Legendary Carpenter’s Ups and Downs in Secrets, Part I

Aired on July 10, 2012 by Shanghai TV Documentary Channel The Past Program at 20:30 lasting 21 minutes.   Re-aired on August 8, 2012

Legendary Carpenter’s Ups and Downs in Secrets, Part II

Aired on July 11, 2012 by Shanghai TV Documentary Channel The Past Program at 20:30 lasting 21 minutes.     Re-aired on August 9, 2012

Title： The Past

Tu Zuochao’s photo

He used to work as a carpenter but unconsciously later on he became a hero behind the scene up and down in the vast sea of spy war.

Shenghua Tu： He had received secret service trainings, such as shooting, assassination and driving, and also secret writing and use of poison, etc.

What was the incident that had led to his life long connection with radio transceiver? Tonight, we listen to what The Past says.

Screen cuts from The Eternal Wave (towards end 1948. This is an earliest PRC spy movie in 1958 with an audience by end 2014 over 700 million）

Shanghai CCP underground leader says to the hero Li Xia: “Now we have 2 telegrams of the most important intelligence. They are concerned with the PLA （the People’s Liberation Army led by CCP）crossing the Yantze River (to occupy Nanjing, the capital city of the Republic of China). They must be sent out within 24 hours.”

Li Xia: “Comrade Sun, you just give this job to me.”

In 1958, the famous actor Sun Daolin starred the movie entitled The Eternal Wave and the movie was presented. The movie was about the CCP underground work and impressed the audience strongly.

Li Xia’s last radio message: “Farewell, comrades. I miss you all.”

The hero Li Xia on the new Chinese cinema screen thus became a most unforgettable image of the CCP underground workers. The original figure of Li Xia was Li Bai, a CCP undergrounder who had hidden in Shanghai for a long time for our Party’s secret services during the anti-Japan war time (1937-1945).

Li Bai’s photo on screen.

But, it is almost unknown to all that Li Bai had his untold comrade in arms fighting shoulder by shoulder with him during that time. And this was Tu Zuochao, a radio expert, his code name Carpenter.

TV newswoman Zhang Yi interviewing with Shenghua Tu (son of Tu Zuochao):

The hero of the movie The Eternal Wave was actually Li Bai. Correct?

Shenghua Tu: correct.

Zhang Yi: But the relationship between Li Bai and Tu Zuochao was special. It was both between the comrades in arms and between the apprentice and the master. How he had met Li Bai?

Shenghua Tu： On January 3, 1931, the Central Red Army in Jiangxi (Province) had established its Radio Team. On about January 28, 1931, General Commander Zhu De (a schoolmate of Tu Zuochao at Moscow Orient Communist Labor University from late 1925 to 1926) and Political Commissar Mao Zedong decided to seize the time to train our own radio men. As a result, the first radio training class began. He (Tu Zuochao) took part in the later part of teaching for the first training class. He (Tu Zuochao) completely took part in the teaching for the second training class. Among the trainings in the second training class, there was Li Bai from Liuyang (about 30 miles from Tu Zuochao’s hometown Changsha), Hunan Province. During that time, Tu Zuochao lectured on radio engineering while Li Bai was mainly leaning the radio operation. But there was no absolute difference between the radio operation and radio engineering. The radio operator must command some radio engineering knowledge. Otherwise, how can you operate your radio transceiver skillfully? They began their acquaintance during that time. That was the first contact between Tu Zuochao and Li Bai.

Their second contact was about in the autumn of 1937. The CCP Central had sent Li Bai from Yan’an to Shanghai. He was ordered to work as a radio operator at one of the few CCP secret radios. It was under this circumstance that Tu Zuochao met Li Bai.

Zhang Yi: In Shanghai?

Shenghua: Yes, in Shanghai. When in Shanghai, a place for Li Bai to hide and to operate his radio transceiver was located at Huang’pi’nan’lu Road ( another translation was Huangpi Rd, South) Li Bai was the radio operator. When it came to the winter of 1939, Gong Yinbing, who was in charge of CCP underground work in Shanghai, said to Tu Zuochao:＂we have decided to let Li Bai, the operator, learn radio engineering, thus a complete radio talent both for operation and for engineering, able to build and repair the transceiver, a radio operator and the concurrent radio engineer. So a program was worked out and the leadership had approved Tu Zuochao’s program. Therefore, a residence shop house was rented. Located at the crossing of Weihaiwei Road and Qinghai Road. Weihaiwei Road is 338 Weihai Road now. The shop was named Fu Sheng Radio Company, meaning Happy Voice. Tu Zuochao was the boss and the concurrent master. Li Bai was the accountant and the concurrent apprentice. Tu Zuochao and his family lived on the second floor. Li Bai and his wife lived on the third floor. The third floor was a loft and the ground floor was for business. From the winter of 1939 to the autumn of 1941, in totally 1 year and 9 months, Li Bai had basically mastered all the necessary radio engineering skills. Tu Zuchao had taught him what all he could teach.

