Xue Muqiao quietly left this noisy world, but his long-term persistent exploration spirit of socialist economic theory, as well as his master style of being indifferent to fame and fortune and persisting in truth, will always be remembered by us. When the reform enters the crucial stage, every decision has to go through the game of various interest groups, and a series of market-oriented views are under great pressure, the spirit and demeanor of Xue Muqiao, an economist of the older generation, is precious.
Trapped in a cage, a generation of masters will become stronger and stronger.
Xue Muqiao (formerly known as Xue Yuling) devoted his life to the exploration and research of proletarian revolution and socialist economic theory, and his ideals and beliefs were rooted in his heart as early as his adolescence.
19 19 When the May 4th Movement broke out, Xue Muqiao, who had not yet arrived at 15, took to the streets to give a speech with senior students. During the summer vacation, several classmates and I founded a mimeographed tabloid and published several articles criticizing the great powers and warlords, promoting patriotism and saving the country, and advocating boycotting Japanese goods. Each newspaper sells for a copper dollar, which sells well. With income, I bought the next issue of paper, so I insisted on running for a summer vacation. During the May 4th Movement, when Marxism was introduced to China, Xue Muqiao began to read pamphlets promoting capitalism. The spark of revolutionary thought flashed in his slightly immature mind. At the beginning of 1927, Xue Muqiao joined the China * * * Production Party.
Sometimes, the fate of life is often changed by a key person and a key thing. After the "April 12th" counter-revolutionary coup broke out, Xue Muqiao, then Minister of Workers of Hangzhou District Committee, was arrested and imprisoned with several other trade union leaders. In prison, he met Zhang, then secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee. Zhang knows he will die, but he still has to study for five or six hours every day. Before his execution, he said to Xue Muqiao, "If you live in party member, you have to do revolutionary work for a day. If you can't do revolutionary work in prison, you must study every day Reading is for the revolution. " These words are unforgettable lessons for Xue Muqiao, and his life has been given a clear direction and firm belief.
Xue Muqiao began his study life in prison. He read a lot of political economy, philosophy, history and some natural science works in a difficult environment, and also studied English and Esperanto hard. After three and a half years in prison, he gained the basic knowledge of economics and laid a solid foundation for future economic research. 1979, when Xue Lao visited the United States, an American professor asked him which university he graduated from. Xue Lao replied humorously: "I graduated from the old China Prison University." Li Kemu told reporters: "Xue Lao's motivation to learn is entirely due to his strong thirst for knowledge. These three years of hard study in prison are very important for his growth. "
Xue Muqiao's study and accumulation in prison soon came in handy. Shortly after he was released from prison, he and Sun, Qian Junrui, under the guidance of professors of history department and members of the party group, engaged in rural economic investigation and research. From 65438 to 0933, chen hansheng recommended Xue Muqiao to be a teacher of "Rural Economy" in Guangxi Normal University. Xue Muqiao said that I didn't even graduate from middle school. How can I teach in a university? Chen hansheng said it doesn't matter, I'll give you a fake resume, so veteran Xue's name was changed from "Yuling" to "Muqiao". Shortly after Xue Muqiao arrived in Guangxi, he sent a telegram back saying: No, according to the introduction in his resume, the headmaster and I are classmates here, so we have to be confused. Chen hansheng said it doesn't matter, just tell the headmaster that I recommended it. Xue Muqiao, who graduated from "Prison University", began to teach in regular universities. There is also a short story about the origin of the word "sunset bridge". 1958 During the Spring Festival, Chairman Mao once chatted with Xue Lao and asked him where the word "sunset bridge" came from. Xue Lao replied that the name "Sunset Bridge" was given to him by chen hansheng because of his revolutionary work. Hearing this, the chairman casually recited two poems by Lu You: "Yungen Temple in the morning, Yanqi Bridge in the evening." Then he said, "Chen Hansheng likes Lu You's poems, and probably uses this canon." Regarding the origin of the name "Xue Muqiao", Mrs. Xue once said: In the early 1930s, Chen Hansheng recommended Mr. Xue, who had just been released from prison and was in a difficult situation, to teach economics in a university in Guangxi. His own political situation is also very difficult and he will go abroad soon. At that time, Chen Hansheng said, "There is a bridge to cross at the end of the road." The word "sunset bridge" should come from this.
