Ｉｎ Ｍｅｍｏｒｉａｍ： Ｒｅｗｉ Ａｌｌｅｙ Ｇｒｅａｔ Ｎｅｗ Ｚｅａｌａｎｄｅｒ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ

Among thousands upon thousands of international friends who have exerted their efforts for the Chinese revolution and reconstruction， Rewi Alley of New Zealand was outstanding. After his arrival in Shanghai in 1927， he entered an indissoluble bond with the labouring masses. During sixty years of vicissitudes， he stood together with the Chinese people through adversity and shared their weal and woe. In order to organize industrial cooperatives in the unoccupied areas and establish technical schools in the wilderness， he dedicated all his verve and energy， regardless of hardships or losses. After he settled down in Beijing， he worked indefatigably for world peace and friendship among the peoples. While celebrating his 80th birthday， Deng Xiaoping addressed him as “our veteran fighter， old friend and old comrade.” On this occasion marking Rewi Alley’s 110th birthday and the 20th anniversary of his death， as a staff member of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC)， who assisted him in his work， I cherish memories of this great New Zealander in China.

Rewi Alley’s family education and early years had an important bearing on his almost legendary career in China. His parents were teachers， and all his brothers and sisters， when grown up， engaged in educational affairs. His mother took an active part in the campaign for women’s suffrage in New Zealand. His father was a school master and spent the last twenty years of his life working for rural cooperatives and the factory farm in agriculture. He preached a future society that would combine agriculture and industry and ultimately restore a balance between the city and the farm. Rewi Alley was brought up in a strict family and in a rural setting. However， many years later， for the same business of managing cooperatives， he found himself in a grotesque and gaudy country， ravaged by the flames of war， where the people could hardly survive. For the same work of running a school， he had in front of him a truly “poor and blank” wasteland. It was not by chance that he was able to open up a new field and perform great deeds. During the First World War， he was a decorated soldier who met a life-and-death test in the European theatre. Back in New Zealand after the war， he farmed in a pioneer way ranching sheep， and spent six years of loneliness and struggle. The tough labour built up his strong physique and iron will. He learnt anew the value of hard work and frugality， which benefited him throughout his life.

After his arrival in Shanghai， known as the Paradise for Adventurers at the time， he served in the Fire Department of the Municipal Council of the International Settlement， meanwhile starting his investigations about the society. When famine struck Suiyuan (now part of Inner Mongolia)， Rewi Alley went to help the China International Famine Relief Commission as a charity worker in his holidays， and on the platform of Salaqi railway station he met by chance the American journalist Edgar Snow. They became lifelong friends. Snow was renowned for his unique contributions in communicating to the world about the Chinese revolution and in promoting Sino-US understanding and better ties. The fact was， China and the United States severed all contacts for many years. When Snow came in 1960 as Rewi’s personal guest， he resumed his relations with liberated China， which led to the normalization of relations between the two countries.

In 1929， under the influence of Henry Baring， Rewi Alley began unconsciously to help the work of the underground Chinese Communist Party. Towards the end of 1932， he made acquaintance of Agnes Smedley， “a born agitator”， and through her established contacts with other progressives. He told her about the misery of labourers at the bottom of society and their inhuman living conditions， and condemned the reactionary government for cruel execution of innocent workers. Both were determined to devote themselves to basic social change and overthrow the old system. Rewi Alley guided young Dr. George Hatem (Ma Haide) in the same light and helped him to recognize truth. Ma always regarded Rewi as his guide to the Chinese revolution and became his closest friend. Rewi received personal medical attention from Ma till he breathed his last.