Screen cuts from The Eternal Wave: Why don’t you work here? It is too hot upstairs, asked the heroine.

Hero Li Xia: We shall in no case expose the nature of our work.

Screen cuts continue, Li Xia took his radio set from his bedroom upstairs to the loft…

Shenghua Tu: As we saw from the movie The Eternal Wave, before Li Xia was arrested, there is one such scene whereas he was going to operate his radio transceiver and took that radio set upstairs to the loft. The audience would ask: why you take your radio set for radio operation? What is that radio set for? His signal receiver, well, was exactly hidden inside his radio set. A super heterodyne radio set had been built in advance. The automatic gain (volume) control inside had been changed to manual gain (volume) control. When it was used as a signal receiver, only 2 temporary coils were connected thus a temporary signal receiver. (notes by this translator and curator – I made a mistake during the interview. Should have been receiver, not transmitter as I had said. Besides, the actual part to change the radio set to a temporary signal receiver was one 4-inch long thin wire only. This secret was disclosed in 2009 when the third elder brother Yanhua of this translator had succeeded in copying the operational model for the spy signal receiver.) When the autumn came in 1941, Tu Zuochao reported to Gong Yinbing:“Well, Li Bai has basically mastered the radio engineering. He can complete his apprenticeship now. The 2 families, one master’s family and another the apprentice’s family, shall not live together any longer. If anything wrong, then both families will be arrested. So Gong Yinbing agreed: “Well, separated.”

So Tu Zuochao and his family were out and moved to 1520 Xinzha Road. Li Bai and his wife continued living at 338 Weihaiwei Road.

Screen:   Left Photo: Tu Zuochao; right photo: Li Bai

Both Tu Zuochao and Li Bai came from Hunan Province. Tu Zuochao came from a poor family. He began his carpenter apprenticeship when 13 or 14 years old. Carpenter later became his code name in his secret service work. In November, 1920, Tu Zuochao took part in Hunan Trade Union as one of the founding members. In May, 1924 Tu Zuochao joined in the CCP. He went to Shanghai to begin his secret service life. However, not long after his life in Shanghai, Tu Zuochao violated the discipline by shooting his pistol and so exposed his CCP membership. During that time of Kuomintang (KMT) and CCP Cooperation, those who had exposed their CCP membership would have 3 ways out. One was to hide locally. Two was to go for admission test at Huangpu Military Academy. And Way 3 for Tu Zuochao was to go to attend Moscow Orient Communist Labor University. So he became a CCP student in USSR. During his earlier days in USSR, Tu Zuochao concentrated on Marxist-Leninist theories. Like all the others, he made a Russian name for himself, Volodarski. On June 1, 1927, according to a Commintern (Communist International) order, Tu Zuochao who was studying at the Orient University was sent to the most famous Soviet secret service training camp named Bekovo. There he received a short time training on secret service skills.

Zhang Yi: What specifically happened after his arrival there?

Shenghua Tu: He received trainings on shooting, assassination, use of poison, secret writing and driving, etc. One of the assassinating skills taught by his Russian coaches was such that there was no need for gun, knife nor poison. Only one air injection was enough.

Zhang Yi: So there would be no trace at all?

Shenghua Tu: No. However it would be too cruel and costly to practice on any living human being. What to do? Well, practice on the rabbit.

Zhang Yi: Besides this technique, any other techniques for him to learn at all?

Shenghua: Another skill was printing. Well, at that time, CCP had no printing press. What to do? Well, you need to print a few copies for time being. And there was no carbon paper, either. It doesn’t matter. Just use the gentian violet of our daily life, which is used as the ink. Write with either fountain pen or pen. You write your poster for instance. Then use what the northerners call jelly or what the Shanghai people call agar. Melt the jelly or agar in a flat bottom basin. Hot warm melts the agar and when it cools down it becomes a solid jelly. You put your written poster face down onto the jelly. Then，the gentian violet penetrates into the jelly. What you have written has become a negative plate on the jelly now. Well, you put white paper onto the jelly. You will be able to make 5 to 6 copies. Maximum 6 copies. The fifth and the sixth copies will be less readable.

Zhang Yi: So, during that time, a lot of things had been learnt.

Shenghua: Correct. So that when it was 1927. Oh, besides, he learnt things such as explosives and bombs. He himself liked these. When it was December 20, 1927, he wrote a letter in Russian to the dean of the Orient University. In his letter, he said that China was under armed revolution and uprisings. So he needed to learn the skills to make explosives and bombs as early as possible. He also wanted to learn the skill for poisonous gas. So that he would be able to cope with the armed uprisings in China.

