In his later years, Wang Xiwen drifted to Hong Kong. He was also an astrologer and quite renowned in the divination circles of the time. In his twilight years, he had to make a living by writing. Coming from a family of scholars steeped in poetry and calligraphy, he ended up like Gongping the diviner, which allows us to sense the loneliness and desolation of his later life, as well as the hardships and struggles he endured. On February 15, 1960, he committed suicide by taking sleeping pills at the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple in Sha Tin, Hong Kong.
Zhu Zhixin went to Humen to mediate the conflict between the Guangxi clique army and the Dongguan militia. On September 21, 1920, he was unfortunately shot and killed by stray bullets at the age of 35. Upon hearing the news, Sun Yat-sen traveled south from Shanghai and expressed deep sorrow, saying: "I have often said that Zhang Jingjiang has literature but no military skill, while Chen Qimei has military skill but no literature. Zhu Zhixin, however, could be said to possess both. Now that the Guangxi clique has been driven out, even gaining control of all of Guangdong is not enough to compensate for Zhu Zhixin’s death. The price we have paid is too high—how painful!" On the day of Zhu Zhixin’s funeral, Sun Yat-sen personally attended the procession, tears streaming down his face. Hu Hanmin and others were also deeply saddened. They rode in white horses and carriages, a scene of great mourning and honor.
Sun Yat-sen personally attended the funeral procession
Hu Hanmin wrote a poem mourning Zhu Zhixin, which reads: "Not merely bound by friendship, but also as teacher and friend; through many trials together, I came to know your character. At the border pass, your soul returned in autumn’s gloom; on the river bridge, our parting words were clear. Bandits may hate their lord—who is to blame? Everyone misses you, yet your death seems too light. My mournful words can never truly capture you; could casting gold ever replicate your life?"
From 1905 when he joined the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance in Tokyo, Japan, until Sun Yat-sen’s passing in 1925—over twenty-one years—Hu Hanmin assisted Sun in revolutionary activities. He followed Sun closely, participating in decision-making with unwavering loyalty. Many important writings by Sun were drafted by Hu Hanmin. Through years of hardship, their close relationship, forged through shared struggle and mutual support, was remarkably strong and enduring. Although Hu Hanmin was often bookish, stubborn, and even clashed with Sun on several occasions, on major issues of principle, he always deferred to Sun or stood by his side. Sun once remarked to others: "When Hanmin and I discuss matters, we often have disagreements. But I follow Hanmin’s advice about eighty or ninety percent of the time, while he follows mine only ten or twenty percent." Despite some differences in their views on important matters during Sun’s later years, Hu Hanmin remained steadfast in his loyalty, and Sun continued to trust and rely heavily on him.
On May 12, 1936, Hu Hanmin died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Chazhuang Garden in Guangzhou at the age of just 57. The Nationalist government in Nanjing mourned him with the elegiac couplet: "He embodied the upright spirit of heaven and earth, a founding hero of the Party and Nation, whose great deeds advanced the Republic, dedicating thirty years of effort to stabilizing the nation; he upheld virtue and used his writings to guide the world, his spirit towering above his peers, his spirit guarding the central government across thousands of miles."
One of the authors of the book *Sun Yat-sen’s Right- and Left-Hand Men: Zhu Zhixin and Hu Hanmin*, Wang Xiwen, was related to Zhu Zhixin by marriage—as his mother was Wang Xiwen’s aunt. Though five years Zhu Zhixin’s senior, they had studied together in Mr. Shen Xiaofen’s schoolhouse in their childhood, sharing desks and inkstones for years. As childhood classmates who grew up working together in the revolution for over a decade, Wang Xiwen knew Zhu Zhixin intimately. Wang Xiwen said: "Zhu Zhixin was two years younger than Mr. Zhenwei. By seniority, they were uncle and nephew, but by age, they were like brothers." Wang Xiwen was also the nephew of Wang Jingwei, and this dual connection made him the ideal person to write Zhu Zhixin’s biography. He said: "Although written entirely from memory, the details within are all truest historical material related to this revolutionary martyr."
Wang Xiwen drifts to Hong Kong
Wang Xiwen, also known as Zishen, was the son of Wang Zhaoyong and the maternal cousin of Wang Jingwei. Born on the sixth day of the ninth lunar month in the 16th year of the Guangxu reign (October 19, 1890), he was only seven years younger than Wang Jingwei.
A distinguished student of Ku Yingfen, a veteran of the Kuomintang, Wang Xiwen served in 1917 during the Constitutional Protection Movement when Sun Yat-sen was acclaimed Grand Marshal in Guangdong. He held the position of signing clerk in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (with Ju Zheng and Ye Xiasheng serving as minister and vice-minister respectively).
