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Lu Xuzhang, the man who dealt with “devils” in Shanghai
By:Lu Yukun  |  From:english.eastday.com  |  2021-07-07 14:29


在重庆红岩革命纪念馆内,展出了一张摄于1940年的上海广大华行全体职员留影。照片中第一排右起第二的位置上,坐着一位身着长袍马褂的清秀少年,他便是广大华行的“掌门人”卢绪章。电影《与魔鬼打交道的人》以他为原型,讲述了他以商人身份与国民党斗智斗勇,为党筹措经费的惊险经历。
In the Hongyan Revolutionary Memorial Hall in Chongqing, a photo of all the staff of the China Mutual Trading Company in Shanghai taken in 1940 is displayed. In the photo second from right in the first row sat a young man in his mandarin jacket. He was Lu Xuzhang, the head of the China Mutual Trading Company. The film "the man dealing with the devil" takes him as the prototype, and narrates the adventure of his fight with the Kuomintang as a businessman and raising funds for the party.
潜伏多年,卢绪章与资本家打交道,跟国民党人周旋,取得了巨大的成绩,由他领导的广大华行为党筹措数百万美元的经费和物资。尽管一生与金钱打交道,卢绪章却坚守清贫、永葆初心,如莲花般出污泥而不染。
For many years, Lu Xuzhang battled with capitalists and the Kuomintang party in his secret role and made great achievements. The China Mutual Trading Company headed by him raised millions of dollars worth of funds and assets. Although he had dealt with money all his life, Lu Xuzhang lived a poor lifestyle himself and never forgot his original pursuit.
22岁领衔爱国青年创立广大华行
He led patriotic youth to found the China Mutual Trading Company at the age of 22

1911年6月,卢绪章出生在浙江宁波一个小商人家庭。父亲经营的米行不景气,卢绪章14岁时被迫辍学,来到上海谋生。
年少早慧的卢绪章,求知若渴。为了提升业务能力,他白天在轮船公司上班,晚上参加上海市商会商业补习夜校,学习商业知识,接触进步思想。在夜校,卢绪章结识了一生的革命同志兼挚友杨延修、叶春年等人。
In June 1911, Lu Xuzhang was born in a small business family in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. He was forced to drop out of school when he was 14 and came to Shanghai to make a living.
Young and intelligent, he was eager for knowledge. In order to improve his business acumen, he worked in a ship company during the day, and attended an evening supplementary school for business study under the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, where he studied business and became familiar with progressive thoughts. At the night school, Lu Xuzhang met revolutionary comrades and close friends like Yang Yanxiu and Ye Chunnian.
1927年,蒋介石发动“四•一二”反革命政变。在目睹了当时社会的种种黑暗后,年轻的卢绪章受到了极大的震撼,他与夜校的爱国同学们一起成立了“上海市商会商业补习夜校社会童子军团”,积极投入救济难民、参加战地服务、募集捐款等救亡运动中。
In 1927, the Kuomintang reactionaries launched the April 12 counter-revolutionary coup in Shanghai.  After seeing the darkness of the society at that time, young Lu Xuzhang was greatly shocked. He and his patriotic classmates set up the "Shanghai Chamber of commerce commercial supplementary night school social youngster corps", actively participated in the rescue campaign of refugees and providing war field support services, raising donations, etc.
1933年,年仅22岁的卢绪章在上海和几位进步青年集资300大洋,创建了广大华行,经营进出口贸易和药品、医疗器械的邮购业务,为开展抗日救亡活动赚取经费。
In 1933, Lu Xuzhang, aged 22, raised 300 silver dollars together with several progressive youths, and established the China Mutual Trading Company and engaged in the import and export trade and mail services for medicine and medical devices. Lu Xuzhang was in charge of finance to raise funds for carrying out Anti Japanese and rescue activities.


广大华行五位创始人合影
Five founding members of the China Mutual Trading Company

当时,上海已经是在华外商企业最集中的地方,这些外商企业一般称作“洋行”。卢绪章一行人专门为其公司取名为“华行”,其意便在于区别于所谓的“洋行”。由于创办者都曾是外商公司的高级职员,熟谙经营之道,广大华行的营业额逐步上升,业务不断拓展。
1937年,卢绪章参加了上海文化界救亡协会举办的抗日救亡干部培训班。在共产党员杨浩的介绍下,卢绪章同年10月秘密入党。由此,广大华行逐渐发展为上海地下党组织进行革命活动的一个重要阵地。
At that time, Shanghai was already packed with foreign enterprises in China, which were generally referred to as Yanghang (foreign merchants). The China Mutual Trading Company (Guangda Huahang in Pingyin) was named in a way to be differentiated from those foreign firms.
Since the founders of the company were once senior staff of foreign companies and familiar with the ways of operation, the turnover of the company gradually increased and business expanded quickly.
In 1937, Lu Xuzhang participated in the training program for anti-Japanese cadres held by the Shanghai Cultural Community National Salvation Association. Introduced by Party member Yang Hao, Lu Xuzhang entered the party secretly in October of the same year. By then, the China Mutual Trading Company had gradually grown into an important frontline where secret Party organizations in Shanghai could carry out revolutionary activities.