Zhang Yi： What was the dean’s reply?

Shenghua: The dean had written his comment on the letter saying Comrade Volodarski had been talked with. It was recommended that Comrade Volodarski talk over this issue with whom and whom.

In June 1928, the CCP 6^th National Congress was held in Moscow. Tu Zuochao, during his study in USSR, received a notice to attend the Congress. It was that Congress that he and the radio engineering had ever since made a life-long tie.

Shenghua: In June 1928 he was notified to attend the CCP 6^th National Congress. Before the Congress began, Zhang Guotao, the deputy chairman of CCP delegation stationed in Moscow, talked with him. Zhang told him that CCP Central had read his applications for approvals for him to learn the explosive and bomb skills, but CCP Central did not approve you to learn the military engineering skills. Rather, the CCP Central would like you to learn radio skills. Because, for instance, Zhu De and Mao Zedong had established their base area in Jiangxi Province. But there was no radio communication. So the Red Army failed to mobilize its forces in unit of regiment or regiments. So you need to learn this skill. My father’s attitude then was that he would abide by the Party’s decision. Right after Zhang Guotao’s talk with him, Zhou Enlai talked to him. The contents of the talk were similar. None the less, Zhou Enlai asked him to pay more attention and to devote all his efforts. This was what had happened before the 6^th Congress began.

The 6^th Congress began on June 18, 1928. After the Congress began, Tu Zuochao was worried. Why? One day in June during the Congress, there was a Congress decision. It was decided that each 2 students studying in USSR from Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces would attend the 6^th Congress first, then after the Congress they return home for work. Before the 6^th Congress, Commintern had made an evaluation of my father, which said that this comrade had a strong sense for organization and discipline, had a high theoretical level and brave fighting spirit, and so on. The most interesting was the Item 9 in the evaluation, which said that this comrade was recommended for propaganda work at least at the provincial level. Based on the 6^th Congress decision on that day in June, Tu Zuochao was the would-be propaganda minister of the CCP Hunan Provincial Committee. But his studying the radio was a top secret at that time. The delegates at the Congress did not know about this at all. Nor could Zhou Enlai, the Congress secretary general, explain this to the delegates. As a result, he was worried. After this (the decision by the Congress) he had totally submitted 3 reports. The contents of the 3 reports were basically the same saying that I was originally a worker with little education, so my theoretical level was low and it was impossible for me to become a theoretician. He did not know that it had been internally decided that he was to study the radio skills. And also the relevant talks with him. But the decision by the Congress did worry him. So he wrote his 3 reports. Of his 3 reports, two reports were commented in writing by Zhou Enlai personally. On one report by Tu Zuochao, Zhou Enlai wrote “to be decided.” On another Tu’s report, Zhou wrote “To stay for study to be discussed.”

On October 26, 1928, Commintern held a meeting. Attended at the meeting were Miv, the Commintern Fareast Minister, CCP delegation deputy director Zhang Guotao whose alias then was Zhang Biao, etc. The meeting discussed on what CCP had put forward in a name list of those who were to study the radio skills. The list had 10 persons. Of this list, my father namely Volodarski was on the top. Six out of the 10 listed were chosen as a result of the discussion. Of the 6 chosen, Volodarski was still the first listed. That was decided on October 26. It was under this circumstance that he began his radio study.

Zhang Yi: During his study he must have encountered with some difficulty, correct?

Shenghua: Yes, when he was learning radio transmission. Normally after some time of study, you should have been able to send about 100 codes per minute. Or, the good one should exceed 100 codes. But he could only send 30 to 40 codes per minute as the maximum. He recalled that his poor score made his teachers deadly angry and he himself was feeling very disappointed, too. He said to himself, I am too silly to study this. But the political commissar and the dean of the communication school encouraged him saying that do no lose your heart. If you failed to learn your radio operation, then you will still have radio engineering to learn. That is, you try your best to learn how to repair and build the transmitter and the receiver.

Zhang Yi: Was he interested in this?

Shenghua: Yes, he was interested in this indeed, though he started from the zero. He climbed over the wall at night to have some distance between the transmitter and the receiver, so as to experience the transmission and reception. He worked in after hours. One was transmitting and the other was receiving. As a result, the patrolling soldier found this and the duty officer of the school gave them an oral caution. He told them that you were violating the school rule. You must sleep during your sleeping time. You shall not be out.

Entering the metropolitan Shanghai, Tu Zuochao found the arena for his profession and potentiality while he also noticed that he was circled by various crises.

