A Study on the Relationship between Wang Fangren, Lu Xun, and the Closure of the Zhaohua Literature Society

The annotation of Wang Fangren in the Complete Works of Lu Xun is incorrect. Wang Fangren was the son of Wang Xiaotang, the founder of Heji Education Supplies Company. He took over Heji under the name “Wang Fuqing” after 1936 and was still alive until 1983. The closure of Zhaohua Society was due to the unreliable claim of “fraud and default” by Heji Education Supplies Company. The real reason was related to the underdeveloped plate making and printing industry in China at that time, the radical publishing strategy of Zhaohua Society the overall environment of the Shanghai book industry, and the sudden retreat of Heji. By examining Wang Fangren's literary translations, it can be seen that his spirit of resistance for social progress is deeply connected with Lu Xun's. Wang Fangren's life reflects the tragedy of intellectuals struggling between literature and industry to save the country in the first half of the 20th century.