"Lu Xun" In "The People’s Daily"(1949-2022)

"Forget me and take care of your own life" was Mr.Lu Xun’s expectation for the world at his deathbed,but the "rapid decay" he had hoped for had not yet arrived.Instead,he repeatedly "resurrected" in various forms.Sun Yu once pointed out that "every channel of Lu Xun has its own characteristics,and the images in different channels are decomposed images." Indeed,different interpretive subjects,different textual objects,and different media channels shape Lu Xun differently,but the most core part is the "Lu Xun" constructed by the political culture of the times,which is also the origin of all "reconstruction of Lu Xun".The People’s Daily,as the authoritative medium that best reflects the political culture of the times,has always been highly concerned about and deeply interpreted,constructing different periods of Lu Xun.When exploring the occurrence of the "Lu Xun phenomenon" and the evolution of the "Lu Xun image" in the People’s Daily from 1949 to 2022,it will be found that the articles related to "Lu Xun" published by it are the most intuitive and complete written record that can best reflect the political and cultural views of the times on Lu Xun.According to my preliminary statistics,from October 1,1949 to December 31,2022,the People’s Daily published a total of 1115 articles related to Lu Xun,most of which were concentrated during the anniversary of Lu Xun’s birth and death,including 7 "editorials",1 "commentator" article and 23 important speeches.These articles,as well as discussions and debates about "Lu Xun," often serve as the precursor to China’s ideological and cultural and even social changes,foreshadowing and reflecting the dynamics of Chinese social thought and the direction of real politics.In 1936,Lu Xun passed away.Mao Zedong and the literary and artistic circles in Yan’an gave him unprecedented high praise.As adherents of the spirit of the May Fourth New Culture,Mao Zedong and Lu Xun had a shared ideological stance and psychological emotions.The period from 1936 to 1949 was an important period when Mao Zedong’s leadership position in the Communist Party of China was gradually confirmed,and this was also a critical stage when the "Lu Xun tradition" was constantly approaching political ideology.The ideological resources and political functions possessed by the Lu Xun world were increasingly fully explored,And this is most concentrated in the relevant articles of the People’s Daily.If we want to explore the construction and evolution process of the image of Lu Xun in the People’s Daily,it is of special significance to examine its predecessors,the Jin Cha Ji Daily and the Jin Ji Lu Yu People’s Daily.From the initial establishment of the "national warrior" and "new cultural direction" in the era of the Jin Cha Ji Daily,to the "cultural mentor" and "democratic warrior" shaped by the Jin Ji Lu Yu People’s Daily,Lu Xun not only became a political symbol dedicated to national liberation in the context of war,but also participated in future cultural construction with the posture of "new cultural direction of the Chinese nation".Examining the People’s Daily from 1949 to 1978,it was found that after the establishment of the Republic,Lu Xun,who had always been highly respected by Mao Zedong,was finally able to contribute his idea of immortality in the new world.Its ideological value is constantly being expanded and interpreted,and its image is becoming increasingly prominent,becoming a paradigm and political representation of the times.At the same time,we have to admit that during the revolutionary construction period of the first thirty years of the Republic,it is also evident that there was a political utilitarian clue that gradually deviated from the ideological spirit of Lu Xun.During the seventeen years,the spirit and influence of Lu Xun were fully expanded through the authoritative channel of the People’s Daily,playing a positive role in promoting the construction of the new culture of the Republic.Of course,among them,Lu Xun’s works,thoughts,personality,and spirit have also been rewritten and reshaped in accordance with mainstream ideology,becoming the "paradigm" leading intellectuals to carry out ideological transformation.And by selectively inheriting the "tough" spirit of Lu Xun,the "cultural warrior," criticism of the "enemies" of different cultural choices can be achieved.Many times,Lu Xun’s enlightenment,critical spirit,and skeptical spirit were constantly dissolved and transformed under the political needs of reality.These interpretations and debates still remain within the ideological and academic scope of the cultural field,which