In 1933， introduced by Smedley， Rewi Alley made the acquaintance of Soong Ching Ling (widow of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and later honorary president of the People’s Republic)， for whom he had the greatest respect all his life. With her encouragement and support， Rewi Alley and associates established links with the underground organization of the Chinese Communist Party. He joined an international Marxist-Leninist study group in Shanghai. Under the White Terror of bloody suppression of Communists， it could maintain only a loose liaison， without any pattern of a secret organization， for people to get together to study revolutionary theory and discuss political issues. Rewi Alley affirmed that Hans Shippe was the political instructor， while Dr. Ma Haide held that Rewi Alley was the leader. A complete name list of more than ten persons included Cao Liang， the only Chinese member who joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1934. The group was relatively active in 1934 and 1935， and after the spring of 1936， when Smedley and Snow left Shanghai successively， it ceased to exist. Meetings were held irregularly and at changing venues， but never in Rewi Alley’s home， which was a liaison centre and shelter of underground Chinese Communists. When General Zhou Jianping of the Red Army went to Shanghai for treatment of his wound， he stayed there. A secret radio station of the China Section of the Communist International was once installed in the penthouse on the roof. In this period， Rewi Alley went through brave and resourceful adventures time and again to help the clandestine struggle at the risk of his life.

Soong’s American friends Max and Grace Granich came to Shanghai to edit the Voice of China， the first English publication in China， supporting the voice of the students and the national liberation movement (later， a Chinese section was added). Rewi Alley regularly wrote articles for the magazine till it was banned. The last issue to appear (November 15， 1939) carried his article， using the pen name Chiao Ta-chi and entitled “We， Lovers of Peace， Must Fight”. With fiery patriotism， he pointed out: Unless Japanese imperialism is destroyed， we cannot begin to live in peace.

After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese hostilities in Shanghai 1937， Soong Ching Ling was the first to hear from Rewi Alley his plan for the establishment of self-governing industrial cooperatives. She appreciated it as the embodiment of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s theory of People’s Wellbeing. The idea for the emergence of such a movement was put forward by Nym Wales (or Helen Foster Snow， the first wife of Edgar Snow) while discussing with Edgar and Rewi the situation of resistance against Japan. Thus， she won the reputation of Mother of Gung Ho. Rewi Alley had long thought of the development of industry in the interior. After the decision was taken by the trinity， he hurriedly drafted the original plan for the establishment of industrial cooperatives and had it printed into his so-called non-existent “yellow pamphlet”. In November， at the Monday Dinner Meeting of patriots from all walks of life in Shanghai， attended by the trinity， the Planning Committee of Chinese Industrial Cooperative Movement was formed with Rewi Alley as the convener. So Rewi Alley was the initiator worthy of the name， while Snow was the unknown organizer， whose contribution must not be neglected. Taking advantage of the world-shaking impact of his new book Red Star Over China， Snow persuaded British Ambassador Sir Archibald Clark-Kerr to accept the Gung Ho plan， who in turn， relying on his prestige， successfully sold the idea to the Generalissimo’s wife Soong Meiling. Rewi Alley was chosen to be the man in charge of the undertaking. In August 1938， the Association of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (i.e.， Gung Ho) was officially established in Wuhan. Dr. H. H. Kung was made chairman of the board of directors， and Rewi Alley became technical advisor to the Executive Yuan. In June 1939， to win support from abroad， collect funds for development and ensure the proper use of foreign aid， Snow was summoned by Rewi Alley to form in Hong Kong the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives headed by Soong Ching Ling. Rewi Alley was a member of the committee and its field secretary. In this capacity， he became the only one who could permanently take part in conducting Gung Ho work. Snow’s article “China’s Blitzbuilder， Rewi Alley” appeared on The Saturday Evening Post (February 8， 1941)， introducing for the first time Rewi Alley and Gung Ho to readers outside China. It had widespread international repercussions. Gung Ho enjoyed unswerving and most valuable support from Soong Ching Ling.

Gung Ho was a unique economic force that emerged by organizing the unemployed workers and refugees into production for survival and in support of the resistance war efforts. The planning group led by Rewi Alley set the target of developing 30，000 industrial cooperatives. To set up these cooperatives and hold them together， and later to inspect numerous cooperatives and attend interminable meetings， Rewi Alley used whatever means of transportation that was available， but often he had to ride a bicycle or strode with his stout legs. He covered a distance of more than 30，000 kilometres， across 16 provinces， into the hinterland to spread knowledge about Gung Ho and learn local conditions and customs， thus forging a profound friendship with the ordinary people. At Songpan in the Tibetan Aba region， he was accorded such hospitality that for a time it seemed that they would not let him go. However， he eventually accomplished his mission to buy wool for making army blankets. On perilous and hazardous journeys， he would suffer unbearable heat or bitter cold and hunger， caught malaria and typhoid fever， and had at least nine truck accidents. He was arrested three times， beaten twice， and repeatedly attacked by enemy planes.