In this way, Xue Muqiao began a systematic study of China's economy, especially the rural economy. At that time, Xue Muqiao was the editor-in-chief of China Rural Monthly, and China Rural Monthly was an important position for China producers to engage in systematic economic development research activities in China in the early days. Xue Muqiao published a large number of papers in Rural China, which proved that China is still a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society, and the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal agrarian revolution must be carried out, which had a far-reaching impact on society.
Xue Muqiao's economic thought is becoming more and more mature. At the beginning of the establishment of the New Fourth Army, Xue Muqiao was invited by Xiang Ying, the deputy commander of the New Fourth Army, to participate in the preparation of the teaching corps of the New Fourth Army and presided over the political education work. He used the intermission of marching to write two textbooks, Basic Problems of China Revolution and Political Economy, on his knees. These two books became the teaching materials of the New Fourth Army against college students and were widely circulated among revolutionaries. Li Kemu said: "Now many old comrades say that they are Xue Lao's students, because the first economics book they read was written by Xue Lao."
Small currency has made great contributions to War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression behind enemy lines.
1943, Xue Muqiao was left in Shandong Liberated Area by Luo Ronghuan, the commander of Shandong Military Region, on his way to Yan 'an to assist in the currency struggle against the enemy. During the period of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, there was an arduous struggle in the economic battlefield without smoke. On the 60th anniversary of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression's victory, looking back at this period of history, we can feel the hardships of the struggle against the enemy at that time, and appreciate the tenacity and wisdom of Xue Muqiao, a proletarian revolutionary and economist of the older generation.
As early as 1938, Jiaodong anti-Japanese base area issued its own currency, called "anti-currency", as a supplementary currency to the paper money "legal tender" issued by the National Government. 194 1 After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese army squeezed out the French currency in its occupied area, resulting in a sharp drop in the value of the French currency and a sharp rise in its price. At that time, Shandong Branch and the provincial government did not understand the laws of currency and price, but still allowed legal tender to circulate in the market and forced the price comparison between legal tender and anti-currency by administrative means. However, because legal tender can be circulated all over the country, and anti-money can only be circulated in the base areas, people are happy to collect legal tender, but the value of legal tender on the black market is higher than that of anti-money. Counterfeit money issued by the puppet government supported by Japan can be banned from circulation. But on the black market in the occupied areas, the value of counterfeit money is higher than that of legal tender. In guerrilla zones, three currencies are in circulation at the same time, with the highest value of counterfeit currency, the second is legal tender and the lowest is anti-currency.
How can we change this disadvantage? Xue Muqiao boldly put forward that the only way to stabilize the currency and prices in the base areas is to expel legal tender and let anti-currency monopolize the market. Shandong Branch and the provincial government announced in the newspaper at the beginning of June 1943 that they would stop using legal tender from July 1 and mobilize people to exchange legal tender for anti-currency or exchange materials in enemy-occupied areas. As soon as the news was announced, the legal tender in the market immediately fell. The exclusion of legal tender enables the base areas to exchange a large number of materials, which can be used to support the anti-currency. When prices rise, materials are thrown out, money returns, and anti-currency appreciates, prices will naturally fall back.
After the legal tender was expelled, the price often fell from stability because the circulation quantity of anti-coins could not meet the needs of market circulation. Xue Muqiao pointed out that rising prices are a bad thing, and so is a sharp drop in prices. The reporting sub-bureau should intensify anti-currency efforts, buy a large number of agricultural products, and stop the price drop. In this way, the currency issued in the base area is not reserved by gold and silver in foreign exchange, but by materials. With the fluctuation of prices, the industrial and commercial bureau handles materials at any time and adjusts the amount of currency in circulation to maintain the stability of currency value and prices.
