The Snows and China
Sharon Crane:
Once they left China, there wasn't that need for each other. They came back to America that was very different from their living together here in China. They had everyday struggles, struggles for health, for accomplishing their writing, or struggles to establish the industrial cooperatives, to help China's future. They cared so passionately. They were just writing and working every minute, every day. When they came back, they came against another great war of McCarthyism. That was a horrible time in our history. It was a personal time of defeat for them in their own country. They had been accepted by the Chinese. When they returned, they were not accepted by many of their own people. They were very sad, when they returned to America. Then they began to go separate ways.
On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong and his colleagues, these so-called "Red Bandits", climbed up to the rostrum of Tian'anmen Square to announce the founding of the People’s Republic. (pause!) In that same year, however, the relationship between this couple who loved China had come to the end. Edgar and Helen Snow, two of the best journalists specializing in the revolutions of China, divorced each other.
An Wei:
She was hurt when she returned to the U.S. because she was called to the White House to attend a kind of hearing because anybody with any connection with the communists and with China had to clear…clarify their connection with China. She was also hurt by her divorce. Although she thought it was necessary…it was a good thing for them to have a divorce. But at the same time, she was very hurt.
After the divorce, Edgar Snow married Lois Weller, an American actress. They had to emigrate to Switzerland to escape the persecution of McCarthyism, while Helen Snow retreated to her cottage in Connecticut and began to pursue her dream in creating great literature. During the rest of her life, Helen published 6 books on China.
Sharon Crane:
All that was important to her was just to write. Material things weren't important to her. Ding Ling, the famous Chinese writer, came to visit her. Ding Ling was very worried that she lived alone when she returned to China. She wrote an article about that, and felt so sad that she didn't have family or someone living with her and taking care like they do here in China. But for them, that part was her wish.
No matter where they stayed, Helen and Edgar Snow were always attached to China. They kept talking, writing and researching about China. In 1960, Edgar Snow broke through mountains of obstacles to get back to China after being away twenty years. (pause!) He visited a lot of places, from the cities to the countryside. He interviewed numerous people, from house wives to top leaders of the country. The China he saw was totally different from the one he lived in from 1928 to 1941. He strongly felt, the Red star was already shining over China. Again, he interviewed his old friend, Mao Zedong.
Prof. Yin Junsheng:
They would sometimes talk for 9 hours. Mao shared his inner feelings with Snow, and talked on his views and analyses of situations inside and outside of China. Mao would even talk on his personal concerns and the topic of life and death. They were really very good friends.
An Wei President
He visited Beijing in 1960, and then phoned and wrote to Helen, sharing his meetings with friends and conveying their greetings. He told her if she could come to China, she would receive a warm welcome. Snow was a heavy smoker, but gave up smoking after moving to Switzerland. He was so excited and told Helen, "Your wish is achieved. I do not smoke now. I quit it."