Shenghua: He knocked the door in a way as previously agreed each other. No one answered the door. Well, Tu Zuochao came to know, something wrong! If he tried to run away, the police and detectives hiding nearby would arrest him.

   In this crisis, how he weathered the storm and moved to a calmer water? The First Part of the program of Legendary Carpenter’s Ups and Downs in the Secrets is being aired now.

   After one year of study, despite his great progress in learning the radio engineering, the major of Tu Zuochao’s radio operation still could not pass the exam. With his score sheet of fail Tu Zuochao returned from USSR back to Shanghai. However, beyond his imagination, the CCP Central in Shanghai did not take the Soviet recommendation as recorded in the evaluation that Tu Zuochao work as a propaganda man. Rather, he was sent to work as a radio engineer at the CCP Secret Service.

Zhang Yi: What job was he doing after he was back in Shanghai?

Shenghua: He worked as a radio engineer and a radio engineering coach at the CCP Secret Service Section 4, which was in charge of radio communication. He was anyway a returned student from USSR. Besides, he had another job, that was, at that time, the CCP Central and the CCP Central Military Commission had their first radio operating already but the transmitter’s output was too powerful, thus easy to expose itself. With his limited knowledge, Tu Zuochao took part in the improvement. That was, how to reduce the transmitting output and how to increase the receiving sensitivity. The lower the transmitting output, the less the probability for exposure. That was basically what he was doing.

Zhang Yi: However, he did encounter with dangers, didn’t he?

Shenghua: Yes, he did encounter with. At that time, in a place located what is the nowadays Julu Road, there was a radio training class. He would lecture on some radio engineering at the training class. On December 17, 1930, the radio training class was broken by the French Concession police. Twenty trainees and trainers were arrested. It happened before the lunch time. In the afternoon, according to the order he had received, my father would go there to lecture on the making of the transformer. Normally, the transformer produces more or less a noise of alternative current. One of the measures to get rid of the alternative noise was to, when making the transformer, try one’s best to press the silicon steel sheets as closely as possible. After the transformer is made, itself is sunk into the vanish. The vanish has a strong penetration. So all the small gaps between the silicon steel sheets will be filled. After that, the alternative noise can be or can basically be taken away.

Zhang Yi: So he arrived there after he had had his lunch?

Shenghua: Yes, after his lunch. He counterplotted himself as a painter, wearing a dirty and torn cotton gown, with half a bucket of varnish in his hand. He went there like a painter. He knocked the door with their pre-arranged signal. Nobody answered the door. Alas, something was wrong! He knocked the door again. Still nobody answered. He was fully aware that he could not run away. Once you tried to run away, the hiding police and secret agents hiding nearby would descend upon. So not to run away. Just go on knocking the door. Finally the door was opened. The French Concession police shouted at him. He appeared quite differently from those who had just been arrested. Those who had just been arrested appeared like teachers and students. At least their clothes were clean and neat. But the man now present was a painter. He spoke his broken Pigeon English asking for his wage. Shanghai people call Pigeon English as Yangjingbang English. He was asking for his money. Finally the French Concession police lost his temper. So he kicked him. By this time, he appeared to be wronged and slowly left the spot. So he escaped.

Based on his smartness and calm, Tu Zuochao escaped from this crisis. However, of all crises that he had undergone, the crisis this time could only be a piece of the ice burg. Shortly after his escape from the French Concession police, how Tu Zuochao coped with his next crisis? And　what historical moments would be witnessed by him? Please continue watching Part 2 of The Legendary Carpenter’s Ups and Downs in the Secrets at the same time tomorrow.

Screen: Tu Zuochao photo.

He had been up and down in the sea of secrets and used his red radio waves to form one saga after another in the secret service battlefield.

Shenghua: Day time of December 12, 1936 Incident, electricity supply in Xi’an stopped. The news that Jiang Jieshi was arrested was sent out by use of the DC section of the AC-DC transceiver.

   And what were his experiences that had made him the hero behind The Eternal Wave? Tonight, let’s hear what The Past talks about.

Screen: The Legendary Carpenter’s Ups and Downs in the Secrets, Part 2

Screen cuts from The Eternal Wave. Movie Hero Li Xia said to his wife: “Lanfen, you take Xiaoming and leave first.”

Lanfen: “Me? I can not leave.”

Li Xi:“This is the order.”

In 1958, a movie entitled The Eternal Wave enabled the audience to come to know a piece of unknown story about the underground struggle during the Anti-Japanese War. However, for a long time, most audience did not know that there was another underground secret agent silently supporting the operation of the radio of Martyr Li Bai, the original of the hero in the movie.

Screen: Photo of Li Bai.

Screen: Photo of Tu Zuochao

He was Tu Zuochao, the radio expert, code name Carpenter.

