Report on the Affairs of the
New People's Study Society (No. 1)

(Winter of 1920)

Winter Issue of the Ninth Year of the Republic

(I)
The report on the affairs of the New People's Study Society is the history of
its life. The New People's Study Society is a living organism; its members are its
cells. The New People's Study Society has already been alive for three years
now. Its membership has grown from about a dozen to over fifty people. Its
members have spread out from its birthplace to many other locations, both at
home and abroad. Its activities have also increased from just one to several.
Although for most of the members this is a time of life for pursuing their studies
and nurturing their abilities, this is also a very precious time. These three years
have brought a new environment for the Society and a new life for its members.
The most meaningful thing for the dozens of us is that, whether in groups or
alone, we have led, in this new environment, a life different from that before.
The function of this first report on the affairs of the Society is to relate selected
important parts of the life of the Society and its members, as the opening section
in the complete history of the Society and its members.

(II)
The New People's Study Society was launched in the winter of the sixth year
of the Republic. Its birthplace was Changsha. All its founders were students who
had graduated from, or were still studying in, the schools of Changsha. They all
shared a common ideal at that time, namely: "To improve the life of the individual and of the whole human race." Consequently, "How can we improve the life
of the individual and of the whole human race?" became a question which was
urgently discussed. At that time, they were especially aware of the problem of
"improving individual life," and above all of the problem of "improving one's
own life." Generally speaking, there were about fifteen people who participated
in discussions of such questions. Whenever they met they held discussions, and
their discussions always touched on questions like these. The atmosphere of these discussions was extremely intimate, and in all there were probably more
than a hundred of them. The discussion of questions such as these goes back as
far as the fourth and fifth years of the Republic. In the winter of the sixth year of
the Republic, the conclusion was reached that we must "gather together comrades, and create a new environment, for the sake of common activities." It was
at this point that a motion was put forward to organize a Study Society, and was
immediately approved by all. At that time, the intention of the initiators was very
simple. They just felt that they wanted to improve their own personal qualities
and to progress in their studies, and hence were extremely enthusiastic about
seeking friends and mutual aid. That was indeed the first basic reason for the
establishment of the Society. Also, at that time the new thought and new literature had already sprung up in the country, and we all felt that in our minds the
old thought, the old ethics, and the old literature had been totally swept away.
We came to a sudden realization that it was all wrong to lead a quiet and solitary
life, and that on the contrary it was necessary to seek an active and collective
life. This was also one of the reasons for launching the Society. Yet another
reason was that most of us were Mr. Yang Huaizhong's¹ students. Listening to
Mr. Yang Huaizhong's presentations, we formed a view of life that emphasizes
continual striving and improvement. From this, the New People's Study Society
was born.

(III)
Now let us give an account of the first meeting of the New People's Study
Society, i.e., its inaugural meeting. The New People's Study Society was founded
on April 17, in the seventh year of the Republic, at a meeting in the home of Cai
Hesen, situated in Liujia Taizi on Mount Yuelu, across the river from the provincial capital of Hunan. The following people attended the meeting: Cai Hesen,
Xiao Zisheng, Xiao Zizhang, Chen Zanzhou, Luo Zhanglong, Mao Runzhi, Zou
Dingcheng, Zhang Zhipu,² Zhou Xiaosan,³ Chen Qimin, Ye Zhaozhen,⁴ and Luo
Yunxi. The statutes of the Society were adopted. Dingcheng and Runzhi had
drafted the statutes, of which the provisions were rather detailed. Zisheng opposed
the inclusion of articles relating to activities not to be carried out at present, and
suggested they be deleted. After discussion, the majority favored Zisheng's opinion.
The articles of the statutes passed by the meeting are as follows:

Article 1: The name of this society shall be the New People's Study Society.
Article 2: The main goals of the Society are to reform academic studies, to temper
the character of its members, and to ameliorate the human heart and customs.
Article 3: Anyone who is recommended by five or more members of the
Society, and wins the approval of more than half of the total membership, can
become a member.
Article 4: All members must abide by the following rules:
1. Do not be hypocritical;
2. Do not be lazy;
3. Do not be wasteful;
4. Do not gamble;
5. Do not consort with prostitutes.
Article 5: Every member is obligated to write at least once a year to the
Society to report on what he has been doing, as well as on conditions in his
locality and on the results he has obtained from his research, as a form of mutual aid.
Article 6: There shall be one general secretary, who will be in charge of all
the activities of the Society. There will be several executive secretaries who
assist the general secretary in managing the affairs of the Society. The term shall
be three years, and they shall be elected by the members.
Article 7: The Society shall hold an annual meeting every autumn. Ad hoc
meetings may be called when necessary.
Article 8: Each member shall pay one silver yuan admission fee on being
admitted to the Society. Annual membership dues shall be one silver yuan.
Should there be unusual expenses, a general vote shall be required to collect
special contributions.
Article 9: The Society is located in Changsha.
Article 10: Should a member engage in improper behavior or willfully violate
these statutes, he may be expelled from the Society after a majority vote against him.
Article 11: When anything in these statutes is found inappropriate, they may
be revised by a majority vote of the members.

