Wang Bingnan and Rewi Alley In His Later Years

I n the summer of 1975， the “cultural revolution” had not yet come to an end； there were still repercussions with the struggle against the “Gang of Four” escalating daily. Heavyhearted people in China were expecting a storm that would bring about a radical change in the situation. It was at this moment that Comrade Wang Bingnan， a veteran revolutionary and diplomat well known at home and abroad， was appointed as the fourth president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries （CPAFFC）.

All staff of the CPAFFC felt very excited， expecting him to lead their organization that shouldered such an important task of China’s nongovernmental diplomacy to “turn a new leaf after the chaos”. As expected， he did not let the staff down， and guided the CPAFFC to shape an image of making new friends while not forgetting the old ones， and exploring new areas for people-to-people friendly exchanges and letting the world have a true understanding about China after the “cultural revolution”.

As an old leader of the diplomatic field， he held the post of CPAFFC president for over ten years and made outstanding contributions in various aspects of its work. He was deeply loved， respected and remembered by all the staff， for adding glory to the organization’s history.

His first speech after taking office in August 1975 was encouraging to all staff. Disregarding the persecution he had suffered during the “cultural revolution” and his previous high post in the Foreign Ministry， he was glad and quite optimistic about the new assignment as president of the CPAFFC. He said that， in the spirit of “pushing the cart forward as long as it does not turn over”， he would undertake the work of resuming and developing China’s non-governmental diplomacy suspended for about 10 years because of the chaos caused by the “cultural revolution”.

His sincere and frank inaugural speech demonstrated a time-tested veteran revolutionary’s magnanimity and brought warmth and hope to all.

Shortly after President Wang Bingnan took office， came the year of 1976 when New China experienced the great tragedy since its founding： the successive passing away of Premier Zhou Enlai， Marshal Zhu De and Chairman Mao Zedong and the catastrophic Tangshan earthquake， offset only by the great victory of smashing the “Gang of Four”.

These major events that had bearing on the destiny of China shocked the heart of every Chinese. Thanks to President Wang’s farsightedness and prudent and meticulous leadership at this critical juncture， the working staff of the CPAFFC showed patriotism with a sense of urgency and political maturity， keeping calm in adversity.

He then took a series of actions of strategic meaning bringing order out of chaos and mobilizing the enthusiasm of all the working staff. Soon， friendly exchanges that had been suspended for many years were resumed and new channels for friendly contacts were established. The working atmosphere in the CPAFFC was changed completely henceforth.

Happy Reunion of Old Friends

I had my first contact with President Wang in the second half of 1977 when the CPAFFC was preparing to celebrate the 80th birthday of Rewi Alley. Comrade Wang Bingnan met Rewi Alley for the first time in 1938 when the latter went to Wuhan working for the establishment of Association of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives （the National Headquarter of the Gung Ho cooperative movement）. In the Eighth Route Army Office， Rewi Alley met Zhou Enlai for the first time， and solicited opinions about the movement from the viewpoint of the Communist Party of China and discussed about how to get support from the Kuomintang Government. After that， Wang Bingnan was assigned to help Rewi Alley in concrete matters. At that time， the Indian Aid-China Medical Mission sent by the National Congress Party of India was also in Wuhan waiting to go to Yanan. Thanks to the arrangement by Wang Bingnan， Rewi Alley was able to travel together with them to Yanan with his mission to report to Chairman Mao about the aim and plan of the Gung Ho movement.

Though after liberation Wang and Alley hadn’t much contact with each other， they maintained mutual trust. When learning that during the “cultural revolution” Rewi Alley had been slated as a “mole” by the “Gang of Four”， and quite a few of his adopted sons and students had become the “targets of the revolution” because of their relations with him before liberation， President Wang was rather disturbed.

Learning that 1977 would be the fiftieth year of Alley’s stay in China and December 2 of that year would mark his 80th birthday， he decided that the CPAFFC should organize a grand birthday celebration to express the respect of the Chinese Government and gratitude for his contribution to China for the past half a century. At the celebration banquet Deng Xiaoping， then Vice Premier， spoke on behalf of the Chinese Government. Leaders of various departments， the New Zealand Ambassador to China， and Alley’s foreign old friends， as well as his adopted Chinese sons who had been incriminated during the “cultural revolution”， old friends of the Gung Ho movement in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， and former graduates from Shandan Bailie School were all invited to attend.

