This article is the second part of a manuscript left by my grandfather Xiangrong Cai on August 9, 1984. Some parts of the text could not be recognized and had to be omitted or guessed at, and these are not specified individually. For ease of reading, some punctuation has been modified and some subheadings have been added. During the “Cultural Revolution” when my history was being scrutinized, the young “rebels” interrogated me: “With your background and only sixteen years old, how could you join the party?” All I could say at the time was: “That’s just how it was!” Upon their repeated investigations, confirming that I indeed joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1938, they were very surprised, “That’s not easy!” But they still couldn’t fully understand. They can’t be blamed for this, because when I joined the party, most of them had not yet come into this world. ...
This article is the third part of a manuscript left by my grandfather Xiangrong Cai on August 9, 1984. Some parts of the text could not be recognized and had to be omitted or guessed at, and these are not specified individually. For ease of reading, some punctuation has been modified and some subheadings have been added. I. From Langzhong to Nanchong I traveled from Langzhong to Nanchong on August 26, 1938. Before departure, Comrade Maoji Tang told me that I should not carry my organizational relations with me, for fear of problems. I was instructed to go to Nanchong and then to the Minzhong Education Hall1 at Jingjiang Building to find a comrade named Jingbo Chen (also known as Chen Wen)2 for contact. At the same time, Zuo Lisheng also came to Nanchong Normal School to study, and his relations were transferred separately. Jianyi Cao and Ruichen Qiu3, who lived with me at Sichuan Provincial Nanchong Middle School, also transferred their relations to Jingbo Chen with me. ...
This article is the first part of a manuscript left by my grandfather Xiangrong Cai on August 9, 1984. Some parts of the text could not be recognized and had to be omitted or guessed at, and these are not specified individually. For ease of reading, some punctuation has been modified and some subheadings have been added. I still have two diaries named “Life Book” I and II. (Hereinafter referred to as the “Diary”). These were kept underground by my father and brothers during the White Terror period and only given to me after liberation. They record my participation in the underground Communist Party and student movements from August 17, 1938, to May 8, 1939. Of course, most of the content is my thought processes, learning situations, and daily trivialities at the time; Party activities are mentioned in relatively abstract ways. Although there are a few brushstrokes here and there that reveal quite a bit, such disclosure was not permitted by the party’s secret discipline at the time. Unexpectedly, forty-five years later, when I provided material to the party history studies, it became a reliable basis. Now, using the “Diary” as a clue, combined with my personal memories, I have compiled the following: ...
In a couple of days, it will mark the third month since the passing of my husband Mike. A few days ago, we were informed by the cemetery that his tombstone had been prepared. Here, a tombstone is essentially a bronze plaque. On October 24th, my daughter and I went to the cemetery. We were accompanied by a couple who were old acquaintances and wished to pay him a visit. So taken were they by the environment, they ended up purchasing a plot there too, saying they could be neighbors with him in the afterlife. ...
A Night of Stories My grandma, Xin Zhao (赵欣), passed away on March 8, 2022, at the age of 93. To be honest, despite her constant kindness towards me, I knew very little about her life as I was growing up. When I was in college, my grandpa passed away, and my grandma moved to the US. From that point on, our chances to meet became scarce. However, one night, shortly after my grandpa’s funeral and before she moved abroad, I sat with my grandma for a vigil. As we awaited my grandpa’s spirit to return home, she began to share stories about her life. The tales that follow are what I heard that night. ...