In 1939， Rewi Alley paid two visits to Yan’an and met Chairman Mao Zedong four times. In his old age， he still remembered well that he was asked in particular to find ways and means for producing grenades to support General He Long’s troops fighting in the northwest. Earlier in Wuhan， Rewi Alley met with Communist leaders Zhou Enlai and Bo Gu， who made suggestions and expressed hopes for the development of Gung Ho. Wang Bingnan was sent to take part in several meetings held by Gung Ho in its initial period.

Rewi Alley’s mind was very much on the southeast area where the New Fourth Army was waging fierce battles with the Kuomintang armies. In early 1939， he took charge of the Gung Ho Southeast Headquarters personally， and in 1940 he was invited by the Snows to the Philippines to raise fund for the work of Gung Ho in the New Fourth Army area in particular. Later， together with Evans Carlson， a former US marine officer and now representative of the US Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives， visited and revisited the New Fourth Army area， where they met Communist leader Liu Shaoqi near the army headquarters. After the outbreak of the Pacific War， Carlson wrote to President Roosevelt and won his approval for organizing the Raider Battalion known as Carlson’s Raiders of the US Marine Corps. Using Gung Ho as its battle cry， this special fighting force， with Roosevelt’s son and his own son in it， adopted the surprise-attack tactics of the Eighth Route Army and won splendid victories over the Japanese army on Makin Island and on Guadalcanal， making its name known throughout the United States.

In the Communist-led liberated areas， Gung Ho was the only possible way to achieve production. In 1946， under the direction of Xue Muqiao， different types of cooperatives totaled more than 8，000 in the Shandong liberated areas. Gung Ho was never allowed to fulfill its potential. The year 1941 marked a turning point. Under continuing official disapproval， the movement shrank and dwindled towards the end of the war in 1945. Rewi Alley wrote: “Actually the work of Gung Ho was done in the 1938-1942 period. The contribution towards keeping Chiang Kai-shek in the war was then the main raison d’etre.” This was precisely the political guideline the Communist Party helped Gung Ho to formulate.

According to incomplete statistics， in the whole resistance war， the scope of Gung Ho activities extended to 17 provinces. Organized industrial cooperatives， reaching a maximum of over 1，700 and comprising some 25，000 members， rendered assistance to more than 200，000 refugees and the unemployed. About120，000 textile， oil-extracting and printing machines plus farm implements were manufactured by those cooperatives. Canvas， cloth for military use and various kinds of cloth for civilian use totaling 820 million square yards were produced. Two and a half million army blankets were made in four batches. Over 11 million army uniforms and shoes as well as clothing for daily use were made， besides huge quantities of various articles for everyday use including leatherware， candles， soap， paper， foodstuff， printed matter and wooden goods.

Like the Red Cross， Gung Ho afforded a channel for wartime China to receive international aid， especially a channel leading to the Communist-controlled areas. Very soon， its work won enthusiastic support from patriotic overseas Chinese and justice-upholding personages in other countries. Chen Hansheng， secretary of Gung Ho International Committee， made this assessment: Particularly from 1939 to 1942， it did its utmost to become the converging point and bridge between the Gung Ho promotion committees abroad and the cooperatives at home. Till 1946， donated materials and financial support from the United States， England， the Philippines， Canada， Australia， New Zealand， Singapore， Hong Kong and Macao were estimated at about five million US dollars. Many foreign technicians came to China to work for Gung Ho in a totally voluntary capacity.

