美国革命作家艾格尼丝·史沫特莱（1892-1950）是中国人民友好而忠实的朋友，她为世界反法西斯战争中国战场的胜利作出了不可磨灭的贡献。而今，这位杰出的革命女性—史沫特莱，离开我们已经七十载。
1892年2月13日，史沫特莱出生于美国密苏里州的一个贫苦家庭。这样的生长环境为她在日后不辞劳苦为底层人民发声奠定了基础，不幸的家庭遭遇与颠沛流离的童年也锻造了史沫特莱独立坚强的个性。青年时期的史沫特莱就读于坦佩师范学院，她曾做过教师，编辑过提倡节制生育的刊物，当过社会主义报纸的记者，也曾因参与印度脱离英国殖民统治的集会而入狱。1928年底，史沫特莱作为记者来到中国，她将全部精力、才情和激情投入到了中国革命事业当中。在中国的12年间，她访问了中国广大地区，接触过各阶层人士；在上海参加中国进步文化运动，协助宋庆龄组织中国民权保障同盟；她是第一位跟随中国八路军采访的外国女记者，足迹遍布中国华北、华中的大部分抗战地区；她组织医疗活动，用行动召唤更多的国际友人为中国抗战出力；她写下多部作品，向世界传递中国革命斗争的声音，真实地向世界介绍了中国军队尤其是中国共产党领导的八路军和新四军浴血抵抗日本侵略的英勇事迹。在战乱纷飞的动荡年代，史沫特莱在中国停留了十二年，直至1941年因病才返回美国就医。回到美国之后，她依然带病笔耕不辍，到处演讲，为中国抗战奔走呐喊，不辞劳苦地筹集善款，直到生命的终结。1951年5月，按照史沫特莱的遗愿，她的骨灰安葬在北京八宝山公墓。
今年是史沫特莱一百三十年诞辰，为纪念史沫特莱对中国革命事业作出的重要贡献，重现其历史风采与传奇的革命人生，由北京市人民对外友好协会、中国国际友人研究会、北京大学斯诺研究中心、中国日报社“新时代斯诺工作室”、美国亚利桑那州立大学图书馆共同合作举办了《革命人生——艾格尼丝·史沫特莱展览》。本展展出的图片、文献均为亚利桑那州立大学图书馆丰富的历史文献馆藏。以此展纪念中国人民永远的朋友艾格尼丝·史沫特莱。
Agnes Smedley (1892-1950) was an American writer and loyal friend to the Chinese people during the 1930s and 1940s. She made an indelible contrition to the victory over Japanese and Chinese fascist in China. Smedley passed away over 70 years ago, but her ideals and writing have endured in China.
Smedley was born on February 13, 1892 to a poor family in Missouri. This environment contributed to her motivation to help the unfortunate people who were in the bottom rungs of American Society. Her upbringing and family situation contributed to her independent and strong personality. For a brief period, Smedley studied at the Tempe Normal School later to become Arizona State University. She worked as a teacher, journalist, and an advocate of independence for India from British colonial rule. At the end of 1928, Smedley traveled to China as a correspondent and devoted all her energy, talent and passion to China’s revolution. During Smedley’s twelve-year stay in China, she visited many districts in China and met people from various classes, she participated in some Chinese cultural activities and supported Soong Qing-ling in the establishment of the China League for Civic Rights. Smedley was the first foreign journalist to march with the Eighth Army and travel in Northern China. She organized medical activities and called for more international friends to support China during the Sino-Japanese War. She wrote many articles to make the Chinese voice heard globally. Her works described the stories of the brave Chinese armies especially the Eighth Army and the New Fourth Army led by the Chinese communists. Smedley stayed in China for 12 years during the turbulent war times. She returned to the United States for medical treatment in 1941 but continued to speak about Chinese war of resistance at conferences, in the newspapers and on the radio. Smedley worked tirelessly to raise money for the Chinese resistance until the end of her life. In May 1951, Smedley’s ashes were buried in the Beijing Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery according to her desire to be buried in China.
This year is the 130th anniversary of Smedley’s birth, to celebrate Smedley’s contribution to Chinese Revolution and representing the history and her legendary revolutionary life, the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, China Society for People’s Friendship Studies, China Center for Edgar Snow Studies at Peking University, The Edgar Snow Newsroom of China Daily, Arizona State University Library, collaboratively are holding the exhibition Agnes Smedley: A Revolutionary Life. The pictures, manuscripts and other materials in this exhibition are from Arizona State University Library’s Special Collections and Digital Repository. This exhibition is in memory of Agnes Smedley China’s forever friend.
1892年2月23日，艾格尼丝·史沫特莱出生在美国密苏里州奥斯古德的一个新兴的农场小镇。查尔斯·史沫特莱和莎拉·莉迪亚·史沫特莱一共孕育抚养了五个孩子，艾格尼丝排行老二，一家人在奥斯古德平静地生活着。1903年，艾格尼丝·史沫特莱的父亲查尔斯离开小镇去做医生学徒，他在一年后回归家庭，但依旧穷困潦倒。1904年，艾格尼丝随她的家人搬到了科罗拉多州东南部的一个小镇，她的父亲在矿井上找了份工作，但这份微薄薪水无法负担起这个七口之家的生活。年幼的艾格尼丝和她的兄弟姐妹们为了贴补家用，经常在附近做廉价劳工。1905年，一场洪水夺走了史沫特莱一家所有的财产。16岁的艾格尼丝在朋友的鼓励下去新墨西哥州参加了教师资格考试，她顺利地通过了考试并找到了一份月薪40美元的工作，这是她第一次尝到成功的滋味。这份工作艾格尼丝一干就是好几年，直到1910年她母亲去世。在短暂的杂志编辑生涯后，她搬到了亚利桑那州，并在坦佩师范学院（亚利桑那州立大学前身）继续学习。艾格尼丝于1911年嫁给了厄恩斯特·布伦丁，最后以分手而告终。之后她去了加利福尼亚和墨西哥，随后又横跨半个美国到了纽约。在纽约，她与中国的故事才刚刚拉开帷幕。
初到纽约，艾格尼丝·史沫特莱为在纽约大学任教的拉拉·莱帕特·拉伊做秘书。在与拉伊的相处过程中，拉伊教授史沫特莱印度历史与社会党相关知识。史沫特莱逐渐成为了一名支持印度独立运动和有着社会主义精神的记者。1919年，史沫特莱被短期监禁，之后在美国女权活动家玛格丽特·桑格的帮助下得以被释放出狱。出狱后，桑格还给史沫特莱安排了一份工作：在桑格不在的期间，代替她处理《节育评论》的各项事务。到20世纪20年代中期，史沫特莱已经成为妇女权利和社会主义团体中的活跃分子。1925年到1928年，史沫特莱大部分时间都在德国柏林度过，在那里她上了一些大学课程。1928年底，史沫特莱作为《法兰克福日报》的特派记者前往中国。1929年，史沫特莱来到了上海。在上海期间，她参加中国进步文化运动，协助宋庆龄组织中国民权保障同盟，与宋庆龄、鲁迅等人建立了亲密友谊和合作关系。与蔡元培、鲁迅、林语堂、胡适、杨杏佛、丁玲、徐志摩等人交好。史沫特莱亦是鲁迅、茅盾等左翼作家的密友。她帮助鲁迅和茅盾在国际上发表文章，还将德国艺术家凯绥·柯勒惠支介绍给鲁迅，为中国版画的发展做出了卓绝的贡献。1936年12月西安事变发生时，史沫特莱就在西安。她将西安事变的真相传向世界。1938年夏天，她随八路军一同前往延安。1939年，她奔赴抗日前线，并写出了新四军顽强抗争、争取独立的感人新闻报道。1940年，由于身体不适，她搬到香港，继续报道中国的反抗斗争。
1941年，史沫特莱回到美国加利福尼亚州。不久后她又回纽约，担任大学的客座讲师，她常常作为中国问题专家被邀请演讲，讲述她在中国为人们争取自由的精彩经历，讲述中国抗日战争的真实情况，并呼吁援助中国抗战。第二次世界大战结束后，美国的对华政策发生了转变，但史沫特莱依然坚持支持中共。随着年龄的增长，她的身体健康每况愈下。史沫特莱与病魔做着旷日持久的斗争。新中国成立后，中共邀请她前来中国，在转道伦敦途中因病逝世于1950年5月6日，但她并没有被中国人民遗忘。1951年5月，按照史沫特莱的遗愿：“在这个世界上，除了中国，我的心灵在任何地方都未能找到安宁，我希望我的骨灰能和死去的中国革命者同在”，她的骨灰安葬在北京八宝山烈士公墓，朱德亲自为她题写碑文：“中国人民之友 美国革命作家 史沫特莱女士之墓。”