In 1903, Tu Zuochao was born at a poor family in the suburb of Changsha, Hunan Province. In 1924, Tu Zuochao joined in CCP when he was 21. He was sent to study in USSR in the same year (note by the translator/curator: should have been 1925). He majored in secret service and transceiver techniques. In 1928，Tu Zuochao made his home return (note by translator/curator: should have been 1930) and was arranged to work on radio engineering at the CCP Secret Service. On December 30, 1930, during one of the battles of its first anti-annihilation the Red Army in Jiangxi Province smashed the attack by Division 18 of the KMT (the Nationalists) and captured the commander of Division 18, Major General Zhang Huizan. (Note by the translator/curator: Zhang was a Lt General when he was captured.)

After Zhang Huizan had been captured, Jiang Jieshi expressed his wish that the CCP would conditionally release Zhang Huizan through negotiation. In early February, 1931, Tu Zuochao, the negotiator, was given an important task.

Screen: Tu Zuochao

He was the CCP representative to negotiate with the Nationalists in Nanchang (the capital city of Jiangxi Province)

Zhang Yi: Why he was sent as the negotiator?

Shenghua: My understanding is such that

Firstly Zhang Huizan came from Dongxiang Township, Changsha, Hunan Province. My father came from the same Dongxiang Township, Changsha, Hunan Province. They were therefore close home town fellows.

Secondly, Zhang Huizan was a general in belief of Christianity. My father had attended missionary school when young, and also had had a belief in Christianity. This could be reason number 2.

Thirdly, he had learnt and known some photographic skills.

And Reason 4, he had learnt secret service techniques when in USSR.

There had had to be some political and technical supervision.

Zhang Yi: It had had to be a professional for this job.

Shenghua: Correct. There had had to be some political and technical supervision.

As the CCP Central’s representative, Tu Zuochao satisfied these conditions. So he was the CCP Central representative. Then, at the same time, CCP Central had sent Li Xiangwu as the China Workers and Peasants Red Army representative. Li Xiangwu was the secretary of the Soldiers’ Movement Section of CCP Central Military Ministry. He and my father, the 2 men, started their journey at the same time.

There was no radio communication at that time between the CCP Central in Shanghai and the Jaingxi Soviet Base Area. So before the CCP order to release Zhang Huizan was delivered, Zhang Huizan had been executed after a public trial.

Screen: Zhang Huizan photo

Screen: Tu Zuochao and Li Xiangwu (right) photos

When Tu Zuochao and Li Xiangwu arrived in Nanchang, the news about Zhang Huizan’s death had already been well known. This sudden change made them aware that they were in danger already whereas they would be caught by the KMT any time.

Shenghua: Seeing the situation, the 2 representatives discussed among themselves. Let’s hurry for withdrawal. The precondition for the negotiation was gone. So the 2 men ran away. It was raining. They arrived at a village named Cheng Gang Wei Cun Village. (Note by this translator and curator – screen dubbing mistakes as Cheng Fang Wei Cun Village.) The house owner heard their sighs. The house owner came out. His name was Wei Chaopeng. He was a member of Qing-Hong Brotherhood.

According to the Qing-Hong Brotherhood practice, their members communicate with a code language. The first round to identify each other through the code language was such that the host served each guest with 4 cups of tea. It so happened that these 2 secret service members had some knowledge about the Qing-Hong Brotherhood practice and rule. They both picked up, as if they had had some pre-agreement each other, the number 4 cup. What was the meaning for the 4 tea cups? Well, in the order, if I picked up the first cup it meant that I was idling today and so come to your place for a chat. What if I picked up the second cup? Well, I was not feeling well today because my wife had argued with me last night. So I am here to hear some comforting words from you. If I picked up the third, this meant that I was short of money, and would you help me financially? If I picked up the 4^th cup, it meant that I was endangered today. Would you save my life? They both picked up the 4^th cups. When the cup was picked up, do not drink the tea. You must pore the tea onto the ground. Return the empty cup back to its original place. Then the host would refill your cup. After that you drink your tea (in this 4^th cup). So the first code signal was communicated through.

The hostess had brought 2 bowls of noodles for the 2 guests. The couple of the chop sticks were placed to the right of the bowl and in the direction of the guest’s sitting. They two, again, happened to know that that was the second round of the greeting code by the Qing-Hong Brotherhood. They both placed the chop sticks for each of them from the previous parallel direction to the horizontal direction, from the right side of the bowl to the front side of the bowl. After that they began eating. Having both codes verified, they were recognized as the brotherhood members. And the host was determined to save them. They hid in his home for about 2 weeks. They stayed inside in day time. They only dared to go out for a walk at night. It was during these 2 weeks, Wei Chaopeng had got all prepared. Firstly each of them was equipped with a new suit. Then Wei Chaopeng got a boat load of china made in Jingdezhen (nicknamed china capital of China).

