11 Two Scholars and the Hui Protest Movement in China in 1932: August - September 2017 The Attitudes of Hu Shih and Lu Xun Dhu 1438 - Muharram-1439 al-Qidah toward the Hui Minority and Islam WAN Lei Research Fellow King Faisal Center For Research and Islamic Studies Two Scholars and the Hui Protest Movement in China in 1932: The Attitudes of Hu Shih and Lu Xun toward the Hui Minority and Islam WAN Lei Research Fellow King Faisal Center For Research and Islamic Studies Dhu al-Qidah 1438 - Muharram-1439 No. 11 August - September 2017 © King Faisal Center for research and Islamic Studies, 2018 King Fahd National Library Cataloging-In-Publication Data Lei, Wan Two scholars and the Hui protest movement in China in 1932: The attitudes of Hu Shih And Lu Xun toward the Hui minority and Islam, / Wan Lei, - Riyadh, 2018 34 p; 16.5x23cm ISBN: 978-603-8206-74-4 1- China - History I- Title 951 dc 1439/9316 L.D. no. 1439/9316 ISBN: 978-603-8206-74-4 4 Table of Contents Abstract 6 I. The Infamous “Nanhua Incident” in 1932 7 II. The Response of Hu Shih to the Nanhua Incident 10 III. The Attitude of Lu Xun toward the Nanhua Incident 16 IV. A Critical Review of the Nanhua Incident 22 V. Conclusion 27 Bibliography 29 5 Dhu al-Qidah 1438 - Muharram-1439 No. 11 August - September 2017 Abstract This article discusses the infamous “Nanhua Incident” in 1932 occurred in Shanghai and the consequent responses of two distinguished scholars in modern China, Hui Shih and Lu Xun, and their attitudes toward it. The two scholars happened to have witnessed the protest movements, and wrote their articles, letters and diaries on the matter. By analyzing the texts of such writings, one can grasp the viewpoints of the two scholars on the Muslim movement and on Islam in China. 6 I. The Infamous “Nanhua Incident” in 1932 The influential, infamous, and humiliating Hui Incident, popularly called the “Nanhua Incident,” occurred in 1932. This was the fifth year after the Northern Expeditions, when Chiang Kai-shek overcame the local warlords throughout China and relocated the capital to Nanjing. The incident started in Shanghai, but the reaction spread through many cities, and finally produced a large-scale Hui protest movement. The incident was instigated by the publication of an article, “Why the Huijiao-tu [Muslims] do not eat pork,” which was written by Lou Zikuang and published in the bimonthly journal, the Nanhua wenyi (South-China Literature; abbreviated as Nanhua hereafter) on June 16, 1932, in Shanghai.1 Hui readers from Shanghai read the article and the news spread in September of the same year; the Hui from Shanghai became furious about a rumor perpetuated in the article. They encouraged their representatives, Ha Shaofu, Da Pusheng and Ma Tianying, to negotiate with the Nanhua, requesting that the journal should apologize to the Hui and accept other conditions.2 Lou Zikuang, who was met at Hangzhou by some Hui from Shanghai, accepted the conditions and published his apology on September 27, but another important request by the Hui—that they should publish their articles in the Nanhua to explain the real reasons for the Hui avoidance of pork—was refused; this refusal was due to the arrogance of the editor-in-chief of the book bureau, Zeng Zhongming, who was also the vice-minister of the Railroad Ministry. This issue remained unsettled yet and a second incident occurred: a pamphlet entitled “The Little Piggy,” written by Zhu Shanyang, was published by the Beixin Book Bureau in Shanghai (Beixin shuju, which was a publishing company; abbreviated as Beixin hereafter) on October 20, 1932. The content resembles that in the article by Lou Zikuang. (1) Lou Zikuang, “Why Do the Muslims Not Eat Pork?” (Huijiao-tu zenme bu chi zhu de rou), Nanhua wenyi (Shanghai), 1, no. 14 (June 16, 1932), 59–63. (2) Yu Zhengui, China’s Governments and Islam (Yinchuan: Ningxia People’s Press, 1996), 325. 7 Dhu al-Qidah 1438 - Muharram-1439 No. 11 August - September 2017 The news of the two successive incidents in Shanghai spread to many places across the whole of China, and numerous newspapers and magazines reported the matter continuously. The Hui magazines in particular published special issues to discuss the humiliating events.3 The Hui from Beiping (Beijing) were the most dynamic in their protest; this led to an escalation of the matter.4 The Hui from all parts of Beiping believed that the successive insults against the Hui in Shanghai were by no means incidental, and that they should unite the Hui across the whole country to make a petition to the government. They formed a Delegation for Protection of Religion to meet the Nanjing government and to forward a formal petition.5 The petition included three articles: first, to dismiss the editor-in-chief Zeng Zhongming; second, to order Nanhua to stop