

"Well..."

Feng Xuefeng was speechless for a moment.

If these things were handed over to the national government, they would probably be rejected immediately.

Because the biggest force hindering the spread of simplified Chinese characters was the national government, especially Dai Jitao and his group.

In fact, Chiang Kai-shek and many knowledgeable people in the cultural community believed that "our Chinese characters have too many strokes, making it difficult for soldiers to educate and students to learn."

In 1935, that guy also issued an order to promote simplified Chinese characters, but was firmly resisted by Dai Jitao and others, who used all their power and status as elders in the Nationalist government to oppose it, and finally forced the Nationalist government to order an end to the promotion of simplified Chinese characters.

"Then... let's go to Ruijin... no, Nanchang?"

As soon as he said this, Feng Xuefeng knew he was being fooled. Good things are good things, but the CCP doesn't have them!

Moreover, before June of last year, the CCP's own survival was a problem, so how could it have the time to care about these things?

Sure enough, Lu Xun shook his head:

"It's not that I don't want to go. I only found out about what he was doing after I came to Northeast China. I do plan to go to Nanchang later, but I have to learn the stuff here first."

"But...you stayed in Northeast China and accepted a fake position. You will definitely be denounced as a traitor by the Chinese people."

"Go ahead and curse me! Compared to the future of China, the Chinese nation, and Chinese culture, my personal life and honor are insignificant."

"...You, do you think too highly of him?" "No, I think I underestimated him." Lu Xun sighed and took out another document: "Here, take a look at this."

Feng Xuefeng looked at the paper in his hand and read it softly:

"Rise up, those who refuse to be slaves, and with our flesh and blood, forge our new Great Wall. The Chinese nation has arrived..."

? ? ?

After reciting a few sentences, Feng Xuefeng finally realized what he was reciting. He quickly shut up, looked around carefully, and asked cautiously:

“You wrote this???”

"No, he gave it to me. He didn't mention who the author was, and it's not just lyrics, it's a song."

Lu Xun sang it again, and the majestic momentum made Feng Xuefeng tremble and stutter:

"He he he he he... He actually doesn't object to this anti-Japanese song?"

"That's why I said you underestimated him. The Chinese nation is at its most dangerous moment. Is it just a matter of losing our territory?"

Lu Xun shook his head again:

"Our culture, our history, our morals, our thoughts...are all in great danger. The more I think about this song, the more I appreciate it."

"I think this song is telling us that if we don't always maintain a spirit of forging ahead, eliminating the dross and retaining the essence, and reforming and opening up, the Chinese nation will always be in danger!"

"...were you not right before..."

"I'm just against the bad parts of our culture, not really against our culture."

Lu Xun recalled the time when he and Qu Qiubai and others had promoted the "Latinization of Chinese Characters." He mocked himself for always liking to open the window, and said in a serious tone:

"Besides, after coming to Northeast China, the more I interacted with him, the more I realized that our understanding of our own culture is so shallow, even worse than that of a Japanese like him!"

"It's fine that Japan is a country that's stronger than us, but even they value Chinese culture more, and we, as Chinese, don't value it. Isn't that strange and shameful?"

Feng Xuefeng was speechless for a moment.

Putting aside those old-fashioned people who insist that everything in Chinese culture is good and that the laws of our ancestors cannot be changed, the entire progressive cultural community in China can be roughly divided into two factions:

Radicals – believe that all traditions, including Chinese characters, Chinese names, and Chinese culture itself, should be abolished, and Western culture should be fully embraced;

Conservatives believe that the radicals are a bit too radical, but they also believe that Chinese culture seriously hinders China's strength and development.

Regardless of which faction, the emphasis on China's own culture is indeed very limited. Intellectuals who criticize their own cultural system in a roundabout way every day always get applause.

Over time, everyone started to curse. The more they cursed, the more people applauded. The more people applauded, the more they cursed. The more they cursed, the less confidence people had in their own culture. Coupled with the continuous failures in recent years, the cultural community has become more and more convinced of this idea.

This is not because they are all traitors, but simply because culture is always something that is attached to strength;

If you don't have the strength, no matter how brilliant your culture is, it will die if someone slaps you in the face.

No matter how powerful you are and how weak your culture is, "after you enter the Pass, there will still be great scholars who will debate for you."

Lu Xun was one of those who criticized him most harshly, but after communicating with him and conducting research in Northeast China, his thinking has obviously changed completely:

"For example, the image of traditional Chinese medicine in elementary school textbooks. I used to think that traditional Chinese medicine practitioners were intentional or unintentional liars who could neither save China nor the health of the Chinese people..."

Feng Xuefeng understood the source of Lu Xun's thinking very well - in addition to feeling that Chinese culture had too much dross and that he had studied modern Western medicine, it was also because his father died due to delayed treatment with traditional Chinese medicine.

For someone who has been exposed to modern Western medicine, "winter reeds", "sugarcane that has been frosted for three years", "defeat drum skin pills", and "original cricket pair" do not sound at all credible.

