Wu Xun
Encyclopedia
Wu Xun was a Chinese educational reformer who pioneered free popular education in the country. He became a hero of progressive culture in China, but in the 1960s during Mao Zedong
's Cultural Revolution
his reputation was attacked and his body was exhumed and burned.
. His father died when he was a child, leaving him to fend for himself. Too poor to attend the local school, Wu determined to promote universal free education. An illiterate beggar, Wu educated himself and eventually used his little money to develop business ventures. Eventually he achieved success as a businessman, but he continued to beg, using the money he got to fund the foundation of local schools in Shandong
. His actions led to the creation of numerous schools in his home region. In the last decade of his life Wu was a successul money lender and landlord, and he used his earnings to found three schools.
. After his death in 1896 a memorial temple, the Wu Xun Temple in Guan County
, was created to honour his work. He was portrayed as a Confucian hero and his body was preserved. He continued to be regarded as a hero in Shandong, and the phrase "the spirit of Wu Xun" was used to refer to the social ideal of progress through education and traditional Confucian ideals of service.
, was made. It was quickly criticised by radicals within the Chinese Communist Party for promoting Wu, whose life was attacked as counter-revolutionary. The campaign was the "first major politico-ideological campaign in the Chinese Communist regime". It was initiated by Mao's wife Jiang Qing
, who loathed the "bourgeois reformism" epitomised by Wu. She persuaded Mao himself to write an article denouncing Wu as a promoter of "feudal" culture.
The backlash against the film led to an attempt to destroy the cult of Wu. Red Guards
exhumed his corpse and carried it to a public square where it was subsequently given a trial and ordered burned. The Red Guards broke the body into pieces before setting light to it with gas. After Mao's death, Wu's reputation was restored. In 1985 the People's Daily
stated that the criticiams of Wu "cannot be said to be even basically correct".
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
his reputation was attacked and his body was exhumed and burned.
Biography
Wu was born in Wuzhuang, Liulin Town, Tangyin CountyTangyin County
Tangyin County is a county of Henan, China. It is under the administration of Anyang city....
. His father died when he was a child, leaving him to fend for himself. Too poor to attend the local school, Wu determined to promote universal free education. An illiterate beggar, Wu educated himself and eventually used his little money to develop business ventures. Eventually he achieved success as a businessman, but he continued to beg, using the money he got to fund the foundation of local schools in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
. His actions led to the creation of numerous schools in his home region. In the last decade of his life Wu was a successul money lender and landlord, and he used his earnings to found three schools.
Reputation
Wu's life and work was promoted as exemplary by many leading figures in the imperial court of the Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. After his death in 1896 a memorial temple, the Wu Xun Temple in Guan County
Guan County
Guan County may refer to three county-level divisions of the People's Republic of China:*Gu'an County , of Langfang, Hebei*Guan County, Shandong , of Liaocheng, Shandong...
, was created to honour his work. He was portrayed as a Confucian hero and his body was preserved. He continued to be regarded as a hero in Shandong, and the phrase "the spirit of Wu Xun" was used to refer to the social ideal of progress through education and traditional Confucian ideals of service.
Reaction
In 1950 a film about his work, The Life of Wu XunThe Life of Wu Xun
The Life of Wu Xun is a 1950 Chinese film directed by Sun Yu and starring Zhao Dan. A black-white movie, it was produced by Kunlun Film Studio...
, was made. It was quickly criticised by radicals within the Chinese Communist Party for promoting Wu, whose life was attacked as counter-revolutionary. The campaign was the "first major politico-ideological campaign in the Chinese Communist regime". It was initiated by Mao's wife Jiang Qing
Jiang Qing
Jiang Qing was the pseudonym that was used by Chinese leader Mao Zedong's last wife and major Communist Party of China power figure. She went by the stage name Lan Ping during her acting career, and was known by various other names during her life...
, who loathed the "bourgeois reformism" epitomised by Wu. She persuaded Mao himself to write an article denouncing Wu as a promoter of "feudal" culture.
The backlash against the film led to an attempt to destroy the cult of Wu. Red Guards
Red Guards (China)
Red Guards were a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China , who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 and 1967, during the Cultural Revolution.-Origins:...
exhumed his corpse and carried it to a public square where it was subsequently given a trial and ordered burned. The Red Guards broke the body into pieces before setting light to it with gas. After Mao's death, Wu's reputation was restored. In 1985 the People's Daily
People's Daily
The People's Daily is a daily newspaper in the People's Republic of China. The paper is an organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , published worldwide with a circulation of 3 to 4 million. In addition to its main Chinese-language edition, it has editions in English,...
stated that the criticiams of Wu "cannot be said to be even basically correct".