Deng Xiaoping’s pertinent and warm speech voiced what all those present had in their minds： “Tens of thousands of foreign friends have devoted themselves to the cause of Chinese revolution. Even so， rare are those like Comrade Rewi Alley， who for 50 years on end has done tremendous work for the Chinese people， in our years of difficulty and hardship， in our pioneering days and after our victory. Hence the Chinese people’s respect for him is right and proper.”

This was the most earnest and comprehensive appraisal of Rewi Alley’s contribution to China from the Chinese Government and Chinese people for the first time， which dispelled the doubt and discrimination held by some people who were unaware of the truth. It certainly eased the burden on the minds of Alley’s relatives and friends， and let the people begin to know a real Rewi Alley.

From then on， the Chinese people acknowledged him as their “good friend， good comrade and good comrade-in-arms.”

Rewi Alley came to Beijing in 1951. After handling matters relating to discontinuing the Gung Ho movement and the Shandan Bailie School， he planned to stay in the city to finish his book Yo Banfa （There Is a Way）， which described the contrasts between new and old China. It happened then that Beijing was preparing the Peace Conference of the Asian and Pacific Regions to be held in October 1952 and the Preparatory Committee supported his plan.

At that time， the Korean War had not yet ended and most countries in the world had not recognized the PRC. Many European and American delegates came to China at some political risk. The convocation in Beijing of such a large-scale peace conference with delegates from over 30 countries would create huge impact on the world. Due to the fact that there was little information in foreign languages about China in those years， Yo Banfa almost became the initiatory textbook for foreign delegates to know about China. Rewi Alley， as deputy head of the New Zealand delegation， was later elected as New Zealand Representative of the Peace Liaison Committee of the Asian and Pacific Regions headquartered in Beijing. From then on， he permanently resided in the capital.

In 1958， he moved to the compound of the Chinese People’s Committee for World Peace （China Peace Committee for short） located at No.1， Taijichang Street， Beijing， and became a “permanent resident” there.

When he first moved to the Peace Committee compound， he lived upstairs of the suite occupied by renowned American writer Anna Louise Strong in the northern building near the gate. Kinkazu Saionji， then known as Japanese “unofficial ambassador”， and his family lived in the southern building opposite. After liberation， not many people really knew about Rewi Alley due to his complex history since he arrived in Shanghai in 1927 and made China his home ever since.

In 1968， when the “cultural revolution” was gaining force， some “rebels” in the China Peace Committee even hung a big streamer on which was written “Imperialism and all reactionaries are paper tigers” in front of his door. The incident shocked Mme Soong Ching Ling. She immediately wrote a letter to the CPC Central Committee， testifying with many facts that Rewi Alley “is a true， loyal and staunch friend of New China”， “Like Dr. Norman Bethune， he follows the teachings of Marx and Lenin and is a believer in international communism.” She said straightforwardly： “I trust him utterly”.

This letter stopped the incident from developing further.

Publicity of Rewi Alley’s Life

As early as in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression， when the Gung Ho movement emerged， Rewi Alley’s story had already become a much-told tale outside China. In 1941， Edgar Snow published an article entitled China’s Blitzbuilder， Rewi Alley in Saturday Evening Post， arousing much Western interest， people in Britain， the United States and New Zealand regarded Alley as a “legendary hero”.

Though some people in China had also written stories about Rewi Alley， a full and accurate account of his life was lacking. After the celebration of his 80th birthday drew the attention of the Central Government and various departments， President Wang Bingnan felt the CPAFFC had a duty to tell the Chinese people a true story about the life and deeds of Rewi Alley as a witness of and participant in contemporary Chinese history.

Under the guidance of President Wang， the Department of American Oceanian Affairs of the CPAFFC shifted their work dealing with Rewi Alley from passively satisfying his routine requests to actively seeking his opinions， and with his help， it was able to resume contacts with old foreign friends. Meanwhile， the Department provided him with a full-time young secretary to assist him in handling writing， translation， publication， etc. Leaders of the Department and President Wang himself often managed to find time to chat with him and know about his needs. Since then， more of his old friends came to visit him and more Chinese and foreign personages came to interview him. The new atmosphere brought him many good hopes.

In 1982， there were two memorable events for Rewi Alley： One was that he had been living in China for 55 years since he arrived in Shanghai on April 21， 1927； the other was his 85th birthday falling on December 2. President Wang grasped this opportunity and asked the Department of American Oceanian Affairs to write a biographic article giving a full account of Alley’s life and work， which was to be published on the People’s Daily on April 21.

