a leading authority on Ming history

a leading authority on Ming history

Wu Han (August 11, 1909 - October 17, 1969), formerly known as Wu Chunhan, was born in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province. He was a famous historian, social activist and one of the pioneers and founders of modern Ming history. He once served as professor of Yunnan University, southwest United University and Tsinghua University, vice mayor of Beijing, academic member of Institute of history, Chinese Academy of Sciences, member of Department of philosophy and Social Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and vice chairman of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference. During the "Cultural Revolution", he was brutally criticized by those in power for his new historical play Hai Rui's dismissal, and finally he had to go to prison To kill, to destroy, to destroy. Only after the end of the "Cultural Revolution" was his unjust case vindicated.

Life of the characters

Early experience

Wu Han was born in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province on August 11, 1909. Her original name was Wu Chunhan and her name was bochen. Family economy often bumps between food and clothing and well-off. His father, Wu binjue, was a scholar and had a strict family education. Wu Han is a smart boy and has been interested in history since childhood, especially the history of Ming Dynasty. Wu Han is not only precocious, but also precocious. When she was 12 years old, she went to Jinhua middle school to read a lot of books. While absorbing Liang Qichao's reform ideas, she also learned to play mahjong, smoke, play truant and play truant. In a word, he is not a "good boy".

In 1925, Wu Han graduated from middle school. Due to the decline of her family, she taught in the primary school of the village and earned a little salary to supplement her family.

Meet Hu Shi

In the autumn of 1927, Wu Han was admitted to Hangzhou Zhijiang University. However, Wu Hanzhi was not here. In 1928, he ran away from home alone and came to Hangzhou to be admitted to the preparatory course of Zhijiang University. A year later, the University closed down and went to Shanghai to be admitted to the Chinese public school. From then on, he and Hu Shi formed an indissoluble bond - Hu Shi was the president of the school at this time. In 1930, introduced by Gu Jiegang, Professor of Yanjing University, he worked as a librarian in the Chinese and Japanese language editing and examination department of Yanjing University Library.

After entering the Chinese public school, Wu Han became a student of Hu Shi and soon wrote the article "the economic situation of the Western Han Dynasty", which won Hu Shi's praise. On March 19, 1930, Wu Han wrote directly to Hu Shi for advice on the problems she encountered in sorting out the book of the kingdom of Buddha: "I know that my husband is very busy, but I really can't think of a person who can solve and guide the path more scientifically than my husband." Soon after, Hu Shi left the Chinese public school, while Wu Han followed him to the north. After being introduced, Gu Jiegang arranged to work as a librarian in the library of Yanjing University. Here, he wrote the chronicle of Hu Yinglin, which became the beginning of his formal study of Ming history. Wu Han wrote to Hu Shi for advice again. Hu Shi wrote back to Wu Han on the second day of receiving the letter, greatly appreciating his works and asking Wu Han to "come and talk about it when you have time this week.". From then on, Wu Han became Hu Shi's "disciple".

The reason why Wu Han didn't enter Peking University was that he was seriously partial to the subjects. In the entrance examination, he had to take three subjects: literature and history, English and mathematics. He got full marks in both literature and history and English, but he got zero in mathematics. According to the regulations of Peking University, he was not allowed to take one subject with zero. Later, he switched to Tsinghua University and got the same result. However, Tsinghua University opened up its doors and took him out of the ordinary because of his excellent achievements in literature and history. Wu Han became a "Tsinghua person" and missed Peking University.

When Wu Han entered Tsinghua, her family was basically in decline. Hu Shi is really in favor of this disciple. A few days after Wu Han was admitted, he wrote to Weng Wenhao, acting president of Tsinghua University, and Zhang Zigao, Dean of Tsinghua University: "this man has a very poor family. He wanted to work and study, but he has no acquaintances in Tsinghua University. He is afraid that he is eager to get a chance to work and study. If he doesn't have a job, he can't go to school. I advised him to decide to go to school, and allowed him to ask his two brothers for help. I would be very grateful if you could help me with this matter. " In addition, it also introduces Wu Han's academic level.

Wu Han, as a student of Tsinghua University, fully learned from Hu Shi's academic method of Peking University. In his letter to Wu Han, Hu Shi gave the disciple guidance in many aspects: "to govern the history of Ming Dynasty is not to make a new history of Ming Dynasty, but to train yourself to be a scholar who can sort out the materials of Ming Dynasty." "It's a smooth road in all directions," says Wu Han It can be seen that Hu Shi had a deep influence on him.

At the beginning of 1931, he wrote the chronicle of Hu Yinglin. Hu Shi, who was teaching at National Peking University at that time, recommended Wu Han as a graduate student in the Department of history at National Tsinghua University, specializing in Ming history. During her college years, Wu Han wrote more than 40 articles, among which Hu Weiyong's party case, the age and social background of Jin Ping Mei, and farmers in the Ming Dynasty were popular among celebrities in the historical circle at that time. After graduation, he taught the history of Ming Dynasty in Tsinghua University.

the period of the war of Resistance Against Japan

In the 1930s, China had peace in turmoil. The September 18th Incident broke out in 1931, and the three eastern provinces fell into the enemy's hands. Wu Han is obviously a patriot. He actively supports the petitions of his classmates, but he is not involved in them. However, he is a vigorous and energetic young man. In his letter to Hu Shi on January 30, 1932, he accused the authorities: "looking at the history of any country or dynasty, we can not find such a despicable and insane government." In the letter, he hoped that "Mr. Wang will solve the problem in the same way and indicate a way to go".

