Cai Hesen’s Eulogy for Xiang Jingyu
"Biography of Comrade Xiang Jingyu"
Jingyu, a native of Xupu, Hunan, was born in 1895. Her father started as a small vendor and accumulated wealth to become a prosperous merchant. Jingyu’s childhood coincided with the ongoing Kang-Liang reform movement, which had a significant influence in Hunan. Jingyu’s eldest brother was one of the activists in this movement. He advocated for “new learning” and had already established modern-style schools in their hometown of Xupu County. Jingyu was a well-known female student in these new-style schools; she could write passionate essays with strong nationalistic themes, practiced gymnastics, and especially excelled in “flipping bars”. In school and in every county-wide student competition, Jingyu was the most renowned “all-rounded” top student. Encouraged by this social atmosphere of reward, this lively and lovable young girl became increasingly excited and dreamed from morning till night of becoming “the world’s first great person”.
After the 1911 Xinhai Revolution in China, Jingyu, as a top student from Changde Women’s Normal School, advanced to the First Women’s Normal School of Hunan Province. At that time, education was still a hybrid of semi-feudal and semi-capitalist elements, and women’s education especially retained old Confucian teachings, aiming to cultivate virtuous mothers and good wives. Jingyu was nurtured under this influence and was called a “sage” at school. Her diligence, enthusiasm, and sincerity earned her the respect of her classmates. After graduation, she returned home to establish the Xupu Girls’ School and served as principal for three years. Within the county, she devoted herself to “teaching from above and instructing below,” often forgetting to eat and sleep as a regular part of her life.
During the May Fourth Movement, she mobilized the masses in rural areas, giving speeches all day to promote “patriotism.” Her emotions were very passionate; she often wept loudly over national affairs. She believed in the so-called “education to save the nation,” embraced “celibacy,” and intended to devote her life to education to transform China. She was absolutely different from the typical delicate female students; from childhood, she studied alongside boys, and in youth mingled with male students and peasants, often taking a leadership role. Thus, her words and actions resembled those of the most sincere propagandist. She was incredibly genuine, extraordinarily brave, yet meticulous; she often spent entire days and nights thinking and preparing for even the smallest matters. She knew no other desires; her sole wish was to accomplish a “world-shaking cause.”
She was an “ambitious careerist,” often inspiring herself with the thought, “If I cannot achieve great things in the future, I will shatter myself and burn to ashes!” Such intense thoughts would often bring her to tears. When inspired, she recognized no obstacles or hardships. Her eldest brother had studied abroad early and died in Japan; she also had two brothers who received modern education in Japan.
It was during the May Fourth Movement and the New Youth cultural movement that she had a great influence among the radical youth in Hunan. At that time, Mao Zedong, Cai Hesen, and others formed the “New People’s Study Society” in Hunan, inclined toward revolutionary social movements; hearing that tens of thousands of Chinese laborers were in France—sent during the European War—and that there was the possibility of “work-study programs,” they called on comrades to risk going to France. Jingyu, together with Hesen, his mother, sister Cai Chang, and others, sailed to France. After multiple talks with Hesen, Jingyu began to abandon the dream of saving the nation through education and embraced communism. At the same time, her romance with Hesen began. This happened on January 15, 1920, aboard a ship in the Indian Ocean. After their romance, all their enthusiasm focused on the communist movement; upon arriving in France, they gathered comrades and advanced elements among the Chinese laborers to form an organization with this tendency. At the end of 1921, Hesen was arrested by the French government and deported back to China; shortly after, Jingyu also returned, and they jointly participated in party work thereafter. Jingyu had a strong sense of responsibility and a strong competitive “ambition,” which had been cultivated since childhood. After falling in love with Hesen and engaging in practical work, she often felt a kind of oppression, believing that female comrades were less capable than male comrades, which to her seemed a “deep humiliation.” The more comrades praised her as the best among female comrades, the more dissatisfied she became.
She was one of the powerful agitators and organizers during the May 30th Movement; she was responsible for the party’s women’s work; but she was never satisfied with “women’s work”—even though she generally earned trust in this area. Of course, given Jingyu’s abilities, she could have taken on general party leadership roles, which was a shortcoming of the party’s organizational work at the time.