Inspired by the purpose of Gung Ho， a number of underground Communists and patriotic intellectuals played the key roles. Hu Yuzhi， a noted journalist and cultural figure， led the first Promotion Committee (formerly the Planning Committee of Chinese Industrial Cooperative Movement). At important Gung Ho posts in different places were future leading economists， distinguished social activists， famous experts， scholars and scientists. Rewi Alley， with remarkable sentiments of affinity， attracted a group of young technical and administrative personnel， and brought along the disadvantaged groups in society to achieve continuous and encouraging results in production and organization， but they suffered from the repression and sabotage of Kuomintang reactionaries. The Gung Ho cooperatives dealt blows to the economic blockade of the enemy， gave powerful impetus to the economic development in the anti-Japanese base areas， and made important contributions to providing materials for military and civilian use， particularly to supporting the people’s guerrilla warfare led by the Communist Party. Before long， Gung Ho grew into a mass organization with considerable international influence. Nevertheless， it did not reach its target in scope and economy. Rewi Alley and the Snows regarded Gung Ho as a socio-economic movement; at the revival of Gung Ho half a century later， Rewi Alley still thought that it was a continuation of the May 4th Movement. The term “Gung Ho” has entered the English dictionary.

The school at Shandan was part of the Gung Ho programme. In 1940， Rewi Alley established the first Gung Ho school in Gongxian County in Jiangxi， and another one in Shuangshipu in Shaanxi. The name Pei Li， in Chinese means “train for the dawn”， being euphonic with Bailie—Joseph Bailie， an American friend who was an advocate of this kind of training. For reasons of the war， by 1942， only the school at Shuangshipu was left under the guardianship of its headmaster George Hogg， formerly a British journalist， and Rewi Alley; both were repeatedly charged and kept under the watchful eye of the reactionaries. In the summer of 1943， Rewi Alley met in Shuangshipu Dr. Joseph Needham， then director of the Sino-British Cooperation Office， and took a trip on his truck to the western Gansu corridor， where he found an oasis town called Shandan. Though the poorest place Rewi Alley had ever seen in China， it was blessed with abundant resources for building a new school. Moreover， it was in a remote area under relatively weaker Kuomintang control， a requirement consistent with the belated message from Zhou Enlai. With George Hogg’s approval， Rewi Alley rented a disused and dilapidated temple and a few houses in Shandan. Accordingly， in December 1944， over 60 students and 20 refugees or workers embarked on a little Long March， carrying with them school equipment and other materials on horse-carts， and trekking on the icy frozen road sometimes at a temperature of 40 degrees below zero. After their arrival in batches， they started their lessons and school construction simultaneously. Teachers and students displayed an irresistible force in repairing and utilizing old or discarded things to put on a new look for the place. Kang Shien， former oil minister and the leader of a small detachment of People’s Liberation Army sent by Commander Peng Dehuai to protect Rewi Alley and the Shandan school， said that Rewi Alley had his school built under conditions even more difficult than those experienced by China’s oil prospecting teams in Daqing and Xinjiang. George Hogg died an untimely death in 1945. Rewi Alley succeeded him as the schoolmaster， and for eight consecutive years he led all the teachers and students in construction by braving the elements and relying on their own arduous efforts. Miraculous results were achieved to satisfy the basic needs for teaching and living in the school. According to information， at the time Rewi Alley was running the school， it had 18 acres of land， 180 acres of experimental farm (including 25 acres of apple and pear orchards)， 12 specialties， 14 laboratories， 58 teachers， 90 functionaries and over 2，000 youths of different cultural standards receiving education. Rewi Alley successively invited 27 teachers and functionaries from New Zealand， the United States， England， Canada， Ireland， Germany， Austria， Portugal and Japan to give assistance to the school. A small hospital was built to take care of the health of all those in the school and serve the labouring poor around.

Taking “create and analyze” as the school motto， Rewi Alley promoted half-work and half-study education， combining theory and practice to train hands and mind together， and emphasizing technical training as essential. Only through practice can one appreciate theory. The practical technicians of the future will come from practical men. The Shandan Bailie Technical School trained a group of hardworking able workers for the New China， most of them playing an active role in China’s oil industry. Rewi Alley himself taught classes， took charge of school affairs and arranged the lives of the students. What was more important， he had to deal with the molestations by Kuomintang troops and Ma Bufang bandits， and raise funds. As a result of changes in environment and the circumstances， the school had some 600 students and staff members. School funds and equipment came mainly from England and the United States through Gung Ho International Committee in the earlier period， and mainly from the New Zealand Council of Organizations for Relief Service Overseas after 1945. When conditions were most difficult， Rewi Alley’s mother， in her eighties， donated her old-age pension to the school. At the time of liberation， Rewi Alley organized all the teachers and students to protect the school， and the trucks sent from Shandan carrying PLA soldiers recorded the last brilliant page in the history of the school by giving strong support to the fight for the liberation of Yumen.