I was asked to write it. At that time I only had limited knowledge about Alley. However， on President Wang’s advice and with my colleagues’ support， I finished the task of writing the long article of some 6，000 words entitled A Veteran’s Glorious History on schedule. Unexpectedly， this article drew interest of many readers， among whom there were Alley’s old colleagues and students， and also some others who only knew the story about Dr. Norman Bethune from Canada， but had never heard of Rewi Alley， a New Zealand internationalist fighter who had dedicated all his life to the cause of Chinese people.

One day， President Wang told me that he was thinking about writing under his own name an article about Alley， which would be published on his 85th birthday on December 2. He wanted me to collect some related materials for him. Wang said that Alley was a man of thought and vision， and had a deeper and broader understanding about China even than many Chinese， adding that we should make a careful study of Alley and learn from him.

A few days later， Wang told me the preliminary contents of his article， saying it would focus on Alley’s contribution to the construction of New China. He said， Alley was not only a “micropedia about China” in the eyes of foreigners， but also had made valuable suggestions on and given criticism to some of China’s major policies. The issues he was concerned with covered many areas， and his suggestions had substantial contents worthy of our consideration.

Wang asked me to dig out Alley’s recent letters to the CPAFFC Secretariat. In these letters Alley expressed his opinions and offered suggestions on many issues； for example， he pointed out that ecological disasters would be caused by excessive logging and deforestation； building dams while not solving the silt accumulation would lead to endless disastrous aftermaths； to prevent peasants from logging for firewood， methane gas and solar energy should be developed in the countryside， etc.

Alley also stressed the importance of education of youth after China embarked on reform and opening up. He said， young people should not be corroded by bourgeois ideology， should not forget the tradition of hard struggle and plain living， and should not only yearn for comfortable life. All the above opinions and suggestions were given after he visited the Northeast， Guangxi and Hainan during the period between 1977 and 1984； yet， at that time， they went unheeded in the departments concerned. President Wang said that Alley’s forward-looking opinions deserved careful study. So， in his article he would write more about Alley’s positive suggestions on the construction of New China after liberation， besides his deeds beforehand， thus helping the people have a better understanding about Alley’s deep love and concerns about China. The title of the article was finalized as Good Soldier of the Revolution， Good Adviser to the Construction. For this article， President Wang did meticulous work and was scrupulous about every detail including choosing topics， looking for references， making the outline of the content and revising the draft word by word.

I felt enlightened and gained inspiration from his foresight and conscientious working style which contributed to my later studies of Rewi Alley.

“Rewi Alley of New Zealand” and “Rewi Alley of China”

New Zealanders had long known of Rewi Alley’s legendary stories in China and took pride in him. As he approached his twilight years， some New Zealand friends and experts suggested making a documentary film about his life in China as early as possible. In 1979， Geoff Chapple， a New Zealand writer， and some filmmakers came to China and invited Rewi Alley to accompany them to visit the places where he had once lived and worked. Based on this， the film team made a documentary about Rewi Alley’s life The Second Blade of Grass. Later， Geoff Chapple published a book entitled Rewi Alley of China. The book， which recorded the author’s experience when he traveled with Alley to the old places and stories of those years， was commended in New Zealand.

Furthermore， film studios and TV stations in Beijing， Shanghai and Gansu Province one after another asked the CPAFFC to assist them in making documentaries about Alley’s life， producing dramas and feature films on Alley and the Bailie School. At one time， Alley became the one whom New Zealand and Chinese media competed constantly to interview and make films on.

Through him， moving stories of many other old foreign friends who had supported the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and construction of New China became known. For example， Kathleen Hall， a New Zealand nurse， who helped build clinic and saved the lives of villagers in Songjiazhuang and wounded soldiers of the Eighth Route Army in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei border area during the resistance war.

Rewi Alley， with his special status and contribution， became a solid bridge of friendship linking the Chinese and New Zealand people. No wonder， in China he was called “Rewi Alley of New Zealand”， while in New Zealand they labeled him as “Rewi Alley of China”.

Since 1982， President Wang focused more on how to persuade Alley to write his autobiography so as to leave a credible work for later generations. But Alley always declined by saying that he had more important things about China to write， and “what I have done is nothing to rave about”. Finally， he agreed to relate an oral history for his autobiography， which would be written down and compiled by others.

This time， the Department of American and Oceanian Affairs again entrusted me with this task， and asked me to lose no time to finish it while Alley was still in good health.

