Gao Tian

Gao Tian was born in August 1917 in Luoyang, Henan, although his ancestral home was in Huai'an, Jiangsu. As a youth, he traveled alone to Zhengzhou for his education but was forced to leave school at the age of seventeen due to financial difficulties. He subsequently entered journalism, working as a reporter for the Zhengzhou Daily. During this period, he developed a strong interest in literature, particularly modern poetry.^[2]

On February 7, 1936, he published his well-known work Nantian Poems in the literary supplement of the Dahua Morning Post. The poem, marked by both despair and determination, gained wide attention in Central China. Its concluding line, often translated as “to reel off the very last strand of silk,” became a symbolic call for perseverance and resistance among Chinese youth.^[3]

In 1936, Gao co-founded the Jinfeng Literary Society, which promoted anti-Japanese literature. He later joined the Dahua Morning Post as an editor and led two literary weeklies. His organizational ability and literary influence helped foster a generation of writers, including Wei Wei.^[4]

With the outbreak of full-scale war in 1937, Gao shifted his focus to journalism. He worked as a war correspondent for newspapers such as Saodang Bao and Shishi Xinbao, reporting from the front lines. He personally covered major battles including the Battle of Taierzhuang and the Battle of Xuzhou, producing vivid dispatches that documented the realities of war and boosted public morale.^[5]

In 1938, under the direction of Zhou Enlai, Gao became one of the founding members of the International News Agency, alongside prominent journalists such as Hu Yuzhi and Fan Changjiang. He was dispatched to report from the border regions of Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi. After the fall of Wuhan, the agency relocated multiple times before establishing its base in Guilin, where Gao continued to contribute frontline reports despite extremely difficult conditions.^[6]

In 1940, Gao moved to Chongqing to oversee the agency’s local operations while also serving as a correspondent for overseas Chinese newspapers including the Nanyang Siang Pau. Following the New Fourth Army Incident in 1941, the agency was forced to shut down under political pressure. Gao later recalled receiving encouragement from Zhou Enlai to continue journalistic work in Nationalist-controlled areas. During this period, Gao married Song Liye with the introduction of Deng Yingchao. The wedding, held in Chongqing, was attended by prominent figures from the cultural and political spheres, including Shen Junru and Lao She.^[7]

In 1944, Gao became acting editor-in-chief of the Xin Shu Bao. Due to his resistance to political interference by Kuomintang agents, he faced persecution and was forced to flee to Kunming. There, he continued editorial work but again came under threat. With assistance arranged by Zhou Enlai, Gao eventually escaped to Vietnam under the protection of underground networks.^[8]

After the war, Gao turned primarily to writing classical Chinese poetry. Gao later traveled from Hanoi to Hong Kong, where he served as editor-in-chief of the editorial department of the Wah Kiu Yat Po (Huashang Bao), the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party’s Hong Kong bureau. He also held concurrent positions as secretary-general of the Hong Kong–Kowloon branch of the China Democratic League and secretary-general of the Hong Kong branch of the China National Salvation Association. In May 1948, he was tasked by Pan Hannian and Lian Guan with coordinating the relocation of leading democratic figures in Hong Kong—including Shen Junru, Zhang Bojun, Hu Yuzhi, and Sa Kongliao.^[9]

After 1949, Gao participated in a training program at Zhongyuan University and was subsequently appointed as a professor at Henan University. In August 1949, he took part in the founding of the Guangming Daily and served as its first office director. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, he held several senior editorial positions at the newspaper, including director of the reporting department and deputy editor-in-chief.^[10]

Gao was also active in political life. He served as a propaganda committee member of the Beijing branch and central committee of the China Democratic League. He was a member of the 5th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a standing committee member of its 6th, 7th, and 8th National Committees. Within the China Democratic League, he successively held positions including alternate central committee member (1st–2nd terms), central committee member (3rd term), standing committee member and secretary-general (4th term), and vice chairman (5th term), later serving as executive bureau director and executive vice chairman (6th–7th terms).^[11][12]

Gao Tian died on June 19, 1994, in Beijing at the age of 77. His ashes are interred at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.^[13]