Agnes Smedley was born on February 21, 1892 on a farm in Osgood, Missouri, a small farming town at the time of her birth and one that has just barely survived more than a century since her birth. She was the second daughter of Charles and Sarah Lydia Smedley. She was one of five children and was raised in Missouri. Her father left in 1903 claiming that he was leaving to “apprentice himself to a doctor”, he returned home nearly a year later, a destitute man. Agnes and her family moved to southeastern Colorado in 1904 where her father would eventually find work in the mining industry, though life remained very difficult for the family of seven. Young Agnes and her siblings worked part-time for their neighbors and made very little money. A flood robbed the Smedley’s of all that they had in the world in 1905. At the age of 16, Agnes was convinced by a friend of hers to take a teacher certification exam in the state of New Mexico. She passed and was a rewarded with a job that paid forty dollars a month, her first real chance to make something of herself. She would work this job for several years until the death of her mother in 1910. She would then attempt a short-lived career as a magazine editor before moving to Arizona and enrolling in the Tempe Normal School (Teacher’s College) to continue her education. She enrolled in 1911 and said she would marry only after she had left and found another job. She married Ernst Brundin; however, this relationship ended. She traveled to California and visited Mexico before eventually moving all the way across the country to New York City.
In New York City Smedley she worked as a secretary for Lajpat Rai. She learned Indian history from him while taking classes at New York University and would eventually become a journalist. As a journalist she advocated for Indian independence and socialist values. She would be imprisoned for a short time in 1919, but was released and given a job by Margaret Sanger, a woman’s rights activist in America. Smedley was tasked with running the daily newspaper the Birth Control Review, while Sanger was away in California. By the mid 1920’s Smedley had become a major activist for women’s rights and socialist values. From 1925 to 1928 Smedley spent much of her time in and out of Berlin, Germany and worked as a journalist. At the end of 1928, Smedley traveled to China as a correspondent of Frankfurter Zeitung. In 1929, Smedley traveled to Shanghai and during her stay in Shanghai, she participated in progressive cultural and political activities by supporting Soong Qing-ling in the establishment of the China League for Civic Rights. Smedley built a close relationship with Soong Qing-ling, Lu Xun and other intellectuals such as Cai Yuanpei, Lu Xun, Lin Yutang, Hu Shi, Yang Xingfo, Ding Ling, and Xu Zhimo. Smedley was a close friend to Lu Xun, Mao Dun and other left-wing writers, she helped Lu Xun to publish articles in international magazines translated by Mao Dun. Smedley introduced the German artist Käthe Kollwitz’s work to Lu Xun, which contributed to the development of Chinese woodblock prints. In December 1936, Smedley was present in Xi’an when the Xi’an Incident occurred, she broadcast the facts of Xi’an incident. She moved to Yan’an and marched with the 8th Route Army in the summer of 1938. By 1939 she had moved to the war front against the Japanese and was sending back field reports about the New Fourth Army fighting for independence from Japan. In 1940, she moved to Hong Kong due to poor health but continued to work for Chinese resistance.
Smedley returned to the United States and California in 1941. She didn’t stay long in California before she moved back to New York City. In New York City she began to work as a guest lecturer about her experiences with the Chinese in their fight for freedom. She was invited by many institutes to give lectures as an expert of Chinese issues. She asked for international support China in the fight against Japanese army. After the World War II, the American government changed their policy towards China, but Smedley still insisted to support the Chinese communist party.
Semdley’s health began to deteriorate as she approached her mid-50s. Smedley always struggled with poor health. After the Proclamation of the People's Republic of China, Chinese communists invited Smedley to come to visit China, but she passed away on May 6th 1950. In May 1950, the following quote was in Smedley’s will: “My soul can't find peace in other places of the world except China. I hope my ashes stay together with deceased Chinese revolutionists.” In 1951 a Chinese delegation brought Smedley’s ashes back to the Beijing Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. The characters on her gravestone were written by Zhu De and state: “In Memory of Agnes Smedley, American Revolutionary Writer and Friend of The Chinese People.”
1892年2月23日艾格尼丝·史沫特莱 (Agnese Smedley）生于美国密苏里州。家境贫穷，父母争吵不断。1904年，年仅十二岁的艾格尼丝跟随父母移居到了科罗拉多州特立尼达市的矿区生活，矿区的条件十分艰苦，少年时代的艾格尼丝就显现出远超同龄人的成熟与独立，艾格尼丝最崇拜的人是蒂莉阿姨。蒂莉是一个先锋女性，她打破世俗的枷锁，经济独立不依靠他人。
On February 23, 1892, Agnes Smedley was born, Missouri, USA. Life was extremely difficult as her family was poor. The situation between her parents was uneasy. In 1904, at the age of 12, Smedley moved with her parents to the Trinidad, Colorado mining area. Life in the mining area was tough, and the harsh conditions of poverty made Smedley appear far more mature and independent than her peers. Agnes thought highly of her Aunt Tillie who paid little attention to the social conventions of the day and lived quite free of them.