"...but he called me an extremist—which I didn't admit, of course. I said I believed Chinese medicine could still treat minor ailments like stomach aches, but he then asked me a few more questions that I couldn't answer."

"What?"

"He asked me, if Chinese medicine is really useless, then has the health of the Chinese people for thousands of years been guaranteed solely by physical fitness? Have Chinese people never suffered from serious illnesses? Has no one ever been cured by Chinese medicine?"

"But...but this doesn't mean that Chinese medicine..."

Feng Xuefeng was really becoming more and more confused.

Other things are fine, but Lu Xun himself studied Western medicine and always scoffed at Chinese medicine. How come after visiting Northeast China, he even started to praise Chinese medicine?

Lu Xun knew that his 180-degree change in attitude would be confusing, so he waved his hand:

"Let me show you how. Come on, lie down on the... uh... massage bed."

"This little bed is interesting. There's a hole here... Oh, bury your head in it, right? Um... Okay, I'm ready... What?"

"I remember that you and I have the same back problems because of long hours of writing at a desk, right?"

"Yes... yes, so what?" "Let me think, as for the waist, it should be..."

Lu Xun groped down Feng Xuefeng's legs and continued to press until he reached the knee bend. Feng Xuefeng, puzzled, suddenly felt a sharp pain and could not help but let out a series of screams:

"Ahhhhhhhhh! Why are you stabbing me with a needle?!!"

The pain was so severe that Feng Xuefeng almost fainted. He turned around and saw Lu Xun showing his empty hands with an innocent look on his face. There was even a hint of pride in his eyes:

"I didn't hold anything in my hand, I just pressed it."

At that time, when UMP40 pressed him, he screamed much more miserably than Feng Xuefeng, it was like he was being tortured.

Feng Xuefeng looked at him suspiciously for a long time, but he didn't see any sharp objects in Lu Xun's hands, and his nails were smooth.

"...What did you do?"

"If someone with a bad back presses the Weizhong point, it will be very painful. The worse the back is, the more painful it will be when pressing."

"Stomach...stomach point?" What is this?

"I'm still learning and researching the theory of acupuncture points in traditional Chinese medicine. Your condition doesn't seem as serious as mine. As for Guangping, pressing on her only causes slight pain. I guess it's from housework."

Lu Xun also briefly introduced some knowledge about acupoints and personally verified the relationship between illness and acupoints, which greatly broadened Feng Xuefeng's horizons.

"It seems like you've gained a lot from your trip to Northeast China, but I still don't support you working here. You've already learned so much, and all that's left is development. It's the same if you go somewhere else."

Although he was indeed surprised and shocked, Feng Xuefeng implied that he did not agree with Lu Xun holding a "pseudo-position" and that he would not stay in the Northeast.

"Well, actually, these things, in my opinion, are just the smallest aspects."

"So what really attracted you?" "It's his attitude and philosophy." "... Tell me about it."

"I..."

Lu Xun picked out some important content from his previous contact with Fujiwara Kanezane and the "conversation in the snow" and told Feng Xuefeng.

"...I never imagined that a so-called 'foreigner' could have such grand ideals, and that they even align so closely with many of our own!"

As he spoke, Lu Xun became more excited:

"I know I might sound like a traitor when I say this, but he is the one with the greatest hope of completely changing China! At least he is one of them!"

"...I understand what you mean. You're thinking that if you don't take this responsibility, he might find someone else to do it. Since this thing can't be stopped, it's better to keep it in your own hands and feel more at ease."

"Yes, he has given me a lot of power, and Ms. He from the Ministry of Education has also promised to give me absolute support. I plan to do something serious here instead of continuing to write articles, because writing articles will not save China!"

Feng Xuefeng could feel that Lu Xun was very different from before, like a completely different person.

No, it was as if the previous Lu Xun had died, and what was before him now was a brand new Lu Xun.

But Feng Xuefeng had to admit that the things the other party said were indeed exciting and desirable. If they could be realized, it would be a great achievement.

Even if the other party's purpose is probably just to strengthen its own power in order to seize the throne and the whole of China, it can objectively improve the overall cultural quality of the Chinese people.

Everyone is like a dragon...

"Xuefeng, do you know what he thought of our New Culture Movement?"

"oh?"

"He said we were just a bunch of writers who entertained themselves and thought they had awakened the people, but in reality, we hadn't made any major substantive changes, rather than practical people who were rooted in the masses and were truly subverting all this."

Seeing Feng Xuefeng's grim expression, Lu Xun laughed:

"When I heard this before, I felt that I and my comrades were insulted. However, the longer I stayed in Northeast China, the more I felt that he was right;"

"Everyone here has bent down to work, bit by bit, to change Northeast China and its people. And what have we really done, besides writing a few articles and holding a few conferences that we think are very influential?"

This is not Lu Xun's self-deprecation, but the result of his various investigations in Northeast China over the past few months.