On July 15, 1977, Hu Yaobang founded the journal “Theoretical Dynamics”. As of today, July 15, 2022, it has been a full 45 years.
The publication “Theoretical Dynamics” played a historic role. The article “Continuing the Revolution” in the first issue questioned the theory of “Continuing the Revolution” that was still the guiding ideology at that time. The article “Practice is the only criterion for testing truth” published in the 60th issue triggered a great discussion on the issue of truth criteria. The article “To Really Understand the Purpose of Socialist Production” (issue 160) triggered a discussion on the purpose of socialist production. The article “Cleaning up “Left” Thoughts by Criticism and Self-Criticism” (issue 263) openly proposed anti-“Left”, which had a huge impact.
The publication “Theoretical Dynamics” has been recorded in history.
I have participated in the preparation of “Theoretical Dynamics” from the very beginning. The scene at that time is still vivid in my mind. In the past, in books and articles, I have introduced “Theoretical Dynamics” many times, but all of them are relatively brief. Now, on the establishment of “Theoretical Dynamics”, I will make a further systematic review.
Hu Yaobang went to work at the Central Party School on March 25, 1977. On the afternoon of April 7, a rectification meeting was held.
The full name of the rectification meeting is: Rectification Meeting of the Backbone Elements of the Central Party School. At the beginning, there were a total of 70 participants. In addition to the backbone of the leadership, each of the 25 party branches in the school elected a party member representative to participate in the meeting. I was selected as the party member representative of the branch of the Literature and History Teaching and Research Office to attend the meeting.
The plenary meeting of the rectification conference was held in the first classroom. The venue is extremely simple, without any arrangement, and everyone sits at will.
A month later, at the plenary meeting of the Rectification Conference on May 7, Hu Yaobang proposed that the right and wrong of thinking, the right and wrong of theory, and the right and wrong of the line that had been reversed by Lin Biao and the Gang of Four were reversed. He said that it should be done on a problem-by-problem basis. So, he thought of starting a journal.
According to some comrades, Comrade Yaobang has talked about the idea of running a publication on different occasions. After a period of thinking and deliberation, looking for candidates, on June 4, Comrade Yaobang put this matter on the agenda.
On the morning of June 4, a plenary meeting of the Rectification Conference was held. Before the meeting, the secretary Chen Weiren informed me that he would stay after the plenary meeting and attend the small meeting held by Comrade Yaobang.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, the plenary meeting of the Rectification Committee ended early. Comrade Yaobang held a small meeting in the corner of the first classroom. I counted ten people. Later, I learned that Wu Zhenkun and Liu Lizhong were also involved in the organization of “Theoretical Dynamics”.
Comrade Yaobang said: I would like to talk about four things. One is the list of books for students to read, the other is the list for soliciting opinions, the third is the teaching plan, and the last is the briefing and publications.
Comrade Yaobang said: This question has been brewing in my mind for several weeks. There are three things about the internal briefings and publications of the Party School, one is the Central Party School briefing, the other is a school journal, which is not planned to be published for the time being, and the third is a theoretical dynamic briefing.
Comrade Yaobang said: All the questions, viewpoints, and materials we have raised here, the important viewpoints and materials we have collected, or some assertions, expositions, and briefings from classic works in order to illustrate this viewpoint are very simple. Two pages are enough, no more than three pages at most. We can send them to ourselves, and we can also send them to comrades in the Central Committee, Chairman Hua, Vice Chairman Ye, comrades in the Politburo, and we can also consider sending them to various ministries and commissions and provincial and municipal committees. give them a reference. Nominally, there is the Office of Academic Affairs under the Director of Education, and the Office of Academic Affairs selects and compiles, two days, no more than three days, one period, preferably two days, one period, and the words can be considered larger. It has three functions: first, to help the central comrades understand the theoretical trends, and play a role as ears and eyes; second, to understand the situation, improve one’s own understanding, and study the problem, and the third is to give the following reference. Basically on a regular basis. The title can be called “Theoretical Dynamics”, but it can be short and clear. “Selected Works on Theoretical Discussion”, or “Selected Theoretical Trends”, “Theoretical Frontline Highlights”, I didn’t think clearly. Get a few people first. Some people suggested Comrade Meng Fan and Shen Baoxiang, and a few others to form a team first. I already have some questions (Chen Weiren: There are at least three or four issues), and it takes three or five issues to be printed, otherwise there will be no breakfast rice. Mainly looking for information from party schools, provinces and cities, mainly not the People’s Daily. I have to finalize the articles within two months of the first publication, and at least I will be responsible for participating in it for two months. The topic is not discussed today, and I will have a meeting with me the next morning. As long as five or six articles are prepared, students will ask many questions after the semester begins, and various teaching and research offices can ask many questions.