1910年2月，母亲病逝，年仅十八岁的史沫特莱肩负起了照顾弟弟妹妹的重任。在工作后，史沫特莱认识到接受教育的重要性。1911年9月11日，没有中学毕业文凭的艾格尼丝·史沫特莱，作为"特殊生"进入坦佩师范学院就读，成为校刊《师范生》(Tempe Normal Student)的记者，后凭借出色的文笔成为了该报的主编(1911.10-1912.3)。1912年辩论赛期间，史沫特莱结识了毕业于哥伦比亚大学、后工作于菲尼克斯中学的青年教师索伯格·布伦丁(Thorberg Brundin)。同时，索伯格·布伦丁也将自己的弟弟厄恩斯特·布伦丁(Ernest Brundin)介绍给了史沫特莱。布伦丁姐弟与史沫特莱结下了深厚的友谊。在相处不久后，厄恩斯特·布伦丁向史沫特莱求婚，1912年8月24日，两人步入了婚姻的殿堂。婚后两人出现矛盾，史沫特莱不愿拘泥于相夫教子的生活，希望继续求学工作。
In February 1910, Agnes Smedley's mother died. At the age of 18, Smedley had the responsibility of taking care of her younger siblings. Her work convinced her that education was her only way forward. On September 11 1911, Agnes Smedley, who did not have a high school diploma, entered the Tempe Normal College as a "special student" . Then she became a journalist at the Tempe Normal School student newspaper, the Tempe Normal Student, and became the editor-in-chief of the newspaper because of her excellent writing skills (1911.10-1912.3). In 1912, during a debate competition, Smedley met a young teacher, Thorberg Brundin, who graduated from Columbia University and later worked in Phoenix High School, and her brother Ernest Brundin. Later, Ernst Brundin proposed to Smedley, and they got married on August 24, 1912. However, things began to worsen because of Smedley wanted to continue her studies and career instead of being a housewife.
1913年6月28日，在丈夫厄恩斯特的道义和经济支持下，史沫特莱进入加利福尼亚州圣地亚哥师范学校学习，参与创办了学校周刊《师范新闻》。1916年春，史沫特莱通过在学校以及自由论坛的各种革命和社交活动，成为了一名社会党成员。也因此遭到学校辞退。在遭受情感和事业的双重打击之后，史沫特莱于1917年抵达纽约,并结识了印度流亡政治家拉拉·莱帕特·拉伊（Lala Lajpat Rai）1918年4月1日，史沫特莱被以间谍罪起诉，锒铛入狱。在被释放不久，史沫特莱受桑格之邀成为了《节育评论》(the Birth Control Review)的副编辑。这本刊物是当时美国妇女获取节育知识的唯一来源。
史沫特莱在1920年底登上一艘破旧的波兰货轮后去到柏林。在旅居德国的岁月里，史沫特莱一边在柏林大学教授英语挣钱谋生，一边潜心学习德语，并研究中国与印度历史。1925年的春天，艾格尼丝·史沫特莱会见了德国著名艺术家凯绥·珂勒惠支(Kaethe Kollwitz)。史沫特莱与德国共产党紧密合作，结识了许多共产党人和社会党人中极具影响力的艺术家、医生与学者。史沫特莱利用这些资源帮助德国的穷人和工人改善生活，掌握话语权，1929年，三十七岁的史沫特莱作为德国自由主义的报纸《法兰克福日报》（Frankfurter Zeitung）的特派记者，途经苏联，来到中国东北。
On June 28, 1913, with the moral and economic support from Ernst, Smedley attended San Diego Normal College in California. She helped found the school's weekly newspaper, Normal News. In the spring of 1916, Smedley became a member of the socialist party and consequently, she was expelled from San Diego Normal College school at the end of the year. Being out of a career and out of love, Smedley arrived in New York in 1917 and picked up with the Indian exiled politician Lala Lajpat Rai. On April 1, 1918, Smedley was charged with espionage and jailed. Shortly after her release, she was invited by Sanger to become the associate editor of the Birth Control Review. This publication was the only source of contraceptive knowledge for American women at that time.
Smedley boarded a dilapidated Polish cargo ship at the end of 1920, and then went to Berlin. During her stay in Germany, Smedley devoted herself to learning German and studying the history of China and India while teaching English at the University of Berlin to earn a living. In the spring of 1925, she met with the famous German artist Kaethe Kollwitz. Smedley also worked closely with the German Communist Party and met many influential artists, doctors and scholars among the communists and socialists. Smedley used these resources to help the poor and workers in Germany to improve their living conditions and make their voices heard. In 1929, she became a special correspondent of the German liberal newspaper Frankfurter Zeitung, and went to Northeast in China through the Soviet Union at the age of thirty-seven.
1928年12月，史沫特莱到达中国东北，亲眼目睹了日本侵略者的暴行与当地百姓的贫苦。在发回给《法兰克福日报》的第一批文章里，她就谈及了日本对东亚地区的威胁。史沫特莱抵达沈阳时，张学良宣告东北易帜，东北三省纳入了国民党的统治之下。
史沫特莱在东北见到了大量穷苦民众。他们的悲惨境遇，使她找到了一种共鸣。从那一天起，史沫特莱开始有意去结交一些思想开放的中国人，希望和他们成为朋友，获取他们的信任。她意识到，要真正了解这个国家，必须要先了解这个国家的国民。
In December of 1928, Agnes Smedley arrived in Northeast China..She witnessed the Japanese’s invasion and was shocked by the level of the poverty in this region. When Smedley arrived in Shenyang, she saw that Zhang Xueliang had changed his army’s flag to the Kuomintang’s flag and incorporated his army into Kuomintang.
In the Northeast China, Smedley saw numerous poor people, victims of all kinds of suffering. People’s miserable lives invoked Smedley’s own experience of suffering from poverty. From that day, Smedley began to make friends with open-minded Chinese and gained their trust. She realized that it was necessary to know people before she could really know this country.
