Jiang Qing Goes to the Movies
The Life of Wu Xun (Wu Xun zhuan)
(Shanghai: Kunlun Film, 1950)
Dir. Sun Yu
The Life of Wu Xun is based on the historical figure, Wu Xun
(1838-1896), who promoted free education for peasant children. According
to the film, Wu Xun, after enduring numerous personal tragedies from the
death of his father to his girlfriend's suicide, concludes that the only
way poor people can empower themselves is through education. He attempts
to raise funds for free schools by saving, begging, and appealing to wealthy
landlords. Meanwhile, Zhou Da, a friend of Wu's, has since become a rebel
peasant leader. Zhou Da finds Wu's faith in education to be naive and
instead advocates open rebellion. The Emperor learns of Wu's free schools
and rewards him with official titles, uniforms, and other awards. But
Wu refuses to accept these official honors by pretending to be insane
and thus unable to go through with the ceremony. While Wu continues his
work in establishing free education for the poor, the peasant rebels led
by Zhou sweep across the prairies.
The Life of Wu Xun was widely criticized in the early 1950s.
In a People's Daily editorial, Mao Zedong wrote: "The question
raised by The Life of Wu Hsun is fundamental in nature. A fellow
like Wu Hsun, living as he did towards the end of the Ching Dynasty in
an era of great struggle by the Chinese people against foreign aggressors
and domestic reactionary feudal rulers, did not lift a finger against
the feudal economic base or its superstructure; on the contrary, he strove
fanatically to spread feudal culture and, in order to gain a position
for this purpose previously beyond his reach, he fawned in every way on
the reactionary feudal rulers -- ought we to praise such disgusting behaviour?
How can we tolerate praising it to the masses, especially when such praise
flaunts the revolutionary banner of 'serving the people' and when the
failure of revolutionary peasant struggles is used as a foil to accentuate
the praise?" ("Pay Serious Attention
to the Discussion of the Film, The Life of Wu Hsun.")
(Film summary adapted from Zhiwei Xiao’s entry on
“The Life of Wu Xun”, in Yingjin Zhang and Zhiwei Xiao, eds.,
Encyclopedia of Chinese Film, London: Routledge, 1998, p. 224.)
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