Comrade Yaobang finally said: “In short, we create an environment and oppress ourselves.”
“What I have noticed is that we need to improve the scientific attitude in three to five years. If this is not done well, our party may still take a detour. The chairman said in his speech on amending the constitution that it is to develop a scientific attitude.”
At this small meeting, Comrade Yaobang talked about four things, but the one he talked about the most was the issue of running a publication.
On the morning of June 6th, Comrade Yaobang was in his office and called us for a meeting. Apart from the secretary Chen Weiren, the participants were Meng Fan, Shen Baoxiang, Wu Zhenkun, and Liu Lizhong. Later, Comrade Yaobang called us the dynamic group (officially named the theoretical dynamic group). This is the first dynamic group meeting.
At this meeting, Comrade Yaobang spoke more concretely about the idea of running a journal and put forward requirements for us. He said: It is better to have less than more, one issue per issue, at most two papers, it should be timely and put one question in people’s minds, don’t put several questions, usually one issue is one article. This stuff is easy to make, not too difficult. We only engage in theoretical issues, and policy issues may involve a little bit, while theoretical policy issues involve a little bit. If there are two issues in a week, there are 9 issues in a month, 9 to 13 issues a month, no more than 13 issues, no less than 9 issues, it is best to do one issue every two days, no more, no one will watch it. Each issue must have the thesis and discussion of the classic Marxist works, its background, and its thesis, you can try to compile a few articles and read them.
You should often ask questions, think often, ask someone to write them, and write them yourself. People have made it clear not to choose. It must be estimated that the comrades in the Central Committee have not seen it. Everything Marx said must be verified. I will review it myself, and you can do it yourself after two months. Two months later I see something and then approve it to you. This stuff is not difficult.
Comrade Yaobang gave us eleven questions at once. He requested that several articles be completed before June 15.
Comrade Yaobang proposed: the scope of issuance is two copies for all ministries, services, arms, and provinces, except for the central government, and one is designated for the party school. In the name, the Office of Academic Affairs of the Central Party School (Meng Fan: Use Theory to Move the Editorial Department).
Number of issuances: about 100 local copies, about 100 central copies, about 100 professional copies, and about 100 own copies.
The title agrees with “Theoretical Dynamics”, two issues a week.
It’s not easy to write critical things, so you have to step up your reading and master the information.
At this meeting, Comrade Yaobang decided on the title of “Theoretical Dynamics”.
After this meeting, the four of us discussed the most about two issues a week, or even one issue every two days. In the first issue, Comrade Yaobang still disagreed.
On the morning of June 22, Comrade Yaobang convened a meeting with us. He talked about seven points in total, mainly to reiterate the purpose and specific ideas of running the journal that were discussed at the previous meeting.
At this meeting, Comrade Yaobang made it clear: the five-day period is tentatively scheduled, and it will be released when it is ready.
He said: There is no experience in doing this kind of thing now. We try it out, and we need to practice. If there is no general plan in advance, it is blind practice. We must have a general plan, it will not be perfect, and we must constantly improve and revise it in practice. After two or three months, it was on track. All beginnings are hard.
After this meeting, we were each thinking about how to write an article.
Comrade Yaobang was thinking about how to start the publication as soon as possible.
The problem is, to have a proper article.
In April 1977, the fifth volume of Selected Works of Mao Zedong was published. At the time, it was a major political event. On May 1, the Chairman of the Party Central Committee published a long article in the People’s Daily introducing the fifth volume of the Selected Works of Mao Zedong. The Central Party School, which is about to reopen, how to organize students to study the fifth volume of the Selected Works of Mao Zedong is the most important issue in teaching. In this regard, Hu Yaobang has made a lot of consideration.
On the morning of July 12, 1977, Hu Yaobang held a small symposium with more than ten people, and invited the heads of the teaching and research offices to talk about how to guide the study of the fifth volume of “Selected Works of Mao Zedong”. Comrade Yaobang asked us to participate in this meeting (in the future, Comrade Yaobang will try to let us participate in his speeches in and outside the school).
Wu Jiang, director of the Philosophy Teaching and Research Office, gave a more systematic view on the issue of “continuing the revolution” and raised doubts. Comrade Yaobang appreciated Wu Jiang’s speech. After the meeting, Comrade Yaobang said to Wu Jiang: How about arranging your speech as an article in the first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics”? Wu Jiang said, yes. I happened to be standing by and could hear it clearly. Comrade Yaobang turned around and said to us: The first issue will be published on July 15th. I will give you the first issue now. After that, it will be published every five days. It will be published every Friday and every tenth, rain or shine. It’s still National Day and Spring Festival, and they must be released on time.