史沫特莱深入到中国人民的生活之中。她在东北住了近 3个月，参观了哈尔滨、沈阳、大连等地的监狱、工厂等并进行采访。在哈尔滨，史沫特莱参观了日本在抚顺的大型煤矿厂，目睹中国工人过度劳累、薪资微薄、衣不遮体、饱受病痛。而后，她还在北平参观了一家火柴厂，发现大量童工1930年夏，史沫特莱来到广州，调查广东缫丝厂的情况。在中国期间，她向《法兰克福日报》发回了《被日本占领的抚顺煤矿工人待遇》、《在北平火柴厂采访的童工问题》以及《广州缫丝厂女工》三篇重要劳工调查。
“一排排童工，有些比婴儿大不了多少，每天都在盛满火柴的盘子面前站十二个小时，他们的小手装填火柴的动作迅疾如闪电。有一个手持短棒的工头在他们背后的过道上走来走去。这些孩子，每天喝两顿加盐的小米粥，有时有点青菜，有时有点猪油。为了取暖，睡觉时他们在炕上挤作一团。所谓炕，是那些营式房间，由地下弯曲的烟道得到微弱的加温的土坯平台。我曾问到盖一条薄被躺在炕上的一个孩子的情况。他已病倒三天，没有人知道为什么，也没有人给他看病。反正死不了就会活下去。”
Smedley’s interviews in China highlighted people’s lives, and paid much attention to labor issues in China. She lived in the northeast for about three months and visited prisons and factories in Harbin, Shenyang and Dalian. In Harbin, she visited a large coal mine. All the Chinese working there were tortured by the Japaneses. Later, Smedley visited a match factory in Beijing where all laborers were children except for the supervisor. In 1930, She went to Guangdong province to investigate the Guangzhou silk reeling factory. She sent back an accurate labor survey to the Frankfurter Zeitung focusing on “The Treatment of Fushun coal mine workers occupied by Japan”, “The problem of child labor interviewed in Beiping firewood factory” and “The female workers in Guangzhou silk reeling factory”.
“Long lines of them (the children laborers), some hardly more than babies, stood twelve hours a day before trays filled with matches, their small hands working like lighting as they filled matchboxes. A foreman carrying a short stick walked back and forth along the aisles. Each day the children were fed two meals of millet gruel and salt; sometimes there were a few bits of greens and sometimes a little lard. To keep warm, they slept crowed close together on long k’angs, earthen platforms extending the length of barrack-like rooms and weakly heated by a coiling flue beneath. I asked about one child, covered by a thin quilt, lying on a k’ang. He had been sick for three days; no one knew why and there was no medical care. He would either live or die.”
1929年9月17日，刚来到上海不久的史沫特莱赴法租界莫利爱路29号拜访宋庆龄，并把新近出版的自传体小说《大地的女儿》赠送给她。此后，史沫特莱协助宋庆龄处理工作，还参与了宋庆龄领导的《中国论坛》（China forum,Shanghai,1932-1934）和《中国呼声》(Voice of China,Shanghai,1936-1937)两份刊物的创办。1932年12月，“中国民权保障同盟”成立，宋庆龄为主席，蔡元培任副主席，杨杏佛任总干事，陈翰笙负责组织管理工作，其执行委员会委员有鲁迅、林语堂以及两位外国人伊罗生(Harold Isaacs)和史沫特莱。同盟成立后，主要负责营救被国民党政府非法逮捕的共产党人和进步人士。史沫特莱积极参与工作，成为骨干成员。
On September 17, 1929, Smedley arrived in Shanghai and visited Soong Ching-ling at the French Concession Rue Moliere Avenue No. 29. Smedley gave her biography Daughter of Earth to Soong Ching-ling as a gift. After their meeting, Smedley began to work as a secretary to Soong Ching-ling. She also contributed to the establishment of China forum,Shanghai (1932-1934) and Voice of China,Shanghai (1936-1937) which were managed by Soong Ching-ling. In December 1932, “China League for Civic Rights” was established with Soong Ching-ling as chairman, Cai Yuanpei as vice chairman and Yang Xingfo as general director. Chen Hansheng as organizer. The executive committee included Lu Xun, Lin Yutang and two foreigners, Harold Isaacs and Smedley. The organization members were committed to rescuing communists and progressive people who were arrested illegally by Kuomintang. Smedley became one of the central members in this organization.
1929年12月，史沫特莱与鲁迅结识。史沫特莱眼中的鲁迅，举止潇洒，谈吐和举手投足，都体现出完美的人格魅力。1931年2月7日, 左联五烈士被国民党杀害, 史沫特莱感到异常悲痛与愤慨。鲁迅请求她协助发表一篇稿件《写在深夜里》，随后又草拟了一份告西方知识分子宣言书。茅盾将其翻译成英文，发表在1936年6月出版的美国《新群众》上。其结果是，五十多名美国一流作家发来了一份谴责杀害中国作家的抗议书。国民党得知西方世界有责难之意，从而有所顾忌。史沫特莱还将珂勒惠支介绍给鲁迅，并帮助鲁迅购买收藏珂勒惠支的作品。此后，鲁迅在中国引领了木刻艺术运动，也是由于深受珂勒惠支的影响。
On December 1929, Smedley first met Lu Xun. To Smedley, Lu Xun had good manners and a brilliant mind. On February 7th, 1931, five Left-Wing writers were killed by Kuomintang. Smedley felt very sad and angry. Lu Xun asked her to help him publish a manuscript “Written in the Deep Night” and then he drafted a declaration to the western intellectual circles. Mao Dun translated it into English. This article was published in the New Masses (Vol.7 No.1) in June 1936. As a result, more than 50 top American writers sent a letter of protest condemning the killing of Chinese writers. The Kuomintang was surprised to learn that the western world could censure the Kuomintang for its actions in this matter.Smedley also introduced Käthe Kollwitz prints to Lu Xun and helped Lu Xun to purchase and collect her works. After that, Lu Xun led the woodcut art movement in China, which was deeply influenced by Kollwitz’s work.
1936年5月初，史沫特莱在鲁迅家认识了左翼作家冯雪峰，他向史沫特莱讲述了富有英雄主义色彩的两万五千里长征。当得知西北地区红军严重缺医少药的情况后，史沫特莱便积极投入到为红军募集药品的工作中。1936年夏，史沫特莱来到临潼华清池，与西安的共产党人交朋友，通过他们了解抗日前线信息。同年，挚友鲁迅逝世。
“鲁迅的离世对我来说，不仅是一种个人的忧伤，更是一个民族的不幸。他未曾漫无目地虚度一生，也不曾蝇营苟且、追名逐利。在中国所有的知识分子中，他对于青年们的影响最为深远。他为世人争取着最大的公益，而扼杀他的疾病滋生于长期的悲伤与奋斗。对于死亡本身，他始终抱以蔑视的态度。 只因为宣布了鲁迅的死讯，官方才将他的名字从审查制度中筛除。他在上海的葬礼是令世人刻骨铭心的。教师和学生纷纷走出教室，店员走出商店，工人走出工厂，清贫的作家们、艺术家们、演员们从他们的藏身之处走出，为鲁迅送葬。宋庆龄和她的弟弟宋子文博士也加入了送葬行列，不仅如此，宋子文还是将鲁迅棺材放入他最后安息的墓穴之人。”
1936年11月下旬，史沫特莱搬入西安。12月12日凌晨，爱国将领张学良、杨虎城为实现停止内战、共同抗日，扣留了蒋介石，西安事变发生，这是史沫特莱人生的重要转折点。12月16日，张学良发表了联合统一战线演讲，史沫特莱对张学良、杨虎城和中共代表团进行了采访报道。她还协助各种救亡团体，宣传动员群众。史沫特莱最大的贡献是负责西安对外的英语广播，向世界报道西安事变的真相。不仅如此，史沫特莱还见到了一批红军和中共中央委员会的代表，包括博古、周恩来、叶剑英、罗瑞卿等。之后，她受邀前往延安红军总部。
At the beginning of May 1936, Smedley met Feng Xuefeng, a left-wing writer. He told Smedley about the heroic Long March and the many difficult situations faced during the long march. After knowing the serious shortage of medicine in the Chinese Red Army, Smedley immediately began the work of procuring medicine for the Red Army. During the summer, Smedley moved to Huaqing Hot Springs in Lintong and made friends with communists living in Xi'an. She was able to gather information about the Anti-Japanese war from her new friends. In the same year, Lu Xun passed away.
