Xie Bingying: "New Mulan" who joined the army twice and then wrote

  ◎Shaw Yi Fei

  In the history of modern Chinese literature, there are two female writers with similar names and similar ages, one is Xie Bingxin and the other is Xie Bingying.

  Xie Bingxin is a famous modern poet, writer, translator, and children’s writer Bing Xin. She is from Fuzhou, Fujian. She was originally named Xie Wanying and pen name Bing Xin.

On the other hand, Xie Bingying, whether it is the name of "Xie Bingxin" or "Xie Wanying", is only one word difference, and people who are not very familiar with her person and deeds are easily confused.

  Xie Bingying (1906-2000), formerly known as Xie Minggang, with the word Fengbao, was born in Xinhua County, Hunan Province. She began publishing literary works in 1921, and joined Xie Wanying (Bing Xin), Su Xuelin, Feng Yuanjun and other female writers who emerged during the May Fourth Movement in China. The ranks of modern female writers.

  Compared with other female writers, her life course is particularly special. She has the closest connection with modern Chinese military. She is the first female soldier in the sense of modern Chinese military and the first female soldier in Chinese history. It can be called the "New Mulan" of Neng Wen Neng Wu.

  Completed the writing of "The Autobiography of a Female Soldier" while sick

  Xie Bingying entered the army for the first time, beginning in the winter of 1926 and was admitted to the Wuhan Central Military and Political School (Whampoa Military Academy Wuhan Branch).

After short training, he drove to the front line of the Northern Expedition to join the war.

His "Diary of Congjun" was written in the battlefield and published in the supplement of "Central Daily News".

  In 1927, the girls team of the Military and Political School was disbanded and went to Shanghai University of Arts and Peking Women's Normal University to study.

After graduating from Peking Women's Normal University, Xie Bingying used the remuneration of several books as academic funds, and went to Japan to study in 1931.

However, after many setbacks, he was arrested and imprisoned in Japan. Not only did he fail to study, but he was also tortured. After being rescued by Liu Yazi and other friends, he escaped back to China.

After the outbreak of the July 7th Incident, she resolutely joined the torrent of the War of Resistance against Japan. She organized the women's service group in the field on her own, and headed to the front as her head.

At this moment, she joined the army again, for the war of resistance.

  Moved by "Xinhua Mulan"'s military action before the Northern Expedition and the War of Resistance, Shanghai "Li Bao" and Peking "World Daily" had an exclusive interview with him.

The first time was in October 1937, shortly after the July 7th Incident, and the second time was in August 1946, shortly after the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan. Of course, the topic cannot be separated from the life of the "New Mulan".

  Among them, an exclusive interview with Shanghai Li Bao, about 1,500 words, distributed a photo of Xie Bingying wearing a military uniform and carrying a banner, and a character portrait of "New Mulan" was drawn for readers with both pictures and text.

The report mentioned that although she escaped from Japan by chance and saved her life, she suffered too much torture in prison, physically and mentally, and had brain diseases, and her health was not optimistic.

After returning to China, Xie Bingying insisted on teaching at Nanning Middle School in Guangxi, and also edited the "Nanning Women's Weekly". However, due to illness, she had to return to Hunan to recuperate.

In 1936, during her recuperation in Hunan, she still managed to complete the writing of two manuscripts, "Hunan's Terroir" and "Autobiography of a Female Soldier".

Because of the hard work of writing and the stimulus of losing her mother in April, her nerves became weaker, and she also suffered from stomach problems, rhinitis, and heart disease. This made her have to go to the Nanyue Tuberculosis Sanatorium for treatment during the summer vacation. month.

  Until the treatment was over and she returned to Changsha, Xie Bingying heard the news of the Lugouqiao Incident. After thinking about it, she realized that her illness was entirely given by the Japanese, and she made the determination to sacrifice everything to fight the enemy.

In this way, a female soldier of the Northern Expedition who once served in the army to beat the warlords and prayed for national reunification, followed the pace of the times and turned into a female soldier who rose to fight back against aggression and safeguard national sovereignty.

  For the female readers of the year, Xie Bingying's subsequent remarks may even touch their hearts.

Xie Bingying said that the establishment of the Hunan Women’s Battlefield Service Corps was based on her belief that only the War of Resistance is the only way out for the liberation of the Chinese nation, and that only by participating in this war can Chinese women be liberated.

She said: "After the Northern Expedition, women's activities were blocked by the slogan of going to the kitchen, so that the Women's Games were once depressed, but in the future, women will have a bloody way from the family. It depends on whether women can get to the front. Go and fight the enemy together with armed comrades."

  Xie Bingying also confessed very clearly what the purpose and mission of this trip to Shanghai is when the frontline war is so tense.