Hu Shi did not answer. On June 27, 1932, he published an article entitled "gift to this year's college graduates", which continued to advocate the idea of "saving the country by science", but Hu Shi also asked students to "always have a little confidence" in his "prescription".

Because of Hu Shi's care, Wu Han worked part-time in Tsinghua University, and her salary was quite generous, which was enough to meet the needs of her study. When Wu Han graduated, his graduation photo was inscribed with Hu Shi's famous saying: "bold hypothesis, careful verification. Less empty talk and more good books -- Record Mr. Hu Shi's words. "

In 1937, after the outbreak of the Anti Japanese War, Wu Han was employed as a professor in Yunnan University, and later as a teacher in Southwest Associated University. Wu Han gradually joined the Anti Japanese democratic movement because he was increasingly dissatisfied with the current situation. At this time, the Southwest Associated University, composed of Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University, was also established.

Wu Han returned to his alma mater in 1940. At the time of the national crisis, there were rumors of corruption among the officials of the national government, while the Communist Party of China used the contradiction between "Yunnan king" Long Yun and Chiang Kai Shek to move around the Southwest Associated University, encouraging teachers and students to fight against Chiang Kai Shek, and had more contact with Wu Han. Rumors of national calamity, poverty, hardship and corruption are intertwined, and Professor Zhang Yinlin, Wu Han's good friend, died of kidney disease. Wu Han's hatred for the authorities has been increased.

In July 1943, Wu Han joined the NLD and began to abandon Hu Shi's theory of "reading to save the country". At this point, Wu Han changed from a historian to a social activist. With the support of the Communist Party of China, she actively participated in various anti Jiang activities. Her attitude became more and more sharp, and her criticism of the national government became more and more intense. Since then, he has never written a decent historical work.

Wu Han chose the left-wing road and criticized the theory of "reading to save the country", saying: "what about some young people of the older generation in the previous era? He pretended to be smiling and said, "don't be impatient! We have our own way of dealing with state affairs. Young people are still the first to study. They don't have to be used by others. " Although Wu Han has a strong patriotic heart, does he also have a keen political mind? " Just like the change of his ideas before and after he wrote the biography of Zhu Yuanzhang, in 1943, when the book was called from sengbo to imperial power, he almost took the way of "alluding to Historiography" to allude to Chiang Kai Shek; in the 1960s, the biography of Zhu Yuanzhang became "propositional historiography", which attributed Zhu Yuanzhang's killing of Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu to "contradictions within the ruling class".

during the civil war

After the end of the Anti Japanese War, the Southwest Associated University dissolved in May 1946, and Wu Han went to Shanghai. During her stay in Shanghai, the news came that Li Gongpu and Wen Yiduo had been assassinated one after another. Wu Han was deeply grieved over the death of her best friend. She was furious and wrote a series of articles denouncing dictatorship, autocracy and assassination. In an article on the politics of assassination, Wu Han wrote that dictatorship and despotism "guarantee you the freedom of missing, being beaten, being slandered by rumors, being stabbed, grenaded, machine gun, and silent pistol.". He pointed out that this kind of politics of assassination is an anti democratic reactionary politics that "renounces itself to the people, to the world and to mankind".

In August 1946, Wu Han returned to Beiping, still teaching at Tsinghua University, and served as chairman of the Beiping Democratic League.

On the evening of July 17 and 18, 1946, Wu Han met Zhou Enlai twice at Zhang Junmai's residence, which was a great inspiration to him, so he had a closer relationship with the Communist Party of China.

After returning to Tsinghua University, Wu Han served as the chairman of the Beiping branch of the League for democracy and people's Republic of China (NLD), which was more about publicizing the political views of the Communist Party of China. Many well-known professors were influenced by it, and their thoughts gradually turned to the left. Among them, Zhu Ziqing, a professor who does not care about political affairs, also participated in various activities of anti Chiang Kai Shek and anti US communication and signature.

Wu Han has become a trusted friend of the Communist Party of China at this time. He undertakes part of the underground work of the Communist Party of China, and the underground party also gives some financial support. He secretly listened to the news broadcast of the liberated areas, recorded the later copying, mimeography and distribution, and expanded the influence of the Communist Party of China. Because of his frequent activities, he attracted the attention of the Kuomintang authorities and was on the arrest list. Arranged by the CPC underground party, he came to the seat of the CPC Central Committee in Xibaipo, Hebei Province in November 1948 and was received by Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong successively. Wu Han, who had just arrived in the liberated areas, was not used to the overwhelming slogans of "dictatorship" and "long live", but was gradually infected by the surrounding atmosphere and soon became happy

Chinese PinYin : Wu Han