Zhang Yi: They disguised themselves and appeared decent.

Shenghua: Wei Chaopeng became the servant and the concurrent butler. Tu Zuochao and Li Xiangwu became 2 young masters. The boat started from Nanchang, passed Jingdezhen and Qimen, etc. The man driven boat had eventually reached the river side of the Yantze. When stopping over in Jingdezhen, Li Xiangwu wrote a letter to his wife in Shanghai. His wife was Liu Zhimin, a staff member at CCP Central for secret work, too. Li said in his letter that the business failed but he remained OK without any serious illness. That he was still wandering somewhere but he would be back in Shanghai soon. This was the letter. Upon receipt of the letter, Liu Zhimin reported to the CCP Central, saying that both representatives were alive though without any idea where they were. But one thing was certain, they would be back in Shanghai in a few days.

Wei Chaopeng took them to Shanghai and they checked in a hotel in the area of today’s Fuzhou Road. The hotel was named Xin Lu Ming. That was a rendezvous for the CCP Secret Service for connection and contact. They so checked in. The CCP Secret Service would send someone to come to this hotel from time to time. Once or twice a day. Right after that Gu Shunzhang came. He came personally and told them that the CCP Central totally agreed with their decision to withdraw. Very good for them to be back. The next would be the CCP Central to decide what to do with Wei Chaopeng? Now, the fake had become a genuine. Technically it was possible to leave Wei Chaopeng silently. But, by so doing, would that make him angry, and he then would tell them on by speaking to the authorities? He might say that what he had saved could be the Communists because they did not look like my brotherhood fellows. That would have been a trouble in return. Well, just play the false game as a genuine game. As a result, they assigned Li Qiang, CCP Secret Service 4^th Section chief, for the job. Because Li Qiang knew more details about the Qing-Hong Brotherhood rule and practice. It was very ideal for Li Qiang to express gratitude for Wei Chaopeng. As a result, after some rounds of alcohol drinking. Wei Chaopeng proposed that we three brothers had had our own fate to meet and it had not been easy at all for us. So should we exchange Jinlanpu Books among ourselves so that we three became brothers? And Li Qiang responded that that was a good thing, why not? He then asked the waiter for the stationary. So they three exchanged their Jinlanpu Books. Prior to this moment, Li Qiang said to Wei Chaopeng that he was on behalf of the brotherhood leader to thank Brother Wei Chaopeng for his rescue for the 2 brothers by risking his own life. He presented to Wei 60 silver dollars for the travel expense. At that time, the travel expense from Shanghai to Nanchang was no more than 2 silver dollars. Besides the 60 silver dollars, Li Qiang, on behalf of the brotherhood chief again, presented Wei Chaopeng with a quantity of silk that needed 2 men to carry on their shoulders. So Wei Chaopeng was really happy. Otherwise how he could have taken the alcohol excitement to ask for the Jinlanpu exchange? As a result, Wei Chaopeng had his real name on the Jinlanpu. Tu Zuochao had of coursed used a pseudo name. His pseudo name was Song Youcai. Li Xiangwu used a pseudo name of Lin Wanxuan. After the swap of the Jinlanpu, Wei Chaopeng returned home.

With the help of Wei Chaopeng, a member of Qing-Hong Brotherhood, Tu Zuochao and Li Xiangwu were back in Shanghai. After that, through a secret channel, Tu Zuochao arrived at the Red Army Headquarters located at Qingtang, Ruijin County, Jiangxi Province on March 20, 1931.

During his time in Jiangxi Base Area, besides his job as the radio engineer building and maintaining the radio stations, he was also responsible for the radio training class there. It was because of this, he became acquainted with Li Bai, the original figure of the hero Li Xia in the movie The Eternal Wave. They therefore had had a friendship between the master and the apprentice ever since. In Autumn, 1935 when the 5^th Anti-annihilation campaign failed, the Red Army had to begin its Long March. However, Tu Zuochao was not included in the Long Marchers. He was left in the Soviet Base Area for the guerrilla war. In February, 1935, Tu Zuochao was assigned to work in West Hunan Province. The KMT blockade kept him from reaching his destination. By this time, his way back to Jiangxi Base Area was blockaded. In his desperation, Tu Zuchao wandered eastwards to Shanghai. After one year’s endeavor, he eventually found the CCP underground connections. By this time, the Red Army had arrived in North Shaanxi Province.

In Autumn, 1936, Tu Zuochao suddenly received a CCP secret order asking him to rush to Xi’an.

