Lin Zixuan's attitude towards the burning of the "Morning Post" newspaper building is very clear, this is a violent incident.

He himself is in the publishing industry, and if he still approves of such violence, his bookstore could one day be burned down.

This kind of direct criminalization and violent crime because of different views is extremely dangerous.

This is an attempt to control public opinion by violent means, and it is no different from the killing of journalists by authoritarian dictators.

Once a social climate is formed, the consequences are unimaginable.

Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi have completely different views on this matter, and when the two talked about this issue, Chen Duxiu disagreed.

He even asked Hu Shi rhetorically: "Do you think the "Morning Post" should not be burned? ”

This led Hu Shi to write a long letter to Chen Duxiu to express his understanding of "freedom".

On August 1, 1920, Hu Shi, Chen Duxiu and others jointly launched the "Declaration for Freedom".

He demanded that the Beiyang government repeal the authoritarian decree and protect the people's freedom of speech, assembly, and association.

Five years later, chanting the slogan "The people have freedom of assembly, association, speech and the press," the masses rushed to Xuanwumen Street to burn down the Morning Post newspaper, which Chen Duxiu even took for granted.

In the letter, Hu Shi talked about his attitude: "The only reason to fight for freedom is to hope that everyone can tolerate the opinions and beliefs of those who disagree. Whoever does not recognize the freedom of those who disagree with him is not worthy to fight for freedom, and he is not worthy to speak of freedom. ”

"If even the slightest similarity is swept away, not only can we not be friends, we will simply become enemies."

It can be seen from this letter. The two early leaders of the New Cultural Enlightenment broke with each other in terms of ideology.

Through this incident, Lin Zixuan realized that the atmosphere in the Chinese cultural world is becoming more and more radical. I can't tolerate the views of others, once they are different from theirs. will be criticized.

Not to mention a hundred schools of thought, there are multiple thoughts, and it is good to be able to make a voice, and many people are silent.

He has always advocated that the new culture should be inclusive and insist on freedom of thought.

Two days later, Lin Zixuan was interviewed by two newspapers, the News and the Declaration, with which he has maintained a good relationship.

He talked in detail about his trip to Europe and the United States, and his perception of Western society.

In particular, he mentioned the interest of the Western cultural community in Chinese culture, which paved the way for the subsequent translation of traditional Chinese culture, and also wanted to tell people in China. Traditional Chinese culture is not dross.

He hoped that more people would join in the cause of spreading Eastern culture to the West.

As for the burning of the Morning Post newspaper building, he sharply condemned that the newspaper has the right to freedom of speech.

"Then what do you think of the discussion of Soviet Russia in the intellectual circles of Peking some time ago?" The reporter then asked.

"I haven't been to the USSR, I don't know about the situation, I don't have a say without an investigation." Lin Zixuan thought about it and said.

This is a conservative answer, and it is also true.

As a public figure, I have never been to the USSR at all, and I just talk about it by hearsay. Doesn't seem professional enough.

Moreover, Lin Zixuan did not want to express his opinion on the USSR for the time being, and in this environment, this topic is too controversial.

However. Don’t wait for prosperity to care for the things important to you.

He underestimated his status in the Chinese cultural circles, especially when he returned from Europe and the United States this time, and all kinds of glory were added. He has become a top figure in the Chinese cultural scene.

His interview attracted the attention of all parties, and the phrase "no investigation, no voice" became famous.

Many scholars believe that this is the attitude of rigorous scholarship. Not frivolous, not arrogant. Be serious and seek truth from facts.

Perhaps this is the reason why Lin Zixuan achieved such an achievement at such a young age.

This interview also attracted the attention of the Nationalist Government in Guangzhou and the Soviets, who were in the honeymoon period of cooperation, and the Soviet Union actively helped the Nationalist Government in Guangzhou in its Northern Expedition in an effort to unify China.

The controversy in the "Morning Post" in Peiping about "uniting Russia and hating Russia" had an extremely bad impact on them.

Once Russophobia rises in China, it will be extremely detrimental to the Soviet Union, and looking at the resistance of Britain and Japan in China, the Soviet Union did not want to be hated by the Chinese.

They were anxious to reverse their image in China, and they happened to see an interview with Lin Zixuan.

Well, didn't you say that without an investigation there is no voice?

We invite the Chinese intellectual elite to visit the Soviet Union, conduct field investigations, and experience first-hand the superiority of socialist countries, so as to counteract the worries of the Chinese intelligentsia.

Lin Zixuan, one of the leading figures in China's cultural circles, was the first to be invited.

Hu Shi and Lu Xun were also invited, as well as many celebrities in China's cultural and ideological circles.

In the interest of fairness, the list of invitees included both Soviet-leaning scholars and Soviet-hating celebrities.

The Soviet representative in China sent invitations to give a lecture at Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow.

Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow is a Chinese university funded by the Soviet Union in honor of Sun Zhongshan.

In October 1925, Borodin, the Soviet Union's plenipotentiary in China, announced the establishment of Sun Zhongshan Labor University in Moscow, and suggested that the Guangzhou Nationalist Government send students to study at Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow.

In mid-November, Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow held a grand opening ceremony, and the first batch of 310 Chinese students entered the university.

Stalin was the initiator of the founding of Sun Yat-sen University.

According to Soviet archives, Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow had a budget of more than 10 million rubles, and also used foreign exchange, which was very scarce at that time, for students to return to China to visit relatives, and the Soviet government made every effort to ensure the teaching needs of the university and the life of students.

It can be seen that the Soviet Union attached great importance to this university.

This is actually the same as the U.S. government's willingness to sponsor Chinese students to study in the United States.

Most of the students who returned from studying in Europe and the United States admired the democratic system of the West, and the students who returned from studying in the Soviet Union were naturally enthusiastic about socialism.

This is the influence of educational background on an individual's outlook on life.

Lin Zixuan was quite depressed when he received the invitation, he had just returned to China and did not want to go to the Soviet Union at all.

I knew that I wouldn't say anything about "no investigation, no right to speak", he just said it so casually at the time, but he didn't expect to cause trouble.

At this time, he received a letter from Song Ziwen, explaining the reason for this invitation.

Song Ziwen is now the Minister of Finance of the Nationalist Government in Guangzhou, the Minister of Finance of Guangdong Province and the Governor of the Central Bank.

He knew that Lin Zixuan was not interested in politics, but this time it involved cooperation with the Soviet Union, and he hoped that Lin Zixuan would agree.

Anyway, there was no specific date written on the invitation letter, and it would not be too late for Lin Zixuan to return to the Soviet Union when he had time.

The point of the invitation letter issued by the Soviet Union is to show an attitude that we are above board and are not afraid of your investigation.

Moreover, it was impossible for so many elites of Chinese intellectuals to go to the USSR together, and whoever had time could go first, and Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow welcomed the arrival of Chinese scholars at any time.

In this way, Lin Zixuan was relieved, and he responded in the newspaper that he would definitely visit the Soviet Union when he had time. (To be continued.) )