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In 1953, Mao Zedong publicly denounced a literati as a “murderer” during the CPPCC meeting, accusing him of “killing with a pen, without shedding blood”, calling him a “pseudo-gentleman” and “ambitious man”.
This literati is Liang Shuming. He had a relationship with Mao Zedong spanning over twenty years.
Born in 1893, Liang Shuming, who was the same age as Mao, was a renowned modern Chinese thinker, philosopher, educator, and one of the representatives of modern Confucianism, known as the “last great Confucian in China”.
What did Liang Shuming say that made Mao Zedong so angry? Why did the two go from being friends to adversaries? Today, let’s uncover this historical truth.
In 1917, Liang Shuming, only 24 years old and with only a high school education, was appointed as a lecturer at Peking University by the president Cai Yuanpei due to his unique insights into Indian philosophy, teaching courses on Indian philosophy.
Originally named Liang Huanding, he was of Mongolian descent and a descendant of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. He joined the Alliance early in his life and later became one of the founders of the China Democratic Political League.
With his talent, young Liang Shuming shone in the Philosophy Department of Peking University and befriended a colleague over twenty years his senior – Professor Yang Changji. Despite the significant age difference, they bonded over shared interests and became close friends. Liang Shuming often visited and sought advice from Professor Yang, and their discussions were always lively and enjoyable.
In 1918, every time Liang Shuming visited Professor Yang’s home, a young man with a strong Hunan accent would open the door for him. Although they never engaged in deep conversation, it was just occasional greetings or nods. Later, Liang Shuming learned from Professor Yang that this young man was his student when he taught in Changsha. Professor Yang helped him secure a job at the Peking University library and even offered him temporary accommodation. Professor Yang had told Liang Shuming the student’s name, but he didn’t remember it. Liang Shuming didn’t think much of this quiet young man and considered it a passing acquaintance.
Time passed, and by 1920, after Professor Yang Changji’s unfortunate passing, Mao Zedong and Professor Yang’s daughter, Yang Kaihui, became married. These past events seemed to fade over time until 1938 when Liang Shuming was invited to visit Yan’an, where he reconnected with Mao Zedong. While reminiscing about their time at Peking University, Liang Shuming suddenly realized that the young man who had opened the door for him back then was none other than the present Mao Zedong.
During this visit to Yan’an, Liang Shuming had two long conversations with Mao Zedong and even gifted him books he had written.
After the Chinese Communist Party took power in 1949, Mao Zedong invited Liang Shuming to Beijing with the intention of having him work for the government, but Liang Shuming declined the offer. Mao Zedong was somewhat displeased, but Liang Shuming believed that by not entering the government, he could speak as an outsider and represent various perspectives.
Liang was selected as a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and became a guest of honor for Mao. The two met once every month or two, and Mao often invited Liang to dine together at Zhongnanhai. By the time Mao completely turned against him in 1953, they had met dozens of times. This level of interaction was quite uncommon for non-Communist Party members.
In September 1953, the CCP held the “Two Meetings” in Beijing – the expanded sessions of the National Committee of the CPPCC and the Central Government Committee. At that time, the CPPCC acted on behalf of the National People’s Congress, where the Chairman of the CPPCC was equivalent to the later Chairman of the National People’s Congress, and the members of the CPPCC were equivalent to the representatives of the National People’s Congress. Liang Shuming, as a guest CPPCC member, spoke at the meeting about peasant issues.
Prior to this, in 1950, Liang had visited Henan, Shandong, as well as the later dissolved provinces of Pingyuan and the northeast countryside. In 1951, he also visited rural areas in the south to understand the situation of the CCP’s land reform.
During the 1953 CPPCC meeting, he spoke three times. He pointed out that the government’s plans must be comprehensive; while the CCP had proposed plans for heavy industrial construction and transformation of private industry, he hoped they would also consider plans for the development of light industry and transportation.
He emphasized the rural situation, stating that the CCP focused too much on raising the status of workers but neglected the vast majority of peasants.
He said, “The CCP originated and rose to power relying on peasants and rural areas, but after entering cities, it neglected rural areas. While the living standards of urban workers improved rapidly, the lives of peasants remained harsh. Peasants wanted to move to the cities, but they were not welcomed there; they were pushed back.”
He remarked, “The workers are above the heavens, and the peasants are below the earth,” implying that the CCP’s treatment of workers and peasants differed significantly.
Despite Liang Shuming repeatedly declaring that he “supported the general policy” and “simply wished to remind the Central Committee of the CCP about certain issues,” his words still brought him major trouble.
A few days later, Mao Zedong suddenly accused Liang at the meeting of “killing with a pen,” calling him an “ambitious man” and a “pseudo-gentleman.”
