Wang Youmu was a pioneer in Sichuan Marxist movement and a chief founder of Sichuan Communist Party and Sichuan Communist Youth League, who was elected representative of the first National Congress of the communist party of China and also attended the 2nd National Congress of the communist party of China. He was authorized to establish Sichuan Socialist Youth League (the predecessor of Sichuan Communist Youth League ) by Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.
Wang Youmu was born into an ordinary family on November 12,1887. He attended liberal arts class in Sichuan Tongsheng Normal School (the predecessor of Sichuan University) in 1907. After graduation from this school in 1909, he was employed as the principal of Longjun Middle School in Jiangyou County where he carried out the reform of education administration ambitiously, hoping to cultivate more excellent talents for his country. However, influenced by the popular idea that industry could save his country, he resolutely resigned his position and decided to study further with the intention of revitalizing science and technology of his country, so Mr. Wang was admitted with honors to Sichuan Tongsheng Normal School again in 1910 and majored in physics and chemistry. With the financial aid of his relatives and friends, Mr. Wang went to Japan to study at Keio University in 1914, majoring in physical chemistry. Later on, he transferred to Meiji University, specializing in social sciences in order to save the people and his country in a crisis.
To get the support from Japan to become an emperor,on May 9, 1915 Yuan Shih-kai accepted Twenty-one Demands of the Japanese imperialist，humiliating China and forfeiting China’s sovereignty. In such a situation, Association of Chinese Overseas Students and Association of Fellow Townspeople launched a series of great patriotic campaigns to overthrow Yuan Shih-kai, in which Wang Youmu was actively involved. Wang Youmu not only attended all types of rallies, but also went hither and thither, delivering his impassioned speeches to appeal to more people for their awareness and participation. It was in these activities that he got to know Li Dazhao, a very important CPC leader and began to embrace the communist thoughts.
Mr. Wang read a lot of works on socialist thoughts in 1916 besides the learning of his professional knowledge. In 1917, he was greatly inspired by the outbreak of the October Revolution in Russia. In the autumn of 1918, Mr.Wang graduated with honors from Meiji University in Japan, obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Economics; thereafter he went back to Chengdu to work as proctor in Chengdu Higher Normal School. In 1920, he became an economics teacher in Sichuan Public Agricultural School (the predecessor of Sichuan Agricultural University). During that summer holiday, Mr. Wang went to Shanghai to meet some very important CPC members such as Chenduxiu, Li Hanjun, Li Da and Shi Cuntong. With the inspiration of these leaders, he returned to Sichuan and made a detailed study of the magazine New Youth and Marxist theory, thus strengthening his belief in Marxism. In order to publicize Marxism widely, nurture revolutionary forces and make preparations for the founding of the communist organization and the communist youth league in Sichuan, Mr.Wang started a reading club on Marxism in Sichuan Public Agricultural School where he was teaching. Kang Minghui, one of his students majoring in Forestry in this school, joined the reading club and became the backbone of the club.
In January 1921, Mr.Wang started New Sichuan Journal, published every ten days.Around the opening of the 1st National Congress of the communist party of China in May 1921, he went to Shanghai again to meet Cheng Duxiu and other very important leaders of the communist party of China.
According to Temporary Constitution of Socialist Youth League of China, published in the magazine Pioneer in April 1922, Wang Youmu established Sichuan Socialist Youth League, in which the members from the Marxism reading club became the mainstay of the league.Under his leadership, in June 1922 the Movement for Independent Expenditure on Education in Sichuan reached the climax and it was far-reaching and spectacular in Sichuan modern history. In July 1922, Mr. Wang went to Shanghai to connect with the Central Committee of CPC and the Socialist Youth League of China, and he also met Shi Cuntong, Zhang Tailei and Chen Duxiu. Meanwhile, he gave a report to the Central Committee of the communist party of China on the founding of the Socialist Youth League of Sichuan, and Mr. Wang was authorized to found the Socialist Youth League of Sichuan( the pedecessor of the Communist Youth League of Sichuan by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China). On the way back to Sichuan, Mr. Wang passed through Chongqing and established Secretariat of the Socialist Youth League of Chongqing.On October 15, 1922, Mr. Wang established the Local Executive Committee of Socialist Youth League of Chengdu, which was based on the Socialist Youth League of Sichuan. By 1923, 11 youth league branches had been gradually founded in Chengdu and the members of the Youth League had grown from its original 27 into more than 40.
In the autumn of 1923, Mr. Wang communicated to the organizations of the Youth League the policy of the 3rd National Congress of the communist party of China and the 2nd National Congress of the Socialist Youth League of China on the implementation of the cooperation between KMT and CPC. He was also making a secret plan to establish the local organization of CPC in Chengdu. In October 1923, he finally established Chengdu Independence Group of the communist party of China, also called Chengdu Branch of CPC.In the spring of 1924, Mr. Wang left Chengdu for Guangzhou to attend a meeting. Unfortunately, he was killed by Guizhou Warlords on his way back to Chengdu.