You can stop using legal tender in base areas, but you should still use legal tender and counterfeit currency in trade in enemy-occupied areas. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the appropriate exchange rate between them and the anti-currency. At first, banks in base areas bordering enemy-occupied areas often depressed the ratio of legal tender and counterfeit money, resulting in a trade surplus, and the supply of legal tender and counterfeit money was in short supply, and the ratio increased. Xue Muqiao suggested that the exchange rate should be set flexibly according to the price changes in base areas and enemy-occupied areas and the supply and demand of various currencies. The ratio of anti-counterfeit money to French counterfeit money depends largely on the inflow and outflow of trade. Before 1942, in order to protect materials, the export of local products was blindly prohibited in the base area, resulting in excess. Later, it was changed to encourage the export of local surplus products, mainly to assist businessmen to operate import and export trade, so as to reduce the losses caused by Japanese raids.
At that time, Shandong's rich export resources were mainly sea salt and peanut oil, which were the necessities of Shanghai people. Xue Muqiao suggested that salt should be monopolized by the industrial and commercial bureau, which would lead to an oversupply of foreign trade and an oversupply of legal tender and counterfeit money, and its exchange rate could be completely manipulated by banks and industrial and commercial bureaus in marginal areas, which would be more conducive to maintaining price stability in the base areas. Peanut oil was also acquired by the Industrial and Commercial Bureau and shipped to Shanghai for sale as a private businessman in exchange for important dual-use industrial products. The Japanese army in Shanghai also knew that these peanut oils came from Shandong anti-Japanese base areas, but they were secretly protected because of market needs. Paper, equipment and some military materials for printing banknotes in the base areas were purchased from Shanghai with the income from exporting peanut oil.
Xue Muqiao later summed up the valuable experience of economic work in this period: he put forward three major tasks: currency struggle, trade management and production and construction, starting with the currency struggle, and supporting the currency struggle with trade management. Only by winning the currency struggle first, completing the work of stopping the law (currency) and prohibiting counterfeiting (currency), protecting materials, stabilizing prices and overcoming the economic crisis can we further talk about developing the economy and ensuring supply. It can be said that if it were not for the victory of the currency struggle, the economy of the base area would suffer great losses.
1945 After Japan surrendered in August, an American economist visited Shandong and asked why the currencies of Xuemuqiao and Shandong could maintain the stability of currency value and price without gold and silver as reserves or foreign exchange as reserves. Xue Muqiao replied that we have materials as reserves, and if prices rise, we will sell these materials to collect funds and stabilize prices. Xue Muqiao also told him that after the implementation of the paper money system, the value represented by money depends on its circulation. Our price is relatively stable, because we have properly controlled the currency circulation. This truth is common sense in economics now, but at that time, European and American countries still maintained the gold standard, and this monetary theory seems to be original. The Economist asked Xue Muqiao whether the United States could implement such a monetary system. Xue Muqiao said that the United States now holds two-thirds of the world's gold, and it could also implement the gold standard. Unexpectedly, Xue Muqiao said that after this talk 30 years later, the United States was forced to abandon the gold standard and control the amount of money issued to stabilize prices, which led to Friedman's monetarism.
On the eve of the upcoming victory of the War of Liberation, the Central Committee transferred Xue Lao to Xibaipo to help Zhou Enlai deal with the economic construction after the national liberation. Zhou Enlai is used to working at night, and it is stipulated that the time for handling financial and logistics work is from 10 to 2 am. So, Xue Muqiao goes to Zhou Enlai's office every night to deal with his daily work under his direct leadership. At that time, there was a saying in the Kuomintang newspaper: There were two people in Zhou Enlai, one was responsible for issuing artillery shells and the other was responsible for issuing money. "Responsible for firing shells" refers to Yang Lisan, head of the General Logistics Department of the Central Military Commission, and "responsible for distributing money" refers to Xue Muqiao.
Seeking truth and being pragmatic, making great achievements repeatedly, and looking at life beyond indifference.
In the 40 years since the founding of New China, Xue Muqiao has successively held important leadership positions such as Secretary-General of the Central Financial and Economic Committee and Director of the Bureau of Private Enterprises, Deputy Director of the State Planning Commission and Director of the National Bureau of Statistics, Director of the State Price Commission, Consultant of the State Planning Commission and the State Commission for Restructuring, and Director of the the State Council Economic Research Center.