After voting to pass the statutes, the members elected Zisheng as General
Secretary. The members had lunch together. After lunch, they discussed various
procedural questions concerning members going to other provinces or going abroad.
The meeting came to a close in the afternoon. The weather was bright and clear.
Gentle breezes caressed the azure waters of the river and the emerald grass along its
banks. This left an indelible impression on all those who attended the meeting.

(IV)

In the four months from the founding of the Study Society on April 17 of the
seventh year of the Republic to August of the same year, there were two events
that are worth recording. First, there was the admission of new members. After
the inaugural meeting, the following nine people in succession joined the Society:
Zhou Dunyuan, He Shuheng,⁵ Li Hesheng, Zou Pangeng, Xiong Jinding,⁶
Xiong Kunfu,⁷ Chen Zhangfu,⁸ Fu Changyu,⁹ Zeng Xinghuang.¹⁰ Secondly,
there was the launching of a movement to study in France. People had tried to
launch one before, but without success. This time, the first two initiators in
Changsha were Cai Hesen and Xiao Zisheng. Zisheng was teaching at Chuyi,
and Hesen was living at Chuyi.¹¹ They talked it over every day. He Shuheng,
Mao Runzhi, and Chen Zanzhou participated frequently in the discussions as
well. Several other members of the Society were also planning to go abroad, so
at the end of June, a meeting was held at the residence of Chen Zanzhou and
Xiao Zizhang at the primary school attached to First Normal School (Chen and Xiao
being teachers there). Those who had planned to participate were: He Shuheng, Xiao
Zisheng, Xiao Zizhang, Chen Zanzhou, Zhou Dunyuan, Cai Hesen, Mao Runzhi,
Zou Dingcheng, Zhang Zhipu, Chen Qimin, Li Hesheng, and others. A few of these
were absent because of other engagements. This discussion focused on one point,
"members going abroad." It was considered essential to have a movement to
study in France and to make every effort to promote it. Then they had a meal
together. From then on, Hesen and Zisheng assumed responsibility for making
arrangements relating to study in France. Hesen left for Beijing shortly after.
The political situation in Hunan was extremely chaotic at that time. Tang
Xiangming, Liu Renxi,¹² Tan Yankai, Fu Liangzuo, Tan Haoming,¹³ and Zhang
Jingyao took turns in power. Education was completely ruined, to the point that
there were almost no schools to go to. When Hesen arrived in Beijing, he learned
from contacts with Messrs. Li Shizeng and Cai Jiemin¹⁴ that the prospects for a
study program or a work-study program in France were rather good. He thereupon wrote to Zisheng, Runzhi, Zanzhou, Dingcheng,¹⁵ and others, telling them
to go ahead and gather together comrades wishing to study in France. At the
outset, very few wanted to go. It was not until August 19 that twenty-five people
arrived in Beijing from Hunan. After that, the number gradually increased. Members who went north were: Hesen, Zisheng, Zizhang, Zanzhou, Kunfu, Zhipu,
Xinghuang, Dingcheng, Hesheng, Yunxi, Runzhi, and Zhanglong-twelve in all.
Except for Zhanglong, who was in the humanities at Beijing University, and
Runzhi, who was in the library there, all the rest joined the preparatory class for
studying in France. (Zhipu, Hesheng, and Xinghuang were in the Baoding section; Hesen was in the Bulicun section; Zisheng, Zizhang, Zanzhou, Kunfu,
Dingcheng, and Yunxi were in the Beijing section.)¹⁶ When we first planned
this, we did not foresee all the difficulties that subsequently arose. With all eyes
fixed on the happy land ahead, and spurred on by our impulses and by the
oppressive environment, all of us forged ahead courageously. No matter what the
outcome, this undertaking was bound to produce some positive results. Although
in the midst of it members were assailed by numerous unexpected attacks and
difficulties, in the end not a single one was disheartened.

While the members were in Beijing, they invited Messrs. Cai Jiemin, Tao
Menghe, and Hu Shizhi¹⁷ each to talk to them on one occasion. All the meetings
were held in the humanities building at Beijing University. The form of these
talks was that the members raised questions and asked them to respond. The
questions raised were mostly about scholarship and about the philosophy of
life.

