Episode 1 recap: The Communist Party of China was founded.
In 1921, at Juzizhou in Changsha, Mao Zedong was swimming in the clear river water when he heard a fisherman singing a beautiful folk song. Mao praised the old man for his singing. However, the old man thought Mao Zedong was quite daring to swim in the river just after a heavy rain. Mao Zedong told him that even though the water may be fast-flowing, it also has its temper, and if you understand its temper, you can control it.
The old man asked Mao Zedong where he came from, and Mao said he came from Shanghai. With that, he sang a folk song and left. The old man recognized that he was singing a folk song from Shaoshan and realized that he was from Shaoshan. Listening to Mao Zedong singing the folk song and watching his figure, the old man muttered that life would be sweet if it were truly like the folk song.
In the early 1920s, China was under the control of the Beiyang warlords, who held central political power in Beijing. Various warlord factions were vying for power, and the people were suffering. Sun Yat-sen established a government in Guangzhou to counter the Beiyang government. In July 1921, thirteen young people with an average age of twenty-eight conspired in the Shanghai Concession and officially founded the Communist Party of China.
This aspiring political party aimed to fundamentally change China. At that time, there were only slightly over fifty members nationwide, and they possessed almost nothing except their grasp of the truth. Yet, this group of individuals faced the vigilance and hostility of various complex forces at home and abroad and embarked on a pioneering journey to bring new life to the country and the people. In August of that year, Mao Zedong, the Hunan delegate who participated in the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai, returned to Changsha. Mao Zedong looked at the thirteen chairs before him and said, "These thirteen chairs are just right, not one more and not one less."
He Shu Heng interjected, feeling that it was exactly the same as when they had a meeting in Shanghai. At that time, except for two other delegates, there were exactly thirteen of them. Mao Zedong's wife, Yang Kaihui, was beside him, responsible for taking notes during the meeting.
Mao Zedong told them that once this meeting was held, the Communist Party would be formally established. Their organizational task was to develop party members as much as possible in various regions. Mao Zedong told them that developing party members boiled down to three words: true comrades.
To find true comrades, we need to establish a school so that we can find like-minded friends.
He Shu Heng thought this idea was great and asked Mao Zedong how much funding the organization would provide them. Mao Zedong told him that there was no funding and they needed to figure it out themselves. Mao Ze Min and Wang Shulan were at the waste oil bun stall when Mao Ze Tan hurriedly ran over to call them.
Seeing their worried expressions, Mao Zedong told them that if they wanted to accomplish something, they had to go all out. He Shu Heng told him that with their current salaries, even if they didn't eat or drink, they couldn't afford to establish a school. Mao Zedong returned home, and Mao Ze Min had already prepared the meal. As they were about to start eating, Mao Zedong noticed that Jumeizi, Mao Zhejian, hadn't arrived. He felt that they could wait for anyone, but not Jumeizi. He told them to wait a little longer.
After a while, Mao Zhejian arrived, and Yang Kaihui hurriedly went to open the door. Mao Zedong told Yang Kaihui that Jumeizi had been adopted into their family since she was young. Now that she had grown up, there were some things that he, as her elder brother, couldn't easily discuss with her. Yang Kaihui told him not to worry about family matters and to focus on establishing the self-study university.
Yang Kaihui gave him a suggestion. She thought they could go find He Min Fan and ask him to lend them the vacant school building, which would save them some money. Mao Zedong went to find He Min Fan and asked him if he could become the principal of this self-study university.
He Min Fan felt that Mao Zedong's invitation to become the principal was probably not just about the university. Mao Zedong hoped that He Min Fan could help them apply for funding. Ma Lin asked Chen Du Xiu to come back and oversee the party's work. Chen Du Xiu believed that since it was the Communist Party of China and he was the secretary, he would be informed whenever there was something important.
Li Da delivered Chen Yan Nian's letter to Chen Du Xiu, and he was delighted to see that Chen Yan Nian also supported their ideas. Sun Yat-sen and Chen Jiongming were having a meal together in Guangzhou, discussing national affairs, while Song Qingling quietly packed her belongings and listened.
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