Rewi Alley began a new chapter in his life after he settled in Beijing in 1953 as a guest of the Chinese People’s Committee for World Peace. His later years were not as adventurous as his Shandan years but by no means less meritorious and fruitful. He took part in the Peace Conference of the Asian and Pacific Regions in 1952 and was elected New Zealand member of the Peace Liaison Committee of the Asian and Pacific Regions. In the next decade and more， he participated in a series of international nongovernmental conferences including the World Conferences Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs in Japan， conferences related to the World Council of Peace and the Afro-Asian Solidarity Committee， as well as international meetings held in Korea and Vietnam. He consistently stood against the policies of war and aggression， for winning national independence and safeguarding world peace. Meanwhile， he maintained ties with the New Zealand people and actively supported the work of the New Zealand-China Friendship Society.

International understanding and friendship form the basis of world peace. Only by exchange of ideas between different peoples can misunderstanding be removed and disagreements eliminated. Rewi Alley took it as his duty to tell the world about China’s past and present， and about the Chinese revolution and socialist construction. His residence had a special attraction for statesmen， social activists， writers， journalists， scientists and other personages who had come from afar. They were glad to call on this international friend who worked and lived the longest in China to learn more about this country， exchange views and discuss problems. Always unassuming and easily approachable， Rewi Alley spoke with fervour and assurance so that perplexities could be solved and lacunas filled. He had a sound knowledge of Chinese history， geography， society and culture， like a living dictionary of Chinese contemporary history. That was why his guests usually came in joy and left contented. Year in year out， hundreds of visitors came from a dozen countries.

It was rumoured that Rewi Alley came under political investigation during the so-called “cultural revolution”. In fact， it was caused by the irresponsible behavior of an odd-job man in his compound. Upon hearing this， Soong Ching Ling wrote a testimony mentioning Rewi Alley in the same breath with Dr. Norman Bethune of Canada who was known to almost everyone in China: “I think he is a true， loyal and staunch friend of the New China， and trust him utterly.” Rewi Alley was thus assured of his security. In those years， he maintained a quiet living and gradually deepened his understanding of the “cultural revolution.” He was the only foreigner that could， by special permission from the government， travel to different places， writing after each visit travel notes for publication in the Hong Kong magazine Eastern Horizon. Some of these papers were compiled separately and published， such as A Highland Province—Shanxi， a book on the theme “In Agriculture Learn from Dazhai”. Rewi Alley never complained about the fact that some of these reportages were unavoidably based on 1hood. In the early period of the “cultural revolution”， he was bewildered by being unable to continue with his translation of ancient poems. The late Premier Zhou Enlai advised him to take advantage of his personal experiences in China and go out to write about some of the good things. This he tried to do conscientiously.