In the beginning, members lived separately in Beijing. Later they all lived
together in one place, at 7 Sanyanjing Lane, Houmennei. Those who lived
there together were: Zisheng, Yunxi, Zanzhou, Runzhi, Kunfu, Zhanglong,
Yushan (Ouyang Yushan joined the Society one year later); Hesen moved in,
too, from Bulicun. The eight of them huddled together in three very small
rooms, sharing huge blankets on high kangs.¹⁸ Zizhang and Wangcheng (Liu
Wangcheng joined the Society one year later) lived at no. 8 of the same lane.
Zisheng left for France in January of the eighth year of the Republic. In
February, Runzhi went back to Hunan and Xiao Zizhang left for Shanghai.
Zanzhou and others had to change their living quarters because their French
class was moved from the Beijing University science department in the
Mashen Temple to the Yijiao Temple French Building in the western district
of the city. Zhanglong moved to another place, too. Thus the communal life
in Sanyanjing Lane came to an end. Zanzhou and those who studied in the
western district moved to the rear wing of Fuyou Temple, 99 Beichang
Street, where they had a new communal life. At this time, Zizhang had
already returned from Shanghai, so the number of people living together was
still eight, the only difference as compared to Sanyanjing Lane being the
absence of Runzhi, Zhanglong, and Zisheng. At the same time in Baoding,
Zhipu, Hesheng, and Xinghuang were living together at the Yude Middle
School with some forty other people who were preparing to study in France.
After the preparation period was completed, the members of the Society in
Beijing and Baoding left successively for France.

(V)
Here we must record two most unfortunate events: the death of member Ye
Ruiling in July of the seventh year of the Republic, and the death of member Zou
Dingcheng in April of the eighth year of the Republic.

Mr. Ye's name was Zhaozhen. Born in Yiyang, he graduated from Hunan
First Provincial Normal School. He was a peaceful and righteous man and a
highly motivated student. On his way home after graduation, he suffered heat
stroke and died immediately after arriving.

Mr. Zou, named Yiding, was born in Xiangyin and was in the same class
as Mr. Ye. He was eager to study and had high aspirations; he was also a selfdisciplined man of strong character. He went to Beijing in October of the seventh
year of the Republic to attend the preparatory class for study in France. He had
become ill as a result of years of overwork, and his health deteriorated further at
that time. He went back to Hunan in January of the eighth year of the Republic
and finally died in April. He left several dozen notebooks containing his diaries
and essays. His friends wish to publish the best of these, but nothing has appeared in print as yet. There is probably no one who came into contact with him
who did not consider him a person worthy of respect and love. He had a fiancée
whom he greatly loved. He wrote her a letter immediately before his death, but
unfortunately no third person has read it, so his last words cannot be preserved.
He was one of the important founders of the Society. At the time the Society was
founded, he considered it as indispensable and never wavered in the slightest. He
had very great hopes for the Society. He never expected that he himself would
unfortunately die a premature death. Everyone who had ever met him or spent
some time with him knows that he followed the good effortlessly; that he
mended his mistakes unhesitatingly; that he never kept anything back; that he
loved his neighbor as himself; that he was frank and straightforward, courageous,
and sincere; that he was eager to learn; and that he had a passion for moral
justice.

(VI)
In the eighth year of the Republic, the main activities of the Society and its
members in Changsha were as follows:

The first half year was rather uneventful. Dunyuan taught at Xiuye; Shuheng
taught at Chuyi. Runzhi ran the weekly organ of the United Students' Association, the Xiang River Review, and had quite a bit of success. 19 The second half
year saw the following people join the Society: Luo Chiyu (Zonghan), Zhang
Yisheng (Guoji), Xia Manbo (Xi), 20 Jiang Jixu (Zhuru), Yi Yuehui (Kexun), 21
Xiang Jingyu, Tao Siyong (Yi), 22 Peng Yinbo (Huang), Li Chengde (Zhenpian),
Zhang Boling (Huai), Tang Wenfu (Yaozhang), 23 Shen Junyi (Jun), 24 Li Qinwen
(Si'an), Zhou Dunxiang, 25 Wei Yunchan (Bi), Lao Junzhan (Qirong), Xie
Weixin (Nanling), 26 Xu Ying, 27 Liu Jizhuang (Xiuzhi), 28 Zhong Chusheng
(Guotao), Zhang Quanshan (Chao), 29 Jiang Zhulin (Huiyu).30 A meeting was held
at Zhounan Girls' School, which began with a proposal from the Changsha members
that the statutes be amended on the grounds that they were too sketchy. They moved
a resolution establishing two departments, "Deliberative" and "Executive," and further providing, under the Executive Department, for subdepartments of "Schools,"
"Editorial Work," "Women," and "Study Abroad."

From that time on, the Changsha members began to use the new statutes. They
elected Shuheng and Qinwen³¹ as chairman and deputy chairman of the Executive
Committee, and Siyong, Dunyuan, Runzhi, Dunxiang, Yunchang, Qimin, Wenfu, and Jixu as members of the Deliberative Department. Immediately after the
meeting, however, the movement to expel Zhang began, many members left the
city, and the activities of the Society stopped for a full year. Although the
statutes had been amended and people elected to office, this was nothing but an
empty formality. Members in Paris were rather critical of the actions taken in
Changsha. At that time, Runzhi, Chiyu, Zanzhou, Boling, and others established
a People's News Agency in Beijing, devoted wholly to the purpose of expelling
Zhang. Prior to going abroad in summer, Cai Hesen founded a "Hunan Artistic
Embroidery Company" in Changsha, but it is not easy to set such a thing up all at
once, and nothing concrete has come of it yet. Three people joined the Society at
this time: Liu Wangcheng (Mingyan), Ouyang Yusheng (Ze), and Yang Runyu.