July 15, 1977, my diary:
“In the morning, the first issue of theoretical dynamics was issued.
In the afternoon, together with Wu Zhenkun, I went to the office of Comrade Hu Yaobang to express opinions on the theoretical dynamics of the first phase. “
The article “Discussion on “Continuing the Revolution” in the first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics”, on the premise of affirming Mao Zedong’s theory of “Continuing the Revolution”, put forward and expounded two important viewpoints.
One is the object of “continuing the revolution”. Wu Jiang clarified that it includes not only the revolution in the superstructure, but also the revolution in the economic base and the technological revolution, that is, the revolution in the productive forces. He quoted Mao Zedong’s “Sixty Articles of Work Methods (Draft)” written in 1958: starting this year, “the focus of the party’s work should be placed on technology. This issue must be brought to the attention of the whole party.” The article concludes accordingly: “We want to realize the ‘four modernizations’ without first grasping the scientific and technological revolution.” The first to grasp the scientific and technological revolution, the revolution in the productive forces, is actually to deny the class struggle as the key link.
The second is the problem of anti-tendency. The article pointed out: “Some people say, ‘The constant revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat is the constant anti-Rightist movement’. Those who say this seem to be summarizing an important experience. It must be said that this is not Mao Zedong Thought.” The article said: Chairman Mao said in five volumes: “We must fight on two fronts, against both the ‘Left’ and the Right.” It has always been so. This Mao Zedong Thought is not out of date. The article pointed out: “There is a ‘left’ and there is a right, or a ‘left’ is a real right, and what is opposed is what it is, and the same is true of the continuous revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat.” Under the tone of “anti-extremist right” at the time, he proposed to also oppose “left”, which showed the author’s sobriety and courage.
This article in the first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics” makes two interpretations on the premise of affirming the theory of “continued revolution”. These two points actually take away the key to the theory of “continuing the revolution”. Although the language is not clear enough, the ideas and viewpoints contained are very clear.
I checked the source material for Issue 1 of Theoretical Dynamics. The process is as follows.
After going to work on the morning of July 14, Wu Jiang sent his manuscript to Comrade Yaobang’s office in Building 54 and handed it over to Secretary Chen Weiren. The title of Wujiang’s original manuscript is “Comrade Wujiang’s Speech”.
Chen Weiren wrote on the manuscript: “Five copies of proofs 14/7 at three o’clock in the afternoon.” He immediately asked the party school printing factory to arrange proofs. In the afternoon, clear samples come out. Chen Weiren added the title of “Discussion on “Continuing the Revolution”, wrote a note, and sent it to Comrade Yaobang for review immediately. Comrade Yaobang immediately reviewed the final draft. Chen Weiren wrote on the final draft: “Finalize the draft as such. The first issue of the journal will be issued on the 15th. Chen 14/7.” “300 copies”. Hand over to the Party School Printing Factory for immediate printing.
The next day, on the morning of July 15, Comrade Wang Juwu rode his bike to the printing factory, bundled 300 copies of “Theoretical Dynamics” on the back frame of the bike and rode it back.
The first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics” was distributed in the school to leading cadres at the school level and various units, and they all appreciated it.
The situation described above shows that the first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics” was founded on July 15, 1977, with a contingency. Someone said in the article that “Theoretical Dynamics” was founded on July 15, which was carefully arranged by Hu Yaobang, just before the Third Plenary Session of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which started on July 16. This is an overinterpretation.
Wu Jiang said in the book “The Road in Ten Years” that Comrade Yaobang dared to publish such an article because he sent the manuscript to Deng Xiaoping to read and got Deng Xiaoping’s consent. Judging from the above process, from receipt of manuscript to finalization for printing, it was a matter of one day, and there was no possibility of submitting it to Deng Xiaoping first. From the perspective of leadership at that time, Comrade Yaobang would not have done that either. So, how did this misunderstanding come about? After Wu Jiang left the Central Party School, Hu Yaobang asked him to talk. Hu Yaobang said, I showed Comrade Xiaoping the article “Discussion on “Continuing the Revolution”, and Comrade Xiaoping completely agreed with this article (how Deng Xiaoping expressed his complete agreement, Comrade Yaobang did not tell us). What Hu Yaobang sent was the first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics”, which Wu Jiang mistakenly thought was a manuscript.
