Adriano Madaro: These People Are Always Remembered by Chinese People

Editor’s Note: On the publication ceremony of the book SHARED IDEALS – THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA AND ITS CHERISHED FRIENDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD held in Beijing in July, Adriano Madaro, sinologist and juournalist from Italy, talked about his understanding of the Centennial CPC in his speech via video link. An excerpt of his speech is as follows.

Da Jia Hao! (Hello, everyone.)

(When) from my friends of the Publishing House Foreign Languages Press, I was invited to write some lines for the book celebrating the important foreigners, that (lived) in the first half of last century. They supported the Chinese revolution.

I was very happy because I knew them through (from) the books many years ago, when I was younger and was so interested to know the truth about the history of China, especially (for) the revolution of Mao Zedong and the other comrades.

And I think that for me, the best one is a journalist, because I’m a journalist. (He) is Edgar Snow, the American journalist. Because he went in the Thirties to Yan’an (and) Bao’an, where he met for the first time Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, all the leaders of the important Chinese revolution.

And it was the first time that the western world, the all (whole) world knew something about the important person who was Mao Zedong, especially for his biography.

So Edgar Snow was so important also for my studies not only (for) the journalism, but (for) the history of China.

But I must remember also others, like, for example, Norman Bethune. He was one (a) physician from Canada, he devoted his life for (to) the revolution.

We can’t forget, for example, Israel Epstein, another foreigner. He wrote one (an) important book, A short history of Modern China. I remember it, I read it during my university time.

And also Agnes Smedley, she was one journalist, American too, one lady. And (at) the beginning, she was the first American lady that joined the Communist Party in China. Also the others of course.

And how don’t(not) remember also George Hatem. His Chinese name is Ma Haide.

But important also is Rewi Alley, from New Zealand: he went to China only to give a look at the revolution and he stayed in China (for) 60 years, all his life.

All these people, but not Edgar Snow, but all the others, they stayed in China also after the liberation in 1949/50. And now, of course, they disappeared already (passed away), but they are (buried) in the glorious cemetery of Babaoshan in Beijing.

So I wrote these lines (for) participating in the one hundred years of the establishment of the Communist Party of China. I think that this book is very important, not only to the Chinese friends, but to all the World, especially for (to) the new generations, to know some important pages of the Chinese revolutionary history.