(VII)

In the spring and summer of the ninth year of the Republic, Mao Runzhi, Li
Qinwen, and others left Beijing for Shanghai because of the Hunan problem;32
Zanzhou, Kunfu, Zizhang, Wangcheng, Yusheng, and Boling arrived one after
the other in Shanghai from Beijing, Tianjin, and Changsha to wait for the ship to
France. Yunchang, Junzhan, and Zhunru left Hunan for Shanghai to practice
French and to get ready to go to France. There were twelve members in Shanghai at that time. Because Zanzhou and four others were soon to leave for France,
a farewell meeting was held at Bansong Park in Shanghai on May 8. All members in Shanghai attended. The discussions were very long; the main points are
summarized below.

1. The attitude of the Society:
Be low-key and realistic. Do not strive for vain glory or seek to cut a figure.
Runzhi proposed that the Society as such should not do too many things, but that its
members as individuals should create all kinds of things in many different areas.
2. Scholarly research:
All participants felt that members engaged in too little in-depth research. They
advocated that from now on, whenever three or more members get together,
meetings for scholarly discussion be organized so as to exchange knowledge and
to create an atmosphere of love for learning.
3. Publishing a Society newsletter:
Zanzhou and Zizhang both said that if members are to have an instrument for
maintaining contact and communication with one another, a newsletter is extremely important. They suggested that it be published as soon as possible. It would not, however, be for sale and would be sent to no one outside the Society
save teachers and close friends. This won universal approval. It was tentatively
decided that it should be published in Shanghai; Zanzhou was chosen to take
responsibility for collecting articles from members in France, and Runzhi to be
responsible for its printing in Shanghai. Then, however, members went back to
Hunan, because the situation in Hunan had been resolved, and publication was
consequently suspended.
4. Admission of new members:
Everyone felt that from now on, it is advisable to be more cautious in introducing
new members. Otherwise it will be disadvantageous not only to the existing
members, but to new members. It was resolved that there should be four requirements for new members: (1) purity, (2) sincerity, (3) willingness to strive, and
(4) obeying the truth. (Changsha members later merged "willingness to strive"
and "obeying the truth" into "striving for improvement.") The procedures for
becoming a member of the Society are as follows: (1) recommendation by five
existing members; (2) examination and approval by the Deliberative Department; (3) an official letter to all members informing them of its decision, to see
whether anyone objects.
5. The attitude of members:
Generally speaking, members should be truthful with each other. They should be
frank and correct each other's mistakes. They should not be indifferent to fellow
members' mistakes and sufferings, or ignore them. They should listen with open
minds to the exhortations of others. They should study hard.
6. No branch Societies should be established:
In the past, the Society had considered setting up branch Societies in places
where there was a fairly large number of members. In the discussions held
that day, members felt that it was not necessary to establish branch Societies,
and that doing so would have the negative effect of dissipating the unified
strength of the whole body of members. In places such as Paris, where there
is a relatively large number of members, academic symposia may be organized on a regular basis.

On this occasion, the farewell party had turned into a regular discussion
meeting. Night fell, so we continued by lamplight. And yet everyone felt he had
not said all he wanted to say. At noon, we took pictures in the rain. Nearby, we
could look upon the Song River. The green grass and emerald waters extended as
far as we could see.

(VIII)

Six people left Shanghai for France on May 11, in the ninth year of the
Republic: Zanzhou, Zizhang, Kunfu, Wangcheng, Boling, and Yusheng. The
members in Shanghai shook hands and waved kerchiefs to bid them farewell
from the banks of the Huangpu River.

Zhang Jingyao was still occupying Hunan at that time. Members founded two
organizations, the "Association for Promoting Reform in Hunan," to work out
plans to reform Hunan after the expulsion of Zhang, and the "Self-study Society," to make it possible for comrades to study together. Both were located in
Minhou Lane, Shanghai. Zhang Jingyao was expelled by the Hunan Army in
June. Members who had fled to Beijing, Shanghai, Hengyang, and Yongzhou
gradually returned to [the capital of] Hunan. The following is a list of what the
Changsha members were doing as of the winter of this year.

Chen Qimin teaching at Zhounan [women's school]
Tao Siyong-working at Zhounan
Zhong Chushengteaching at Zhounan
He Shuheng-working in the Editorial Department of Popular Books and Papers
Zhou Dunyuan-working as an editor at the Popular Newspaper
Xiong Jinding working in the Editorial Department of Popular Books and Papers
Mao Runzhi-working at the primary school attached to First Normal School33
Zhang Quanshan-teaching at the primary school attached to First Normal School
Liu Jizhuangteaching at the primary school attached to First Normal School
Jiang Jixu studying at First Normal School
Yi Yuehui-same as the above
Xia Manbosame as the above
Jiang Zhulin-same as the above
Xie Weixinsame as the above
Li Chengde studying full-time at Hunan-Yale Medical School
Tang Wenfu studying at Mingde Middle School
Zou Pangeng34 teaching at Xiuye
Peng Yinbo-engaging in self-study at the Cultural Book Society
Yi Lirong working at the Cultural Book Society
Ren Peidao-working at the Cultural Book Society.