She said that this time she came to Shanghai, "It was the military ministry who sent her to contact various rescue groups for the books, supplies, and medicine needed by the frontline, and to make cotton coats and change clothes for the members of the group."

  According to the reporter's understanding, on the first day in Shanghai, Xie Bingying had already seen He Xiangning, Guo Moruo, Liu Yazi, Shen Junru, Shen Zijiu, etc., and also visited the No. 1 refugee shelter in the world, and publicly reported the hard life on the front lines of the battlefield.

From her report, everyone knows that the problem of traitors and ambulance on the frontline is still very serious.

She hopes that the rear can continuously organize and train gay men and women with stretcher, detective, and propaganda skills to go to the front.

  The end of the report is this:

  When it comes to her personal battlefield life, she always calls herself a veteran.

With regard to catching traitors, interrogating prisoners, trekking in the quagmire, avoiding enemy planes in the grass, and writing the "Diary of the Army" in the cannon fodder, all felt relish and enthusiasm.

  Yesterday at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, she returned to the front line. When she shook hands with the reporter, she simply said a few excitedly, "See you on the battlefield!"

  The next day, the Shanghai "Li Bao" on October 4, 1937, displayed the life of a female soldier in the War of Resistance through an exclusive interview with reporters.

Between the lines of this old newspaper 80 years ago, there are all expressions of the optimism and confidence of a female soldier in the War of Resistance. This alone is probably enough to make those who listen to the record player and wear high heels at that time are still making a living and socializing. The Shanghai ladies who racked their brains were shocked.

  Feeling that life is difficult after the war

  After eight years of arduous national united resistance, China finally defeated the invaders thoroughly and won the bloody battle.

Nine years after the Shanghai interview, when "Xinhua Mulan" triumphed with the army, reporters from the "World Daily" in Peking once again picked up a small book and followed, still asking her to recall the life of a female soldier in the War of Resistance.

  On August 11 and 12, 1946, Peiping's "World Daily" was in a prominent position on the front page, with a series of interview reports entitled "Xie Bingying on Life in the War of Resistance".

The report first mentioned the thrilling journey of Xie Bingying's two "dangerous illnesses" during the Taierzhuang campaign and finally escaped.

  It turned out that Li Zongren asked Xie Bingying to temporarily serve as an army reporter during the Taierzhuang battle because of his outstanding writing and good communication skills.

But at this moment, because of appendicitis, I had to lie in bed.

At that time, there was no surgical equipment in the battlefield and no medical treatment was possible.

Even the doctor in the field just said: "I can only watch you die." Xie Bingying recalled that at that time, "she was lying on the bed upright, not daring to move. She even drank milk with a tube to her mouth. Back then. She was very sad. After raising her for a month, she was all well.

  With luck, Xie Bingying "healed" the appendicitis on the Taierzhuang battlefield.

But later, when I returned to Chongqing for treatment, I discovered the danger of intestinal obstruction.

I still "healed" by luck.

After experiencing two miraculous "self-healing" of appendicitis and intestinal obstruction, Xie Bingying walked arduously all the way and finally ushered in the victory of the War of Resistance.

But new problems also followed, how to re-plan the life of demobilization and family livelihood after the war, how to plan one's own writing career, etc., a series of short-term and long-term personal problems followed one after another, no more than one. The battlefield life of the women soldiers of the Anti-Japanese War was much easier, and even more complicated and difficult.

  If we say that the life of the War of Resistance on the front line, the main content is the desperate contest with the enemy and the disease, and the main content of the family life after the victory of the War of Resistance is to go all out for the livelihood of the family.

Of course, Xie Bingying continued to face the change from the role of a female fighter, a woman writer to a housewife with a consistent optimistic and confident attitude towards life, and did her best.

  At that time, Xie Bingying had three children, and the burden of the family's life can be imagined.

There is a very vivid description in the report. With just a few words, the pressure of "New Mulan" at the moment of life is vividly on the paper:

  "She came from Hankou this time and boarded the plane at half past six in the morning. Of her three children, two were still asleep and one was sitting on the bed. The children didn't know she was going to leave for a few days. She said: What if I know, how troublesome it will be to stop her from coming."

  As for the writing career that Xie Bingying has always been good at and accomplished, she sighed and said: "I have time to compile manuscripts, write things, wash clothes, cook, and sew up children at home. No. Write things, you can't live..." When the reporter heard such words, he didn't believe it at first.

Later, I heard Xie Bingying explain for it: “Now I write a manuscript in Hankou, and every thousand words, more than four thousand yuan. This little money, how to write to live?” The reporter made it clear in the report, "After hearing it, I felt bitter, I don't know what I want to say to her."

  At first hearing, Xie Bingying revealed to reporters the draft fee standard at the time-up to 4,000 yuan per thousand characters, which is not too low. It should be noted that the settlement currency unit of this draft fee standard is the fiat currency that has been greatly depreciated after the Anti-Japanese War. Is quite low.