publishing such insulting articles; and third, to punish Lou Zikuang, the author of the Nanhua article. On October 26, a Hui man named Ma Xiaoyu and more than 30 of his Hui followers went the Beixin Book Bureau and destroyed it: The angry Muslims whose rage could no longer be curbed went in groups to Bei Xin Bookstore to demonstrate their anger and cause. The bookstore called for police protection. That further infuriated the Muslims. Many threw empty bottles or stones. Then, laborers from the docks mobilized themselves, and armed with iron rods and clubs, smashed windows and bookshelves of the bookstore to express their resentment. The Muslim policemen ordered to maintain order turned a blind eye to all the goings-on.6 (3) See the successive issues of the Yueh Hwa Magazine (Moonlight Magazine), one of the most influential Hui magazines published in Beiping in the period between October 1932 and the spring of 1933. (4) “Beiping” was the name of Beijing between 1928 and 1949 during the Republican era, because Nanjing (“Southern Capital”) was the official capital during the period; “ping” means “peace.” (5) Shen Pao, October 28, 1932. Shen Pao continued to report that the delegation was made up of more than 200 Hui people. See also “Protest against Article,” North-China Herald, Nov. 2, 1932, 169. (6) Hajjah Aliya Ma, Haji Ibrahim T. Y. Ma: A Biography (Kuala Lumpur: Muslim Welfare Organization of Malaysia, 1991), 128–29. 8 Under pressure from various parties, the editor-in-chief Zeng Zhongming published his apology to the Hui on October 30. The day after Zeng’s apology, the Hui Delegation for Protection of Religion from Shanghai, represented by the well-known Imam Da Pusheng and other members of the Hui elite, had arrived in Nanjing to submit their petition.7 There, the delegation from Shanghai met the similar-titled delegation from Beiping (Beijing). The two delegations allied with each other and reported the Nanhua and the Beixin incidents to the national government, requesting a fair and just settlement. The executive commission of the Kuomintang central committee, convened on November 7, issued a statement declaring that the government’s policy was to protect Muslims and respect the Muslim faith. An English newspaper in Shanghai reported, Firstly, the Shanghai Pai Hsin Book Company, which published the offensive book, has been ordered to close shop. Secondly, the “Nan Hua magazine” has been ordered to suspend publication. Thirdly, the author of the offensive book has been ordered to be punished in accordance with the due process of the law.8 The Executive Yuan (a governmental body) also recalled “the prominent part some Mohammedans have played in the history of the Republic. The measures are expected to appease the Mohammedans, who took offense at a recent article in a Shanghai magazine.”9 On February 3, 1933, Lou Zikuang was sentenced to be jailed for two months by a court in Hangzhou.10 A remarkable characteristic of the protest movement was the participation by many Hui communities throughout the whole country. First, the delegations (7) Shen Pao, Oct. 28, 1932, reported that the “Huimin Protest Group (hu jiao tuan) arrived at the capital on Oct. 27.” (8) See “Vindication of Mohammedans,” North-China Herald, Nov. 9, 1932, 212. See also, “Beixin Publishing House Destroyed Yesterday,” Shen Pao, Oct. 28, 1932, 10. (9) See Reuter, “Religious Freedom,” North-China Herald, Nov. 16, 1932. (10) See “Huabei Huimin hujiao tuan laihan” [The letter from the North China delegation for protection of religion], Yueh Hwa Magazine (Beiping), vol. 5, nos. 28–30 (Mar. 15, 1933), 19. Lou Zikuang moved to Taiwan in 1949. He continued doing his research on folklore studies there and had some successes. 9 Dhu al-Qidah 1438 - Muharram-1439 No. 11 August - September 2017 for Protection of Religion from Beiping and Shanghai were dispatched by many of the local Hui societies and associations. They organized themselves and adopted unanimous means to protect their mutual interests. Second, according to the reports of two issues of the Hui magazine, the Yueh Hwa Magazine, on October 25 and November 15, 1932, 26 telegrams were sent to the central government; many came from the main cities of Beiping and Tianjin, while the rest were from the provinces of Shandong, Hebei, Shaanxi, Gansu, Jiangsu, and Henan. Before and after the petitions were submitted, the Hui people who lived along the routes of the delegations’ journey held welcoming conferences for the two delegations; these acts also reinforced the sphere of influence of the protest movement,11 and displayed the influence of the Hui upon the Chinese government and society as a whole. Such unity could not be seen in the Qing dynasty, even when the great Hui rebellions broke out (for example in Shaanxi and Yunnan).