He said, “Chiang Kai-shek used gun barrels to kill people, and Liang Shuming used pen barrels to kill people… disguising himself most skillfully in killing without shedding blood, using a pen to kill people. You are such a murderer.”
He also mentioned that Liang Shuming claimed to be a “man of integrity” and depicted himself as an amazing beauty but failed to account for his past of “anti-Communist and anti-people.”
Mao further stated that Liang Shuming’s rural development efforts were actually “landlord construction, village destruction, and national ruin!”
Liang Shuming, not one to back down, stated in his subsequent speech that Mao’s accusation took him by surprise; judging him maliciously based solely on that speech lacked evidence. He requested enough time to present his views but was abruptly cut off as soon as he began.
Frustrated, Liang abandoned his prepared speech, pointing at Mao Zedong on the podium, saying, “I hope the party leaders and the non-party comrades present test me and give me a chance. I also want to test the party leaders and see if Chairman Mao has the magnanimity.” The debate over the issue of “magnanimity” went back and forth several times without resolution.
At this point, someone suggested a vote to decide whether Liang should continue speaking. In the end, the majority did not approve, and some shouted, “Obey the decision, Liang Shuming go down!” Liang was forced off the stage, and the debate ended in his defeat.
It’s worth noting that as early as after the Zunyi Conference in 1935, Mao Zedong had established his leadership position in the CCP. Within the CCP, no one dared to confront Mao Zedong as directly and publicly as Liang Shuming did.
Afterward, Liang Shuming wrote to the CPPCC requesting a long leave of absence to reflect privately, disappearing from the public eye for over twenty years. In 1957, when Mao Zedong invited intellectuals to offer opinions, Liang remained silent, surprisingly sidestepping the label of being a “rightist,” emerging somewhat unscathed due to his misfortune.
The disagreements between Liang Shuming and Mao Zedong had been evident for a long time. Although a city dweller born in Beijing, Liang Shuming had a deep interest in rural issues.
From 1928 to 1929, while serving as the principal of Guangya Academy in Guangdong, he proposed the concept of “rural governance” and established the Henan Village Governance College in rural Henan. Later, he also founded the Rural Construction Research Institute in Shandong, focusing on rural development for seven years.
Regarding China’s future, he did not advocate complete westernization nor support the CCP’s replication of the Soviet model. He advocated for exploring a unique path for China, combining the national spirit of “upright life and ethical relationships” with advanced Western material civilization.
His vision of rural governance embodied this ideal. However, due to the warlord turmoil in China at the time, his rural development projects were mostly left incomplete.
During the war against Japan, Liang Shuming served in various positions within the Nationalist government without party affiliation, working for the resistance efforts. After the war ended in 1945, he served as secretary-general of the Democratic League, mediating between the Nationalists and Communists in the hopes of establishing a peaceful nation. At that time, the Democratic League was the third-largest party outside of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
During his visits to Yan’an in 1938 and 1946, he received warm hospitality from Mao Zedong both times, but their ideological differences remained.
During his visit to Yan’an in 1938, Liang told Mao that the most challenging aspect of rural movements was that the peasants preferred tranquility over activity. Mao countered, saying, “You are mistaken! Peasants need to be active!”
These two statements reflected the fundamental differences between the two. Liang Shuming wanted to maintain rural stability and promote rural development, while Mao Zedong and the CCP aimed to disrupt existing orders first by “eliminating landlords and distributing land,” intensifying class struggle.
Liang Shuming also openly opposed the CCP’s armed usurpation of power. He said, “Completely opposed to the CCP’s armed struggle to solve China’s problems from beginning to end, count me in.”
This continuous caution towards him made Mao Zedong wary.
Mao Zedong and the CCP lured peasants into following them with promises of “eliminating landlords and distributing land.” However, a few years after seizing power, Mao Zedong announced the nationalization of land and the establishment of people’s communes during the “Great Leap Forward,” aiming to “overtake Britain and catch up with America”.
Under Mao’s directive, people of all ages engaged in activities like cutting down trees and smashing pots to produce steel. Each region exaggerated and boasted about agricultural yields surpassing ten thousand pounds per acre. It was a nationwide frenzy.
Public canteens were established in rural areas, depleting food reserves, disrupting agricultural cycles, and inevitably leading to what was later known as the “three years of difficulty,” resulting in tens of millions of deaths due to starvation.
Some argue that if Mao had listened to Liang in 1953, allowing peasants time to recuperate after the land reforms instead of chaotic restructuring, the tragedy of a severe famine might have been averted. However, the CCP was a dictatorship, demanding conformity from others; how could they sincerely listen to opinions from non-party members?
That’s all for today’s program, thank you for watching. If you enjoyed our show, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. See you next time.
Production Team of “Century Truth”