As for how low it is, you might as well just flip through the "World Journal" that published this interview. The newspaper had an "Economic World" column every day to report on daily market price changes.

  According to reports, on August 11, 1945, a silver dollar can be exchanged for 1,100 yuan in fiat currency, and a dollar bill can be exchanged for 2,490 yuan in fiat currency; white flour is 420 yuan per catty, and rice is 740 yuan per catty.

It can be seen that at that time, 4,000 yuan of legal currency can only be exchanged for 3 silver dollars, and you can buy about 10 jin of white flour, and only about 5 jin of rice.

With such a low standard of manuscript fees, it is quite difficult to raise three children; no wonder Xie Bingying hurried around, flew from Wuhan to Beiping, and then to the northeast, to collect new literature in the occupied areas to make a living for writing articles.

  "New Mulan" works frequently throughout his life

  After 1949, Xie Bingying taught in Taiwan and then moved to San Francisco, USA to spend her old age.

On January 5, 2000, Xie Bingying died in a foreign country at the age of 93.

A "New Mulan" legend has quietly ended; but the story about her military service and her life in the War of Resistance against Japan will be passed down for a long time and will be talked about by people.

  According to incomplete statistics, Xie Bingying has published more than 80 novels, essays, travel notes, letters and other works in her lifetime, with nearly 400 books and more than 20 million words.

The works completed during the War of Resistance against Japan alone include “Diary of the Army”, “On the Line of Fire”, “Essays in the Army”, “A Tour of the Fifth Theater”, “Girl Plum”, “Selected Works of Bingying Anti-Japanese War”, “Sisters” (Collection of Short Stories), Letter to Young Writers" (writing guidance), "In Japanese Prison", etc.

  As a pioneer of modern reportage in my country, Xie Bingying wrote the middle volume of "Autobiography of a Female Soldier" after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945 after the publication of "The Autobiography of a Female Soldier" in 1936, with the title of "Decade of Female Soldiers" Published; Lin Yutang’s two daughters also translated it into English, which was corrected and prefaced by Lin Yutang himself. It was published by John Day in the United States and translated as "Girl Rebel".

Some of the other works have been translated into more than ten languages ​​including English, Japanese, French, and German, and published in various countries around the world.

  Only from the above works, most of its content comes from Xie Bingying’s battlefield life, which belongs to the category of reportage and non-fiction literature.

From the Northern Expedition to the Anti-Japanese War, as a female soldier who has experienced nearly two decades of military career, Xie Bingying's autobiographical, true and true life in the field and the style of the times have attracted the attention of contemporary readers and people from all walks of life.

  Regarding writing and literature, Xie Bingying once said: "In every era, there are works of every era, and the materials and ideas of the works of each era must be different from those of other eras. Although writing depends on talent, so is the hard work of the day after tomorrow. Indispensable. I think young writers should read more books. Of course, no matter which writer they should read more books. I hope that young people will not blindly resist tradition. There is no difference between old and new art, only good or bad. It is not like science, which is changing with each passing day. There are many ways to literature, and it is better not to be divided into old writers and new writers."

  The work "Autobiography of a Female Soldier" is derived from Xie Bingying's real life. The author brilliantly uses detailed description and psychological portrayal techniques to bring a woman who pursues "mind liberation" and "independence of life" to the readers. before.

Therefore, once it came out, it became all the rage, attracting many young readers of the same time, and the response was very enthusiastic.

  As early as 1931, Liu Yazi, the veteran of the Southern Society, wrote a poem specifically for Xie Bingying in the "Miscellaneous Poems of the New Literary Circles". When the chess game is changed, Yu Xin is full of Jiangnan." In 1933, he also wrote an inscription "Lang Tao Sha", which said: "Special skills are good at red makeup, short pen and long spear, literary and Confucian martial arts. The talents in history are busy, but Cai Qinliang. The old dream broke off Lake and Hunan, and it’s hard to fold its wings. The Central Plains is still a battlefield! The male and female will fly in due days, and Mo Wen will be sad.” After the July 7th Incident in 1937, Xie Bingying received many writers and scholars who visited the front lines of the War of Resistance, Huang Yanpei Both Tian Han and Tian Han gave poems as gifts, expressing their sincere admiration and respect for this "new Mulan".

  On January 5, 2000, the bell of the new century had just struck. Following the deaths of famous literary figures such as Xie Bingxin, Xiao Qian, and Su Xuelin, the well-known "New Mulan" Ms. Xie Bingying died in San Francisco, USA, at the age of 93. year old.

According to her will, "If I die in the United States unfortunately, I must be cremated, and then scatter the ashes under the Golden Gate Bridge, and let the Pacific Ocean float me back." The "female soldier" dream of returning home.