At present, Changsha members are working on the following concrete
projects: Jiang Jixu, Yi Yuehui, Xia Manbo, and others are working hard on
reforming the First Normal School; He Shuheng, Zhou Dunyuan, Xiong Jinding, and others are working hard on popular education and on running the
Popular Newspaper, which has an excellent content; Chen Qimin, Tao
Siyong, Zhong Chusheng, and others are working hard to reform the Zhounan
Women's School.

At present, members of the Society in Changsha are devoting their efforts on
the one hand to establishing the Cultural Book Society and on the other to launching the autonomy movement. Both enterprises have received moral support from comrades everywhere. During the same period, the Society has accepted
five new members. They are: Cai Xianxi (Chang), Xiong Zuoying (Jiguang), Xiong
Zuolin (Shubin), Ren Zhenyu (Peidao), and Wu Dezhuang (Jiaying).35

(IX)

In the previous pages we have briefly related the circumstances of members
in Beijing, Shanghai, and Changsha. Now we shall give an account of members
in France. 36
In all, eighteen members have gone to France: first Xiao Zisheng, who went
to France in the spring of the eighth year; then Luo Rongxi, Zhang Zhipu, Li
Hesheng, and Zeng Xinghuang, who went to France in the autumn of the
same year; then Cai Hesen, Cai Xianxi, Xiang Jingyu, Xiong Zuoying, and
Xiong Zuolin, who went to France in the spring of the ninth year; next Xiao
Zizhang, Chen Zanzhou, Xiong Kunfu, Zhang Bailing, Liu Wangcheng, and
Ouyang Yusheng, who went to France that autumn; and then finally Lao
Junzhan and Wei Yunchan, who went in the winter of the ninth year. Except for
Zisheng, who returned to China in October 1920, the location and circumstances
of the remaining seventeen members at the end of 1920 were as follows:

Luo Rongxi-working as an electrician in a factory located in [Le] Creusot in
central France37

Zhang Zhipu—working in a factory located in Champagne in northern France38
Li Hesheng—moved from the western suburbs of Paris to stay with Zhang Zhipu
during his convalescence
Zeng Xinghuang—working in a factory located in southwest France
Cai Hesen—learning French in a boys' school in Montargis, France
Cai Xianxi—learning French in a girls' school in Montargis, France
Xiang Jingyu—same as the above
Xiong Jiguang—same as the above
Xiong Shubin—same as the above
Xiao Zizhang—lived at Colombe in the western suburbs of Paris;39 later moved
to [Le] Creusot to live with Luo Rongxi
Chen Zanzhou—employed as an unskilled worker in a factory in a place called
Firminy in France40
Xiong Kunfu—studying French at a school in St. Maixent in northwestern
France41
Zhang Bailing—studying French at a school in Tours, France
Liu Wangcheng—studying French at Fontainebleau School in France
Ouyang Yusheng—studying French at a school in St. Maixent in northwestern
France
Lao Junzhan—just arrived in France and entered a girls' school in southern
France to study French
Wei Yunchan—same as the above.

(X)

The circumstances of those members who have gone to Southeast Asia,
Japan, and other parts of China are as follows:

In Beijing:
Luo Zhanglong—entered the Humanities Department of Beijing University in
September of the seventh year. He has been there for two and a half years now
Luo Chiyu—beginning in April of the ninth year, he ran the People's News
Agency all by himself.42 At the end of the year, he wrapped up the affairs of the
News Agency and returned to Hunan via Nanjing.

In Hankou:
Shen Junyi—entered Mingde University in September of the ninth Year.
In Nanjing:
Zhou Zhunru—studying in the Extension Department of Nanjing Higher Normal School. When Nangao introduced the coeducational system, Zhou entered
through the Shanghai YWCA.

In Shanghai:
Yang Runyu—studying English at the YWCA on Kunshan Road; went to
Shanghai from Changsha to study in July of the ninth year.

In Japan:
Fu Changyu—at Tokyo Higher Technical School. Left Changsha for Japan in
the sixth year and entered the School in the seventh year
Zhou Xiaosan—at Tokyo Teachers' College. Left Changsha for Japan in the
seventh Year and entered the college in the eighth year.

In Southeast Asia:
Zhang Yisheng—teaching at Daonan School and Overseas Chinese Middle
School in Singapore. Left Changsha for Singapore in February of the ninth year.
Li Qinwen—teaching at Kuncheng Girls' School in Singapore. Left Changsha
for Singapore in August of the ninth year.43

(XI)

We have roughly covered the "concrete" circumstances of the Society for the
three years from its establishment in the seventh year to the end of the ninth year.
There are also some "abstract" circumstances, which will be dealt with here.