Zhang Yi: Before the Xi’an Incident, you father had been in Xi’an already, really?

Shenghua: Yes. CCP did not have their own transceiver in Xi’an. Had to use the radio facility of Lt General Wang Yizhe, an army commander of the Northeastern Army. But CCP needed their own radio and so CCP sent Tu Zuochao to Xi’an. He made the first CCP transceiver in Xi’an. It was a 5-Watt one. He spent about a dozen dollars and bought a second-hand Japan-made radio set. He modified this radio set and made it a transceiver with an output power of 5 Watts. Right after the first radio station he had made the second one. The output power of this second radio station remained 5 Watts but this radio station could use either AC or DC. This AC-DC radio station played its role on the day when the Xi’an Incident took place. On December 12, 1936 when the Double 12 Incident took place, electricity supply in Xi’an stopped. The news that Jiang Jieshi was arrested was sent by the DC section of this AC-DC transceiver.

Zhang Yi: As you see, he was seizing the time to make radio stations as soon as he arrived in Xi’an in September, 1936. Was there any political climate or political situation that led him to think if there was going to have something happening? Why so urgent?

Shenghua: He was a professional spy. His job to do was exactly following the order given by his boss. Anything else was not his business.

Zhang Yi: Spoke no more than necessary and asked no more than needed?

Shenghua: Correct. 

    After Li Bai’s arrestment, Tu Zuochao was facing the most serious crisis ever.

Shenghua: (My father said to my mother) “In future if and when the CCP is in power but I fail to return home, then you go to see Mao Zedong and ask him for myself. Mao Zedong is our leader. He will take care of all of your livelihood.

What was the reason his story has been so unknown to most people? The Past Program is now airing The Legendary Carpenter’s Ups and Downs in the Sea of Secrets Part 2.

After the peaceful settlement of the Xi’an Incident, Tu Zuochao followed Pan Hannian and returned to Shanghai that was occupied by the Japanese troops. His job was to prepare and restore the CCP radios in Shanghai. The Story of The Eternal Wave therefore began.

Screen: Pan Hannian’s photo.

Shenghua: On December 31, 1936, Li Kenong first and Zhou Enlai second summoned Tu Zuochao for a talk:＂You go to Shanghai. Your next boss is Xiao Kai (or young boss or young master, code name for Pan Hannian). He was Pan Hannian. Secondly, both Zhou Enlai and Li Kenong said that the Carpenter had raised the issue that our underground operators in Shanghai dare not run such a risk whereas they even do not have a normal job. If this is the case then the probability for exposure is too high.

Zhang Yi: They must find a way out to hide their true identity. Correct?

Shenghua: Yes. They must have a job in the society. The identity was a must for them. Thirdly, they said that the Carpenter in that year was 34 years old. “You the Carpenter must get married.” “And Xiao Kai is responsible for this.” So when in Shanghai, Pan Hannian talked to my father: “Now you are going to get married. A woman, our own CCP member, for you. She will not get pregnant for sure.” Pan Hannian felt confident that Tu Zuochao would agree with this for sure. But it so happened that Tu Zuochao disagreed.

Zhang Yi: Why?

Shenghua: He argued that “if I have my wife, my wife must bear kids. What is the use for you to find me a wife who cannot bear kids? I cannot accept this”

Pan Hannian argued with him: “I am your boss. How can you refuse my arrangement for your marriage?”

He said that “I do not want this wife.”

“What and how you want to do?”

“I will find my own wife.”

“You must get it clear. Whoever is arranged for you is our own CCP comrade. Now that you are to find your own wife, you must know our organizational discipline.”

My father said: “Well, it is not too hard. True husband and wife, and false comradeship.” So his true identity would not be exposed. It was easy for him to say so but it was truly difficult for him to do so. How to cope with the situation? He could only marry a woman who had given birth to a child. Either a widow or a divorcee. And she must have her child with her. This would prove that she could bear kids. This was condition 1. Condition 2 then, she should in no case have had any education at all. If his wife to be had had any education, his identity would have been exposed readily. So he started his search for his wife. So he found my mother. My mother’s ex-husband died of T.B. My mother was an odd worker at a textile mill. During that time, the T.B. was an equivalent to our present day’s cancer. No cure. So there were my mother and my big brother whose father was my mother’s ex-husband. My big brother was 5 years old then. They met and agreed to get married. Readily and quickly. So they established their family. Our home then was at 572 Changde Road. In winter of 1939, they moved to today’s 338 Weihai Road crossing Qinghai Road. The Tu Zuochao family was on the second floor and Li Bai and his wife lived on the third floor that was a loft. The first floor was for the shop. My father’s name then was Jiang Lingen. Li Bai and his wife called my father Master Jiang. They called my mother Goodwife Jiang. Even when it was in the 1950’s and early 1960’s, when the widow of Martyr Li Bai, her name was Auntie Qiu Huiying, came to my home, she would still call my mother (in Shanghai dialect) Goodwife Jiang, Goodwife Jiang. So, the 2 families lived together.