Although Xue Muqiao has always held an important position, Li Kemu told reporters: "Xue is always quite aloof." In the early days of the founding of New China, the central government began to assign posts and positions to cadres, and entrusted those cadres who made great contributions to the revolution with heavy responsibilities. Xue Muqiao, then secretary-general of the Central Committee of Finance and Economics, did something different. Due to long-term work fatigue, Xue Lao suffered from neurasthenia at 195 1. To this end, he proposed to the Central Committee that he was in poor health and asked to resign from the post of Secretary-General of China Finance Committee in order to concentrate on economic theory research. Xue Lao once wrote a poem: the waterfalls in the valley cleanse the dust customs, and the deep springs in the forest nourish the heart. Wenshan meets the sea, it is better to take time off to manage the economy. This poem appropriately expresses Xue Lao's unusual mood.
As a rare economic talent like Xue Muqiao, it is difficult for the Central Committee to agree that he should specialize in research and not lead the work. Since then, the State Council has appointed Xue Muqiao as a member of the State Planning Commission and director of the National Bureau of Statistics. It was in this position that Xue Lao started the statistical career of New China. Li Kemu said: "Xue Lao is very detached from fame and fortune, but he is very pragmatic. He is engaged in economic theory research in order to solve practical problems. " In 1950s, Xue Muqiao founded the statistical system of New China. In 1960s, he presided over the establishment of China's price management system, which made important contributions to the successful adjustment of prices and the realization of the goal of stabilizing prices after the Great Leap Forward. In the late 1970s, he proposed that unemployed youth should find jobs themselves, support township enterprises and encourage long-distance trafficking, which promoted the development of collective economy and individual economy. In the early 1980s, he profoundly expounded that China must implement a commodity economy, and systematically put forward plans for the reform of fiscal, taxation, finance, price, foreign trade and state-owned enterprises.
"Xue Lao's long-term study of economic work, especially reform and opening up, has strong pertinence and practical significance. Xue Lao never changed with the wind for the conclusions drawn from in-depth investigation and study, which is difficult to achieve in some specific historical periods. The most admirable thing is that when times or practice prove that some of his viewpoints are problematic, he will not hesitate to correct them. Adhere to the truth, correct mistakes, constantly learn new knowledge, and update their own ideas, so that Xue Lao's theoretical views always stand in the forefront of China's economic theory circle. "Li Kemu commented.
Li Kemu still remembers a discussion between Xue Lao and Qian Xuesen. At a meeting of the Central Committee, Qian Xuesen approached Xue Lao and said: With the reform and opening up, economic research should use mathematical models. Xue Lao said: "Very good, but it must not be made into a' numbers game'. If the data entered into the computer is inaccurate, the conclusion will be problematic because the computer lacks the' lie detection function'. " In this regard, Qian Xuesen also deeply agrees. At that time, Li Kemu casually recorded this conversation in a blank space of People's Daily. Later, the dialogue between the two masters of natural science and social science was published in the semi-monthly magazine. Although the original record of this conversation is hard to find, similar discussions are still going on today. From this, we can feel the high sense of responsibility and rigorous attitude of the older generation of scholars to the country.
What impressed Li Kemu most was Xue Lao's careful investigation on economic issues. The book "Research on Socialist Economic Problems in China" with a print run of100000 copies was written by Xue Lao after in-depth investigation in Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu and other regions. Li Kemu jokingly told reporters: "I am under great pressure to go out for research with Xue Lao. He is too absorbed in studying problems. Sometimes his eyes are fixed on something and his feet are still moving. I have to protect them at all times. "
Xue Lao has a very harmonious family. In the rural economic survey in 1930s, he met his wife Luo Qiong and became a partner at 1935. Luo Qiong has been engaged in women's work for a long time, and served as vice-chairman and first secretary of the All-China Women's Federation. They have three daughters, and the youngest daughter, Xue Xiaohe, has spent the longest time with her father, inheriting his father's ability to study economic issues and be good at writing.
Xue Lao still insisted on writing in his later years. A reporter once asked him why he insisted on writing for a long time every day at such a big age. Xue Lao's answer is simple: "If I don't write and think about economic development, what's the point of living?"