In 1981， I was entrusted by the CPAFFC to assist Rewi Alley in his translation of Chinese poetry， and then joined in editing his autobiography. I was scheduled to meet him every week， and twice a day during the vacation spent at Beidaihe summer resort. When we met， we set to work immediately and never had time to chat. I did not know much about his learning the Chinese classics but felt that he had a deep foundation in the Chinese language， and his translation of traditional poetry was skillfully worded to click with ideas. He was quick in thought， dexterous in writing and well-informed about things so that consultation with him was very beneficial to me. His last anthology of translated Chinese poetry， Light and Shadow Along a Great Road， contains over 400 traditional and modern poems written after the May 4th Movement of 1919. Dozens of poems were selected from his first two anthologies， Peace Through the Ages and The People Speak Out， both published in 1954. Fu Jiaqin， an experienced editor and translator who joined in the revision of these anthologies， wrote: “Rewi Alley selected and translated some ten thousand poems eulogizing peace and opposing war by poets of different ages， and sent the translated texts of several hundred thousand words to Professor Chu Kwang-tsien for revision.” I did not recognize this very first editor of Rewi Alley’s， but Professor Chu was my teacher at National University of Peking (the present Peking University). When I presented to him the newly published Rewi Alley anthology of translated poems in September 1984， evidently he knew the translator well enough. A foreigner who， fascinated by Chinese poetry， translated unintermittedly for more than three decades such an enormous number of poems and ballads scored indeed a rare and praiseworthy achievement. Rewi Alley indicated that he began by learning Chinese classics and translating ancient poetry with the help of a Mandarin teacher. Later， he specially favoured poetry of the Tang Dynasty and published his translations of Du Fu Selected Poems， Li Bai 200 Selected Poems， Bai Juyi 200 Selected Poems and Selected Poems of the Tang and Song Dynasties. In the translation of Chinese poetry， Rewi Alley had a unique style of his own， trying to convey to readers the spirit of the original poem in the simple and lucid language of the poet， usually in blank verse. His old friend and China’s cultural giant Mao Dun had the impression that “Rewi Alley’s translations are better termed ‘re-creations’， for they succeed in retaining all the flavour of the original poems.” Another critic remarked that， except in the separation of lines， there was no clear distinction between Rewi Alley’s prose and verse writings; he wrote poems with greater fluency and ease. So far as I know， his last public address in reply to the host at his 85th birthday party was prepared by lengthening out the lines of one of his earlier poems. To my mind， Rewi Alley was a poet and a translator of Chinese poetry as much as a writer.

Rewi Alley was a prolific writer who published 69 books in China and abroad. In addition to 13 English anthologies of translated Chinese poetry， both ancient and modern， there are quite a number of reportages on his travels in different parts of China before and after liberation， such as A Highway and an Old Doctor and Travels in China (1967-71). He was always astonished to witness the new in sharp contrast with the old. Other books include those on Gung Ho and Shandan; Yo Banfa! and Human China expressing his comprehensive views on China at the time of liberation; Fruition—the Story of George Aylwin Hogg and Six Americans in China; Peking Opera and China: Ancient Kilns and Modern Ceramics; Three Conferences; Spring in Vietnam and Land of the Morning Calm， etc. as well as collections of his own poems and other writings on special topics.

Working beside Rewi Alley， I was deeply impressed by his modesty， carefulness and frugality. He was not well-to-do but never tried to be financially successful. His residence looked almost unchanged since he made it his working home in 1959. His daily life and hospitality remained the same. He wrote unceasingly. He would read his new poems several times before completion， and often consult the opinions of his sincere friends Dr. Ma Haide and Dr. Hans Mueller at their regular weekly meetings. He was never tired of revising his translations of Chinese poems. He did not mind， still less made public， his titles， would not allow others to quote or publish his letters， and never quoted in his books any poems eulogizing himself. In 1979， a film team from New Zealand traveled to different places in China to make a documentary woven around his life and travels in this country. George Chapple， the scriptwriter of the team wrote the biography entitled Rewi Alley of China. He wrote admonishing the biographer not to credit him with anything. He advocated the Yan’an Spirit， the Honghu Spirit and the Spirit of New China， but was against mentioning the Rewi Alley spirit.

Along with increasing publicity about Rewi Alley， there emerged hearsay and misinterpretations， so he was persuaded to write his autobiography. The work started with tape recordings in the summer of 1980， which were compiled into manuscripts; the text was finalized after three revisions between 1984 and 1986. This is Rewi Alley’s most representative book， entailing a combination of all his previous writings on a variety of subjects. It is not only memoirs of his China years at 90 but also a tribute to a group of international friends in China. The author reflects with his personal experience the vicissitudes of the Chinese society and explicates the domestic development in all aspects. He gives a down-to-earth account with his consistent style in writing， knowing what to love and what to hate. With a realistic attitude， he recognizes the decisive role played by Soong Meiling for the formation of Gung Ho， but he is bitter and sarcastic in writing about the Kuomintang dignitaries， and particularizes in the presentation of various historical figures， including his friends and colleagues. In reality， he heartily loved the People’s Republic， concerned himself with different questions， had opinions of his own， and made suggestions or offered plans to the government departments concerned. He expressed his views opposing the building of the gigantic dam in the Yangtze River valley during the debate on the proposed project. On the nuclear issue， he said in private: Should one third of humankind be destroyed in a nuclear war， the rest two thirds would not survive. It was understandable that for historical reasons Rewi Alley avoided making known his position on certain sensitive political issues. The paramount task he set for all his writings was to carry an understanding of China all over the world and let all peoples be friendly towards China.