“The death of Lu Xsun came to me not only as a personal sorrow, but as a national tragedy. He had not lived aimlessly, nor had he given himself over to the search for wealth, power, or position. Of all Chinese intellectuals, he had wielded the greatest influence over educated youth. He embodied the common good, and the disease which killed him was fostered by sorrow and struggle. On death itself he had looked with contempt. Only for the announcement of his death did the official censors lift the ban on his name. His funeral in Shanghai was memorable. Teachers and students left their classrooms, clerks their shops, workers their factories, and poor writers, artists, and actors came out of their hiding places to follow his body. Madame Sun Yan-sen and her brother, Dr. T. V. Soong, were in the procession, and Dr. Soong helped lower the coffin to its last resting place.”
In late November 1936, Smedley moved to Xi'an. On December 12th, early in the morning, generals Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng arrested Chiang Kai-shek after Chiang refused their requests to stop the war against the communalists and form the anti-Japanese alliance. This was called the Xi’an Incident, and it became a turning point in Smedley’s life. On December 16, Zhang Xueliang delivered a speech on the united front and released all political prisoners. Smedley interviewed Zhang Xueliang, Yang Hucheng and the representatives of the Communist Party. She also helped multiple patriotic organizations to unite the public. The most significant job she undertook was broadcasting the Xin’an Incident in English globally. Moreover Smedley met a group of representatives of the Red Army and the Central Committee of the Communist Party, including Bo Gu, Zhou Enlai, Ye Jianying and Luo Ruiqing. After receiving an invitation, Smedley went to Yan'an, headquarters of the Red Army .
1937年1月12日，史沫特莱抵达延安。遇见老朋友丁玲和大批红军战士。史沫特莱和丁玲在两次集会上发表了演讲，当地民众的参与度很高。在一次演讲之后，两人带领着一群妇女和女孩到了司令部她们的住所。丁玲跟她们讲述妇女解放的意义，并指出需要女人们联合起来成立妇女救国会，在抗日战争中享有与男子同等的权利和义务。
过了几天，史沫特莱和丁玲徒步越野来到贺龙司令部的所在地。这是史沫特莱第一次见到贺龙，他身材魁梧、蓄着浓黑的胡髭、带着一顶高高的皮帽，步履矫健，敏捷如豹。她还遇到了著名的马海德医生。
告别贺龙后，史沫特莱和丁玲一同骑马来到一个白雪覆盖的村落，见到了彭德怀。彭德怀以严苛的纪律要求自己，也以同样的规矩要求士兵。其后史沫特莱几经转辗抵达了延安红军总部，见到了朱德，还也有幸在一个窑洞里拜访了毛泽东，被其卓尔不群的气质和坚毅折服。，史沫特莱还见到了周恩来。在史沫特莱眼中，周恩来具有很好的教育背景、远见和政治才能，他能够将个人安危进退置于国家大事之下。在延安的岁月里，史沫特莱为朱德写传记，继续写文章和报道，参与各种活动。1937年7月7日，抗日战争全面爆发。朱德奔赴史沫特莱跟着八路军上了前线。
On January 12, 1937, Smedley arrived in Yan’an and met her old friend Ding Ling. For the first time Smedley saw a large number of Red Army soldiers. Smedley and Ding Ling spoke at two meetings. The local people actively participated in the gatherings. After one speech, Smedley and Ding Ling separated a group of women and girls from the larger meeting. Ding Ling told them about the significance of women's liberation and pointed out that it was necessary for women to unite to establish a women's National Salvation Association. In the Anti-Japanese War, they had the same rights and obligations as men.
Smedley and Ding Ling hiked across the country to the site of He Long’s headquarters. She met He Long, the commander in chief of the Second Red Army regiment for the first time. He was a big man with thick black moustache and a tall leather hat. He walked with vigorous and quick steps like a leopard. There, Smedley also met the famous doctor Ma Haide (Dr. Shafick George Hatem) .
After bidding farewell to He Long, Smedley and Ding Ling rode to a snow-covered village and met Peng Dehuai. He imposed upon himself the same discipline and that he was a man of iron justice. After some time, Smedley arrived at the headquarters of the Yan'an Red Army and met Zhu De, and she was honored to be able to visit Mao Zedong in a mountain cave. Mao Zedong was respected as the few who came to know him best had affection for him. But his spirits dwelt within itself, isolating him. Smedley also met Zhou Enlai. In her eyes, Zhou Enlai had excellent educational background, vision and statesmanship, he relegated himself to an inferior position in the affairs of his country. During the years she was in Yan'an, Smedley began a biography of Zhu De; continued to write articles and reports; took part in many activities. On July 7, 1937, the Anti-Japanese War broke out. Smedleywent to the front with the Eighth Route Army.
1937年10月，史沫特莱北上去山西省会太原。她采访了许多高级军事官员和医务官员，并观察到，山西军队的医务工作情况堪忧。史沫特莱花了一整夜的功夫，写了一篇关于西北地区伤员状况的报道，并呼吁各国委员会向中国提供医疗援助。她将这篇报道寄给了在上海的约翰·本杰明·鲍威尔（John Benjamin Powell），鲍威尔随即将这篇报道登报和广播了出去。
史沫特莱在前往八路军战时总部五台山的途中，收到平型关战役胜利的好消息。
“平型关一战之所以重要，因为这是中国人第一次对日军实行运动战与游击战相结合的作战方法，因为有平民百姓参与战斗，它证明了如果实行人民战争即使是装备简陋的中国部队也能战胜战备精良的敌军。”
史沫特莱在随军转移的过程中，常常利用中午休息时间探访部队友邻单位或与村民交谈。1938年12月下旬，史沫特莱在八路军驻地见到了两名外国人，新西兰人詹姆士·贝特兰（James Bertram）和美国海军陆战队驻华情报官埃文斯·卡尔逊（Evans Fordyce Carlson）。卡尔逊此行意在学习游击战策略。
“他（卡尔逊）到八路军驻地来的目的起初是为了从一个技术人员的角度学习游击战策略，但不久后他便明白，游击战不仅仅是一种策略，更是结合一套既广泛又深入的政治教育制度结合在一起的战略。这种教育的宗旨是使士兵们明确为何为战，为何而生，必要之时，可为之献出生命。
在山西抗战前线，史沫特莱每天晚上将得到的材料用打字机整理出来。这些材料后来以书信和日记的形式被编辑成书，被命名为《中国的反击》，在纽约和伦敦同时出版，向外界报道了八路军抗战的真实情况。
1938年1月到10月，史沫特莱往来于武汉、长沙等地，参加集会、发表演讲为八路军募集捐款、呼吁医疗援助。在汉口，她常常跑到各类教会以及传教士家中讨要外国药物物资，以用来支持共产党军队，然而屡屡以失败告终。为了帮助中国建设自己的红十字会，她在鲍谦熙（Berislav Borcic）博士的引荐下认识了金宝善博士（后来的国民政府卫生署署长）、林可胜博士和卢致德博士。1938年10月25日武汉失守.