The first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics” proposed that it was Hu Yaobang’s own decision to discuss the issue of “continuing the revolution”.
A few days after the first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics” was released, Meng Fan and I were in the office (a large room on the north side of the west side of the main building). The phone rang, and Meng Fan picked up the phone to answer. He put down the phone and said happily, Lao Shen, it was the call from the General Office of the Central Committee, saying that Comrade Xiaoping had read the article in the first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics”, and he basically agreed with the questions raised in the article.
Hu Yaobang commented on the article in the first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics” when he talked with Wu Jiang.
Wu Jiang said in his book “The Road in Ten Years” that on the morning of October 16, 1982, Hu Yaobang asked him to talk (Song Renqiong, Minister of Organization of the Central Committee was present). Hu Yaobang said the following paragraph at the beginning:
“Theoretically, the slogan of the continuation of the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat begins with the slogan of continuing the revolution. In July 1977, Wu Jiang wrote a short essay “Discussion on the Problem of Continuing the Revolution”, proposing that after the socialist transformation has basically been completed, the continuation of the revolution will continue. The main content should be the revolution of culture, technology, and productive forces. It was not easy to put forward this argument in July 1977, and it can be said to be the first action to set things right in theory. I sent this article to Comrade Xiaoping for reading. , Comrade Xiaoping expressed complete agreement. This was the first contact between Comrade Xiaoping and I on theoretical issues, and Comrade Qiao Mu had not resumed work at that time. This short article was published as the first issue of the inaugural issue of “Theoretical Dynamics” at that time. The Third Plenary Session of the Central Committee After a while, the Central Committee put forward the slogan of abolishing the dictatorship of the proletariat and continuing the revolution, which is also correct, and that will come later.” (The Road in Ten Years, p. 22)
Hu Yaobang believed that the ideological and theoretical chaos began by denying the slogan of “continue the revolution”. “Theoretical Dynamics” published the article “Discussion on the Problem of “Continuing the Revolution”, which was the “first action” to set things right in theory, and this article was his “first contact” with Deng Xiaoping on theoretical issues . Hence the importance of this article.
The so-called “continued revolution” theory is a summary of Mao Zedong’s theory of class struggle as the key link in the “Cultural Revolution”, and its full name is the theory of “continued revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat”. At that time, this theory was regarded as the third milestone in the development history of Marxism, which was written into the party constitution and became the guiding ideology of the party, and was the theoretical basis and guiding ideology of the “Cultural Revolution”. After smashing the “Gang of Four”, he still stressed the need to follow the theory of “continuing the revolution”. The most important thing in ideological and theoretical ordering of chaos is to deny this “theory”.
The first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics” published the article “Discussion on the Problem of “Continuing the Revolution”, which was the first to question this “theory”. “. Later, after the theoretical work retreat and the discussion of the “Draft Resolution on Historical Issues” by 4,000 veteran cadres in the whole party, it was not until June 1981 that the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party made the “Resolution on Historical Issues”, which completely denied this “Draft Resolution on Historical Issues”. theory”, after four full years of hard work.
After the first issue of “Theoretical Dynamics” was published, it quickly spread among leading cadres. People kept asking for it through phone calls, etc., and another 300 copies were printed. Thereafter, the number of prints for each issue increased, quickly increasing to several thousand copies.
At the beginning of 1978, Comrade Yaobang said at a meeting of the Theoretical Dynamics Group that now I meet acquaintances with two sentences. He also said that our family still has influence, and we don’t panic anymore.
“Theoretical Dynamics” every five days. There should be an article with a certain amount of weight every five days. For a period of time when we first started, we were really nervous, and even a little “panic”.
Comrade Yaobang is the actual editor-in-chief of Theoretical Dynamics.
Comrade Yaobang stipulated that the articles to be used in “Theoretical Dynamics”, no matter who the author is, must be discussed and revised by the theoretical dynamic group before they can be submitted to him. We spend a considerable amount of time discussing the manuscript.
As far as I am concerned, the manuscript for writing “Theoretical Dynamics” was very uncomfortable at the beginning. Comrade Yaobang patiently and concretely instructed me. Sometimes, he came to me two or three times a day to talk about the revision of the manuscript. There were two articles, and he wrote me an outline. Under his specific and careful guidance, I quickly adapted to this job.
At the beginning, Comrade Yaobang said that he would work with us for two or three months, and then we would do it ourselves. But he gradually developed feelings for this publication, regarded it as his treasure, and could no longer let it go.
