September 2021
Treating the People as His Mirror, a Man of Sincerity—Zhang Lan
by Zhao Zunsheng
Based on the life of Mr. Zhang Lan and supplemented by reasonable literary imagination, this book vividly depicts the magnificent life course of a democratic revolutionary, patriot and educator. He served as a governor of Sichuan Province, hosted the Morning Post and supported the New Culture Movement. As the president of Chengdu University, he adhered to the principle of inclusiveness, insisted on meritocracy and advocated ideological and academic freedom. He participated in the initiation and the organization of the China Democratic Political League, wrote China Needs Real Democracy, exposing the feigned democracy and real dictatorship of the Kuomintang. On the eve of liberation, he was unexpectedly imprisoned in Hongqiao Sanatorium because of his support to the Communist Party of China (CPC) and was nearly drowned by the Kuomintang. He served as vice chairman of the Central People's Government of New China and the first chairman of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League. In his life, Zhang Lan was "a man of sincerity". He loved his nation and country, treated the people as his mirror, and always stood in line with the CPC. The book not only vividly describes Zhang Lan's sincere friendship with Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Huang Yanpei and others, and his head-to-head confrontation with Chiang Kai-shek, Duan Qirui and Yang Sen, but also vividly portrays minor characters such as Qiu Yichun, Song Lanying, little Zhang Lun. The rich plot, the exquisite writing style and closeness to life can give readers a "talk" with Zhang Lan in the present and personally feel Zhang Lan's patriotic and progressive life.