“(在1937年12月，南京遭遇沦陷)，并且有数百万无法撤出的重伤员被留在南京，由中国医师和护士照料。日军并未遵守国际法和日内瓦红十字公约，在占领南京后，屠杀了近二十万平民和已经解除武装的军人，并且袭击了医院，杀害伤员、医师和护士。日本人在南京奸淫妇女的可怕传闻已经是众所周知，因为不少在哪里的外交官员和传教士目睹了他们的兽行，甚至拍摄了照片。大约七百名中国红十字会的医生、护士和护理人员及汽车司机已经到达汉口，不少未能到达的人已经被杀死在途中。从南京开出的救护车，仅有十七辆到达汉口，分别装载着半车药品。”
史沫特莱也加入了红十字救护总队，成为一名宣传工作者。她报道伤兵处境和军队医务工作的各项困难，并写报告给世界各地的组织，讨要卡车、救护车、汽油、药物和医疗器械。
香港医务总监的夫人希尔达·塞尔温·克拉克（Hilda Selwyn Clarke）应史沫特莱的要求抵达了汉口。她在访问了汉口的红十字救护总队后，回到香港建立了红十字救护总队香港办事处。希尔达建立了一个国际救援网，使医疗物资和交通工具能穿越日军战线，加拿大医生亨利·诺尔曼·白求恩(Henry Norman Bethune)也是在史沫特莱的要求下来华支援的。
在广州和汉口相继失守后，1938年10月29日，史沫特莱沿着长江下游来到江西，同行的还有红十字会的几辆救护车和卡车，里面装满了各种物资，都是史沫特莱为长江下游沿岸敌后游击队主力新四军募集的。除了红十字会和平民捐助的以外，史沫特莱还用自己的积蓄买了很多绷带、纱布、奎宁、肥皂和毛巾。
几天后，史沫特莱一行继续向东穿过景德镇、祁门。1938年11月9日，史沫特莱一行到达位于江西小河口的新四军后方医院。迎接她们的是新四军军医处处长沈其震博士。出乎史沫特莱的意料，新四军已经有了一套模仿西方一流医院的工作制度，这种有条不紊的医务工作状态要归功于新四军军长叶挺和沈其震。
1939年12月末，史沫特莱来到了第二十二集团军（四川部队）在湖北的野战司令部，之后又到了三十三集团军，见到了张自忠将军和其参谋长张克侠。1940年5月5日，日本发动了春季反攻，张自忠将军受命指挥中央前线部队将敌人赶出枣阳以及周边各城镇。5月18日，张自忠在前线牺牲。1940年6月初，张自忠将军的一名受伤的参谋来见史沫特莱，将这一消息告诉了她。
在湖北，史沫特莱和一名女记者安娥一起拜访了新四军挺进纵队。期间，司令部指派了一名“红小鬼”和一名女士做她的勤务兵。被指派给史沫特莱的红小鬼自称沈国华，他的家庭遭到土匪袭击，所以他离开了故乡，乞讨为生。当史沫特莱要离开挺进纵队时，她决定认养沈国华做自己的儿子。史沫特莱向沈国华提出要领养他，并想送他去中国西部一所教育条件很好的学校，之后带他回国。沈国华拒绝了，他想长大成为一名红军战士，他与史沫特莱约定，战争胜利后再相见。然而，这一别确是永别。
在6月宜昌沦陷前不久，史沫特莱乘坐轮船沿长江三峡抵达了重庆。在重庆，路易艾黎所创办的工业合作社举行了一次全国工业展览，史沫特莱在各个展览相关的俱乐部发表演讲。1940年6月底，日本的轰炸试图将重庆变成一片废墟。林可胜把史沫特莱带到贵阳红十字救护队总部给她治病，并亲自操刀割除了史沫特莱的胆囊。史沫特莱此时已多重疾病缠身，包括长期以来的背疾，胃病和胆囊疾病。9月，史沫特莱的病情加剧，被林可胜送往广西桂林，最后到了香港。
“我离开中国的决定，结束了我生命中最重要的一章。回首往事，我对于自己很不满意。我知道我曾犯过无数错误，但是我希望我能够底气十足的告诉所有人，我也做过一些好事。至于我未来的什么，我有一项伟大的工作要做—我要将中国的真相告诉美国，让美国人知道中国人赈灾战斗。我发誓，永远不忘钟毅将军的嘱托：‘请转告贵国同胞……请转告贵国同胞……’”
In October 1937, Smedley transferred to Taiyuan. She visited high military and medical officials, And found out that the medical department of the Shan’xi Army was primitive. She then spent an entire night preparing a report on the wounded of the northwest. To this she appended an appeal for foreign medical aid to China and for the formation of foreign committees to secure such aid. She sent the report to John B. Powell in Shanghai where he had it broadcasted and published.
On the way to the Eighth Route Army's wartime headquarters in Wutai Mountain, Smedley received the good news about the Battle of Pingxingguan.
“The battle of Pingxingguan was important because it was the first time a Chinese army had combined mobile and guerrilla warfare against the Japanese. The reasons for the success of this warfare were because the civilian population had been drawn into the fight and it proved that by using the techniques of a “people’s war” even a poorly equipped Chinese force could defeat a fully equipped enemy.
While Smedley marched with the army, she took advantage of the noon hour to rest, to visit other units of the Army or to wander off to talk with villagers. In the late December 1938, Smedley met two foreigners James Bertram, a young New Zealander and Captain Evans F. Carlson, American Marine Intelligence Officer in China.
“He (Captain Carlson) had come to the Eight Route Army to study guerrilla warfare from the point of view of the technician, but he had soon realized that guerrilla warfare is not merely a technical matter, but intricately bound up with a broad and deep political educational system designed to give men something to fight for, live for, and, if necessary, die for.”