1939年,卢绪章(后排左二)与上海广大华行总体成员合影
Group photo of Lu Xuzhang and all staff of the China Mutual Trading Company taken in 1939

11年为党筹措数百万美元经费

Raised millions of dollars for the party in 11 years

二十世纪40年代,中共中央决定重新安排国统区的党组织。广大华行成了隐蔽最深的第三线机构,专做地下经济工作,为党提供和调节经费,由周恩来单线直接领导。
作为广大华行的负责人,卢绪章开始了与“魔鬼”打交道的生涯,他利用广泛人脉关系,拓展经营业务,为广大华行谋得“护身符”。
凭借超强的社交能力,卢绪章结识了国民党内的党、政、军、特多位要员,国民党军统局少将梁若节、国民党驻新疆特派员沈立中、重庆航空检查所所长严少白等人都成了他称兄道弟的“朋友”。甚至,蒋介石侍从室专员施公猛还为卢绪章搞到了国民党特别党员证书和第二十五集团军少将参议的头衔。
In the 1940s, the CPC Central Committee decided to rearrange the party organization in the KMT-controlled areas. The China Mutual Trading Company had become the most hidden third -tier organization, focusing on secret financial efforts, providing and adjusting funds for the party, and was directly led by Zhou Enlai.
As the head of the China Mutual Trading Company, Lu Xuzhang began his career of dealing with the “devils”. He used his wide connections to expand his business and support the operations of the China Mutual Trading Company.
With his strong social ability, Lu Xuzhang made acquaintances with many important figures of the Kuomintang party, including party members, officials in the government, army and secret services. He even made friends with Major General Liang Ruojie of KMT’s  Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, Shen Lizhong, the special officer of KMT in Xinjiang, Yan Shaobai, director of the Chongqing aviation Inspection Institute etc. Even, Shi Gongmeng, special officer of the assistant office of Chiang Kai Shek, obtained the Certificate of Special Party Member of KMT and the title of the major general of the 25th Group Army for Lu Xuzhang.
利用这些关系,卢绪章取得了掩护党的机构和交通运输的便利,还通过引荐结交了国民党中央组织部部长陈果夫,与他合作建制药厂。
抗战胜利后,按照周恩来指示,卢绪章把自己的产业迅速向上海集中,又接受了党组织交给他的新任务——开辟海外贸易业务。
These relations facilitated Lu Xuzhang’s efforts to cover the CPC’s organizations and transportation, and helped him make an acquaintance with Chen Guofu, the head of the Central Organizational Department of the Kuomintang Party and cooperated with him to build a pharmaceutical factory.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Lu Xuzhang, under the instruction of Zhou Enlai, concentrated his businesses in Shanghai quickly and accepted the new task that the party entrusted to him, namely, opening overseas trade business.


1950年,由毛泽东签发的卢绪章任华东军政委员会贸易部副部长的任命书
In 1950, Mao Zedong signed the letter of appointment of Lu Xuzhang as vice minister of the Trade Department of the East China Military and Political Commission

于是,卢绪章安排舒自清带着30万美元到美国广交华侨富豪、工商巨擘,成功打开了局面,成为美国施贵宝药业集团在中国的总代理。广大华行还与杜邦、摩根等财团做成了进口化工、钢材、五金等大笔生意。据史料记载,全盛时期,广大华行资产高达119亿法币(党建网数据)。
Therefore, Lu Xuzhang arranged for Shu Ziqing to go to United Sates with 30,000 U.S dollars and established wide connections with overseas Chinese, billionaires, business tycoons and giants and finally became the general agent of the Squibb Pharmaceutical Group in China. The China Mutual Trading Company also did big business with DuPont, Morgan and other consortiums to import chemicals, steel, hardware, etc. According to historical records, during the heyday, the assets of the China Mutual Trading Company reached 11.9 billion yuan worth of Fabi, the paper currency issued by the KMT government from 1935 onwards.


卢绪章

Lu Xuzhang

从1937年至1948年8月的11年中,广大华行为党组织筹集经费、赚取利润近400万美元(学习时报/重庆时报数据)。除了党的经费,还利用创建的实业为地下组织送去了药物、生活用品各类物资。
1948年6月,因与广大华行有联系的同志被逮捕,党组织紧急决定将广大华行全部党员干部和资金迅速转移到香港。1948年底,经党中央批准,决定除香港外,广大华行所有国内机构一律结束并清理资产。卢绪章也正式结束了“资本家”工作。
From 1937 to August 1948, the China Mutual Trading Company earned nearly $4million in profits. In addition to the party's funds, the company had sent various kinds of materials to secret party organizations such as drugs and household goods.
In June 1948, due to the arrest of comrades associated with the China Mutual Trading Company, the party decided to transfer all Party members and cadres and funds to Hong Kong. At the end of 1948, with the approval of the Party Central Committee, it was decided that all domestic institutions of the China Mutual Trading Company would be closed and liquidation of assets would be carried out except in Hong Kong. Lu also officially ended his role as a "capitalist".
在按上级指示关闭广大华行之际,除去向组织上缴经费外,尚余一笔40万美元的资金用于退还股金、遣散员工,包括卢绪章在内的共产党员们分文未取,都把自己应得的红利股全部作为党费交给了党组织。
卢绪章生前曾表示:“当年我下海经商,那是绞刑架下的生活,脑袋瓜子别在裤腰带上,党什么时候要钱什么时候给,多么惊心动魄!所以当我把钱一交,浑身轻松,仿佛回到了人间,没有想过保留个人资产的事情。”
When the China Mutual Trading Company was closed according to the instructions of the superior, aside from the funds submitted to the party, a sum of 400,000 dollars was earmarked for returning share capital to shareholders and dismissal of employees. The Communist Party members, including Lu Xuzhang, did not take the money, however, and gave all the dividends they deserved to the party organization as party fees.
Lu Xuzhang once said: "When I was doing business, it was like a life under the gallows. So when I handed in the money, I felt relaxed, as if I had returned to the world, and I didn’t want to keep any of it as my personal assets."

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