Zhang Yi: At what time did your mother realize what was your father’s real job?

Shenghua: To be exact, it was September, 1942.

In September 1942 Tu Zuochao suddenly received an order from the CCP organization informing him that Li Bai had been arrested. With dangers around, he had to withdraw from Shanghai.

Shenghua: What was the first question the CCP Underground thinking of upon Li Bai’s arrestment? If Li Bai confessed then Tu Zuochao would be the next arrested. Tu Zuochao was therefore notified to withdraw urgently. Either on September 15 or 16 when Tu Zuochao was notified, he withdrew within one week. At that time, my parents had already got 3 kids. The biggest child was 10 years old, the second child was 3 and the third child or my second elder brother was only one month old. He was born on August 18. He was to be one month old on September 18. But on September 18, my father had withdrawn. Before his withdrawal, he said to my mother: “I must leave. Why? I am a Communist. I must tell you the truth today. Secondly my name is not Jiang Lingen. My name is Tu Zuochao. You are illiterate. Why I have married you? It was exactly because you are illiterate. Otherwise, you would have known what I have really been doing. The 3 characters of my name Tu, Zuo and Chao, you try your best to remember how to write. Mr. Li is in trouble now, and I must leave. I will come back to pick you and our kids up in the future. You try your best to live and stay safe. If in the future, the CCP failed to dominate China, you marry away with another man with our kids. And you shall never mention Tu Zuochao any more. This will do you no good. However, if the CCP dominates China in the future but I fail to return home, you go to ask Mao Zedong for myself. Mao Zedong is our leader. And he will take care of all of your livelihood.

Zhang Yi: Was that a farewell brief?

Shenghua: Yes. That was the brief. So he left. After more than one year, the CCP underground, that was from about September 18, 1942 to the winder of 1943 when the organization had arranged the withdrawing route. That was, the liaison man took my mother and my 2 brothers and my sister to withdraw from Shanghai to the CCP New 4^th Army base area in north Jiangsu Province. So my family got reunited.

In May 1949, Shanghai was liberated. Shanghai Mayor Chen Yi appointed Tu Zuochao as the military representatives to take over Shanghai Radio Company (correction by this translator and curatorr: should have been the Central Radio Appliances Co Ltd)) and Shanghai Wire Communication Company. In autumn of 1952, shortly after the First Machine Building Ministry had been established, Tu Zuochao was transferred to Shanghai Machine and Electric Institute working as a section chief there. (Note by this translator and curator: should have been the Ministry’s Shanghai Comprehensive Material Test sub-institute working as the deputy director) And his story in the secret service battlefield before the liberation had been locked in the files. But when 1957 came, a shooting screw from the August 1 Film Studio, Beijing (August 1, 1927 was the founding day of the People’s Liberation Army or PLA，note by the translator-curator) for the movie The Eternal Wave, based on the advice of Li Kenong (CCP Central Investigation Minister till 1962 upon death), found Tu Zuochao and became aware of this unknown hero behind the scene in this long covered up story about the underground hero.

Zhang Yi: What was your father’s feeling when he saw the movie?

Shenghua: Cannot remember, can’t at all. However I should mention one thing. It was on August 28, 1949, just 3 months after the Shanghai liberation, there was the memorial service for Martyr Li Bai at the auditorium of either Communications University or Tongji University in Shanghai. The memorial service was actually for 3 men, Martyrs Li Bai, Qin Hongjun and Zhang Kunzhai. When the memorial service was held, Tu Zuochao，the chief military representative stationed at the Central Radio Appliances Co Ltd located in Shanghai, was among the mourners. However, he said no words about his relations with Li Bai. He was such a man who had never sought for reputation and benefit. He should have been on the stage with the family members of the martyrs and those leaders because he had been the master as well as the comrade in arms of the martyr. Well, no, he mentioned not even a single word about this.

Screen: End of the movie The Eternal Wave :

Playwright: Lin Jin

Director: Wang Ping

Photography: Xue Boqing

Composer: Li Weicai

In 1958, the movie The Eternal Wave was presented nation-wide. Tu Zuochao refused the suggestion by the shooting crew who would like to list Tu Zuochao’s name in the end of the movie. Most audiences have therefore not known that behind Martyr Li Bai there existed another underground fighter. On December 31, 1984 Tu Zuochao died of illness in hospital at the age of 81. What he has left are those red waves in the sky, which never disappear.