At the front of Shan’xi anti-Japanese war, Smedley wrote articles based on her interviews in the evening. These articles, her letters and her diary were later published in New York and London in a book titled China Fights Back.
From January to October 1938, Smedley traveled from Wuhan to Changsha, attending meetings, giving speeches, raising money for the Eighth Army, and requesting the donation of international medical supplies. Smedley attempted to help in obtaining foreign drugs, but as usual she was refused by the foreign institutions in Hankou. In order to help China, build its own Red Cross Society, she met Dr. Jin Baoshan (the later director of the department of Health), Dr. Lin Kesheng and Dr. Lu Zhide with the recommendation of Dr. Berislav Borcic to organize the Society. October 25, 1938, Wuhan fell.
“Hundreds of severely wounded soldiers who could not be evacuated had been left in Nanking in the care of the Chinese doctors and nurses. When Japanese occupied the city, they did not honor the international law and the Geneva Red Cross Convention, they not only put to the sword some two hundred thousand civilians and unarmed soldiers, but fell upon the hospitals, slaughtering the wounded, the doctors, and the nurses. The gruesome story of the rape of Nanking was already common knowledge, for a number of diplomatic officials and foreign missionaries had remained in the city and watched the Japanese in action, and even taken photos of the atrocities. Some seven hundred Chinese Red Cross doctors and mechanics had reached Hankou; many others had been slaughtered in route. Of the ambulances and trucks which had left Nanking, only seventeen, with half of a load of medicine, had reached Hankou.”
Smedley joined the Red Cross Medical Corps to provide publicity. She focused on the condition of the wounded and on the endless problems of the Army Medical Service and the Red Cross Medical Corps. She also wrote reports to organizations throughout the world begging for trucks and ambulances, gasolines, medical and surgical supplies.
Hilda Selwyn Clarke, the wife of the Hong Kong Medical Director, arrived in Hankou at the request of Smedley. After visiting the Red Cross Rescue Corps in Hankou, she returned to Hong Kong and established the Hong Kong Office of the Red Cross Rescue Corps. Hilda organized an international rescue network, a complex system that enabled medical supplies and transportation across the Japanese front. In addition to Hilda, Dr. Henry Norman Bethune a Canadian doctor also came to China to help Smedley at her request.
After the fall of Canton and Hankou, on October 29, 1938, Smedley went to Jiangxi along the lower Yangtze River. She was accompanied by several Red Cross ambulances and trucks filled with all kinds of supplies. In addition to donations from the Red Cross and civilians. Smedley also used her savings to buy bandages, gauze, quinine, soap and towels.
Smedley marched eastward, passing through Jingdezhen and Qimen. She and her party arrived at the rear base hospital of the New Fourth Army in Xiaohekou, Jiangxi Province on November 9, 1938. Dr. Shen Qizhen, director of the Military Medical Department of the New Fourth Army, welcomed Smedley and her party. Smedley was surprised that the New Fourth Army already had a working hospital system modeled on the first-class hospitals in the West, including medical staff guidelines and medical supply system. General Ye Ting and Dr. Shen made contributions to the medical situation.
Smedley came to the field headquarters of the 22nd group army (Sichuan Army) in Hubei in the late December 1939. Later Smedley continued on to the 33rd group army and met General Zhang Zizhong and his chief of staff, Zhang Kexia. On May 5, 1940, Japan launched their spring counter offensive. General Zhang Zizhong was ordered by the Central Committee to take command of all the troops in the front line of and drive the enemy out of Zaoyang and the surrounding towns. On May 18, Zhang Zizhong died at the front. In early June 1940, a wounded staff member of General Zhang Zizhong came to see Smedley and told her the news that Zhang Zizhong had died.
Smedley visited the New Fourth Army headquarters in Hubei Province with a female writer An’e. During their stay, the headquarters assigned a "Little Red Devil" and a woman to be her orderlies. The kid who was assigned to Smedley called himself Shen Guohua, his family was attacked by bandits, so he left his hometown and begged for a living. When Smedley was about to leave, she decided to adopt Guohua as her son. Smedley proposed to Guohua that see would adopt him and send him to school in Western China to get a good education, Guohua refused. He wanted to grow up and become a Red Army soldier. He agreed that Smedley could see him after the victory. However, their farewell was final.
Shortly before the fall of Yichang in June, Smedley arrived in Chongqing by ship along the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. In Chongqing, the industrial cooperatives founded by Rewi Alley held a national industrial exhibition. Smedley gave lectures to the clubs associated with the various exhibitions. In late June 1940, the Japanese bombing was trying to reduce Chongqing to ashes. Dr. Lin took Smedley to the headquarters of the Red Cross rescue team in Guiyang and performed surgery on Smedley's gallbladder. By this time Smedley had been suffering from multiple physical ailments including back problems, stomach issues and gallbladder disease for a long time. In September, Smedley's condition got worse and was sent by Lin Kesheng to Guilin, Guangxi and finally to Hong Kong.
“My decision to leave China had brought to a close the most important chapter of my life. Looking back, I was far from satisfied. I knew I had made countless mistakes; I hoped I had done a little good. For the future I still had one great job to do—to tell America the truth about China, how the Chinese had fought and were fighting. I had vowed by everything that I believed not to forget Chung Yi’s words: “Tell your countrymen…tell your countrymen…’”
在香港，史沫特莱见到了她的旧友希尔达·塞尔温·克拉克 (Hilda Selwyn-Clarke)，她将史沫特莱送往玛丽皇后医院接受治疗。在住院的过程中，史沫特莱只等身体稍有康复就加入了希尔达领导的专注于救济中国贫民的英国团体。
史沫特莱还在玛丽皇后医院见到了宋美龄和萧红。史沫特莱还接触到了大量在军队和民间担任医生、护士、政治组织工作者和教育工作者的女性，她们在艰苦的工作条件下依旧为了理想而奋斗，还有那些在一个个日常岗位上坚持至死的女性，她们都值得被赞颂。
香港被日军占领后，史沫特莱的病情加剧，回到了美国。
In Hong Kong, Smedley met her old friend Hilda Selwyn Clarke, who took Smedley to Queen Mary Hospital for treatment. Smedley joined a British group led by Clarke focusing on providing relief to the poor in China.
Smedley met Soong Mei-ling and Xiao Hong at Queen Mary Hospital. Smedley had been living and working in the Red Cross rescue team for a long time and met a large number of outstanding women including doctors and nurses in the army, scholars, political organization workers and education workers. They were fighting for their ideals under extreme working conditions. They persisted in their daily work until they died and deserved praise and honor.
After Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese, Smedley’s health worsened and came back to the United States.
