Li Rui: Chen Duxiu was founder of the CPC, not one of the founders

(Chen Entian, Great-grandson of Chen Duxiu,founder of the CPC, wishes a happy birthday to Li Rui, the former leader of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the CPC)

 

In 2007, on Mr. Li Rui's 90th birthday, Mr. Chen Entian, then chairman of the Seven-Three International Society, the world's largest society, and now chairman of SSCO, returned to Beijing to attend Mr. Li Rui's birthday party. When Mr. Li Rui saw Chen Entian, he asked, “You are Chen Duxiu's great-grandson, aren't you?”Instead of answering directly, Chen En Tian said euphemistically, “Some people say that my grandfather Chen Guangmei was the son of Chen Duxiu and Gao Junman.” Li Rui looked at Chen En Tian and said, “Looking at your face and body shape and height you really look a bit like Chen Duxiu.” Chen Entian did not say anything, a little embarrassed in his silence, he did not want the world to misunderstand that he was complacent with the title of “Chen Duxiu's great-grandson”. Li Rui continued, “Someone at the Party History Research Office has confirmed this through research and verification.Chen Guangmei was the first child of Chen Duxiu and Gao Junman, and was sent to a relative's home in Sichuan at a very early age, when Chen Duxiu was 32 years old and Gao Junman was 23.” The two began a little-known conversation.

 

Regarding the conversation, Chen En Tian had been wary for some time. Chen Entian was told in advance that Li Rui's endorsement of Chen Duxiu's “democratic and scientific ideology” and his disapproval of other “individualistic ideologies” were not in line with the mainstream, and that some of his views were so controversial that they often caused a storm of public opinion overseas. For this reason, Chen Entian was very careful to prevent being recorded or wiretapped, and avoided as much as possible discussing with Mr. Li Rui about sensitive topics such as democratic politics. It is true that Mr. Li Rui did not talk about democratic politics with Chen Entian. Instead, he reviewed with Chen Entian the arduous journey of Chen Duxiu in founding the New Youth magazine, initiating the New Culture Movement, publicizing the spirit of May Fourth, and founding the CPC. He also talked about the controversial love story between Chen Duxiu and Gao Junman.

 

Mr. Li Rui is undoubtedly a researcher and endorser of Chen Duxiu. Despite being 90 years old, he could recite verbatim the six tenets of Chen Duxiu's New Youth magazine: Be independent and not enslaved; Be progressive and not conservative; Be in the forefront and not lagging behind; Be internationalist and not isolationist; Be practical and not rhetorical; Be scientific and not superstitious. Li Rui praised these six tenets as encompassing the work of the CPC from its founding to the future, from democracy, science and seeking truth from facts to reform and opening up, facing the world and the future, and especially advocating freedom of thought and independence of spirit.

 

Li Rui commented that Chen Duxiu's life was great and honorable. Even Mao Zedong published an article in the “The Shian Kian Weekly Review” saying, “Long live Chen Duxiu.” Chen Duxiu was not only the commander-in-chief of the New Culture Movement and the May Fourth Movement, he was the core of the founding of the CPC, and the core of the first to fifth terms, not one of the founders of the CPC, as some people say. Those around Chen Duxiu, such as Li Dazhao, who was 10 years younger than Chen Duxiu, Mao Zedong, who was 14 years younger than Chen Duxiu, and Zhou Enlai, who was 19 years younger than Chen Duxiu, were all young followers who had regarded Chen Duxiu as a leader. The failure of the Revolution was due to the fusion imposed by the Comintern, and the fault cannot be laid at the door of Chen Duxiu alone. If Chiang Kai-shek killed 26,000 Communists and put the blame on Chen Duxiu alone, then did Chiang Kai-shek kill more than 300,000 Nationalists and put the blame on Sun Yat-sen? Mao Zedong said in his 1971 speech on his visit to the south that the Red Army had 300,000 men before the Long March, but only 25,000 men were left after the Long March. May I ask who is to blame for the loss of more than 270,000 men in the Long March?

 

(Note: On May 26, 2012, Chinese official media officially disclosed that Chen Guangmei, was the son of Chen Duxiu and Gao Junman.)