Before the War of Resistance, Wang Xiwen had only served as magistrate of Panyu County in Guangdong. Later, he became a confidential secretary at the Ministry of Finance of the National Government, and during the Wang puppet regime, he served as an administrative councilor, then was appointed as a provincial committee member of Zhejiang Province, concurrently serving as head of the Grain Bureau, later transferred to head the Social Welfare Bureau, then the Administrative Inspector and District Security Commander of the Fourth Administrative Region of Zhejiang. His highest official rank was merely that of a first-class confidential secretary.
In his later years, Wang Xiwen drifted to Hong Kong. He was also an astrologer and quite renowned in the divination circles of the time. In his twilight years, he had to make a living by writing. Coming from a family of scholars steeped in poetry and calligraphy, he ended up like Gongping the diviner, which allows us to sense the loneliness and desolation of his later life, as well as the hardships and struggles he endured. On February 15, 1960, he committed suicide by taking sleeping pills at the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple in Sha Tin, Hong Kong.
The other author of the book *Sun Yat-sen’s Right- and Left-Hand Men: Zhu Zhixin and Hu Hanmin* was Zhang Shuchou. Zhang Shuchou (1897–1962) was from Panyu, Guangdong. His father, Zhang Deying, styled Caishan and also known as Qingyin Tang, achieved the status of juren (successful candidate in the imperial examinations) in 1891. He excelled in poetry and painting, particularly in painting plum blossoms. He authored *Gengyan Ci* (Five Volumes) and *Cizheng* (Six Volumes).
Zhang Deying was once Hu Hanmin’s teacher. Hu Hanmin wrote in the preface to *Gengyan Ci*: "When I was only eight years old, I studied under him, learning punctuation and recitation. Later, due to worldly affairs, I could no longer receive literary instruction from him. Every time I open his posthumous writings, I cannot help but feel regret." Hu Hanmin was skilled in calligraphy and poetry, and authored *Bu Kui Shi Shi Cao* (Poetry Collection of the Unfailing Studio).
Zhang Shuchou, along with Hu Hanmin and his elder brother Qingrui, were classmates. Zhang Shuchou was a poet of the 1930s and 1940s, having written numerous poems published in the *Lingya* supplement of the *Guangdong Daily* at the time, such as *In Response to the Master of the Bu Kui Studio* and *Plum Rain Season – Listening to the Rain*. He also frequently exchanged poems with Huang Yongyu, refining poetic skills together at literary gatherings.
In 1947, he gathered with Li Jipei, Zhang Yinting, Li Zeyi, Hu Suizhai, Liu Boduan, Xian Yuqing, Zhang Ruijing, and Zhang Renshi at Beiyuan for a poetry gathering. In the mid-winter of 1948, he, along with Huang Yongyu, Li Liuhe, Hu Boxiao, Zhu Yongzhai, Huang Yao?, Zhang Renshi, and Xu Ju chu, composed ci poetry and responses. Huang Yongyu wrote a *Modiyu Zi* piece about kapok fluff. They also co-wrote *Plum Rain Season* lyrics. In 1957, after nine years apart, Huang Yongyu reunited with him. Hearing that Zhang Shuchou planned to go to Southeast Asia, they bid farewell through poetry, responding in kind with deep camaraderie.
Both authors, Wang Xiwen and Zhang Shuchou, wrote about Zhu Zhixin and Hu Hanmin from close personal observation, providing historical material more valuable than accounts by others. These lengthy pieces were originally published only in Hong Kong’s *Chunqiu* magazine, while Wang Xiwen’s article *Remembering Mr. Hu Zhan Tang (Hanmin)* was published in Hong Kong’s *Astronomical Observatory* newspaper.
They were never compiled into a single volume, so few knew of them. Recognizing the value of this material, I retyped and proofread it, combining it into one book. I also added *Section Four: Reminiscences of Guangdong Affairs*, featuring four essays: *Reminiscences of Guangdong Affairs I: Chen Jiongming, Hu Hanmin, and Zhu Zhixin*; *Reminiscences of Guangdong Affairs II: Chen Jiongming’s Campaign Against Yuan Shikai, Jiang Xiagong Caught in the Crossfire!*; *Reminiscences of Guangdong Affairs III: How Long Jiguang Forced Out Chen Jiongming?*; and *Reminiscences of Guangdong Affairs IV: The Bizarre Guangdong Political Scene Before 1920*. This provides a coherent narrative of events, aiding understanding of the broader historical context. (To be continued)