Our Society has many strong points; nevertheless, it also has some shortcomings. What are the strong points? We have several unwritten articles of belief,
such as "Do not show off," "Do not seek publicity," "Do not seek instant results," and "Do not rely upon the old authorities."
These articles of belief, being unwritten, exist only in our mutual relationships
and discussions and have never been spelled out.
Because we "do not show off," most members do not flatter each other when
they meet; because "the words must correspond to the meaning," self-criticism
and encouragement always outweigh pleasantries and self-congratulation. Because we "do not seek publicity," even though our Society has been in existence
for three years, its name is not yet known in society, except to a very few friends we know well. Because we "do not seek instant results," members have the sense
that whether they study or work, we are only "laying a foundation," and the
results lie in the future. If we want to achieve much and be successful in the
future, we need to lay a large and solid foundation. Because we "do not rely
upon the old authorities," members all feel that our Society is creative, not
imitative. The contributions of the various members of this Society in many
different domains, both now and in the future, will also be creative, and not
imitative. It is for this reason that our Society has never established any ties with
the old authorities and has never invited people from the old authorities to join
our Society. Furthermore, members of our Society have several other virtues.
First of all, we have fresh minds. Most members do not have old-fashioned ideas
and are able to accept the new thought. Secondly, we are full of fighting spirit.
Most members are able to fight, too. On the positive side, we can unite good
people to achieve worthy ends; on the negative side, we reject evil people and
eliminate evil things. The fighting spirit of the members is everywhere manifest,
in reforming life styles, pursuing knowledge, and promoting progress outside.
Thirdly, we have a spirit of mutual aid and self-sacrifice. Members are usually
able to help each other and have a spirit of sacrifice.

For all its various strong points, mentioned above, the Society also has many
shortcomings. First, our scholarship is weak and superficial. Most of the members are middle-school graduates, or are still studying in middle schools. Very
few have gone on to study at specialized schools, or those at a higher level, or
have graduated from such schools, so their level of scholarship is naturally very
superficial. Second, there is childishness both in thought and in behavior. As a
whole, the thinking of our members is inevitably somewhat immature. Some
members are apt to launch or support causes rashly, thus falling into childishness. Third, some members are working more than they are studying. It is not
time yet for members to devote all of their efforts to work. Both our plans and
the requirements of the real situation dictate that at present we work toward
laying a relatively solid foundation. The present situation is, however, that some
members are working full time, and the resulting sacrifice is inevitably too great.
Fourth, there is a lack of close contact and understanding among some of the
members. This goes against the spirit of the Society. From now on, we cannot be
satisfied unless ways can be found to enable members to move from not knowing
each other and not understanding each other very well to both knowing and
understanding each other.

---

Notes

This report was originally published as a separate pamphlet in 1920. Our source is the
version in Xinmin xuehui ziliao, pp. 1-14, which incorporates some manuscript corrections on the copy available to the editors; this text is reproduced in Mao Zedong ji.
Bujuan, Vol. 1, pp. 299-315.
1. Yang Changji, Mao's ethics teacher at First Normal School. Regarding Yang and
his profound influence on the young Mao, see Volume I of this edition, passim.
2. Zhang Zhipu is Zhang Kundi. See the note to his record of two talks with Mao dated
September 1917, in Volume I of this edition, pp. 137-40.
3. Zhou Xiaosan was an alternative name for Zhou Mingdi. See the note to the Evening School Journal, November 1917, in Volume I of this edition, p. 151.
4. Ye Zhaozhen (1893–1918), zi Ruiling, was a native of Yiyang in Hunan Province.
He was a student at Hunan First Normal School and a teacher of Chinese at the Workers'
Evening School in 1917. On his death, see below, par. V.
5. He Shuheng (1870-1935) was a native of Hunan. In 1917 he was one of Mao's
teachers in the Training Department of the First Normal School. He was the oldest of the
thirteen founding members of the New People's Study Society in 1918 and was also
involved with Mao in the Cultural Book Society. He was chosen, together with Mao,
from the Hunan Marxist group to attend the First Congress of the Chinese Communist
Party in Shanghai in July 1921.
6. Xiong Chuxiong (1886-1973), alternative name Jinding, was a native of
Changsha. A graduate of First Normal School, he went on to become an elementary
school teacher. He was a contributor to the Cultural Book Society and editor of the
Education Association's journal Tongsu bao (Popular Newspaper).
7. Xiong Guangchu. For details see the note to Mao's letter of August 1915 to Xiao
Zisheng in Volume I of this edition, p. 74.
8. Chen Chang (1894-1930), alternative name Zhangfu, was born in Liuyang, Hunan
Province. He was a graduate of First Normal School and later a student of the Self-Study
University. For a time he was head of the Shuikoushan Workers' Union.
9. Fu Changyu (1896-), alternative name Haitao, was a native of Liuyang, Hunan
Province, and had studied at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
10. Zeng Yilu. For details see the note to the Evening School Journal, November
1917, in Volume I of this edition, p. 151.
11. Chuyi refers to the Chuyi Primary School in Changsha. Both the Strengthen Learning
Society and the Cultural Book Society had been founded there. See Volume I, pp. 373, 583.
12. Liu Renxi was interim governor of Hunan July-August 1916 after Tang Xiangming was ousted. For more detail see note 14 to Mao's letter of July 18, 1916, to Xiao
Zisheng, in Volume I of this edition, p. 97.
13. Tan Haoming was the commander-in-chief of the Hunan-Guangxi-Guangdong
Army responsible for driving out Fu Liangzuo in November 1917. Tan was military
governor of Hunan until March 1918.
¹⁴. Li Shizeng (1881-1973), original name Yuying, a native of Hebei, and Cai
Yuanpei (1868-1940), zi Heqing, hao Jiemin, a native of Zhejiang, Chancellor of Peking
University from 1916 to 1926, had joined in founding the Sino-French Educational Society in 1916. They were both engaged in 1920 in promoting the work-study program under
which many Hunan students, including Cai Hesen, subsequently went to France.