I got acquainted with Rewi Alley in 1952 when the Peace Conference of the Asian and Pacific Regions was held in Beijing， and met him often in various foreign affairs activities after he moved into the compound of the China Peace Committee. However， I did not know much about his past. In 1982， at the request of the alumni of the Bailie School， the Gansu provincial government agreed to hold a meeting in Lanzhou to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the school’s establishment， giving alumni a chance to meet Alley and visit Shandan.

Alley suggested that the CPAFFC invite Robert Spencer， a New Zealand surgeon who had helped the Bailie School to set up the school clinic， to visit China and attend the meeting， and that I accompany them on their visit to Gansu. It was the first time that I had a chance to visit other parts of the country together with Alley and also for the first time I experienced what a high prestige Alley enjoyed among the school alumni and the Shandan people， and how he had formed an inseparable bond with them.

The Shandan Bailie School is a lasting legend in the history of Shandan. It is also a spiritual and material treasure created jointly by Chinese people and foreign supporters who were enthusiastic in public welfare causes under extreme difficult wartime conditions.

The return of Rewi Alley and Dr. Spencer to Shandan caused a great sensation among the local people and inspired the Gansu Provincial Government to rebuild the Bailie School. President Wang， in the name of the CPAFFC， did a lot of coordinating work to push various departments concerned to give active support. Finally， the plan of rebuilding the Shandan Bailie School was approved and secured support contributions from New Zealand and the United States. Tom Newnham， an active member of the New Zealand-China Friendship Society， entrusted by Alley， lived for a while on the construction site together with Ni Caiwang， an old SBS alumni and now the school principal， engaged in designing the new building and project supervision. The official opening was announced on April 21， 1987. Alley’s 30-year dream at last came true. Unfortunately， he was not able to attend the opening ceremony due to ill health.

Earlier， with the development of China’s reform and opening up， the revival of Gung Ho， which Alley had born constantly in mind， had been put on the agenda. At the suggestion of Hu Yuzhi and other old Gung Ho leaders， the Association of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives （ACIC） was reestablished on November 20， 1983 after being approved by the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the CPC.

Alley had planned to continue his efforts to revive the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives （ICCIC） in its original pattern with the support of old friends of Gung Ho from the United States， Britain， New Zealand， Australia etc.， so as to find new sources of funds and build contacts with other international cooperative organizations. Unfortunately， not long after the re-establishment of the ICCIC on September 3， 1987， he passed away due to a heart attack on December 27， 1987 soon after the celebration of his 90th birthday.

Setting Up an Office of Rewi Alley Studies

Between 1982 and 1985， for finishing writing Alley’s autobiography， I accompanied Rewi Alley three times on his holidays in Beidaihe and Sanya. During his free time， I would begin my work by chatting with him on various subjects he interested， and then turned to ask some of my questions about his personal life stories and things related to the background. I got the talks taped and on return to Beijing， my colleagues who had been Alley’s secretaries and familiar with his way of talking would help typed the records. After adding and revising the text based on oral and written materials Alley had provided， the draft was examined and approved by Rewi Alley himself.

Later， on the request of various sides， it was decided that both Chinese and English versions of the book Rewi Alley， an Autobiography would be published at the same time. This increased our workload. Many colleagues in the Department of American Oceanian Affairs were engaged in the translation of the book. Wang Xiaobo， the veteran English translator， was also asked to advise and help in emendation. We made concerted efforts to achieve publication on December 2， 1986， Rewi Alley’s 86th birthday， as formally announced by the CPAFFC and the publisher of the magazine China Reconstructs. We did it. And did it in the Gung Ho spirit of “Work Work Together” which Rewi Alley appreciated.

Rewi Alley enjoyed a happy and fruitful life in his late years. No doubt that his reunion with old friend Wang Bingnan had made it possible for him to realize his dream of reviving Gung Ho and rebuilding the new Shandan Bailie School and left the world a legacy of his colorful life and precious reflection on human life in the form of an autobiography. President Wang with his global vision， political wisdom and historical responsibility helped Alley realize his dreams one after another in his remaining years. The publicity of his true life story also enabled the Chinese people to learn the real value of Alley’s spiritual and material legacy and how we should cherish and treasure them.

The last decision President Wang made before he ended his term in January 1986 was the approval of setting up the Office of Rewi Alley Studies in the CPAFFC which was to direct all affairs related to Rewi Alley and in charge of collecting， arranging and studying his archives and materials and holding related commemorative activities. I was appointed as director of the office.

After I retired in 1990， I worked as a volunteer for the reestablished ICCIC until 2006.