Comrade Yaobang, together with us, was delighted that an article had a good impact, and was also troubled by the fact that it “did the pot without rice”.
Once, when Comrade Yaobang was talking with us, he suddenly said: “After I die, I will write a note. I did “Theoretical Dynamics” before I died. This is the true expression of his value and love for this publication.
On the morning of December 17, Comrade Yaobang called us for a meeting and said at the beginning that I would go to work in the Organization Department the day after tomorrow. He went on to say that I am also in charge of two things at the party school, one is the teaching plan, and the other is “Theoretical Dynamics”. “I also share the fate with everyone.”
After Comrade Yaobang went to work in the Organization Department of the Central Committee, he asked Comrade Wu Jiang to assist him in running “Theoretical Dynamics”, but he still spent a lot of energy on this publication. In 1978, he convened 18 theoretical dynamics group meetings, each for half a day or a night. He often forwards materials to us, or asks the secretary to call to convey his opinion. The manuscripts of each issue of “Theoretical Dynamics” are reviewed, revised and finalized by him. The manuscripts we send are usually returned the next day, sometimes in the morning and in the afternoon. In 1979, Comrade Yaobang held many important positions such as Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and also held 6 theoretical dynamic group meetings.
In June 1981, Comrade Yaobang was elected as the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and it was no longer possible and inappropriate to care about “Theoretical Dynamics”. He bid us farewell in a solemn manner.
On the morning of August 29, 1981, Comrade Yaobang invited us to the conference room of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Qinzheng Hall, Zhongnanhai, and talked with us for a long time.
Comrade Yaobang said: “The Theoretical Dynamics has not expired late, has not declined, and there is no big outlier.” This is a summary of our publication for several years and an answer to the accusations and slandering of The Theoretical Dynamics by some people.
When the conversation was over and we were about to leave, Comrade Yaobang came over and said to us: “The “Theoretical Dynamics” must be run unswervingly. According to the original policy, I hope everyone will work hard to run this small publication well.” His solemn entrustment to us.
After that, Comrade Yaobang ignored “Theoretical Dynamics”, but he still paid attention to this publication.
In December 1983, I suddenly received a letter from a comrade of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee who I did not know, and a manuscript from the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. The letter said: Comrade Yaobang went to Gansu for inspection, and the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee invited Comrade Yaobang to read one of his articles. Comrade Yaobang affirmed the article, thought it could be published, and said to them: “You can find Shen Baoxiang from the editorial department of “Theoretical Dynamics”. I published this article in “Theoretical Dynamics”, Issue 470, January 5, 1984. I deeply feel that Comrade Yaobang is still caring about us, and when he sees a suitable article, he still recommends it to us.
Comrade Yaobang’s secretary, Comrade Chen Weiren, who assisted Comrade Yaobang in founding “Theoretical Dynamics”, commented on “Theoretical Dynamics” as follows:
“In the five years that Comrade Yaobang led and cared for the work of the Central Party School, perhaps the most influential historical achievement was the establishment of the publication “Theoretical Dynamics”. It ignited the fire of ideological and theoretical order.”
“Theoretical Dynamics boldly expresses opinions on real-world political theoretical issues, which is a pioneering work in the history of the Party School. This publication has become a ‘forum’ that has a significant impact on the whole Party and society, taking the lead in breaking through the ideological shackles of ‘two whatevers’ , in order to call for the arrival of a new era of reform and opening up, and to promote the emancipation of the mind as a ‘vanguard'”. (“Hu Yaobang in the Central Party School”, published by the Central Party School Press, pp. 140, 141)
Comrade Chen Weiren’s evaluation of “Theoretical Dynamics” is in line with reality.
July 15, 2022
Attachment: Teacher Shen Baoxiang and his 90th look back
Looking back at ninety
Shen Baoxiang
Having lived through the ninety-nine years of the fourth generation,
Cloudy and rainy all the way;
Contemplating all things for self-satisfaction,
Take it easy as God.
July 8, 2022
Note 1: I was born in 1932, when the Republic of China was in the Republic of China. After eight years of Japanese occupation, it became the Republic of China after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. In October 1949, I entered the period of the People’s Republic of China. This is the fourth generation that I have experienced.
Note 2: People yearn for immortals and interpret immortals. Ouyang Xiu praised the West Lake poem: “A man in a boat is a fairy”. There is a couplet in Penglai, Shandong: “The mirages are all illusory, and loyal ministers and filial sons are gods.” The so-called immortal is a feeling, a realm. I feel that being healthy, calm, and free to live is really like a god (“as good as a god”).
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