In the winter of 1945 in Beiping, the sun was lazily sprinkled on the old dogs on the roadside, and a few children were playing in the alleys, everything seemed so quiet and peaceful.
However, a siren broke this harmony, and the tranquility of Zhou's house at No. 11 Badaowan was broken, and Zhou Zuoren was taken to prison. The high-walled compound imprisoned this talented man, and the courtyard of the Zhou family, which was once brilliant and prosperous, is now only the gate closed, and the glory of the past is gone, and the glory that belongs to Zhou Zuoren has also disappeared with his imprisonment.
Literati and writers all have their own unique qualities, and Zhou Zuoren is no exception. White walls surrounded his body, and even his heart fell silent with the calm and turbulent life in prison.
Zhou Zuoren was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province in 1885, and his brother Zhou Shuren was a famous literary scholar. In 1903, Zhou Zuoren was admitted to the naval management major and went to Japan to lay a foundation in many foreign languages such as Japanese.
Zhou Zuoren is a famous essayist in China, who worked hard in his early years and was a literati and writer. After returning from studying abroad, he made important contributions to the translation industry. If it weren't for Zhou Zuoren's "deviation from the right track" later, he might be able to dominate the literary world like his brother Lu Xun.
Originally, Zhou Zuoren should have lived a rich and diverse life, read poetry and books, was good at writing, and at the same time received advanced education and was proficient in many languages. He was once a high-profile figure.
And the Zhou family compound where he lives was once the residence of the Japanese, and it must be lively and prosperous. However, in 1945, the Japanese surrendered, Wang Jingwei also died, Zhou Zuoren's shelter collapsed, and Chiang Kai-shek's arrest warrant was pursued to his home.
In desperation, the Zhou family's mansion was forced to open the door, and for a while, the scenery was no longer there, and even those who once called themselves "confidants and friends" left him one after another after hearing about the Zhou family's accident.
As the saying goes: "The tree falls and scatters", Zhou Zuoren's once glory has now become so down. However, despite the unsatisfactory life after his loss of power, he remained conscientious as an educator.
As a friend, he can be considered qualified. However, the past can only be recalled, and Zhou Zuoren's one step is destined to not be too good in the future.
While he was in prison, the people around him had left, except for a few cronies, and everyone else had passed away with the wind, just like the words he had written.
As a traitor, Zhou Zuoren lived a very painful life after being imprisoned. It is inevitable that this criminal who betrayed the country and did not keep his word will be spurned by the public after being sentenced to death.
In addition to this, he also suffered physical punishment.
In prisons, every day is filled with staff turnover, name-calling, crying and screams of despair. This oppressive environment puts a tremendous strain on all those who are in it.
They can't predict which tomorrow or death will come first, and even that the next person to be shot may be themselves. This kind of life day after day made Zhou Zuoren's eyes lose their light.
Since death is inevitable no matter what, it may not be impossible to spend time in prison in a state of confusion. When Hu Shi came to visit Zhou Zuoren, he saw that he was scarred, with new injuries covering old ones, and the once radiant "cultural youth" had completely turned into a "puppet" serving sentences with hollow eyes.
Hu Shi deeply regretted this, and he asked Zhou Zuoren: "Has this prison life full of pain and depression made you numb?" ”
Although Zhou Zuoren pretended to have forgotten the past hardships on the surface, he still had the hope of survival in his heart. He begged Hu Shih to intercede for him in front of Chiang Kai-shek so that he could survive.
He said he would be willing to accept a life sentence and spend the rest of his life in prison if his life could be saved. In Zhou Zuoren's view, as long as he lives, everything is possible.
Hu Shi has a deep understanding of Zhou Zuoren's personality and talent, and even when Zhou Zuoren is in deep trouble, he still chooses to try his best to help him. Although Hu Shi knew that the result could not be guaranteed, he still firmly agreed to Zhou Zuoren's request.
Zhou Zuoren was grateful for this, grabbed this life-saving straw, and thanked Hu Shi again and again, showing his different side. With the efforts of many parties, Hu Shi finally helped Zhou Zuoren to be sentenced to 14 years in prison in November 1946.
