The League of the Left-Wing Writers (Chinese: 中國左翼作家聯盟; pinyin: Zhōngguó Zuǒyì Zuòjiā Liánméng), commonly abbreviated as the Zuolian or Left League, was an organization of writers formed in Shanghai, China at the instigation of the Chinese Communist Party and the influenced by Lu Xun. Other prominent members included Ding Ling, Hu Feng, and Mei Zhi.^[1] The League's purpose was to promote socialist realism in support of the Communist Revolution, and it eventually became very influential in Chinese cultural circles.^{[according to whom?]} Lu Xun delivered the opening address to the organizational meeting, but he became disillusioned when it quickly became clear that he would have little influence.^[2] Other members included leaders of the Sun Society, Creation Quarterly, and Zhou Yang who became Mao Zedong's favorite literary figure and after 1949 zealously enforced political orthodoxy. The League articulated theories on the political role of literature that foreshadowed Mao's influential Yan'an Talks on Literature and Art, and engaged in running debates with the "art for art's sake" Crescent Moon Society.^[3]

History

After some growth in the early 1920s, the Chinese Communist Party was struggling under oppression from the Kuomintang government. Hostility towards the Communists by the Nationalists grew after the death of Sun Yat-sen in March 1925, the assassination of Liao Zhongkai, the architect of the First United Front, the Canton Coup of 1926, and the Shanghai massacre of 1927 led the Chinese Communist Party into nearly disbanding.

Ultra-leftists of the Communist Party found a refuge in literature, which used their political platform to attack authors previously seen as progressive like Lu Xun, Yu Dafu, Ye Shengtao, and Mao Dun. This led to large scale infighting between members of already established literary groups like the Creation Society and Sun Soceity.

As oppression from the Nationalist government worsened, a change in the Communist Party's platform on literature shifted to advocating for a "united cultural front." While sparse guerrilla warfare was doing little, the Communist party "sought to use the pen as a positive means of counterbalancing the [Nationalist's] overwhelming superiority." By the end of 1929, members of the Communist Party visited Lu Xun to invite him to assist in creating a new literary organization under the Party.

Created for politics rather than literature, what would become the League of Left-Wing Writers was overseen by Li Lisan, who was head of the Party's Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China. He established a twelve-man preparatory committee to organize the creation of the League.^[4]

Formally established on March 2, 1930 at the Chinese Arts University, the League was forced underground as soon as it began. Due to the ongoing repression of Communists by the Nationalist government... The League was disbanded voluntarily in 1936. This was mainly in order to encourage authors to unite across political boundaries and face the rapidly increasing threat from Japan.

Organization and Operations

Despite billing themselves as a union of writers, the League focused more on political activity. Inside the group, those suspected of being affiliated with the KMT and other reactionary forces had to publish articles under their real names denouncing those opposed to the League; as well as revealing the activities of said groups. While these denouement articles never seem to have been published, this requirement demonstrates that the League put emphasis on the ideological constraint.^[5]

The inner structure of the League was heavily influenced by its political nature. Adopting a system of collective leadership built on an executive and standing committees. Below these were the Secretariat consisting of three members, one for organizations, another for propaganda, and the secretary. Under the Secretariat were committees focused on various literary and political issues.^[6] Similar to the newly founded Communist Party, the League split Shanghai into four districts supervised by a district committee and headed by a committee secretary. Members were placed in a group according to their residency.^[7]

With crackdowns stemming from the White Terror, the League kept no official record of its membership. Structured around small cells in Shanghai made up of a handful of members, the League had a strict vertical structure where members could only contact their superiors and not other cells.^[8] Requirements for membership were defined in a resolution by the Secretariat on March 9, 1931 in which "Every league member must participate in at least one practical line of work-creation or criticism, join the work of mass literature, lead the 'Literary Study' movement, or translation work." These loose requirements meant that anyone who participated within the efforts of the League had qualified for membership. An additional clause stated that those who "do not have the qualifications to become a member should be made League reserves-join the "Literary Study" [Group] or other literary organizations led by the Left League first as to develop a close relationship with the league and join it after some time."^[9]

Five Martyrs of the League of Left-Wing Writers

Due to the League's prominent political views, it was quickly banned by the Kuomintang government. On 7 February 1931, the government executed five members of the League: Li Weisen, Hu Yepin, Rou Shi, Yin Fu, and Feng Keng in a follow-up to the 1927 White Terror in Shanghai.^[10] Eighteen other communists were executed on the same day, including a pregnant woman.^[11]

Some have suggested that the five may have been betrayed by others in the Communist Party, perhaps as a result of a power struggle.^[12]

Membership

Mei Zhi

Notes

^ Zhang 张, Xiaofeng 晓风 (12 March 2008). "张晓风：我的父亲母亲" [Zhang Xiaofeng: My father and mother]. Sina (in Chinese). Retrieved 3 May 2017.
^ Leo Oufan Lee, "Literary Trends: The Road to Revolution 1927-1949," Ch 9 in Fairbank, John King; Feuerwerker, Albert; Twitchett, Denis Crispin (1986). The Cambridge history of China. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521243384.
^ Spence (1981), p. [1].
^ Wong, Lawrence Wang-Chi (2008). Denton, Kirk A.; Hockx, Michel (eds.). A Literary Organization with a Clear Political Agenda: The Chinese League of Left-Wing Writers, 1930-1936. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. p. 314.
^ Wong 2008, pp. 321, 322 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWong2008 (help)
^ Wong 2008, pp. 322 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWong2008 (help)
^ Wong 2008, pp. 323 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWong2008 (help)
^ Wong 2008, pp. 320 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWong2008 (help)
^ Wong 2008, pp. 321 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWong2008 (help)
^ Wong, Lawrence Wang-Chi (1991). Politics and Literature in Shanghai: The Chinese League of Left-Wing Writers. Manchester University Press. p. 100. ISBN 0-7190-2924-4.
^ Wong 1991, p. 100 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWong1991 (help)
^ Wong 1991, pp. 100, 131 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWong1991 (help)

References

Spence, Jonathan D. (1981). The Gate of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and Their Revolution, 1895-1980. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 0670292478.
Wong, Lawrence Wang-Chi (1991). Politics and Literature in Shanghai: The Chinese League of Left-Wing Writers. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-2924-4.
Wong, Lawrence Wang-Chi (2008). Denton, Kirk A.; Hockx, Michel (eds.). A Literary Orginization with a Clear Political Agenda: The Chiense League of Left-Wing Writers, 1930-1936. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

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