¹⁵. For convenience, a list of the full names of people whose courtesy names (zi) or
other names are used throughout this text follows: Boling is Zhang Huai; Chiyu is Luo
Zonghan; Dingcheng is Zou Yiding; Dunxiang is Zhou Dunxiang; Dunyuan is Zhou
Shizhao; Hesen is Cai Hesen; Hesheng is Li Weihan; Jixu is Jiang Zhuru; Junzhan is Lao
Junzhan; Kunfu is Xiong Guangchu; Qimin is Chen Qimin; Qinwen is Li Si'an; Runzhi is
Mao Zedong; Shuheng is He Shuheng; Siyong is Tao Yi; Wangcheng is Liu Mingyan;
Wenfu is Tang Yaozhang; Xinghuang is Zeng Yilu; Yinbo is Peng Huang; Yunchan is
Wei Bi; Yunxi is Luo Xuezan; Yusheng is Ouyang Ze; Zanzhou is Chen Zanzhou; Zhipu
is Zhang Kundi; Zhunru is Zhou Dunxiang; Zisheng is Xiao Zisheng; Zizhang is Xiao
Zizhang.

¹⁶. The preparatory classes for study in France organized by Mao Zedong, Cai Hesen
and others in the autumn of 1918 were divided into three sections. One of these was
located in Beijing, another in Baoding (approximately 80 miles southwest of the capital),
and the third in the village of Bulicun, in Li xian, just south of Baoding. The elementary
section, located in Bulicun, had less stringent entrance requirements than the other two.
Cai Hesen had spent some time there initially serving as a teacher, as well as studying
French. For a brief account, see Li Jui [Rui], The Early Revolutionary Activities of Comrade Mao Tse-tung (M. E. Sharpe: White Plains, 1977), pp. 90-91. (Hereafter Li Jui,
Early Mao.) A fuller discussion can be found in the third Chinese edition of his book, Li
Rui, Zaonian Mao Zedong (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe, 1991), p. 181.
¹⁷. Tao Menghe (1887-1960), zi Lügong, a native of Tianjin, had graduated in
sociology from the University of London. At this time, he was a professor at Beijing
University. Hu Shi (1891-1962), zi Shizhi, a native of Anhui, had taken a Ph.D. at
Columbia under John Dewey, and was likewise a professor at Beijing University.
Regarding his considerable influence on Mao during the May Fourth period, see
Volume I, especially the statutes of the Problem Study Society, pp. 407-13, and
Mao's letter to him, p. 531. After Mao became a Communist, he was increasingly
critical of Hu, but as late as 1923 he characterized Hu as the leader of "the faction of
the rising intellectual class." See below, "The Foreign Powers, the Warlords, and the
Revolution," April 10, 1923.

