To Understand the Reform and Opening Up, 

Please Read "Black and White"!

Liu Xiaoqiang, written on June 30, 2024

Greetings, teachers and comrades! First, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations on the official launch of the Renjing website! I feel very happy to gather together with teachers and comrades today.

I am a Hubei "Black and White" Reading Club member. I don't have any profound theories; I'll just share my thoughts and experiences from reading Teacher Liu's "Black and White."

I'm currently reading it for the third time. I started my second reading on December 26 last year in Shaoshan, and now I'm on my third reading. Each reading brings different feelings. The first time, I read it as a story—it's enduring, enjoyable, easy to read, authentic, believable, with no nihilistic style, derived from life, and true to life. It has tremendous appeal; it's hard to put down once picked up. The story is strong, with each part connecting to the next in interlocking links. Knowledge and interest are fused together, truly appealing to both refined and popular tastes, functioning like an encyclopedia.

I've read Teacher Cao Zhenglu's novels "There" and "Neon," which are very satisfying and cathartic! But I always felt something was missing. I always hoped for a book like "The Golden Road" to appear. I personally believe "The Golden Road" is a compass and textbook for our working masses to carry out scientific socialist revolution and construction. How wonderful it would be if someone could write about our current society's reform and opening up from the standpoint of the broad masses of workers and peasants!

Originally, I didn't have much hope, because who would dare to go against such mainstream opinion? Finally, as if a glimmer of light appeared in the darkness, growing brighter and brighter, Teacher Liu Jiming's "Black and White" emerged, illuminating the way forward for us night travelers.

After reading it through once, I exclaimed, "To understand the reform and opening up, please read 'Black and White'." One could say that the writing and publication of "Black and White" has fulfilled the dream of disadvantaged groups like myself in today's society. It is fortunate for the working people, fortunate for the nation, and also fills the void in Chinese literature regarding reform and opening up, shouldering literature's historical responsibility during this period.

"Black and White" is a book that will go down in history. Teacher Liu Jiming has done something that benefits the present and will benefit thousands of years to come. China will not forget, and the people will not forget.

From returning from Shaoshan on December 26 last year until June 1 this year, I read through it a second time. During this period, during the eighth day of the Spring Festival and the May Day holiday this year, under the leadership and hosting of Comrade Mao Guanghui, the president of the Hubei Reading Club, taking advantage of our geographical proximity, Teacher Liu Jiming gave two offline exchange lectures for the comrades of the Hubei Reading Club, allowing everyone to gain a deeper understanding of "Black and White." I completed three review articles titled "On the Grudges and Feelings Between Wang Sheng and Du Wei—Reading 'Black and White'" (Parts One, Two, and Three).

Teacher Liu Jiming has deep theoretical cultivation in Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. Through his teachings, I realized that many contradictions between characters in the book are not just personal grudges but have class nature—their contradictions are class struggles. Thinking about today's society from the destinies and vicissitudes of the book's characters, my previously pessimistic thoughts were thrown to the winds. As Uncle Luo Zheng in the book says, "It's still the Communist Party's world now, we must resolutely struggle!"

"The Chronicle of Mao Zedong" Volume 5 records that on the morning of October 7, 1961, Chairman Mao met with Japanese guests including the Japan-China Friendship Association delegation and representatives of Japanese civilian educators at Qinzheng Hall in Zhongnanhai. Chairman Mao said: "Lu Xun was a great revolutionary warrior in China's dark age and a leader on the literary front. He wrote a poem 'Untitled': 'Countless sooty faces buried in wormwood, who dares sing to stir earthly sorrow. Heart's concerns vast as the universe, listening for thunderclap in silence.'" This poem was written by Lu Xun in China's darkest years before dawn, showing that he saw light under completely dark rule.