In March 1927, Jingyu returned to Wuhan, taking charge of the Women’s Labor Movement Committee of the Hubei Provincial General Trade Union and the Women’s Department of the Provincial Party Committee, achieving great results by organizing 50,000 to 60,000 female workers under the Red Trade Union. Soon after, she was appointed director of the Hankou Municipal Party Committee’s Propaganda Department; during the July coup, she was elected head of the Wuchang Municipal Party Committee; finally, she served in the Hubei Provincial Party Committee’s Propaganda Department and as chief editor of the “Dajiang” newspaper. Her work achievements, loyalty, sense of responsibility, excessive diligence and endurance, ideological actions, and proletarian lifestyle were well known to the party and comrades. After the July betrayal, Wuhan was under the most severe white terror. During this critical revolutionary transition, Jingyu fully demonstrated her initiative and combativeness, proving herself as one of the best fighters among China’s proletarian working masses. After the Guangzhou uprising, the party planned uprisings in the two Hunan-Hubei provinces; Hubei comrades wanted Hubei as the center of the uprising, and Jingyu actively participated in the preparation. Soon, the entire Wuhan party branch was uncovered by the enemy, and Jingyu was arrested at the French Work Department (March 1928). The Kuomintang warlord Hu Zongduo was eager to execute this female editor who had stirred the revolutionary tide of the Dajiang River, repeatedly demanding extradition from the French consulate. Because Jingyu was proficient in French and could defend herself, it caused a temporary conflict between the French consulate and the Kuomintang warlord. Hu Zongduo even convened a so-called public meeting, issuing a nationwide telegram demanding the extradition of Yi Xia (Jingyu’s alias) and the withdrawal of the French concession.
Eventually, French imperialism relented and replaced the French consul stationed in Hankou. On the day of Jingyu’s extradition, the working masses of Wuhan, in a sea of people, came to see their leader who was about to bid them farewell forever. Jingyu spoke passionately along the way, loudly proclaiming all revolutionary slogans, and the crowd was electrified. Hu Zongduo feared the masses would storm the prison, so before dawn on May 1, Jingyu was shot in Hankou. Jingyu’s blood was shed on the great and glorious “May Day”! Jingyu’s blood was shed for the red flag of the soviets of China’s working masses! This “world-shaking cause” was not only for the working masses of Wuhan but for all the working masses of China to complete for this great proletarian heroine! Every year on this day—“May Day”—not only Wuhan but the workers and peasants of all China commemorate your death call and come to fulfill your call—to armed uprising to establish workers’, peasants’, and soldiers’ soviets! Great Jingyu, brave Jingyu, you have not died, you will never die! You are not just Hesen’s personal lover; you are the eternal lover of the Chinese proletariat!
Jingyu gave birth to a daughter and a son. The daughter is named Yiyi (Nini), now seven years old; the son is named Bobo, now five years old; both are intelligent and lovely. Jingyu wrote many essays, especially in the “Dajiang” newspaper. Her last was a very detailed national propaganda plan, which the Central Party adopted and appointed a committee to discuss and adopt. These can be collected into a special volume in the future. Jingyu had a dearest old friend, Hesen’s mother, who pitied Jingyu deeply, and Jingyu also pitied her mother-in-law; both children were raised by the mother-in-law, and Jingyu’s death was concealed from her mother-in-law until now!
Cai Hesen, July 22, 1928, Moscow
Note:
When I first began to come into contact with Marxism and theories related to women’s liberation, the first person I encountered was Comrade Xiang Jingyu. I learned that she led the women’s movement in the new democratic revolution, persisted in struggle during the May 30th period, was a member of the New People’s Study Society, was the only early female member of the Chinese Communist Party, knew of the Xiang-Cai alliance, knew she dared to resist traditional marriage and refused to enter into capitalist marriage, knew that the wedding photo of her and Cai Hesen was of the two reading “Capital” together, knew that after being arrested she faced death courageously, and that she used fluent French to accuse French imperialist robbers in court. Despite my personal narrow perspective and not understanding the revolutionary love of the Xiang-Cai alliance at the time, my petty bourgeois worldview was severely shaken. The phrase in Cai Hesen’s eulogy, “You are not Hesen’s personal lover, you are the eternal lover of the Chinese proletariat,” had a great impact on me.Ms. Xiang Jingyu was a heroine among women. She participated in the work-study program in France, joined the French labor movement, and studied Marxism. She pursued not only personal liberation but the liberation of all women. She wrote the article “Why Women Like to Adorn Themselves,” in which she despised wealthy young ladies obsessed with makeup who looked down on prostitutes without self-esteem, analyzing the economic basis of prostitution and calling on women to establish their own careers, rise up to overthrow the prostitution system, and pointed out that only by engaging in social liberation could women’s liberation be achieved.
However, the bourgeoisie always tries to smear proletarian revolutionary fighters, always trying to find black in white. When they mention the Xiang-Cai alliance, they often superficially praise their then impressive momentum but immediately fabricate stories about the alliance breaking up due to marital problems and infidelity, attacking their revolutionary love as a false start and poor finish. Here is the “Biography of Comrade Xiang Jingyu” written by Cai Hesen found online, with some parts confirmed by comparing images of Cai Hesen’s handwriting as the original text.