Rewi Alley was a man whose greatness lies in his commonplaceness. His wisdom and charm twinkle like stars at night. When the first Committee for the Promotion of Industrial Cooperatives was set up， he went onto the street to order enamel badges be made. In a flash of inspiration， he thought up the simple term of “Gung Ho”， meaning “Work Together”. The triangular emblem was easy to understand and remember for Chinese people， and akin to that of the Christian youth association and Salvation Army， and so could be well received both at home and abroad. From 1939 to 1942， the leading power of Gung Ho actually rested in its International Committee. After Rewi Alley was discharged from the Executive Yuan position in 1942， he could still work in Chongqing as the field secretary， but he resolutely decided to continue his work in education and take a thorny path. He had come to realize that China’s hope lay in the northwest， and the vibrant tenacious youth of this region were later regarded by him as a source of his riches while in Shandan. He was capable， skilful and painstaking in work， courageous in making innovations and adept in theoretical summing up of experience so that no difficulties could stop him from steadily pressing forward. He loved human life as much as he hated waste， and admired work above all things. Since the 1950s， he spent about half of each year in traveling and writing and， back in Beijing， lived an orderly daily life. The only excerpt from his diary that appears in his autobiography sheds light on his true feelings for abstaining from idleness. His diary， November 14， 1940， describes his state of mind on a trip down the Gong River in Jiangxi: “Second night on this boat， I suddenly feel very much alone. A feeling I dread rather and try to avoid by being very busy—usually very successfully.” “Would like to be in Baoji for a while and get all enthusiastic again there.” I contemplated whether or not Rewi Alley likewise intended to relieve his loneliness as he persisted in poetry translation.

Rewi Alley never married. While in Shanghai， for the sake of the revolution， he was willing to make every personal sacrifice. His deep love for the oppressed people even influenced his close friends. In Shandan where conditions were difficult， he sought joy in hardships together with groups of poor children， thinking it was the happiest period in his life. He wrote in his diary that should he get married， he would be inclined to live a comfortable life. In Beijing， he once said to his elder son Duan Shimou that if he were married， it would be impossible for him to travel everywhere so freely. He adopted or fostered seven Chinese sons. In the 1980s， I witnessed how he would tease his grandchildren in laughter， and how his youngest son Nie Guangpei would come to take care of him at night. When his heart disease aggravated， the CPAFFC perfected the reception team to give him meticulous care.

Rewi Alley lived to see the revival of Gung Ho and the opening of a new polytechnic school in Shandan. He was so gratified that he wrote his last long essay Fulfillment. In his last years， he liked to compare himself with a tiller， saying: “Because of me， two blades of grass grow where one grew before.” Rewi Alley was indeed like an old farmer， humble， diligent and taciturn. People of two or three generations who have known him all respect him as a sagacious and upright man of action， an erudite and prudent “old China hand”， and a sincere and deeply emotional sage. He lived a life of utter devotion to others without any thought of himself， setting an example of selfless dedication to the cause of international progress. He has not only accomplished unusual deeds but also bequeathed us the cultural heritage of an exemplary teacher. Rewi Alley’s down-to-earth attitude in seeking truth and practical results coupled with his hard-working spirit in blazing new trails will prevail more than ever in China’s peaceful development.

A fine son of the New Zealand people and a faithful friend of the Chinese people， Rewi Alley symbolizes in himself the people-to-people friendship between New Zealand and China， and is respected and honoured in both countries. He was granted the titles of Honorary Citizen of Beijing and Honorary Citizen of Gansu Province. The New Zealand government presented to him the Queen’s Service Order for Community Service (1984). It was a most rewarding event for him to see the establishment of diplomatic relations between his motherland and the land of his adoption. He said that he felt privileged for his humble role in helping to build a bridge of friendly relations between the two countries. We shall never forget this great internationalist fighter and founder of New Zealand-China friendship， and we shall learn from his shining example from generation to generation.

September 2007

The author is specially invited national council member of CPAFFC.