belongs to the contradictions and conflicts between the spiritual attitude,literary concepts,and political culture of the times that intellectuals adhere to.From the Cultural Revolution in 1966 to the reform and opening up at the end of 1978,Lu Xun became a weapon of political struggle in the increasingly extreme ideological and cultural environment.The People’s Daily has been controlled by the Cultural Revolution leadership group and the Gang of Four from the very beginning,and has become a tool for them to mobilize mass movements and control public opinion.Except for Xu Guangping,Zhou Jianren,and Zhou Haiying,who were close relatives of Lu Xun and a very small number of academic intellectuals,the real representatives who spoke on behalf of Lu Xun were various "writing groups","Lu Xun study groups","big criticism groups",and the so-called "workers,peasants,and soldiers masses" that could lead official public opinion.In their frequent and intensive homogenization of expression,Lu Xun’s spirit,thoughts,and works were concealed from their true functions and values in real political struggles,and developed into propaganda tools and critical weapons for class struggle and line struggle through extreme interpretation.Since the beginning of the new era,while liberating Lu Xun from the shackles of "class struggle",the political culture of the era has also constructed a new "Lu Xun myth" under the practical needs of "reform and unity".On the one hand,through a series of ceremonial activities such as commemorating the birth of Lu Xun,the People’s Daily has launched a new wave of "learning from Lu Xun" in the grand goals of reform,opening up,and socialist modernization construction;On the other hand,the call to "learn from Lu Xun" has strongly promoted the revival of "Lu Xun studies".However,unlike the enthusiastic call from the academic community for Lu Xun’s enlightenment ideas,some scholars in the People’s Daily only have a superficial awareness of "new enlightenment" due to the media environment and their long-term confined and disciplined thinking patterns.However,for the reflection on history and the return of academic rationality,the interpretation and image construction of Lu Xun’s thoughts not only completed the tasks of "reform" and "unity" expected by the political culture of the times,but also developed towards a more personalized and personalized re understanding and promotion of self-worth.As a result,Lu Xun’s image also moved from its former position as the center of political culture to marginalization.Even though there were a series of deconstructive actions regarding the image of Lu Xun at the turn of the century,the People’s Daily seemed to have no intention of high-profile intervention in these debates as in the past.Instead,it only used intellectual discourse to indirectly express its cultural and media stance.Its published articles also adapted to the changes from "learning from Lu Xun" to "learning from Lu Xun".However,this does not mean that Lu Xun was exiled outside the political culture of the times.Since the new century,People’s Daily has only returned the new ideological responsibility of Lu Xun to the intellectuals.Whether it is a positive response to Lu Xun’s debate at the turn of the century,an attitude change in Lu Xun’s retreat,or a constant reference to his contemporary value under the trend of "farewell to Lu Xun",the intellectuals’ "Lu Xun’s interpretation" still represents and embodies the "Lu Xun’s view" of the official discourse.Lu Xun in their works is more and more close to the historical entity.Under the guidance of new ideology,intellectuals consciously re-examine Lu Xun’s epochal value and eternal significance to individuals,nations and even human beings from a more grand perspective.In summary,the People’s Daily,an authoritative media established almost simultaneously with the New China,has always comprehensively,deeply,and timely reflected the political and cultural requirements of different periods.Therefore,the "Lu Xun" it shaped not only constitutes an important text for contemporary Lu Xun research,but also becomes a "source of influence" related to Chinese politics,culture,and spiritual thought.It can be seen that "Lu Xun" in the People’s Daily has gone through a multidimensional process from collective memory to individual interpretation,from concept first to coexistence of multiple elements,and from spiritual reconstruction to value recognition.Through the explanatory chain of "Lu Xun phenomenon" and "Lu Xun image" in the People’s Daily,we can gain a deeper insight into the trajectory of contemporary Chinese ideological and cultural development.