Chairman Mao's heart was connected with Lu Xun's, and wasn't Chairman Mao, who did everything for the people's interests, also connected with the people's hearts? After finishing "Black and White" for the second time, I had a thought: Chairman Mao was very concerned about literary creation and writers. For example, Mr. Yao Xueyun's "Li Zicheng" was praised by Chairman Mao, and he himself received Chairman Mao's care and protection. The environment in which Teacher Liu created "Black and White" cannot be compared with that of Mr. Yao Xueyun creating "Li Zicheng." If Chairman Mao's spirit in heaven knew that Teacher Liu Jiming had created a great book "Black and White" that serves the people, he would certainly be as pleased as his people. Teacher Liu Jiming's "Black and White" is sufficient to comfort Chairman Mao's spirit in heaven.

I started reading "Black and White" for the third time from June 1 this year, reading it with questions and doubts in mind. For example, who are the most lovable people? Of course, it's Factory Director Wang Shengli and Factory Director Lu Shengping. They both came from the People's Liberation Army, both fought in battles and achieved merits, both were wounded, both were "number ones," and both were factory directors, yet their final outcomes were vastly different. Director Wang was undoubtedly a great hero of the people, while Director Lu degenerated into a coward. Although they both passed away, according to Chairman Mao's statement, Director Wang Shengli's death was heavier than Mount Tai! Director Lu Shengping's death was lighter than a feather.

Now, whenever I have time, I dig and dig and dig in "Black and White." I've dug up several seemingly precious things, but I'll temporarily let them remain in the book, and when I've thought of a good excavation method, I'll let them emerge. This is my current reading situation. I originally planned to read the book roughly the first time, carefully the second time, and meticulously the third time, but it seems that's not enough.

"The Chronicle of Mao Zedong" Volume 6 records: On the evening of May 25, 1973, when Chairman Mao presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee at his residence at the Zhongnanhai swimming pool, he said: "Members of the Political Bureau should know a bit of history, not just Chinese history and world history, but also categorized political history, economic history, and novel history. The history from turtle shells to the Communist Party should be summarized. Among Chinese novels, 'Dream of the Red Chamber' still has the highest artistic and ideological value. When reading 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' do not speak at all if you haven't read it five times, because you cannot clarify its class relationships."

This was Chairman Mao discussing "Dream of the Red Chamber," and now I feel that my reading of "Black and White" also gives me the feeling of Chairman Mao reading "Dream of the Red Chamber." Chairman Mao read "Dream of the Red Chamber" to understand feudal society; I read "Black and White" to understand characteristic society. The high ideological and artistic value of "Black and White" has been highly summarized by Teacher Kong Qingdong, Teacher Guo Songmin, and others, and I completely agree.

I feel that to fully digest "Black and White," one must put in hard work. For example, who is Zeng Zhuo of "Tree on the Cliff"? Who is the author of "General, Don't Do This"? What does Li Hong's poem to Lang Tao mean? And Li Hong resembling Xie Fang, Gu Zheng resembling Pan Hong, Cheng Guojun resembling Wang Xingang, Ba Dong resembling Fei Xiang—what do these people look like? Also, the "two-family" banquet becomes a "three-family" banquet, about the expansion of the Anti-Rightist Campaign and other matters, history is expressed through literature.

"Black and White" runs through the old democratic revolution to the new democratic revolution, to the founding of New China, New China's socialist revolution and construction up to Chairman Mao's passing away, from Chairman Mao's death to more than forty years of reform and opening up—nearly a century of history, with the highlight and focus on reform and opening up! Teacher Liu's creation has always practiced Gorky's principle that "literature is the study of humanity." The creation of character images is rich and full, with edges and corners, distinct personalities, with a sense of seeking truth from facts, without a heart for sensationalism. It fully reflects what Chairman Mao said: In a class society, every person exists in a certain class position, and all kinds of thoughts are branded with class.

Teachers and comrades, my feelings reading "Black and White" are very complex. I don't hope for, don't like, and even hate the events in the reform and opening up where "Hu Hansan has returned." The reflection in the book is objectively existing; we cannot avoid it.

Let me borrow words from Lu Xun's "In Memory of Liu Hezhen" as today's closing: "The true warrior dares to face the bleak aspects of life, dares to gaze upon dripping blood. ... The true warrior will forge ahead more determinedly."