¹⁸. A kang is a flat brick oven on which people commonly slept in North China in
order to keep warm. In recounting his life at this time to Edgar Snow, Mao recalled,
"When we were all packed fast on the kang, there was scarcely room enough for any of us
to breathe. I used to have to warn people on each side of me when I wanted to turn over"
(Snow, Red Star over China [London: Gollancz, 1937], p. 149).
19. This newspaper, which Mao edited in July-August 1919, did indeed enjoy a
considerable measure of success. For Mao's own contributions to the issues now extant,
see Volume I, pp. 318-68 and 377-95.
20. Xia Xi (1902-1936), zi Manbo, born in Yiyang, Hunan Province, studied at the
First Normal School and was an early member of the New People's Study Society. In 1920
he helped found both the Russia Studies Society and the Hunan branch of the Socialist
Youth League, and in the fall of the following year he joined the Chinese Communist
Party. In January 1922, he was a delegate to the Congress of Communist and Revolutionary Organizations of the Far East in Moscow. Regarding Xia Xi's later activities, see the
note to the text of January 29, 1924.
21. Yi Yuehui (1899–1950[?]), besides using the name Kexun, was also known as Yuewei.
A native of Changsha, he was a graduate of First Normal School and one of the founders of the
Xupu Cultural Book Society. He was executed as a counter-revolutionary after 1949.
22. Tao Yi (1896–1930), zi Siyong, a native of Xiangtan, Hunan Province, was Mao's
first sweetheart. She was active in the Hunan self-government movement and helped Mao
organize the Cultural Book Society. She and Mao later drifted apart, and in the winter of
1920-1921 he married Yang Kaihui. Though at the January 1921 meeting of the New
People's Study Society, of which the record is translated below, Tao voted in favor of
Bolshevism as the answer to China's problems, she subsequently rejected communism.
23. Tang Yaozhang (1900-1973), also known as Tang Wenfu, was a native of
Changsha and a student of Mingde Middle School.
24. Shen Junyi, also known as Shen Jun, was a native of Changsha. He studied at the
Mingde University at Hankou from September 1920.
25. Zhou Dunxiang (1898–1980), alternative name Zhunru, a native of Changsha, had
studied at Zhounan Girls' School. In 1921 she went to teach in Singapore.
26. Xie Nanling (1901-1928), also known as Weixin, was a native of Ningxiang,
Hunan Province, and a graduate of First Normal.
27. Xu Ying, also born in Ningxiang, was one of the earliest female members.
28. Liu Xiuzhi (1895-), alternative name Jizhuang, a native of Xiangtan, Hunan
Province, was a graduate of First Normal School.
29. For details on Zhang Chao, see note 11 to the Evening School Journal of November 1917, in Volume I of this edition, p. 151.
30. Jiang Huiyu (1899-1925), alternative names Zhulin and Ruiyu, a native of
Ningxiang, Hunan Province, was a graduate of First Normal.
31. I.e., He Shuheng and Li Si'an.
32. The "Hunan problem" referred to is the struggle to drive out Governor Zhang
Jingyao, in which Mao and his friends played a prominent role. On this campaign, which
culminated when Zhang fled the province in mid-June 1920, see the extensive documentation in Volume I of this edition.
33. As indicated above in his letter of December 3, 1920, Mao was at this time
principal of the primary school attached to First Normal School.

34. Zou Yunzhen (1894–1985), alternative names Panqin, Panqing, and Pangeng, graduated from First Normal, and was involved in the foundation of the Self-Study University.
35. All of these new members were female. Xiong Zuoying and Xiong Zuolin were
born in Liuyang, Hunan Province; Wu Dezhuang was a native of Xupu, Hunan. Ren
Peidao (1894-), zi Zhenyu, was a native of Xiangyin, Hunan. She was a graduate of
Hunan First Women's Normal School and Beijing Normal University. Cai Chang (19001990), also known as Xianxi, a native of Xiangxiang, Hunan, was the younger sister of Cai
Hesen. She was an active organizer of the Socialist Youth Corps during her stay in France
and joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1923. After 1949, she became one of the most
important women's leaders.

36. Articles regarding the Chinese students in France that provide useful background
to Mao's account include those of Paul Bailey, "The Chinese Work-Study Movement in
France," The China Quarterly no. 115, September 1988, pp. 441-61, and Geneviève
Barman and Nicole Dulioust, "La France au miroir chinois," Les Temps modernes no. 498,
January 1988, pp. 32-67. Extensive documentation can be found in Zhang Yunhou et al.
(eds.), Liufa qingong jianxue yundong (The Work-Study Movement in France), 2 vols.
(Shanghai: Shanghai renmin chubanshe, 1980, 1986). This last source contains, on pp.
222-23, an annotated text of the passage on France translated here, with notes indicating
the correct Chinese transcription of place-names that appear in Mao's report in wrong or
outdated forms, and other tables listing the cities where the Chinese students were located
in late 1921. These materials have been drawn on in preparing the version that appears
below.

37. The reference is to the Schneider engineering works in Le Creusot, between Paris
and Lyon. A number of Chinese students were employed there in 1920-21, including
Deng Xiaoping, for a few weeks in April 1921, and Li Lisan for a longer period.

38. The reference is presumably to the Schneider electrical works in Champagne-sur-Seine, between Paris and Melun.

39. La Garenne-Colombe is a working-class suburb northwest of Paris.

40. Firminy, near St. Etienne, was the location of another large engineering factory.

41. Saint Maixent is located some 200 miles west of Paris, between Poitiers and La
Rochelle.

42. On the People's News Agency (Pingmin tongxinshe), which had been set up in
Beijing by Mao and others at the end of 1919 in the context of the struggle against Zhang
Jingyao, see the materials in Volume I, especially pp. 457-59, 469-71, and 496-97.

43. The Chinese text in the Bujuan reads "eighth month of the ninth month" (jiu yue ba
yue); this is an obvious misprint.