49岁的史沫特莱回到洛杉矶后穷困潦倒、疾病缠身。她希望将自己在中国的经历写成一本书，告诉美国人中国人民为反法西斯战争所做的的牺牲。为筹措资金，史沫特莱四处演讲。
史沫特莱的第一次演讲在波莫纳大学教师俱乐部（the faculty club of Pomona College）举行，她描述了在香港时期所看到的的情形，并且警告美国政府不要再向日本出售军用物资，因为不久之后，美国将会被迫和日本正面交战，并且呼吁美国政府向正在与日军英勇作战的中国人民给予更大的支持。这一番真切而又振奋人心的演讲让整个俱乐部群情激昂。
史沫特莱在加利福利亚州还和卡尔逊保持密切地书信往来。卡尔逊因为埃德·加斯诺的介绍信而拜访了朱德所在的八路军总部进行关于“游击队战略”的研究。卡尔逊在对美国海军陆战队的报道中，说共产党是真心实意为了解放中国人民而战.
史沫特莱在加州加入了洛杉矶救援委员会，这个委员会由美国政界、宗教、学术和新闻界人士组成，史沫特莱在其支持下开始整理自己的笔记和文章，准备开始创作新书。
1942年，史沫特莱来到纽约结识了新的朋友，与此同时她也继续在为中国红十字救援会筹措资金和医疗用品。在赛珍珠（Pearl Buck）和其丈夫的帮助下，史沫特莱再一次见到了林语堂。1943年1月，史沫特莱完成了《中国的战歌》一书。同年，史沫特莱接受了雅都(Yaddo)的邀请，免费住进了这个为美国一流作家、艺术家设计的庄园。9月，史沫特莱的《中国的战歌》在全美书店发售，正式出版那天，史沫特莱参与了纽约电台的节目录制。史沫特莱的书在美国引起了极大的反响，《纽约时报》、《论坛报》、《新闻周刊》、《周六文学评论》、《民族》和《新共和》等报纸纷纷发表了关于《中国的战歌》的书评，并且都是积极评价。史沫特莱将美国各界对于她所出版的新书的狂热带到了她的政治生涯中，在此后的半年时间，她开始在波士顿和纽约的大大小小学院以及公共集会场所发表新书演讲，不仅如此，史沫特莱还直言不讳地指出当时美国社会的种种问题，尤其是种族矛盾和女性平权问题。
1946年，中国国共内战爆发，史沫特莱的政治立场让其在美国成为了众矢之的，媒体将史沫特莱冠以“间谍”之名。同年，与史沫特莱同一战线的史迪威去世，次年5月，卡尔逊过世。失去了盟友的史沫特莱面对外界对于她日益恶毒的政治攻击感到抑郁、孤独，和难于自卫。1949年10月，中华人民共和国成立，五十七岁的史沫特莱为《民族卫报》发表了一篇赞扬性的文章，她自己也买了蛋糕独自庆祝新中国的成立。同年，史沫特莱告别昔日旧友，离开美国，去往了英国。
When Smedley returned to Los Angeles, she was 49 years old and in financial trouble, her health was also failing. She hoped to write a book about her experiences in China during the anti-fascist war. In order to raise money, Smedley gave many speeches. Her first major speech was at the Pomona College faculty club. In the speech Smedley related what she had observed in Hong Kong. She called on the U.S. government not to sell military supplies to as Japanese because she foresaw that the Japanese would attack the U.S. She wished the U.S. government would give greater support to China, they were bravely fighting the Japanese army. Her inspiring speech excited the whole club.
Smedley kept in touch with Evans Carlson while she was in California. Carlson was introduced to Zhu De’s Eight Route Army by Edgar Snow, where he studied the technology of “guerrilla strategy.” In his report to the U.S. Marine Corps, Carlson reported that the Communist Party was fighting for the liberation of the Chinese people.
Smedley joined the Los Angeles Committee and this committee was composed of American politicians, religions, academics and the press. With its support she began organizing her notes and articles in preparation for her new book.
In 1942, Smedley went to New York and met new friends. At the same time, she continued to raise funds and medical supplies for the Red Cross rescue society in China. Pearl Buck and her husband helped Smedley to meet Lin Yutang again. In January 1943, Smedley finished her book Battle Hymn of China. In the same year, Smedley was accepted at Yaddo. It was artist and author colony where members lived for free. In September, Smedley's Battle Hymn of China was released in bookstores across the United States. On the day of the official publication, Smedley participated in a New York radio program recording. Smedley's book had a positive response in the United States. The New York Times, Tribune, Newsweek, Saturday Review of Literature, the Nation, the New Republic and other newspapers published book reviews, all of them are positive. Smedley continued to express her passion in politics as well. In the following six months, she delivered speeches about her new book in colleges and public halls in Boston and New York. Moreover, Smedley pointed out the problems of American society, especially the racial problems and lack of progress toward equal rights for women.
In 1946, the civil war broke out between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. Smedley's positions caused her to be viewed as an enemy in the United States. The media called Smedley a "spy agent". Later, Stilwell, who continued to support Smedley, passed away. In May 1947, her closest friend Carlson died. With those deaths Smedley, had lost her allies. She was feeling depressed, lonely and found it difficult to defend herself against the increasingly vicious political attacks. In October 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded. Smedley published an article praising the Communist Party as the national guardian. She bought a cake to celebrate the founding of new China. In the fall of 1949 Smedley decided to leave the United States, saying goodbye to old friends and left for England.
1950年史沫特莱的肺炎和胃病再次复发，她感到死亡将至，她写信给自己的朋友请求她们帮忙两件事：其一，她希望自己死后，她们能将自己出版物版税和毕生积蓄捐给朱德将军，以来支持一个更强大、自由的中国；其二，她希望自己的遗体火化后，能够托运给朱德，让自己可以安葬在中国，这个自己为之奋斗和忠于的土地上。1950年5月6日，艾格尼丝·史沫特莱在伦敦逝世。1951年2月，史沫特莱的骨灰被带到了北京。1951年5月，骨灰安置在八宝山革命公墓的青松翠柏间。她的碑文由朱德同志亲笔题写：中国人民之友、美国革命作家史沫特莱之墓（Agnes Smedley）。
“在这个世界上，除了中国，我的心灵在任何地方都未能找到安宁，我希望我的骨灰能和死去的中国革命者同在。”
In 1950, Smedley had pneumonia and stomach ulcer disease again. She felt that she was dying. She wrote to her friends to have them do two things: first, after her death, her publication royalties and her life savings were to be given to general Zhu De to support a stronger China; and second, she hoped that her body would be cremated and the ashes sent to Zhu De, so that she could be buried in China the land she loved. On May 6, 1950, Smedley died. On May 6, 1951, her ashes were brought back to Beijing and place them in the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. The characters on her gravestone were written by Zhu De and state: “In memory of Agnes Smedley, American revolutionary writer and friend of the Chinese people.”
“My soul can't find peace in other places of the world except China. I hope my ashes stay together with deceased Chinese revolutionists.”
