NEWS FROM
THE FOURTH
INTERNATIONAL an upright, kind-hearted, strong and brave person. At the same time, the arduousness of her life reflects the oppression suffered by Chinese working women.
Chen has left us, three years after her partner Peng Shuzhi. Yet her example as a revolutionary militant will inspire later generations, and her deeds will go down in
OBITUARY Chen Bilan (1902-1987) CHEN BILAN, an early leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and a Trotskyist militant, died on September 7 at the age of 85. For over 60 years, she persisted in her belief in communism. Like Peng Shuzhi, her life companion, she fought all adversities and defied the enemies of the oppressed throughout her life.
Soon after the May Fourth Movement of 1919, Chen was converted to socialism. In early 1922, she initiated and led a strike at the Hubei Provincial Teachers College for Women....In the same year she joined the League of Socialist Youth, and six months later the CCP. She later studied in Shanghai and Moscow....
When the May 30th Movement of 1925 broke out, on the decision of the CCP Chen returned to China to join in the revolution. She became secretary of the Shanghai Regional Committee's Department of Women, and was chief editor of Chinese Women published by the party centre. In July 1926, she was also acting secretary of the party's central Department of Women, and took up the practical leadership work of the revolution.
After the strangling of the revolution by the Kuomintang, Chen Bilan and many oth er comrades discussed the reasons for the failure of the revolution. Subsequently, they came to learn of the differences between Trotsky and Stalin on the Chinese revolution, and from their own experience they knew that Trotsky's propositions were correct, and that Stalin's incorrect line and policy in guiding the Chinese revolution was the central subjective factor for its failure.
Chen Bilan, Chen Duxiu, Peng Shuzhi and others submitted their opinion to the party. They requested a general review throughout the party to discuss the reasons for the revolution's failure, opposed the putschist adventurism practised at the time and advocated the reformulation of a correct line and policy. Not only was their proposal rejected, but they were expelled.
From 1929 onwards, Chen participated in the Chinese Trotskyist Movement as one of its founding members, carrying out revolutionary work and underground activities under the white terror of the rule of Jiang Jeishi's Kuomintang. When Peng Shuzhi and others were arrested and imprisoned, she had to bring up the children and earn a living by writing articles and taking up a job. The book Essays on the women's question was a compilation of articles by Chen under the pen name of Chen Biyun. In the preface the author is described as "a woman who is genuinely devoted to the women's movement and has a profound understanding of women's problems".
Due to the eruption of war with Japan, imprisoned Trotskyists were released. Chen and Peng remained in Shanghai to lead underground work. Their comrades were arrested by the Japanese occupying forces for leading workers strikes....After Japan surrendered, the Trotskyists were able to publish two monthly journals, Youth and Women (later New Voice) edited by Chen, and For Truth edited by Peng. Through these publications, political influence was spread and organizational strength was
At the end of 1948, Chen and others knew that they would not be tolerated by the CCP rulers, so they were forced to go abroad. A few years later, all Trotskyists in the country were arrested, and many were detained for a quarter of a century
Chen, Peng and Liu Jialiang went to Vietnam. When Liu was murdered by the Vietnamese communists, they feared for their lives and fled to Europe....
In exile, they participated more closely in the work of the Fourth International. Chen began to write My Memoirs in France, recalling her experiences and opinions on decades of struggle (in particular the 1925-27 revolution) [This is available in serialized form in October Review March 1981-November/December 1984] In the mid-1960s, Chen and Peng went to the United States.
The life of Chen Bilan was one of a proletarian revolutionary and militant for women's liberation. Her dedication to the revolutionary cause manifests in her virtues as history. * October Review
OVER 850 people packed in to the tenth anniversary celebrations organized by the Cahiers du féminisme, the women's journal produced by the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire, French section of the Fourth International.
The fete, held on October 10 from 6рm to 4am the following morning, was a resounding success. Videos were shown followed by workshops on various aspects of the history and current campaigns of the women's movement.
These debates came together in a round-table discussion involving members of the Cahiers editorial board, prominent women's movement activists and trade-unionists. These included the chair of the Maison des femmes in Paris; a representative from the review Nouvelles questions féministes; a member of the Family Planning Movement; a member of the JCR, the youth organization in solidarity with the LCR; and leading women trade-union activists from the CGT and CFDT
The discussion focused on the difficulties of being a feminist today, especially as women workers, how younger women perceived their oppression and the prominent role of women in last winter's student movement. A lively debate began on the various problems confronting women in their fight for liberation today.
At 10.30pm the celebrations took off to the accompaniment of two women's jazz bands, Gaminogames and Certains l'aiment chaud. Refreshments, book. stalls, exhibitions and balloons completed the festive atmosphere.
In addition to the fete, a special bumper issue of the Cahiers with a fullcolour cover has just been published, including extracts of some of the best articles published since 1977. As the editorial says: "Ten years of the Cahiers, ten years of feminist struggles. As has been said before: it is only the beginning, the struggle continues!" * 27
October 26, 1987 • International Viewpoint
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