This made those students and friends who tried to protect Zhou Zuoren breathe a sigh of relief. The reason why Chiang Kai-shek agreed to release Zhou Zuoren was also because he was valuable. At that time, the country was in the process of employing people, although Zhou Zuoren made a big mistake, his translation ability was unmatched, and if he was used, it would undoubtedly become a sharp weapon.
Although Zhou Zuoren was relatively forgiven, he was still not satisfied.
Although sentenced to 14 years in prison, Zhou Zuoren did not stop his "struggle". He continued to appeal in an attempt to reduce the length of his sentence, which caused discontent among the jailers and prisoners, and he was subjected to more flogging as a result.
However, none of this stopped Zhou Zuoren's "resistance". He even wrote several confessions to justify his traitorous actions. Reading between the lines, he tries to portray his past actions as if they were taken for granted and without fault.
Zhou Zuoren's fate may be quite smooth. During his imprisonment, the country was in dire need of talent, and after repeated weighing and multiple guarantees, he was finally released. Although he regained his freedom, the damage and betrayal he caused to his homeland are still vivid.
In 1937, the Japanese army launched a war of aggression against China, and it would have been okay if he had chosen to stay in Beiping, but his special status and ability made it impossible for him to keep a low profile.
In 1938, he chose to become a Japanese citizen and published "A Study of Japanese Culture" in Tokyo, a move that attracted widespread attention. While his choice is regrettable, his fate is still lamentable.
Although Zhou Zuoren is known as a "literary traitor", he is not like an ordinary traitor with his hands stained with the blood of his compatriots, colluding with the Japanese army and brutally killing innocent people.
His "main task" was to portray the executioners of the Japanese army as heroes through words, so that they appeared righteous in his writing. Whether it is those traitors with blood on their hands, or those invaders who are crazy about killing, under Zhou Zuoren's depiction, they seem to have become messengers of justice.
Some people accuse Zhou Zuoren of staying in Beiping because of his weak character, but this cannot hide the fact that he did not leave Beiping, which indirectly led him to become a traitor.
An important reason why Zhou Zuoren did not leave Peking was his wife, a Japanese who occupied Zhou Zuoren's life like a bloodsucking worm, plundered his property, and wanted to impose her own ideas on him.
Although Zhou Zuoren did not personally participate in the acts of the invaders, his articles distorted history. From the moment he made peace with the Japanese, he had turned his back on his own nation.
Although the overall situation has been decided, we cannot deny that Zhou Zuoren's becoming a traitor is also related to the influence of the people around him. His article glorified the crimes of the Japanese army, which showed his renunciation and betrayal in the face of national righteousness.
In prison, although he expressed his pessimism about life and death, he still insisted on resisting just so that he could be released, which once again proved his selfishness.
The torture of his life in prison is unimaginable, but Zhou Zuoren's sins are unforgivable. He had chosen to make peace with the Japanese and betrayed his own nation. Even after his release from prison, his life was greatly troubled.
His talent and ability to speak could not conceal his crimes, and he suffered greatly from the spurning of his people. His later years were full of difficulties, with friends and relatives leaving him, and the after-effects of his long prison sentence leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.
His life ended in tragedy, and his life choices led him to become a traitor. Like him, many people throughout history have committed unforgivable crimes that have ended badly.
Although he said in prison that he had downplayed insults and damages, we could not have the slightest mercy when it came to dealing with traitors.
Although Zhou Zuoren was not shot, he was also punished accordingly, and the rest of his life was immersed in remorse for betraying the nation. Although he may have written some "unconscionable" words after he was released from prison, these words undoubtedly gnawed at his heart day and night, making him uneasy.
In contrast, his brothers, Zhou Shuren and Zhou Jianren, were all patriots who made significant contributions to the motherland. However, as the second son in the family, Zhou Zuoren was off track from the moment he broke off the brotherly relationship, and he went further and further on the road of betrayal, insisting on going his own way, regardless of dissuasion.
Although he was a man of insight and educated, if he did not know the general interests of the nation, it was indeed unreasonable. No matter how good he once was, from the moment he decided to betray the nation, he was already spurned.